From the days of the coastal steamships, a look back at a most memorable day

"Crews of firemen, Coast Guardsmen and civilians were on the spot, fire hose covered nearly every foot of the dock and chemicals arrived," the Chronicle reported later that afternoon. "For more than an hour scores of firemen used every facility available in a futile attempt to bring the blaze under control but when every effort was expended the ship had to be taken away from the dock. -- A sample of a review of some shared coastal history from Alaskan writer Dave Kiffer.


Much like Prince Rupert, Ketchikan has had some spectacular fires in its history, one of the more memorable events came on September 22, 1945, when a CN coastal steamship caught fire in the southeast Alaska port.

Dave Kiffer, a frequent contributor to the Sit News provides a thorough and entertaining review of the incident, offering up a good number of anecdotes from the era and a wonderful glimpse into an time long past.

His article examines the history and impact of the Grand Trunk/CN coastal line, from the days of Charles Hays on to the infamous day when the Prince George caught fire along the dock in the city.

Using archive material from a  number of resources in Alaska, Kiffer takes us dockside on a September day many years ago to re-witness a  key moment of coastal British Columbian and Alaskan history

You can examine the full story from the Sit News website , photo above from the SitNews website.

City Hall Tracker for September 20, 2010

Council will examine a number of  variance items, issue a number of proclamations and will examine outstanding council initiatives. This weeks session also features another of council's closed sessions to the public.

Agenda for Regular council meeting for September 20
Committee of the Whole meeting agenda for September 20
Notice of Special meeting for September 20, first order to close meeting to the public


In Attendance:

Mayor Jack Mussallem
Councillor Anna Ashley
Councillor Gina Garon
Councillor Sheila Gordon-Payne
Councillor Joy Thorkelson
Councillor Nelson Kinney
Councillor Kathy Bedard

Absent from Council: 

Minutes for Monday, September 20, 2010 

Minutes for Special Meeting of Council, Monday September 20, 2010

Minutes of the Committee of Whole Meeting of Council for Monday, September 20, 2010

Attendance at City Hall to date archives 

Next council meeting Tuesday, October 12, 2010

British Columbia introduces the nation's toughest impaired driving law today

The risks of driving impaired in British Columbia have residents facing some of the toughest regulations in the history of the province. That as the provincial government outlines the major changes to the financial scale, expands the amount of time you may be banned from driving and increases the levels of potential incarceration should anyone get behind the wheel in an intoxicated state.

The new regulations regarding impaired driving and speeding go into effect today and with them the introduction of a new category of impairment where those that range between 0.05 and 0.08 will receive an immediate, three-day driving ban and a $200 fine.

If  a driver is caught twice in a five-year period they will face a seven-day ban and a $300 fine and the scale of punishment increases for those caught three times over five years, who will be given a 30-day ban and a $400 fine.

Recording a reading of over .08 or refusing to take a breathalyzer test will bring a 90-day driving ban and a $500 fine. Along with the driving ban and financial hit  offenders will have their vehicles impounded for 30 days and could also face further  criminal charges.

Changes are also in effect today for the provinces speeding laws. Driving over the posted speed limits of the province will provide for harsher punishment. As of today,  drivers who are caught doing more than 40 kilometres per hour over the posted speed limit will have their vehicles impounded for at least a week, and could be without their cars for as long as two months should they accrue more speeding offences.

Driving too fast could also find motorists  facing escalating penalties, which could include traffic fines and/or increased insurance premiums.

CBC News-- B.C. drunk driving laws irk civil libertarian
CBC News-- B.C. gets Canada's toughest impaired driving laws 
Vancouver Province-- B.C. introduces toughest drunk-driving laws in the country in honour of Alexa Middelaer 
Vancouver Sun-- B.C.'s tough speeding and drink and drive laws start Monday
CTVBC.ca-- B.C. motorists face country's toughest drunk-driving laws
1130 CKWX-- B.C. drivers face toughest impaired driving laws in Canada

Potash powerplays

While the prospect of a financial rescue of a key industrial site from Chinese interests didn't turn out so good for this region, in Saskatchewan, it appears that the idea of Chinese financial backing may be the only prospect left to save that province's Potash corporation from the clutches of an Australian rival.


When we left on our travels of August the potash file had added a new player to the mix, as BHP Billiton an Australian conglomerate had made a surprising play to acquire its rival  Potash Corporation. Offering 130 dollars per share  in its bid to take over Potash Corporation, which would in the end mean that the Australian company would be investing over 38.6 billion dollars to take over the company.

In the weeks since that first offer came out there has been some high drama in the boardrooms of industry, moves that could very well have an impact on the future of any potential potash terminal on the north coast for the foreseeable future.

As previously noted in our archived items, BHP Billiton recently signed an agreement with the port of Vancouver, Washington to develop port facilities there to ship North American potash to world markets.

Should BHP Billiton be successful in it's hostile takeover bid for Potash Corporation, it's not beyond reason to expect them to make full use of their new port facility in the US, before any thought of expanding on the north coast may come up on their radar.

The current bid from the Australians, has had Potash corporation circling the wagons in a bid to cobble together a competing bid to rescue the company from the would be grasp of the Aussies. Company officials have been strongly urging share holders to turn down the Australians, expressing their concern that the share offer is far too low for what they believe the company is truly worth.

Their quest for financing  for the most part now seems to hinge on the decisions to be made in Beijing, which should it work out as they are hoping would deny BHP Billiton from any potential market domination in the world of potash production and distribution.

Considering the current dilemma facing Potash Corporation executives and looking beyond that ongoing drama, it seems likely that if the need for and the development of the much discussed Potash Terminal for Ridley  Island is to get back on track, it could very well be under the financial assistance of a Chinese government agency.

A development which would provide us all with a small bit of irony, considering the long winding road that we have been down on  the Watson Island file.

The financial manoeuvring and financial posturing has been playing out on with a number of stories and reports from the business pages and newscasts of the national media. Some of the latest developments can be found below.

September 20-- Globe and Mail-- Saskatchewan premier throws cold water on BHP bid for Potash Corp.
September 20-- Globe and Mail-- BHP talks up Saskatchewan
September 19 -- Globe and Mail-- Beijing nears decision on rival bid for Potash Corp.
September 18-- CTV.ca-- BHP finalizes loans to back Potash takeover
September 17-- Toronto Sun-- Chinese takeover of Potash to create conflicts: Analysts
September 16-- National Post-- Potash belongs to the people: Premier
September 15-- Globe and Mail-- China’s passion for potash
September 15-- National Post-- Let BHP buy Potash Corp.
September 15-- CBC-- China watching PotashCorp developments
September  15-- Globe and Mail - Potash brass, China in talks on rival bid 
September 14-- National Post-- Block the Potash bid 
September 7-- CBC-- PotashCorp could see other suitors: CEO 

Podunk Below the Masthead, Friday, September 17, 2010

The Cops for Cancer tour comes to it's conclusion in Prince Rupert, Company officials at Kitimat's Rio Tinto Alcan smelter makes plans for its modernization plan and teachers in Terrace to learn new methods to enhance learning, some of the items of note from Friday's news files.

The Northern View
Riding with the Cops for Cancer Tour de North - Day 7 -- The wrap to the Tour de North which came to a conclusion in Prince Rupert on Thursday afternoon (see article here)

CFTK TV 7 
Cops ride-- As the Cops for Cancer Tour de North came to it's end,  CFTK TV''s Sahar Nassimdoost  was on hand and provided this wrap up report for TV 7's evening newscast. (see video report here)

CFTK TV 7
Henning Remains Convinced Smelter Modernization Will Be Greenlighted in 2011 -- As prep work continues on the Alcan smelter modernization project, BC Operations Vice President Paul Henning offered up his thoughts on the status of the project (see article here) TV 7 also featured this video report on the developments at Kitimat works (see video report here)

CFTK TV 7
Teachers Conference on "Engaging the Brain" Next Week in Terrace -- A two day professional development session in Terrace hopes to inform educators how to better engage their students in the learning process (see article here)

CFTK TV 7
Pinnacle Pellet plant-- The development of a new industry for Burns Lake and the creation of jobs in that community was highlighted in this video report for the evening news (see video report here)

Terrace Standard
God's existence debated-- A group of Terrace religious leaders tackle one of the great questions of our time on earth (see article here)

CBC News Northern BC Daybreak North 
Daybreak North is only posting selected items on their website now. 

 The most recently posted items can be found on the archive page for Daybreak North click here

The Port , CN and Maher Terminals seek to enhance Fairview's reputation

"We are pleased to have built upon the strong collaborative environment at the Prince Rupert Gateway. This agreement forges a strong partnership to further improve the performance of the West Coast's most efficient gateway for transpacific trade and sets the stage for greater transparency for shippers in their supply chain management." -- Don Krusel of the Port of Prince Rupert outlining some of the key elements of a new service agreement between major participants at the Port of Prince Rupert.

 The goal as detailed in a press release issued today is simple: "promote and better measure improvements in port performance and to enhance Prince Rupert's role as a preferred gateway on the west coast for Central Canada and U.S. Midwest markets."

To that end, the Prince Rupert Port Authority, CN Rail and Maher Terminals have signed a level of service agreement that will set specific targets for continuous improvements in the handling of cargo through the Fairview Terminal.

John Buckley, president and chief executive officer of Maher Terminals explained that the agreement builds upon the already strong ties between the three players in Prince Rupert as they continue to grow the throughput through Fairview with an eye towards the future.

One of the key factors in the agreement is the ability to improve the delivery targets with specific times for unloading and loading containers between vessels and rail cars, dwell times at the terminal, and CN transit times to markets in Canada and the U.S.

A process that should help to reinforce the reliable source of transit for those customers that are currently using the Northern Gateway, while at the same time showcasing the terminal's potential for those that could soon come on board.

You can review the details on the agreement from this release issued today.

City council information sessions get underway

The format seems to be along the lines of a high school Parent/Teacher interview, an interesting approach to information delivery what with city councillors holding court at tables ready to discuss the issues on the agenda of the day.  

And while some may question the effectiveness of the project, at least the city's elected officials are making themselves available to those that wish to drop by for a chat, a gesture that could help deflect some of the talk of an aloof council that isn't hearing the messages from the public.

The much discussed schedule of community information sessions got underway on Thursday evening at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre.  The first night featuring a two and a half hour meet and greet which provided local residents with the opportunity to learn more about the agenda items of the night.

The topics for discussion at this first session included such topics as Zoning Bylaws and Development Permits ; Parking issues; the Property Tax Revitalization Bylaw; the Property Maintenance Bylaw; and the developments involving the Business Improvement Area.

Not exactly the stuff of a barn burner of a public meeting, but who knows what item may spur on a larger debate.

Councillor Anna Ashley provided a backgrounder on the session earlier this week posted to the local online forum hackingthemainframe, a guide which should prove helpful to local residents who couldn't attend Thursday's meeting but may be able to clear some time for the meetings to follow.

In the course of  her dialogue on the site, she follows up her original post with further information about these sessions and other options in making views known to our city officials.

While the sessions will no doubt help bring councillors and residents a bit closer to the issues of the day, allowing council to learn more about what their electors are thinking at the moment, there still may be some gaps in the level of information delivered between the open sessions and the controversial issues of the day.

Those topics that seem to dominate the frequent closed sessions of council through the last year may still remain murky for the foreseeable future.

Items such as the latest developments on the pulp mill lands, internal financial issues or personnel decisions, which seem to frequently be examined in those closed sessions most likely won't have much light shed on them during these public sessions.

The end result being that  residents and taxpayers will  still be looking for information that at times seems to be held rather close to the corporate vest.

Still, it's a step in the right direction to meet with the public, a good way to gauge how they feel about the performance of this council and what they expect from them.

We guess with this format in effect it's like report card review day, with the voters doing the mid term grading.

The councillors and Mayor are going to be on the receiving end of much to think about over the course of these sessions, though in the end it is what they do with that feedback that will tell the tale of how effective these meetings will have been.

The full schedule of these sessions can be found from this press release from the city.

A drive we may take for granted

For those that regularly travel Highway 16 the journey no doubt becomes a routine bit of tedium as the vehicle travels on past the many communities that dot the road between Rupert and Prince George and beyond to Alberta.

However, while we may not truly appreciate the display of the changing geography of the road, others are busy marvelling at what they see.

This past summer the Yellowhead from Alberta to Prince Rupert continued to amaze those that took to the blacktop on their journey west.

This article from the Edmonton Journal (which was widely distributed by the Canwest papers including the following link from the Province) outlines what others see as they make their way down the roadway.

You can't get much better advertising for a tourist route than the expression The best road trip begins in Jasper.

 Give it a read and you'll be ready to pack up the car and hit the road yourself!

Podunk Below the Masthead, Thursday, September 16, 2010

Gary Coons offers his thoughts on the HST debate, questions of response in a Terrace area fire and Kitimat sees some progress on the Alcan modernization project, some of the items for Thursday's news review.

The Northern View
No new items were posted to the Northern View website on Thursday

CFTK News
HST will remain a hot topic..even next year says MLA-- The MLA for the North coast, Gary Coons outlines his thoughts on the HST debate, which he says will still resonate with province residents next year when it comes up for referendum (see article here) (Sahar Nassimdoost provided this report on Coons thoughts for the TV 7 newscast of Thursday.)

Terrace Standard
Log truck fire threatened forest areas on Nisga'a Hwy-- Concerns over a logging truck which caught fire on the Nisga'a highway, highlight the curious nature of responding to requests for help outside of fire protection areas in the northwest (see article here)

Terrace Standard
It's full speed ahead for new Kitimat smelter-- The Kitimat economy which has been hard hit of late with the closure of the Eurocan mill, received a bit of positive news this week with the latest developments on the Kitimat smelter modernization project (see article here)

CBC News Northern BC Daybreak North 
Daybreak North is only posting selected items on their website now. 

 The most recently posted items can be found on the archive page for Daybreak North click here

With RCMP contract up for renewal, is it time for a Provincial Police Force

The RCMP's contract for policing in British Columbia is up for a renewal this fall, a process that has provided for a negotiating session which could see the federal police force tasked with policing duties  in the province for at least the next twenty years.

But before the provincial government signs on the dotted line, some British Columbians are urging that they give serious consideration to handing the Mounties their walking papers and returning to the days of a provincial police force.

The last month has seen a number of articles in the Globe and Mail and Vancouver papers which outline this push for a provincial police force, which for some British Columbians would be more accountable to the provincial government and the province's residents.

The call for a provincial force comes in the wake of a string of high profile controversies, issues of concern that have left the federal police force in a less than favourable light among some residents of the province.

From the taser death of Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport, perceived fumbling of the Air India investigations, to the call for an inquiry into the handling of the investigation into  the gruesome Pickton serial murders, the RCMP has been on the receiving end of much scrutiny these last few years. 

For Northern British Columbia residents the lack of progress into the investigation into the past disappearances and murders along the Highway 16 corridor, known as the Highway of Tears,  as well as the in-custody death of Ian Bush in Houston of a few years ago have long been items of concern as well.

Beyond those major concerns, there are any number of more localized issues in communities across the province that have provided for much of the talking points when it comes to how we should be policed in British Columbia.


Some communities in the province, mostly in the Greater Vancouver area, have chosen to set up their own police forces, a process that has spurred on the debate for a more regional force in that region. 

However outside of the major urban areas, the RCMP hold down the fort when it comes to policing, an arrangement that many communities are comfortable with though with concerns over staffing and interaction between the force and the communities they serve. They would no doubt wish to be included in any debate over the concept of a provincial force over the current federal one.

 Former Solicitor General Kash Heed, a former police chief himself at one time appeared to be the point man when it came to the move towards provincial policing, during his time as Solicitor General he received a number of letters and other correspondences seeking a change from the federal force to a provincial one.  


His interest in addressing the issue stirred up some ghosts of the past and some interesting thoughts on just what brought the era of the British Columbia Provincial Police to an end in 1950.

However, with his own  troubles earlier this year regarding an investigation into alleged election act infractions, Heed stepped down as Solicitor General, leaving the main advocate of a provincial force on the sidelines in the debate. 


His replacement Mike de Jong it would appear doesn't have quite the same interest in re-visiting the days of the BCPP and instead is seemingly inclined to negotiate another twenty year term with the RCMP.


It would seem that his goal is to  not have the process sidetracked by a lengthy review over policing and instead to bring the discussions to a quick resolution, keeping the RCMP as the province's police force for the next two decades. 


If there is to be a debate over the future of policing in the province it would seem that time is fast running out to begin the process, once the next contract is signed and the twenty year term has commenced, the discussion it would seem would once again be left to the history books.


Over the last year or so, our Podunkian archives relayed some of the debate over policing in the province.


March 2009-- Rumblings of the need for a Provincial Police force in British Columbia

November 2007-- Reconsidering the Red Serge?
November 2007-- Is it time for the Mounties to ride off into the sunset? 

Podunk Below the Masthead, Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The Nisga'a repatriate some of their ancient artifacts, CityWest comes to the assistance of the School District and the Tour de North gets closer to the finish line. Some of the items of note for Wednesday.

The Northern View
Riding with the Cops for Cancer Tour de North - Day 6-- With the finish line almost in sight, the Cops for Cancer tour arrived in Terrace on Wednesday (see article here)

CFTK TV 7
Nisga'a Artifacts to Be Returned Today-- The Nisga'a nation celebrates the return of a number of artifacts with a ceremony in Laxgalts'ap (see article here) (TV 7 had this video report)

CFTK TV 7
Rupert school year -- Sahar Nassimdoost followed up on yesterday's report on the start of the school year in Prince Rupert with this report for the evening news on TV 7)

CFTK TV 7 
Prince Rupert School District thanks CityWest for supporting student learning -- CityWest provides a faster connection for schools in SD 52 (see article here) TV 7 featured this video report on Wednesday)

QCI Observer
Local Rangers host training exercise-- Details of the recent happenings with the Sandspit and Masset Rangers (see article here)

Terrace Standard
Nisga'a artifacts arrive home-- Details on today's ceremonies upon the arrival of Nisga'a artifacts to Laxgalts'ap (see article here)

CBC News Northern BC Daybreak North 
Daybreak North is only posting selected items on their website now.

The most recently posted items can be found on the archive page for Daybreak North click here

Nisga'a arftifacts to be returned today

Close to 300 Nisga'a cultural artifacts will be returned to the Nisga'a Nation today at a ceremony in Greenville, items that have been repatriated from the Museum of Civilizaation in Gatineau, Quebec and from the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria.

The transfer marks the first time that the Nisga'a have repatriated their items under the terms of the Nisga'a Final Agreement, a process they have been working on with both museums for a number of years now.

Many of the times being returned today are from the collection of Charles Newcombe, a British ethnologist who visited First Nation's villages in  British Columbia in the early 1900's.

Included in the items returned today are rattles, whistles, charms and carved amulets.

Much of his collection has been scattered among museums around the world, but in the case of these 300 artifacts the road has gone full circle now with their return.

The Victoria Times Colonist , CBC  and CJFW offer up some of the details of today's special ceremony.

Update: There was a live webcast of the ceremonies posted to the UStream website on Wednesday afternoon.

The Globe and Mail published a review of the events of Wednesday to their website on September 16.

A new season and a new on line look for Prince Rupert's Rampage

The Prince Rupert Rampage hit the ice next week for their first pre season games of the year, as Prince Rupert's entry in the CIHL prepares for what it hopes will be the breakthrough year for the franchise that moves them to the upper levels of the league standings.

Local followers of the Rampage can keep track of their team away from the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre with the re-launch of the teams website, which now features a variety of on line content that should keep Rampage fans clicking long after the end of the game.

The site provides Rampage fans with details on the team roster, loads of photos and the promise of game highlight packages once the season is underway. Pretty well anything that you may want to know about your Rampage team can be found on the impressive pages of the team's website.

For old time Rupert hockey fans the website even has a look back at the days of the Prince Rupert Kings, a timeless period of hockey lore that still seems to resonate in the community to this day.

It would seem that revamping the website and adding as much as they have must have been a rather time consuming project for the website's creator Phil Cornwall, however,  if the on ice results prove to be the same as their on line production, this could very well be the local team's best year yet.

You can view the Rampage website here.

Podunk Below the Masthead, Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The Tour de North continues on towards Rupert, The Port embraces a green project and the latest news from the School District fill out our Tuesday roster of news items.

The Northern View
Riding with the Cops for Cancer Tour de North - Day five-- Shaun Thomas continues on with his travels with the Cops for Cancer tour de North as they make the trek across Northern BC towards Prince Rupert (see article here)

CFTK TV 7
Port of Prince Rupert is going green -- Details of a 3.6 million dollar project at the Port of Prince Rupert to provide shore power to visiting container ships and reduce the impact of those vessels on the environment (see article here) (view TV 7 report from Sahar Nassimdoost here)

CFTK TV 7 
SD# 52 Enrollment down-- The tally is seventy less students attending school in SD 52 as the School District reviews its early enrolment figures (see article here)

CFTK TV 7 News
Middle School Information Session-- An information session is set for October to examine the plans to introduce a middle school and merge the city's two high schools in the 2011-12 school year. (see article here)

QCI Observer
Sandspit committee members ousted-- A bit of political turmoil on Haida Gwaii after some changes to the line up of the Moresby Island Management Committee (see article here)

KRBD Radio Ketchikan
Farmed Geoducks  sold at market for first time -- A first for Alaska fish farming, as a harvest of Geoducks goes off to market for the first time since the farming industry introduced them to the state (listen to KRBD feature here)

CBC News Northern BC Daybreak North
Daybreak North is only posting selected items on their website now.

The most recently posted items can be found on the archive page for Daybreak North click here

Fairview Terminal moves towards a greener future

A 3.6 million dollar electricity upgrade project announced today by the Federal Conservatives, will provide the Port of Prince Rupert with a more environmentally clean distribution system for power to visiting container ships.

The project will make Prince Rupert the first of Canada's ports to offer shore power for container ships and as a press release describes it "promote greener freight transportation alternatives for Canadians and significantly improve local air quality".

Vessels calling on Prince Rupert will be able to connect with an on shore power supply, allowing them to shut down their diesel engines while loading and unloading containers at the Terminal, which will reduce the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment.

The project which will be known as the Marine Shore Power program will see a 2.5 million dollar contribution from the Federal Government while the remainder of the 3.6 million dollar price tag will come from the provincial government which offers up 200,000 dollars and 900,000 dollars from the Port of Prince Rupert, CN Rail and Maher Terminals.

The construction of the project is anticipated to be complete by early 2011.

The full preview of the project was posted to the Transport Canada website today, CFTK News also had details on the announcement posted to their website on Tuesday as well, TV 7 also featured a video report on today's announcement (see video here).

Podunk Below the Masthead, Monday, September 13, 2010

The tour de North continues towards Rupert, Enbridge says thanks but no thanks to Terrace and the Aquavan arrives in the city. Some of the items of note for Monday, September 13, 2010.

The Northern View

Riding with the Cops for Cancer Tour de North - Day 4-- Shaun Thomas continues on with his diary of the Tour de North ride chronicling day 4(see article here)

CFTK TV 7
Council reacts to Enbridge decision on Terrace public forum -- Terrace city council offers up their thoughts on Enbridge's decision not to participate in a public session on their proposed pipeline project in Terrace (see article here)

CFTK TV 7
Tour De North Reaches Halfway Point-- More details on the progress of theTour de North (see article here)

CFTK TV 7
Kyahwood Mill Near Moricetown Re-opens -- A return of the forest industry in Moricetown with a reopening of the local mill (see article here)

CFTK TV 7
Aquavan-- The ocean came to the classroom today as CFTK's Sahar Nassimdoost reports on the visit of the Aquavan to Westview elementary (see video report here)

Terrace Standard

Enbridge refusal disappoints city council-- More fallout from the Enbridge decision to skip a Terrace public session on their pipeline project. (see article here). The Terrace Standard also featured this article on the same topic (see article here)

CBC News Northern BC Daybreak North

Daybreak North is only posting selected items on their website now.

The most recently posted items can be found on the archive page for Daybreak North click here.

Rested after a month off and reflective on the Podunkian portal

It's been almost a month since our last posting on our Podunkian portal, a much required and truth be told enjoyable respite from the cobbling together of items of interest to our faithful readers.

As has been the case in the past when we take our annual siesta from blogging we have taken the opportunity to ponder what direction we wish to see the blog travel in for the next little while, examining what items worked, which ones didn't go in the direction we had hoped and toss around some ideas as to what we might wish to add as far as content may go.

Blogging takes a fair amount of time out of the day, finding items of interest,  putting those items into some form of entertaining and informative content and then offering them up for review and comment.

Sometimes the task becomes a chore or you suffer a sudden brain cramp that slows down the proceess, at those times blogging is at times a frustrating thing.  At other times however we receive a comment or two about our work to let us know that the efforts are appreciated, a welcome bit of response in lieu of payment.

Since the blog began we have never solicited revenue for the site, or received compensation for our work. Nor are we beholden to any advertisers which may in some way impact on the project that we offer up for review. It in effect has been a hobby, providing links and an archive of sorts to some of the events of our little corner of the world.

With a month's rest under our belt, we're looking to resuming our work but with a more reasonable time allocation towards it, thus some of our past features which took too much of our time from Podunkian items will no longer appear. Such things as our daily economic review or our Sunday brunch to name a few while enjoyable to put together, were time consuming and in the end probably not valuable on the ongoing theme of Podunk.

We return to our efforts with more of a focus on the items we find of particular interest or having an impact on this region, to that end we may reduce some of the opinion and editorial content to offer up more timely delivery of those items.

That's not to say that the blog won't feature opinion anymore, as that would defeat the purpose of the journal, but rather we won't wander around tossing out comments on every single item that crosses our portal, instead we'll pick and choose those topics that hold the most interest to us and perhaps to your readers.

To be honest, some of the local issues seem to be on a never ending loop, little change and even less developments seem to be the main talking point of them at times, and after awhile you can only say so much without becoming repetitive. So unless there is something of particular value to add to the debate, we'll just offer up the latest developments and leave it at that.

We will continue to offer up the city council review, the agenda, attendance and such, something we think is of value to our archives, likewise other key Podunkian items from the past will remain in the archives, we will however be weeding out some of the other aspects of the blog as we work on the redesign.

To get back on track we'll pick up with the developments of this week, we will catch up to the last month of items from Podunk Below the Masthead and such as we go along, all will be archived in their usual spots so amateur Podunkian historians and current affairs junkies will find them in place as time allows.  Check back to our Podunk Below the Masthead Archives as we play catch up with our time away.

So having slurped on our final slushie of the summer, we're going to get back to the computer and back to work chronicling the developments of Podunk, though on a less time demanding schedule as in the past.

We don't think you'll notice any real gaps in the delivery of our items and for Podunkians the concentration on matters of importance to our area could make the blog even more of a useful stop on your daily wanderings of this wired world of ours.

As always if you have an idea for the blog or a suggestion as to what is or isn't working, drop us a line at podunkcan@yahoo.ca

Podunk Below the Masthead Archives for September 2010

Our archive of the daily findings from Prince Rupert's various media sources, from the Northern View, CBC and CFTK News and other regional news outlets, we outline the main stories of the day for the month of September 2010.

September 30-- Don Krusel talks port development, The RCMP in Terrace receive some public assistance and details on a float plane incident off of Haida Gwaii last week, the highlights of the news day for Thursday. (see post here)

September 29-- The RCMP make arrests in a drug related case, Gary Coons wants more done for the Central coast in the wake of last weeks storms and Haida Gwaii residents are heading towards a by-election, some of Wednesday's news items of note. (see post here)

September 28-- Prince Rupert's EI numbers hold steady, a resignation at Regional District and the RCMP make an arrest in a child pornography case in Glen Vowell, some of the items of note from Tuesday's news files. (see post here)

September 27-- Details of a loss of life on the west side of the city, the region's recycling program may be changing its hours back to what they were earlier this year and Terrace remembers its Hockeyville days as they pass the torch on to Ontario, some of the items of interest for Monday's news files. (see post here)

September 24-- A familiar name is destined for a judgeship, the Rampage are ready for the upcoming season and Terrace gains a new industry, some of the items from Friday's news developments. (see post here) 


September 23-- The gun registry debate heats up in Ottawa, Watson Island progress is examined by CFTK and Enbridge takes its pipeline show to Terrace, some of the items of note from Thursday's news files. (see post here)


September 22-- Progress for Watson Island, the City examines permissive tax exemptions and plans to reduce a school trustee position in Kitimat don't get a warm reception, some of the items of interest for Wednesday. (see post here)


September 21-- A review of last week's Community meeting in Prince Rupert, Port Edward gains six months to offer up solutions to the school closure question and Watson Island spending still an issue of concern around the council table, some of the news items for a busy review of Tuesday's news offerings. (see post here)


September 20-- The Lester Centre is in line for a new roof, it's Library month and Enbridge brings its travelling show to Terrace, some of the items of note from Monday's news files. (see post here)


September 17--The Cops for Cancer tour comes to it's conclusion in Prince Rupert, Company officials at Kitimat's Rio Tinto Alcan smelter makes plans for its modernization plan and teachers in Terrace to learn new methods to enhance learning, some of the items of note from Friday's news files.  (see post here)


September 16-- Gary Coons offers his thoughts on the HST debate, questions of response in a Terrace area fire and Kitimat sees some progress on the Alcan modernization project, some of the items for Thursday's news review. (see post here)


September 15-- The Nisga'a repatriate some of their ancient artifacts, CityWest comes to the assistance of the School District and the Tour de North gets closer to the finish line. Some of the items of note for Wednesday. (see post here)


September 14--The Tour de North continues on towards Rupert, The Port embraces a green project and the latest news from the School District fill out our Tuesday roster of news items. (see post here)

September 13-- The tour de North continues towards Rupert, Enbridge says thanks but no thanks to Terrace and the Aquavan arrives in the city. Some of the items of note for Monday. (see post here)

City Hall Tracker for September 7, 2010

Council will examine variance issues, set the agenda for its first community meeting and receives a number of reports from city departments.

Agenda for Regular council meeting for September 7

In Attendance:

Mayor Jack Mussallem
Councillor Anna Ashley
Councillor Gina Garon
Councillor Sheila Gordon-Payne
Councillor Joy Thorkelson
Councillor Kathy Bedard

Absent from Council:


No council members listed as absent


Minutes for Regular Meeting of Council for Tuesday, September 7, 2010



Attendance at City Hall to date archives

Next council meeting Monday, September 20, 2010

Googles of September

A review of this month's items of interest provided through the Google search engines.

September 30-- Floatplane makes emergency landing off Masset
September 29-- By-election to be held to fill MIMC seats
September 28-- CN to start whistling near cannery
September 28-- Cruise passengers weigh in on Rupert as season ends
September 28-- Schools pilot project for fiber optics
September 28-- New judge appointed
September 28-- Sunday’s Blessing of the Animals a first
September 27-- Cuts to recycling program could be reinstated in next budget
September 27-- Storms at Haida Gwaii mean 'stellar' surfing
September 27-- Prince Rupert RCMP provide details on weekend fatality
September 26-- New system helps CN manage coal shipments
September 24-- Prince Rupert lawyer appointed to the bench
September 23-- Interest over Watson Island progressing
September 22-- Fairview Terminal goes green with $3.6 million project
September 22-- City to look closer at permissive tax exemptions to community groups
September 22-- Ridley Terminal continues surge in coal export tonnage
September 21-- Five years later, Tamara Chipman still missing
September 21-- Man jailed for grow op 
September 21-- Boost from Fraser River Sockeye estimated at $2 million
September 21-- Riders share their stories at Cops for Cancer celebration
September 21-- Six North Coast resolutions making their way to UBCM floor
September 21-- CN vice-president discusses a bright future for Rupert
September 21-- Five years since woman seen on Highway 16 
September 21-- New reporter enjoying Prince Rupert
September 21-- Police Call For Clues in Chipman Disappearance
September 20-- Feds to invest $2.5 million in green port project
September 20-- West Canadian ports vie for China trade
September 20-- The Burning of the S.S. Prince George
September 20-- Prince Rupert pact adds to CN's arsenal of 'service-level' agreements
September 19-- Terrion surpasses $500,000 for Terry Fox Foundation
September 17-- Riding with the Cops for Cancer Tour de North - Day 7
September 17-- CN, Prince Rupert Port Authority and Maher Terminals sign Level of Service Agreement setting specific targets, measures for continuous improvement in gateway performance
September 16-- British Columbia port lands $2.5 million from feds for shore power project
September 15-- Canadian port invests $3.6 million in cold ironing technology
September 15-- Prince Rupert School District thanks CityWest for supporting student learning
September 14-- No injuries reported in early-morning fire
September 14-- Keeping ahead of trends in an ever-changing world
September 14-- Time running out to win in Adopt-a-Plot
September 14-- Scallop grow-out gets approval for construction
September 14-- Rampage get ready
September 14-- Prince Rupert to offer shore power to container boats 
September 14-- Middle School Information Session
September 14-- Riding with the Cops for Cancer Tour de North - Day five
September 14-- Cycling cops continue westward
September 14-- Port of Prince Rupert is going green
September 14-- Government of Canada funds green port project in Prince Rupert
September 14-- Cops For Cancer Tour De North Enters Day Five 
September 12-- Road work improves access to north BC intermodal terminal
September 12-- Cops for Cancer tour reflections: barbecue in Houston on Monday
September 11-- Abandoned mill town Ocean Falls is reborn, thanks to new material at the B.C. Archives 
September 11-- Cops for Cancer Witnesses a Vivacious Start
September 10-- Cops for Cancer kick off their ride to Prince Rupert 
September 8-- Dad's quick thinking saves kids from house fire 
September 8-- Format and topics chosen for community forums 
September 7-- Outage leaves 998 Hydro customers in the dark 
September 7-- Stepping aboard the Norwegian Star for a cruise tour 
September 7-- Moe Hays Club preparing to name champions as season winds down 
September 7-- DFO takes the brunt of blame at Cohen Commission hearing
September 7-- Format on Community Meetings decided 
September 7-- City's letter of support aimed to press need for upgrades to recration facilities
September 7-- Autopsy Scheduled in Case of Boating Death 
September 7-- Early morning cooking fire gets out of control in Prince Rupert 
September 3-- The best road trip begins in Jasper 
September 3-- Prince Rupert School District superintendent looks ahead to new school year
September 3-- More to seafood than meets the sockeye 
September 2-- Cohen Commission Stops in Prince Rupert
September 1-- Tsimshian Nation threatens action to close sport fishery
September 1-- Bookmarks: The Railroader's Wife
September 1-- Fraser Sockeye Bonanza Creating Temporary Jobs in Prince Rupert