Home numbers examined

The Daily News catches up with last weeks property revelations from the Northern B. C. Real Estate Board.

They offered up their take on the state of the realty market in the Northern half of the province as a front page story in Tuesday’s paper.

HOMEBUYERS BLOW ROOF OFF PROPERTY MARKET IN NORTH
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Page one

There is more activity in the local real estate market this year than there was in 2006, according to the B.C. Northern Real Estate Board - and there are fewer homes on the market.
So far, in the first nine months of the year, 201 properties of all types have changed hands in the Prince Rupert area, which includes the Queen Charlotte Islands. These properties have a total value of $35.9 million - up 42.7 per cent over the first nine months of 2006.

Half of the 147 single-family homes sold so far this year sold for less than $150,000. Nine apartment units, three half duplexes and four townhouses have also sold this year.

At month end, there were 163 properties in all categories on the market compared to 172 on Sept. 30, 2006.

Half of the 147 single-family homes sold so far this year sold for less than $150,000. Nine apartment units, three half duplexes and four townhouses have also sold this year.

At month end, there were 163 properties in all categories on the market compared to 172 on Sept. 30, 2006.

Similar results have also been seen in Terrace and other communities throughout the North.
“It is pleasing to see that overall sales have continued to be strong in Northern B. C. Prices remain strong and we have enjoyed good value increases. Sales numbers while up overall, have softened in some areas.” Said Glen Holling, president of the B. C. Northern Real Estate Board.

“The outlook continues to be positive, although we may see a slight leveling off period in the coming months due, in part, to the seasonal nature of real estate business in the North.

“The Northwest region and the Cariboo have continued to reflect quite strong growth, while there has been softening in Prince George and the Peace country,” he added.

And the outlook for the future is promising.

“Despite differing economic factors affecting various regions of our board’s area, we continue to enjoy strong economies with overall positive outlooks and good property values.”

In Prince Rupert, the sale price of the average home has increased from $147,395 in September 2006 to $162,650 in September 2007.

Sales in the northern part of the province in the first nine months of 2007 topped $1 billion – an 18 per cent increase over last year’s $851 million in sales.

To the end of the September, 5,424 properties of all kinds have changed hands in the region, compared with 5,634 in 2006 and 4,935 in 2005.

We'll be right back after this short commercial message October 9

Freedom can't be take for granted but it can be made into a K-Tel record...

Turn it up man, Freedom Rock has it all man. 40 hits from freedom loving minstrels!

As listed in the digital files of Royal Lepage...

With little movement on the pulp mill front from the new Chinese owners, it seems that time has run out on the members of Local Four, as far as keeping the doors open at the Sixth Avenue union hall location.

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We're not sure if this akin to raising the white flag on any hope for an operating pulp mill in the city, but it surely isn't a good sign!

The long time Prince Rupert union hall is up on the for sale listings, with Islander Hall made its debut recently on the Royal Lepage website.

The Blurb on the Royal Lepage website page advises a few key highlights for someone looking to host a large gathering or in need of lots of space on two floors.

General Description: There's lots of parking at the front of this 2 storey (6400 sq ft total) handicap accessible multi-use building located on the edge of downtown core. Ground floor improvements are comprised of large meeting area, complete with kitchen; upper floor is organized as office space.

Priced at six dollars a square foot, it could be just what you're looking for to host the largest of gatherings or to organize workers at your place of employment.

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And should things get out of hand your just a holler away from help. Your next door neighbour would be the RCMP detachment, whose members will no doubt be more than happy to come over for a cup of coffee and to offer some helpful advice!

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Correction: To clarify the listing of the Islander hall, it is not listed as a "for sale", but rather is listed as a "for lease"...

Oh, Danny boy!

Minority governments don't seem to be the way of Newfoundland and Labrador, Tuesday nights provincial election on the far east coast returned Premier Danny Williams with an even larger majority than he had heading into the vote.

As they might say Boyo, Go Big, or Go home. Williams went big, the opposition, such as it was went home!

As the results were tabulated, the numbers all but wiped out the Liberals in the Newfoundland and Labrador legislature, as they managed to pick up only three of the of the 48 seats in the Legislature, a loss of eight from the last sitting of the legislature.

The NDP squeaked out one seat, while Mr. Williams troops collected the remaining 43. One seat remains to be elected, as the Liberal candidate died midway through the campaign making necessary the need to postpone that election until next month.

During the lead up to the campaign and during it, Williams played the patriot's card if you will, appealing to the pride of the Newfoundlander and Labradorian to support him in his renewed battle with the Feds in Ottawa.

It's long been a theme of Newfoundland politics ever since Joey Smallwood led the long time British colony and then independent nation into Confederation. It was a theme that Brian Peckford used to perfection during his reign and has once again found renewed fervor with Williams.

It apparently has resonated with the electorate which has provided him with a mandate to pretty well do whatever he feels is best. The opposition reduced to a few soon to be overworked politicians, lonely in numbers and most likely muted by the prospect of providing a cautionary voice in a legislature swarming with winning Conservatives.

Watching the NTV coverage off the satellite dish tonight was an interesting experience in futile spin control, as political operatives from the Liberals and NDP tried to put on the best face in what had to be a very demoralizing night.

What is left to see is if the overwhelming victory adds to the growing legend of Danny Williams, who is not one to shy away from bluster and with a full wind at his back after tonight could very well blow a storm all the way to 24 Sussex Drive, making for some interesting times for the current resident there.

Roy MacGregor captured the spirit of the night perfectly with this dispatch for the Globe and Mail.

Williams won big by making a 'have-not' province proud
ROY MacGREGOR
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
E-mail Roy MacGregor
Read Bio
Latest Columns
October 10, 2007 at 1:07 AM EDT

Nothing, the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador likes to say, gets in the way of his Tuesday night hockey.

His staff has been known to cringe when presenting him with a scheduling conflict that simply cannot be avoided.

It is somewhat surprising, then, that Danny Williams missed Tuesday night – given that the only reason not to be at the rink was a provincial election in which the other side didn't even bother showing up.

As elections go, it was roughly the equivalent of firing pucks at a jersey draped over the crossbar. Final score: Williams's Conservatives 43, Liberals 3, NDP 1.

Not quite a sweep, but even better, as he can now pretend there is an Official Opposition.
And while recent polls are suggesting today's Ontario election may give Dalton McGuinty's Liberals a second straight majority, there is simply no comparison between the two provincial votes apart from cool weather and a bit of drizzle.

Williams's successful campaign had several parts – everything from a piece of the off-shore oil action to a $1,000 “baby bonus” to pump up the on-shore population – but it really boiled down to one note he sounded again and again.

“Pride.”

“If I've accomplished anything here,” he told this paper when he dropped the writ, “I just think it's that. Pride in Newfoundland and Labrador – and that's what it's really all about.”
Williams entered every hall and constituency office to the same thundering election song – Proud, Strong, Determined – and would often even sing along:

“We have lived through troubled times for centuries and more,
“We can see the problems coming miles before they hit the shore,
“Now when others take and condescend we will wink and nod no more.”

Fists pumping like a fevered revolutionary, he would take up the chorus:

“We know what we're fighting for,
“We believe in what we're fighting for,
“We love what we're fighting for –
“Newfoundland and Labrador.”

What this pride was all about was a new sense that the most “have not” of provinces is heading, perhaps as soon as the next two years, toward becoming a rare “have” province in an equalization program that created a pecking order by trying to prevent one.

Newfoundlanders have let it be known they are done with “Newfie” jokes, even the self-deprecating ones, done with being patronized, done with being taken for granted – and done, in particular, with being painted as part of, as Stephen Harper so stingingly put it, “a culture of defeat.”

“They felt like they were being treated like second-class citizens,” Williams said. “That whole acknowledgment and recognition – put our heads up and stick our chests out.”

And Williams, obviously, led by example – at times much to the chagrin of the rest of Canada, and, in particular, the two prime ministers of his time, Paul Martin and Harper.

“Right now, for all intents and purposes,” Ryan Cleary, editor of the fiercely nationalistic newspaper The Independent, was saying yesterday, “Danny Williams is Newfoundland pride personified.

“It's as if all our pride and hope has been channelled into one champion. … Danny Williams is our best hope right now. That's the simple fact of it.”

In many ways, the breadth of Williams's victory was a surprise even to those who predicted majority. Liberal Leader Gerry Reid ran his entire campaign on the notion that only he could speak for rural Newfoundlanders. Reid pushed for the fisheries and pushed for returning population to places where the “emptying out” is creating ghost communities. And rural Newfoundland responded by … voting for Williams. In the end, Reid lost his own seat in a cliffhanger.

It is impossible to imagine such an election in Ontario.

If Newfoundland and Labrador was all about “pride,” Ontario seemed more, at times, about “shame.” Premier Dalton McGuinty was portrayed as a liar; the opposition, Conservative Leader John Tory, made of himself a bumbler, a man who might well have become premier today but for a startling inability to read the province he thought he could lead.

To Tory's credit, however, he did have certain flashes of insight, and one occurred late in September when he came calling on The Globe and Mail's editorial board.

He talked about his sense “that we're seeing a kind of diminished Ontario.”

He spoke of once-so-powerful Ontario having “fallen out of our leadership role in Canada.”
This, to no surprise, he laid at the doorstep of McGuinty. But no matter how it has happened, if in fact it has happened, it certainly felt these past weeks as if this has come to pass.

“I think,” said Tory, “we became kind of just another supplicant instead of being the leader in trying to forge new arrangements in the country.”

An intriguing observation, and never so striking as in a week when we see one poor province so genuinely excited by its future, while one rich province seems strangely alarmed by its.

We'll be right back after this short commercial message October 8

After two or three days of Turkey even the heartiest soul could feel a bit off their feed.

When you need quick relief.

Revisions to Employment Insuranace qualifying periods called for

The call has gone out once again, for the Federal Government to change the way it does its math when it comes to deciding how many hours are needed to qualify for Unemployment Insurance.

UFAWU the local fish industry union is spearheading the drive to bring the inequities of unemployment in the North to the attention of Ottawa. As the situation stands at the moment, Prince Rupert and Northwestern B. C. are in the same qualifying zone as the likes of Prince George, Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.

Because of this, the super heated economies of North East B. C. are making it hard for Northwesterners to qualify for EI benefits as workers find it hard to make minimum of 595 hours required to receive benefits. As recent as three years ago, workers only had to accumulate 420 hours to receive their benefits, but as the economy of Northern BC improved so did the threshold to qualify for benefits.

The only problem with the sliding scale of governmental accounting was at that same time that the Northeast was booming, the Northwest economy was sliding in the opposite direction. With a full or even half recovery still at least a few years off, many Northwest families are having a major problem making ends meet, with many having to turn to Social assistance.

What is particularly disappointing to local residents is that the Government has already made exemptions in other parts of the country that suffer the same situations. UFAWU has urged local residents to take part in a letter writing campaign, with letters of concern to be addressed to the Minister of Human Resources, Monte Solberg.

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However, it might be best not to get any hopes up. This is not the first time that Northwesterners have tried to bring the inequities of the provincial unemployment situation to the federal table, in fact it was about this time last year that shoreworkers' letters were delivered to Ottawa and over 365 days later the trouble with the system is still much the same.

The Queen Charlotte Islands Oberserver posted an article on the still contentious situation, the Minister may want to look at it as kind of an economics and geographical primer of a part of the country that he may not know that much about.

Union wants EI rules changed

Queen Charlotte Islands Observer

October 8, 2007
Previous Next

The union representing fish plant workers is campaigning to change EI qualifying regulations in the northwest, saying it's absurd for the coast to be considered part of the same economic region as booming northeastern BC. Because the unemployment rate is so low across much of northern BC, due to jobs created in the oil fields and the harvest of pine beetle infested wood, workers here must work a minimum of 595 hours before they qualify for employment insurance benefits.

But Christina Nelson, northern organizer for the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union in Prince Rupert, said the north coast should have a much lower number because there are so few jobs here, unlike the rest of the region. Ms Nelson said Rupert and the surrounding area have one of the highest unemployment rates in BC. The union is lobbying to have the federal government change the boundaries, so that northwestern BC is considered separately when it comes to qualifying hours.

The government redrew boundaries for two areas in New Brunswick and Quebec in a similar situation, she said. The government is reviewing the northern BC boundary right now, and Ms Nelson is urging union members and anyone else affected by this to write to Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg.

Fish workers in Prince Rupert and Masset have been affected by the higher threshold, and many have had to go on social assistance instead of EI, Ms Nelson said, because they can no longer work enough hours to qualify. "People are living in poverty, it's a sad state of affairs," she said. "It's degrading as well. People feel, I'm a worker, paying into a fund, that I'm not able to access."

Until about three years ago, workers only had to accumulate 420 hours before qualifying for benefits. That was before the rest of the northern region started booming. Since January 2003, the unemployment rate has been steadily dropping, from over 15 percent to less than 10 percent. Ms Nelson suggests that people writing to Mr. Solberg point out that the northern "economic region" covers two-thirds of BC, that the oil fields are 1,200 km away from here, and that there are no jobs in this area.

Mr. Solberg's address

The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources,

House of Commons,

Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6.

Ye shall know them by their words!

Perhaps the most important piece of literature in a person's life will be the final entry of our time on this little planet.

Generally left to a surviving spouse, son or daughter or life long friend, the obituary is the last thing anyone may remember of our visit on earth. A thumbnail sketch of how we lived our lives, who we left behind and well, it seems any unresolved issues that perhaps we would like to share.

Our old friend in the blogosphere Seanincognito may not be blogging as much as he once did (in fact he's been dormant for far too long), but he can still source out those interesting tidbits for us. Earlier today, he forwarded to me the following obit from Lowell, Massachusetts.

A link to where the Lowell Sun offers up a lovely tribute to a long time citizen, Athanasia "Ethel" Eliopoulos who left this world with a ledger full of achievements, shared memories and one final political axe to grind it seems.

Athanasia "Ethel" Eliopoulos

Athanasia 'Ethel' Eliopoulos Director of Lowell Social Security; 94 LOWELL, Mass. Athanasia "Ethel" Eliopoulos, 94, died Friday, October 5, 2007, at D'Youville Manor. Ethel was born on Feb. 10, 1913, in Lowell, Mass., the daughter of the late Elias and Eleni (Mangiavas) Eliopoulos. She graduated from Lowell High School, and attended Boston University before leaving to pursue a professional working career.

She received formal training as a stenographer, was an expert in shorthand, and a licensed Real Estate Broker before becoming the first woman in the United States to hold the position of local Director of Social Security in a district office. After serving nearly 50 years in various capacities, Ethel enjoyed a long and illustrious career and was considered a pioneer in the field of Social Security. She was the recipient of many awards within the Greek community as well as one of the first women to receive the John J. Bartlett Award, this prestigious award is given for extraordinary service within a United States governmental program.

This award is extremely rare as under one-half of just one percent of government employees ever receive it. During her working years Ethel appeared regularly on Saturday morning local radio and was involved in a Question and Answer column that appeared periodically in the Lowell Sun Newspaper.

She also co-wrote, directed and starred in a short tutorial film that was used in training for Social Security start up offices. Ethel traveled extensively throughout her life having visited many countries including but not limited to China, Greece, Ireland and Turkey as well as numerous locations throughout the United States. She particularly enjoyed Sannibel Island, Florida. Upon retiring from Social Security, with little to no respite she quickly returned to work in the private sector working with her niece buying and selling antiques in an Essex, Mass., Antiques shop.

She is survived by two sisters, Pauline Hollis and Bessie Natsios of Lowell; and a brother, Peter Eliopoulos of Palm Bay, Florida. Her many nieces and nephews will miss their long tradition of celebrating Christmas Eve together. The family is grateful for her countless friends, and the wonderful care she received at D'Youville Manor.

With her passing, Ethel's final wish was ultimately granted when she did not have to see Hillary Clinton become president.

ELIOPOULOS Friends will be received at the M.R. LAURIN FUNERAL HOME, 295 Pawtucket St., Lowell on Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. Her funeral will take place on Thursday at 9 a.m. from the Funeral Home to be followed by services at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Lowell at 10 a.m. Interment to follow in Westlawn Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to the Holy Trinity Church, Lewis St., Lowell, MA 01854. Funeral arrangements under direction of Louis M. Fazio III, M. Richard Laurin, Scott Laurin.

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While we can't be sure of the future either here on earth or in the great beyond, should Mrs. Clinton actually win the 2008 Presidential election, somehow we suspect that Madam Eliopoulos may be inclined to roll in her grave.

Bringing in the Apple crop.

This may be a bit too adventurous after a weekend of Thanksgiving Turkey, (the reflexes seem to slow down a bit on a full stomach of tryptophan) so we'll forgive you if you wait a day or two to test your skills.

This little Apple Harvest Game was sent to me today, check it out and see how many apples you can save from an uncertain fate....

Proposed Texada Island LNG plant finds welcome not as warm as expected

"Shouldn't a community have a say in whether or not a development, especially one which is potentially dangerous big time, be built in its backyard? " --Rafe Mair

The developers of an LNG plant that at one time was planned for Ridley Island, are finding that the road to development may be one lined with residents not particularly keen on it arriving in their backyards.

It was only a few months ago that West Pac packed up their presentations and studies , deciding that the future of LNG development was not in Prince Rupert but further south, but it would seem that terminal developers may have mis-judged the reception of those living around the Powell River area.

The opposition to the Texada Island project took its first steps there last week, as a public meeting was held to discuss the Safety aspects of the proposed terminal. The opposition is being led by none other that Rafe Mair, a former BC cabinet minister who went onto further fame as one of BC's most popular talk show hosts.

Mair was the chair at the meeting last week and has provided a bit of background on what the people in that part of the province think about the idea of these huge LNG ships transiting their congested waters think about the proposal.

Of interest is the lack of accountability by the political class of the province, with the exception of the local MLA, none of the opposition critics or cabinet ministers responded to their invitations, nor did any Federal representatives or potential representatives take in the public form.

It's interesting that the opposition over Texada plans has already begun to organize, when it was being proposed for Ridley Island there seemed to be less concern over safety, compared to the potential economic benefits for the area. We never actually got around to the actual safety investigation of the project locally, as the prospect of a much larger project further south rendered the Rupert plans to be put on a back shelf, to be looked at again perhaps some other day.

It will be interesting to see if the day when the "project might be revived ", now comes up much sooner than originally thought.

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We should watch how the project proceeds in the south, with such a prominent advocate against its development leading the way, the issue is sure to be kept on the front burner for quite a long time.

North coast residents should keep notes, just in case they decide that it's too hot politically mid island. It might be helpful to have the research done for us, just in case they decide that the North coast was a better choice after all.

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The residents there have been asking the questions that we never really had a forum for at the time, questions that are just as valid on the isolated north coast as they are in the more populated regions between Vancouver Island and the Sunshine coast.

Rafe Mair examined the issue of Texada on the Tyee website, providing an opinion piece for the news website that certainly doesn't bode well for the would be developers.

Texada Gas Project Raises Safety Fears
Scared islanders mad at no-show politicians.
By Rafe Mair
Published: October 8, 2007
TheTyee.ca

Last week I chaired a meeting in Powell River to protest the plan to build a large liquid natural gas (LNG) storing facility and gas-fired power generator on nearby Texada Island. This area is one of the great natural beauties of the province.

I, like many of you I'm sure, get bogged down in megawatts and the like, but suffice it to say that the Texada generating facility would become the single largest independent source of electricity in B.C. since Alcan's Kemano project was completed over 50 years ago. The rest of the gas would go into Terasen pipelines for other uses.

The LNG will be brought to the facility by huge tankers probably every week to 10 days. According to the literature, it's not so easy to transport gas as it is for coal and oil -- LNG requires either pipelines or huge special LNG tankers. To liquefy natural gas, you need to cool it down to about -160°C where it will then occupy 1/640 (0.15 per cent) of the original volume.

Upon reaching its destination, it then has to be converted back to a gas by passing the liquid through vaporizers to warm it. Then it is transported through pipelines as normal gas. About a third of the original energy in the gas is lost in this double-conversion process.

Thus, safety is not a theoretical question. In 2004 an LNG facility in Algeria killed 27 and in July of 2004 an explosion in Belgium from a facility cast debris four miles; 15 people were killed, and 120 injured -- many severely burned. It caused a billion dollars damage.

In 1944, in Cleveland Ohio, a liquid natural gas explosion incinerated a square mile. The explosion destroyed 79 houses, two factories, and 217 cars. Its heat reached 1000 degrees, killed 130 and injured 275. The spill that created this blast was approximately five per cent of the volume held by a modern LNG tanker. Though the safety of LNG facilities has no doubt much improved, this gives an idea of what happens if things go badly wrong.

No show politicians

Added to these concerns is the possibility of terrorism. If you were living next to a LNG plant and you knew that with relative ease there could be an explosion that would wipe out your community, how would you feel? If you live in Kerrisdale, the British Properties or Oak Bay, you have no such worries. Choose Texada Island and it would never be off your mind.

It's also interesting to speculate that because this LNG is not going to an expanded Burrard Thermal plant for the B.C. market -- a much cheaper option -- but is going into a pipeline terminating in the U.S., that the U.S. market is what's being targeted. This suspicion is fueled unto certainty by the fact that B.C. has plenty of gas for its own use. Thus, it would seem, Texada Island runs the risk, the Yankees get the gas.

The general feeling expressed at this meeting was frustration. The Powell River Regional District, thanks to recent amendments to the law, can no longer prevent a development supported by the Campbell government. The folks look to the Environmental Assessment Act for help and learn, as have the people living along the Sea-to-Sky highway, the residents of West Vancouver near Eagleridge, and the good folks in Delta, that the assessment, if any, is done after the deal is done and that the director (a Campbell appointment) has no power to stop a project. In fact Premier Campbell can refuse to allow an assessment to take place or restrict its powers.

There are several ways the Federal government could halt the project but the fact that the member of Parliament for the area, Blair Wilson, wasn't there, though invited, didn't inspire hope. The Tory candidate, John Weston, wasn't there -- considering how hard he's been campaigning, this is astonishing and can only call his political courage into question. Though the MLA, Nicholas Simons, was there, his colleagues, Environment critic Shane Simpson, Transportation critic Maurine Karagianis, Municipal Affairs critic Charlie Wyse and John Horgan, critic for Energy and Mines all gave it a pass.

On the Campbell government side, Richard Neufeld, the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and the Environment Minister Barry Penner were both invited, and noted for their absence.

Not a NIMBY issue

The Campbell government evidently fears public questions and input. The Municipality of Delta will have a large truck highway built without their council being heard, much less approve, to serve a much expanded Deltaport they had no say in. These related projects will have a severe impact on air quality, on sensitive ecological areas including Burns Bog, and on the Agricultural Land Reserve, yet the Campbell government wasn't interested in what the people had to say. Even their usually loquacious Liberal MLA, Val Roddick, the self proclaimed protector of the ALR, was struck dumb.

Isn't there a principle of basic democracy involved here? Shouldn't a community have a say in whether or not a development, especially one which is potentially dangerous big time, be built in its backyard?

This Texada Island proposal is not a NIMBY issue such as having a half-way house in a neighbourhood might be. This high risk issue goes to the very soul of their entire community. Don't be fooled by the statement that the risk is an "acceptable one." If a risk is not restrained by any time limit, it's no longer a risk but a certainty waiting to happen.

If you live in Vancouver or Victoria you're probably saying "What the hell, this is progress! Can't stop having progress!"

Would you be saying that if an LNG plant was coming to where you and your family live? And therein lies the injustice. Large communities are spared high risk adventures. Communities like Powell River and Texada Island, without the population and political clout, must live with the risk without ever having had a fair chance to make their case.

Surely that can't be democracy even by British Columbia standards.

Related Tyee stories:

Oiling up the CoastHarper shrugs off 35-year ban on risky tanker traffic.
The Lure of Nuclear PowerIt grows with opposition to other options.
How to Curb B.C.'s High Risk Hunger for EnergySpreading pipelines, vulnerable to sabotage, fuel our growing appetite.

Rafe Mair writes a Monday column for The Tyee. You can find previous ones here.

To register for free to hear Rafe Live, Mair's new webcast, visit http://www.rafelive.com/.

We'll be right back after this short commercial message October 7

Sometimes maybe a change in tradition is best...

Not every turkey is resigned to its fate!

Thanksgiving is for families

Thanksgiving Dinner, it brings families together for better or worse...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Frankly, I'm too stuffed to write. Hope all ye visitors to Podunk have an enjoyable Thanksgiving, save some room for the leftovers!

Now if you'll excuse me, there's a couch with my name on it!

We'll be right back after this short commercial message October 6

Shout it out, ooops wrong product!

Frankly if my shirt starts talking to me, I'm burning the thing, not washing it!

Podunkian Music Club: October 2007

Our archive of selections for October.

October 27--The Trammps-Disco Inferno
October 20--Neil Young-Heart of Gold
October 13-- Annie Lennox- Dark Road
October 6--Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band-Radio Nowhere

Podunkian Music Club

Bruce Springsteen-Radio Nowhere



After wandering the dusty back roads of the folk era covering the Pete Seeger songbook, the Boss is back with a straight ahead rock and roll album. Something that his fans have been anxiously awaiting five years for, since The Rising last came out in the wake of 9-11.

The new release Magic, brings back the E street band to drive out the beat and add that urgency to his music that made them famous through the decades since Springsteen first wandered out of Freehold, New Jersey.

Our selection tonight, is the first release from the new recording. It's a hard kickin' rocker of a tune, that makes excellent use of all the players in the Springsteen symphony. From Max Weinbergs' driving back beat to Clarence Clemons wailing sax, each and every member of the E street band seems to have something key to contribute to Radio Nowhere.

The lyrics ask for a testimony from the audience that there is somebody alive out there.

While his manager Jon Landau suggested that the album was not particularly political. Magic still manages to touch base with the things that America is concerned about, from war, through suspension of civil rights to the economy, all of it is covered in Springsteen lyrical prose, biting and correct.

It's an album at times paced with disillusionment, frustration and exhaustion. A sharing of a journey that has left many wondering how to fix their shattered dreams and reclaim some of what they have lost. However, it's certainly not a doom and gloom affair, there is the kinetic energy of rock and roll to the recording which with Springsteen is almost always a near religious experience.

His last studio album with the E Street Band came out as America was still coming to terms with the grief over the attacks of September 11, 2001. That album was one of catharsis, the singer poet laureate taking his charges to a safer place to come to grips with what had happened and try to look forward with some hope.

Five years later, it's a subliminal anger that resonates through some of the songs, a feeling of betrayal and a call to reclaim that country that they shared from their shared youth.

This first release from the album starts out with the crashing guitars, wall of sound that announces the return of America's chronicler. It's a natural fit from his recent works from the Pete Seeger collections, Seeger was the original conduit of American folk music, the lighthouse for troubled times of the era.

Whether he accepts the comparison or not, Springsteen is very much fulfilling the same role in modern times, the music at times is reminiscent of the Born to Run through Born in the USA era, yet it's message is as current and vital as the latest newscast.

Through the years Springsteen has come to speak for much of his generation, a social standing that makes him an icon for many. That status once gets examined on CBS's 60 minutes on Sunday night, as Springsteen is one of the featured interviews on the newsmagazine.

His voice is filling the void that the politicians and news industry seem to have allowed to take place. His higher profile may bring him that answer to his question, "is there anybody alive out there".

Artist-Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Recording-Magic

Halloween fest plans coming together

The traditional Halloween fest activities are still in the planning stages, but organizers anticipate another successful night at the end of October.

The festival has been fixture in Prince Rupert for almost twenty years now, an opportunity to provide a safe environment for youngsters on Halloween, with a number of activities planned for the Civic Centre and Earl Mah Aquatic Centre.

In addition to the games and treats, the always popular fireworks program is planned for that evening at 8:15 pm.

The organizers are still looking for volunteers and details on the nights events and how people can help out were provided in Friday's Daily News.

Festival targets fun as its main ghoul
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, October 05, 2007

Nearly 20 years after it's inception, organizers of Prince Rupert's Halloween Fest hope to once again put together a successful event, but they will need help from the community.

As Halloween quickly approaches, Constables Rebecca Scarlett and Jana Starr, along with other volunteer organizers, are trying to rally even more community support, although the generosity shown so far has been great.

"Every year, we donate money and it gives the police a good start," said Manny Richards, one of many Moose Lodge men who helped raise $750 for this year's event.

"It's important for the children, and that's what the Moose Lodge is all about."

Similarly, Ladies of the Moose donated money to help fund another fun-filled Halloween for Prince Rupert youth, and representative Adella Eliuk knows that making the night safer for everyone is important.

"It's very much needed, because we need to keep kids entertained and off the streets."

Joy Sundin has been helping to organize Halloween Fest since the idea was first conceived, and believes it's still needed for the same reasons that it was a good idea 20 years ago.

"There was a need in the community due to the vandalism and the property damage, so a few people got together and asked 'What can we do?'" explained Sundin. "The police came on board, and right off the bat it just mushroomed.

"We built it to have the youth groups and older students in the community come and put the event on, so they get the idea, the attitude and atmosphere that this is a day of fun for children and for them to give something back to their community."

In 2005, the RCMP was pleased to report only 15 minor calls on Halloween night, most of which calls that did not even end up as files. Instead, nearly 5,000 packed the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre for a night of frightful fun for people of all ages.

This year's Halloween Fest is scheduled to include many of the familiar activities of past years, such as a haunted house put on by Treena Decker and a group from the Harbour Theatre, a Haunted Swim in the Civic Centre pool, a dunk-tank, pizza and pop, as well as enough candy to supply every kid in Prince Rupert.

"We're still trying to organize more volunteers and donations in order to coordinate all the events we have planned," said Constable Starr. "We're really looking for all the help we can get."
There will be a bus running throughout the evening to take everybody to and from the civic centre, and the Prince Rupert Fire Department will be playing the pyro-technical role and setting off the big fireworks display scheduled to commence at 8:15 p.m.

Volunteers are encouraged to attend the next Halloween Fest Volunteer Committee meeting at noon on Wed. Oct. 10 in the Community Policing Centre in the lower level of city hall.

Kids are also encouraged to call the Halloween Fest hotline at 62-GHOST, where they can suggest ideas for games or activities they'd like to see at this year's event.

We'll be right back after this short commercial message October 5

The fifties, when men were men and drinking was drinking.

The sea shell knows good taste when it hears it!

Bob Ackles stands on guard for thee

Normally the President of the B. C. Lions would concern himself mainly with the Lions fight song, but these days he's thinking larger than just his team on the Pacific coast. In fact it's the salvation of the entire CFL that is on his mind as he winds down his many years in all versions of North America's football scene.

As the Blues brothers might say ,



A mission to save the CFL.

It may seem like a silly concept these days, for in the last few years the CFL has seemingly never been stronger, as the eight teams for the most part seem to be functioning without the normal state of panic that we've know in the past.

Attendance this year is beyond anyone's wildest dreams, repeated sell outs in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, healthy crowds in Calgary and Edmonton despite significant injury problems.

Ontario has been fairly steady with Toronto's crowds edging upwards as the team returns to health and just as things turned bad for the Cats on the fied, their fans found still another reason or two to stop by Ivor Wynne for a football game as the excitement over Casey Printers gave new hope in the land of broken dreams.

Ackles own team continues to bring in the large crowds at BC Place regularly passing the 30,000 mark.

While Montreal's only problem is seats, there aren't enough of them, the 20,202 currently at McGill are filled on a regular basis.

And there is once again hopeful talk that Ottawa will soon rejoin the league, bringing back a flood of memories of the days of Jackson, Stewart, Adkins, , Clements, Holloway, Gabriel and host of other names that once made Ottawa one of the CFL's great cities.

So where does Mr. Ackles find the troubling signs that need our attention.

From the south and the always present whispers of an NFL franchise for Toronto.

Ackles has taken on a holy crusade of sorts to try and send the idea to the sidelines on a permanent basis.

In fact he's so concerned at what an NFL franchise may do to the CFL, that he's enlisting Canadians in his efforts to keep the NFL away and to help keep the CFL as a living unique entity above the 49th parallel.

An excerpt from his book The Waterboy, sums up his feelings quite nicely and sends out a message that Canadian football fans should take to heart and take up the battle with.

But to have 70,000 people enjoy an NFL game in Toronto, you will murder eight CFL franchises, Ackles writes in his book. Other than for a few people and one city, what is the advantage of a franchise -- except, as I say, for a few greedy people to turn $1 billion into $6 billion, while screwing the rest of the country.

Grab your copy of the Ackles song sheet and join in, raise your voice with like minded Canadian football fans to join the cause.

And since every good cause deserves a theme song, we suggest that he take advantage of that good old fashioned wheatland soul. They have the perfect sentiment for the cause!




The above post first appeared on my Twelve Men on the Field blog, where we track developments in the Canadian Football League.

Latest Queen of the North revelations once again have critics asking questions

The latest details to come out about the sinking of the Queen of the North have only gone to reinforce the belief that there are some serious problems with the way that BC Ferries is being run.

That at least is the impression that was left with NDP ferries critic and North Coast MLA Gary Coons, who suggests that there are many questions about the handling of the sinking and the subsequent investigation into the sinking.

His thoughts on the state of affairs at BC Ferries were presented in the Friday edition of the Daily News.

'Queen of the North report poses new questions'
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, October 05, 2007
Page one

The newly released information by B.C. Ferries on the sinking of the Queen of the North just adds to the confusion and concern of those people who want answers about the tragedy, say critics.

On Wednesday, B.C. Ferries Divisional Inquiry Panel released an addendum to its original report in to the tragedy March 2006.

In it, B.C. Ferries employees provide testimony that only one crew member was on the bridge at the time the ship ran aground off Gil Island. Of the 101 passengers, 99 survived and two are presumed drowned.

"The premier and Minister of Transportation Kevin Falcon could have ordered a judicial inquiry as was done by premier Glen Clark in 1992 when three lives were lost in an incident in Nanaimo," he said.

In four weeks, the public found out what happened and moved on, he said. However this has not been the case within the sinking of the Queen of the North. People have had to wait a year and a half to see if the Transportation Safety Board report due out this month answers the many remaining questions about the tragedy, said Coons.

He went on to say that the new revelation, that only one crew member was on the bridge at the time of the sinking, is troubling, however the report still fails to address four key issues.

First of all, B.C. Ferries never adequately addressed the May 11 Transportation Safety Board advisory that went to B.C. Ferries CEO David Hahn that warned that "crew members on the bridge were not adequately trained and that it is the responsibility of management to ensure this. Training is part and parcel of management responsibility."

Hahn has allegedly called this advisory benign and "didn't know if he bought into it."

Secondly, Coons said the report fails to address the allegations from BC Ferries safety director, Darrin Bowland, who resigned days after the sinking. Bowland says he warned a catastrophic event would happen if management did not heed his warnings about safety and "the lack of qualified people to run the new equipment on the bridges was an accident waiting to happen."

Thirdly, the report does not address any special dispensations or variances that allowed the Queen of the North to sail until 2012 despite reports that clearly called into question the vessel's stability and single compartment design.

And last, B.C. Ferries continues to fail to address the order to "remove and destroy" records and purge documents including ship-specific manuals from the Queen of the North five days after the sinking, said Coons.

"Is a public/judicial inquiry necessary? At this point in time, I believe we need to wait for the full Transportation Safety Board report to see if the public gets the answers we are looking for," said Coons.

"But I believe it's obvious to most British Columbians that something is dreadfully wrong with this particular scenario, and with how our whole ferry system is being managed and it needs to be changed."

A catch and release program for feral cats?

The province's chief veterinarian stepped into the debate in Prince Rupert over feral cats and dangerous dogs this week, advising local residents that while their hearts may be in the right place, they aren't helping the situation by feeding the increasing number of feral cats that wander the city.

As part of the information session, Dr. James Lawson said that if a proper sterilization and vaccination program is put in place the city will need to trap and sterilize 90 per cent of each cat colony.

The Daily News provided complete details on the thoughts of the doctor as well as the concerns raised by the public at the open meeting.

SPCA's TOP VET CALLS ON CAT LOVERS TO STOP FEEDING FERALS
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, October 05, 2007
Pages one and three

People who are feeding the feral cats that populate the alleys and dark corners of Prince Rupert are only increasing the suffering of these animals, said the chief veterinarian for the B.C. SPCA.
Speaking at a meeting about feral cats and dangerous dogs, Dr. James Lawson said people may feel a desire to "feed these poor, wretched souls," but, without sterilization and vaccination, it is not helping.

The city is considering a bylaw to deal with the feral cat problem and has proposed three solutions - doing nothing, trapping and euthanizing and trapping, sterilizing and releasing.
Lawson said that if the city's proceeds with a trap and release program, it will need to trap and sterilize 90 per cent of the population within each cat colony.

"This is only the answer if it is done correctly," he said.

In addition, those cats that have been sterilized need to be easily identifiable either through a clipped ear or tag.

Dr. Paul Kennedy of the Pacific Coast Veterinary Hospital said the number of abandoned/feral cats has increased since the downturn in the economy.

"People call me and say their neighbours have moved, they have been gone for four days, but the cats are still there," said Dr. Kennedy.

He also believes more can be done for the feral cats that are in good health, by having them brought in and sterilized and vaccinated. Those in really poor health should be relieved of their suffering and euthanized.

If a bylaw is brought in to licence cats, he said the city should use any money collected to deal with the feral cat situation.

"I don't want to see that money go into general revenue."

In addition, both Lawson and Kennedy encouraged people to be responsible pet owners, to have their cats spayed or neutered and to have outdoor cats properly identified through tattoos or microchips so they can be returned if they get lost.

"I don't think domestic cats should be contained. If they are licensed, they should be identified and if they are spayed or neutered there should be a lower cost for the license," Kennedy said.
A shelter worker for the SPCA agreed with the need for cat identification. She related the story of Mario the cat. Mario spent a year in the shelter, taking up space, food and supplies, before his owner found him because he did not have a tattoo.

Currently, the city has no limit on the number of cats a person may own.

A number of people at the meeting complained about having their gardens overrun by cats, either domestic or feral, while others noted feral cats have an enormous impact on the local bird population.

Ken Shaw presented a study that showed worldwide cats have been involved in the extinction of more bird species than any other cause.

He suggested the city tell people to keep their cats indoors.

"We don't think we can miss in Prince Rupert,"

It was reunion time in Memphis for Canadian National Railway President E. Hunter Harrison, who returned to the city where he once went to school and played ball and shared his vision of how Memphis will benefit from the Port of Prince Rupert.

Last Wednesday, Hunter spoke at a function of the Economic Club of Memphis, where he outlined a rather promising future for Memphis as one of the key distribution points for CN. As he pointed out in his speech, as Prince Rupert grows its business, so will Memphis grow.

As the Rupert to Memphis connection becomes fully operational, Memphis will be receiving a mile long train a day from Prince Rupert alone, double stacked with import containers. Making the southeastern city one of CN's most important inland ports, ready to distribute goods across America.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal provided some details on Harrison's speech.

(photo from Commercial Appeal website)

Transport to drive growth
Canadian rail executive talks of expanding Memphis hub
By Jane Roberts
Thursday, October 4, 2007

E. Hunter Harrison, the former Memphian who runs Canadian National Railway, doesn't know this, but when the Economic Club of Memphis expects a blockbuster crowd, it books the Holiday Inn at the University of Memphis.

Wednesday night, members of long standing were lining up to shake hands with Harrison, their high school buddy in the 1960s and teammate from summers of ball in Memphis.

From a few notes in his own handwriting, Harrison outlined what CN sees down the track, including payoffs on the $250 million it invested since 2004 in Prince Rupert, British Columbia -- the closest port in North America to Asia -- and its entry into logistics park management, eventually in Memphis.

"We don't think we can miss in Prince Rupert," Harrison said. "We're not wishing bad luck for anyone, there's enough business for everybody. But the U.S. ports cannot handle the business from Asia. All kinds of alternatives are being looked at, including Mexican ports, Suez, eastern U.S. ports, even going around the Horn of Africa.

"With Prince Rupert, we are two days closer to Asia."

With CN's announcement last week that it intends to buy a major portion of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Co. in Chicago, Harrison's own number suggest CN will be able to get cargo to Memphis in 100 hours from Prince Rupert -- 3,100 miles away -- as early as 2011.

In the same year, he says Memphis will be receiving a milelong train a day from Prince Rupert alone, double stacked with import containers.

The combination of the investments will change CN's entire U.S. network.

"We currently have seven primary yards in the U.S. All will be downsized to focus on Chicago and Memphis."

Container imports are expected to rise 350 percent by 2020, creating immense stresses for the U.S. transportation sector. Improved rail efficiencies must cope with this problem, he said.
In Memphis alone, Harrison said, CN has invested nearly a half-billion dollars since 2004, opening a new intermodal terminal at Frank C. Pidgeon Park in 2005, and beefing up its rail car yard at Johnston Yard.

With its new focus on freight forwarding through CN International Worldwide, which it started in early 2007, CN can take shipments "from Rotterdam to warehouse No. 3 on Mallory Street in Memphis," Harrison said.

"When that business starts to click, then we'll make the big play," he said, a reference to an expanded logistics park presence here.

CN currently runs a small logistics center here, shipping paper from eastern Canada to Memphis for eventual shipment to markets 300 miles away.

City leaders have hoped for more at the 3,000-acre city and county-owned Pidgeon Park, which CN serves with partner CSX Railroad.

Memphis offers a noncongested yard -- with river access -- within a day's drive of 70 percent of the U.S. population.

"Every time we grow in Prince Rupert, Memphis will grow," Harrison said. "Memphis understands it needs CN. And CN knows it needs Memphis."

--Jane Roberts: 529-2512

Canadian National Railway
President, CEO: Hunter Harrison
Scope: Operates 20,300 route miles, including 14,000 through eight Canadian provinces.
2006 revenue: $7.7 billion, up 7 percent
2007 capital expenditures: $1.6 billion
Stock: in 1995 IPO, sold for $23. Wednesday, it closed at $55.91.

The Googles of October 2007

Our listings of the Google Alert items that come across our mail server on a daily basis. Archived here for your viewing enjoyment.

October 31-- Watching the wheels
October 31-- First ship arriving today at Prince Rupert terminal
October 30-- Imperial Oil's Q3 report
October 30-- Parents should brace for more school closures in the province
October 26-- Get serious, natives tell RCMP
October 26-- Fortune Minerals announces Slurry Pipeline Transportation Study for Mount Klappan Coal Project
October 25-- Views of the BayWith the candidates for the Bay District board of directors
October 24-- First CN box train from Prince Rupert on October 31
October 23-- Lumber, loonie hurt CN
October 23-- Canadian ports losing business to U.S., report says
October 22-- Canada needs to close transportation gaps to seize historic opportunity
October 21-- Containers Moving Through Prince George
October 19-- Serious Labour Shortage In Prince George
October 19-- HIGHWAY OF TEARS IN FRASER VALLEY?
October 18-- First Container Ship Less than 2 Weeks
October 18-- Action urged on Highway of Tears
October 16-- CN opens intermodal terminal, distribution center in Prince George
October 16-- CN opens new rail terminal
October 15-- Bridge twinning to help with movement of goods
October 15-- BC begins work on Simon Fraser Bridge twin
October 15-- Canadian National Railway Commences C$20 Million Prince George Terminal Operation - Update
October 15-- CN's intermodal terminal and distribution centre now operating
October 15-- CN opens C$20-million intermodal and distribution centre terminal in Prince George, B.C.
October 13-- Highway of Tears list grows to 18 women
October 13-- Rupert's ship comes in
October 12-- Mounties Get Their Suspect
October 12-- List of women on 'Highway of Tears' doubles
October 12-- Canada's New Government and Province of B.C. Support Rehabilitation of the Simon Fraser Bridge
October 12-- Number of missing women on the highway of tears has doubled
October 12-- British Columbia Lottery Corporation: New Gaming Centre Launches in Prince Rupert
October 12-- List of women missing or killed along Highway of Tears doubles to 18
October 12-- Suspect in RCMP officer's shooting arrested
October 12-- RCMP say accused Mountie killer may be going to Prince Rupert
October 12-- RCMP shooting suspect may be headed for B.C.
October 12-- Police expected to expand Highway of Tears investigation
October 12-- Wind-farm developers have high-tech tool
October 12-- Mounties to expand Hwy. 16 probe
October 11-- British Columbia Lottery Corporation: One-Of-A-Kind Entertainment Facility Opens in Prince Rupert
October 9-- For YXS, The Sky Is the Limit
October 8-- Windstorm, rain pass as sun shines on Thanksgiving Day
October 6-- Hermits, hawks and history on a railway in northern B.C.
October 5-- Enchanted by Haida Gwaii
October 4-- Sharing the wealth?
October 4-- Transport to drive growth
October 3-- Residents protest pit bulls in Prince Rupert neighbourhood
October 3-- Veteran named Prince Rupert port director
October 2-- New Report from Northern Real Estate
October 2-- Prince Rupert container terminal opens up Pacific trade

A nasty wind, she will a blow

Batten down your hatches, just in time for the Thanksgiving Day weekend the first storm of the fall is set to arrive.

The Environment Canada website has issued a Wind Warning for the North coast, advising that winds from 70 to 90 kilometres will arrive on the north coast this afternoon.

The winds should ease off by this evening, however it will be wet for the next few days. Rain at times heavy through the afternoon, with accumulations of between 25 to 35 mm by Saturday morning.

The steady precipitation will continue through until Sunday afternoon when it gives way to clouds and showers.

We'll be right back after this short commercial message October 4

It's the school of Pop!

A community of learners united in their desire to learn more about sugary water.

Is Prince Rupert barking up the wrong tree when it comes to dangerous dogs?

The current outcry over dogs perceived to be dangerous to the community seems to be pitting the wishes of some citizens in town, against the advice from the veterinarian world.

A recent high profile incident on 4th Avenue West seems to have been the lightning rod for the call to ban certain breeds of dogs from the city. A suggestion that both the provinces head veterinarian and the city’s local vet both agree wouldn’t be particularly effective.

Local critics point to the city’s dog control bylaw as an ineffective piece of local legislation that has done little to define aggressive behavior and has resulted in residents becoming hostages in their own homes.

The full story was presented on Thursday’s front page of the Daily News

CRITICS CLAIM THE CITY’S DOG CONTROL BYLAW HAS NO TEETH
But veterinarians say that outlawing certain breeds not the way forward
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Pages one and three

The head veterinarian for the B.C. SPCA does not recommend the city of Prince Rupert follow Ontario's example and try to ban specific breeds of dogs from the city.

Dr. James Lawson told a group of concerned citizens Wednesday night that with existing cross-breeds and new breeds of dogs being constantly developed, breed banning is not an effective way to control dangerous dogs.

"I don't believe in breed banning. It's impossible to do," said Lawson.

Rather, he said the city needs a bylaw to deal with incidents in which a dog shows aggressive behaviour toward another human or dog.

"You judge a dog by its behaviour and hold the owner responsible," he said.

Dr. Paul Kennedy of the Pacific Coast Veterinary Hospital added that he recommends people put down a dog once it has attacked a human because of the liability; however banning specific breeds would not be effective.

"Within specific breeds, there are both good and bad," he said.

The city is currently reviewing its animal licencing and control bylaw in a bid to deal with complaints about feral cats and dangerous dogs.

Residents from Fourth Avenue West, who said they had been living in fear of aggressive dogs in their neighbourhood for the past two years, said the city’s bylaw lacked bite.

Area resident Dave Fisher said the dogs in question have charged people and other dogs, but despite multiple phone calls, neither RCMP nor the city’s bylaw officer have responded to concerns. The residents want a bylaw that clearly defines aggressive behavior so action can be done before dogs maul people or other animals.

“We are being held hostage up there,” said Fisher.

In addition, neither of the animals on Fourth Avenue West are neutered, he said. They are used for breeding purposes and are passing on their aggressive characteristics to a new generation of pit bulls, he claimed.

One way to control aggressive dog breeding and to curb the problems of an expanding pet population is for expanded licencing, he said.

Lawson said a substantially larger licenecnig system for people whose animals are not fixed, would, in essence, be like charging a breeder’s licensing fee.

Currently, having an intact dog in Prince Rupert only costs $40 more annually to licence that a fixed dog.

Others added that more enforcement would do a lot to help deal with the situation.

Kathleen Palm, a letter carrier in Prince Rupert said the standard for dogs in Prince Rupert is “startling low” compared to other areas of the country.

Any letter carrier or hydro reader in town could tell the city where the dangerous dogs live, she said.

“The safety of people in the community should come first,” she said. “The safety of our children should come first.”

Both Coun. Nelson Kinney and corporate administrator Doug Jay were on hand to take notes at the meeting and will pass on suggestions to council.

Warmer winters and drier summers don't bode well for the salmon.

A warming trend on the province's rivers and streams is proving to be a troublesome sign for one of B. C.' s best known symbols. And it very well may have a huge impact on not only a valuable resource but on the economic well being of one of the former pillars of B. C.'s economy.

The Globe and Mail's Mark Hume has an article posted on the papers website today that outlines the findings of a pair of reports from the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council.

In the reports, the prospect of warmer temperatures in the province could render the southern waterways uninhabitable to the cold water fish stocks. Recent trends in B. C.'s climate have researchers concerned that the result will be for warmer rivers in the summer, affecting migration timing, and winter floods, which will scour spawning beds.

They urge British Columbia to come to the aid of the salmon, suggesting that without our help the stocks will be in great peril.
.
Considering the fine work we've done so far with the resource, you have to think that the salmon are probably hoping for divine intervention, rather than a little help from their human friends.

Report 1: Helping Pacific Salmon survive the impact of climate change on freshwater habitats

Report 2: Helping Pacific Salmon survive the impact of climate change on freshwater habitats

Salmon need help to survive climate change
MARK HUME
From Friday's Globe and Mail
October 4, 2007 at 8:54 PM EDT

VANCOUVER — Salmon in British Columbia will need human help to adapt to changes being brought on by global warming, but some streams may simply become uninhabitable to the cold-water fish, a government advisory body declared Thursday.

“Big changes are happening, creeping forward inexorably,” Paul LeBlond, chairman of the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, said as he released two new reports.
He called on the provincial and federal governments to do more to help salmon survive climate change.

“Our lakes and rivers are warming up. The freshwater flows are changing in rivers. The rain and snowfall patterns are changing. Salmon have to adapt to this. Every one of their life phases is affected,” Mr. LeBlond said.

“The adults face warmer rivers when they are swimming upstream. What's comfortable for us for swimming is lethal to the salmon. The fry and the juvenile salmon live in warmer waters and face the direct impact of climate change. They face changing conditions of warming oceans, more acidic oceans, different predators and food shortages. The whole nine yards of problems.”

He described salmon as “a valuable gift from the sea” that need protective action now, not after stocks have collapsed.

Mark Angelo, vice-chairman of the council and an environmental instructor at the B.C. Institute of Technology, said climate-change impacts are different across the wide sweep of the province, but the overall trend is for warmer winters and drier summers. He said that will result in warmer rivers in the summer, affecting migration timing, and winter floods, which will scour spawning beds.

“As a result of these changes, some dislocation of salmon stocks may be unavoidable,” he said.
The reports suggest some watersheds at the southern range of salmon habitat in British Columbia may lose the ability to support the fish. Scientific studies several years ago identified the Adams River – one of B.C.'s most important sockeye streams, with runs of millions of salmon in some years – as a watershed that could lose its stocks if temperatures increase just a few degrees.

Mr. Angelo said he hopes the reports generate public discussion on the problem and stir government to launch pro-active strategies. The reports identify two possible kinds of actions – called hard and soft solutions – to help salmon adapt.

The hard solutions involve changing dams and other structures to improve flow rates, modify temperatures and store more water in reservoirs.

The soft solutions call for policy changes to “make sure the rules are favourable to salmon survival.”

The reports say changes are needed to the provincial Water Act to specifically recognize the environmental needs of salmon and to bring under control the use of groundwater, which is currently unregulated.

Mr. Angelo said that in addition to such changes, government needs to look to warmer regions, specifically California, Australia and South Africa, to learn how best to respond when temperatures go up and fish stocks go down.