From council meeting Feb.24,2014

It was a long night for council with three delegations, one from Global LNG, Port Edward Harbour Authority and Pacific Coast Pilotage.
There are presently 13 LNG projects in B.C. Asia is the largest importer and Prince Rupert is well positioned for this market.
We are still a couple of years away before we will see any activity with operational start dates in 2021. Of course they will be looking to employ as many local people as possible, one does wonder if the provincial government is researching the proper skills for these types of project.
The Port Edward Harbour Authority monitors the wharfs both in Prince Rupert and Port Edward, it was suggested that a member be from Prince Rupert and have another fisher on the board also.
Pacific Pilotage has three rotational pilots in prince Rupert and the questions was asked about having permanent staff based in Prince Rupert. This is not in the works as it would require six pilots and Prince Rupert is well served with three at present.
A new helmet bylaw was passed making it mandatory for skateboarders to wear helmets. In my view this will be hard and costly to enforce.
There is also an 11 unit apartment building planned for the end of Graham Ave. zoning to be changed from R2 to RM2.
The applicants and registered owners are: Prince Rupert Living Concepts Inc., Kevin Newton and Don Scott.

From Council meeting of Jan.06,2014

It was a short public council meeting, mainly to approve the loan amendment for the airport.
This bylaw was passed with councillor Thorkelson opposing the motion.
Her opposition was not to the loan itself however the process in which the loan was approved.
Councillor  Ashley also noted her opposition to the process, however voted in favour of the motion.
Also approved was the cemetery fees bylaw and the utilities rate increase bylaw.
This means residents can expect approximately a $50.00 increase in their yearly utility bill.
It was noted that 25% of the waterlines in Prince Rupert are pre 1925 with an estimated 70 year lifespan.
The province is looking for input on restricting the amount of spending a municipal candidate can make on his/her campaign. The City will post the link on it's website. Comments are due by the end of January of this year.
Terrace is arranging more information meetings on the LNG projects and council will try and "piggy" back on this and have representatives come to Prince Rupert.

Seagull in distress

On my walk with Zoe (my border collie/terrier cross) at the waterfront we came across an injured seagull.
I tried to cover it up with a small towel in order to pick it up and bring it to the wildlife shelter
Unfortunately the towel was too small, and was not a good idea anyway since I had my dog with me.
A couple of ladies where able to call the shelter and a rescue was on it's way.
Gunther Golina showed up and we loaded the poor fellow into a cage, and  it was transported to the shelter.
Hope he recovers quickly.
If you would like to support the shelter you can visit the website Prince Rupert Wildlife Shelter
The phone number is 250.624.4143,
They accept monetary donations as well as supplies such as food. etc.
If you wish to volunteer, give them a call.

2014

Happy New Year
2014 promises to be an adventure for most of us.
There are many new projects happening and new retailers making Prince Rupert their new home.
The Pellet Plant has been operating for a month and things appear to be going well.
I am optimistic that the city fathers and administration are planning to move forward and take the City out of it's long time depressing state of mind.
We will be having a municipal election come November for a new mayor and council. I believe the mayor and most of council will be running for an extra term.
The challenges the new council faces will  be exciting  and rewarded.
Here's to 2014

Happy Holidays

Remember at this time of year to enjoy yourselves, however please be responsible and don't drink and drive.
Have a safe holiday.

Students financial literacy, worth reading

Canada is falling behind in educating its high school students in financial literacy, according to a non-profit agency that specializes in investor education

Students graduate from high school and face critical life decisions about taking on debt for higher education or choosing a career path without understanding basic financial concepts, says Tom Hamza, president of the Investor Education Fund, a group that educates students, parents and teachers.

“We’re well behind what we need to be, particularly considering the new kind of pressures people have when they get to the end of high school,” Hamza said in an interview with CBC’s Lang & O’Leary Exchange.
An IEF survey of Ontario parents found only 40 per cent believed their teen children were prepared to handle finances at the end of high school.
The vast majority of parents (84 per cent) thought financial literacy was important and most believed it should be taught in school.
“Half of them are teaching something at home, at same time they want schools to supplement that,” Hamza said.
About 70 per cent of the students surveyed also said they want to learn more about finances.
“If you look at high school students, there’s some basic numeracy that’s critical and it’s not just the numeracy of being able to do certain math equations. It’s an actual applied numeracy,” Hamza said.
“It’s not about creating a generation of investment bankers. It’s about having people able to understand what the major hurdles are in their financial lives – the basics of credit and debt and telephone bills and that sort of thing all the way to long-term expectations,” he said.
Hamza said his goal is to create a generation that can manage their debt and look at financial products and assess them realistically.
He is working with ministries of education across Canada to achieve this goal. Ontario introduced a financial component to its Grade 4-12 curriculum in 2012, working it into math, social studies and other classroom programs.
IEF offers free personal and professional development workshops for Ontario educators. The IEF was founded and is supported by the Ontario Securities Commission

Canada Post

Well it has finally happened.
Canada Post will be phasing out door to door delivery and opting for community boxes.
For those who grew up with these boxes, most new sub-divisions it is not seen as an inconvenience.
For those of us who get door to door will  need to adapt to a new system.
There will  also be a price increase for stamps.
Is this progress? We can learn from this and not make the same mistakes.
What Canada Post did, is the same mistake that most governments and some companies do.
They do not analyse the changes and look to the future.
They believe and continue to believe that to resolve a situation is to raise prices for the product whether it be taxes, services or goods.
This only fuels greater deficits as fewer and fewer people can afford their goods or services.
In Canada Posts situation, people moved more and more to the internet and social media, which also forced retailers to follow suit.
The answer is not to raise prices, although it is unavoidable to a certain degree, but to become more efficient and find innovative ways to conduct yours business.