NORTHERN BC MOVERS & SHAKERS – MAY 31, 2024

May 31, 2024

PRINCE GEORGE

Margo Wagner

Margo Wagner has been appointed as as Chair of Northern Development Board of Directors.

Fran Haughian has recently been hired at the Northern BC Tourism Association as an Emergency Management Specialist.

Bryant Electric will be working on the Coast Mountain College campus civil and utilities upgrade. They are partnered with Acadia Northwest Mechanical and Progressive Ventures Construction. Project costs are around $10 million and to be completed fall of 2024.

Hockey star Carey Price will be awarded an honourary Doctors of Laws degree from the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George on May 31.

Understanding Indigenous History: A Path Forward, hosted by award-winning Canadian broadcast journalist Lisa LaFlamme and featuring interviews with First Nations leader Phil Fontaine and human rights expert Kathleen Mahoney, will assist viewers in understanding the complex tapestries of Indigenous history and Truth and Reconciliation in Canada.

The City of Prince George is in the process of developing a stormwater management fund and is conducting an online survey to gather ideas for the fund’s structure and operations. The survey also provides some background on the city’s enormous stormwater system, which costs $380 million and includes a system of pipes, drains, and other infrastructure.

Bill Tucker, Korey Roberts, Pablo Yuste, Hank Sam, and George Sawatzky, the principals of Omicron Canada, have restructured Nexii Building Materials, a firm that is under creditor protection, and have purchased the business back.

As part of the $900 million H2 Gateway project, Hydrogen Technology & Energy Corporation (HTEC) is planning to build three new hydrogen production plants in British Columbia. One of these plants will be located in Prince George.

Pret A Manger (Europe) Ltd. and A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. have inked a long-term development agreement.

The 2025 budget for School District 57 was approved with a balance of $207,554,415.

A hydrogen fuel production and distribution network is being developed by the province in collaboration with HTEC, a Vancouver-based company that focuses on clean fuels. This network has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create hundreds of jobs across the province, and improve transportation options.

35 First Nations are receiving funding from the BC Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative (BCICEI), a partnership between the federal, provincial, and New Relationship Trust (NRT) governments. Metlakatla First Nation will receive $300,000 for feasibility studies related to a wind project, and Lax Kwa’alaams will receive $295,000 for the installation of residential rooftop solar PV systems on about 25 homes in the community.

Emergency registered nurses and licenced practical nurses who work for Northern Health can receive a $30,000 incentive after two years of service if they move from urban areas to more distant or rural areas.

Simon Fraser University and the City of Prince George will collaborate on an Environment and Infrastructure Wildfire Risk Assessment project that will create an experimental open-source Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) modelling tool to carry out a comprehensive wildfire risk assessment, produce mitigation strategies, and pinpoint resources for wildfire resilience.

The Spruce City Wildlife Association‘s headquarters, located at 1384 River Road in Prince George, will host the annual salmon release on June 1.

The Campus Kids Daycare Society was granted financing from the Ministry of Education and Child Care to renovate their facility. This expansion will grant them 48 additional seats for daycare.

 

PRINCE RUPERT 

By passing third reading of a bylaw modification at a special regular meeting on May 22, the Prince Rupert city council made it possible to implement the amendment, allowing the Belmont Liquor Store to move from Third Avenue to Second Avenue.

In Prince Rupert, the Gitmaxmak’ay Nisga’a Society (GNS) is buying the site of the former Inlander Hotel on Second Avenue West in order to build a housing complex with a variety of apartment types, from studios to three-bedroom family homes.

Ridley Island Energy Export Facility (REEF), costing $1.35 billion, is currently 95 per cent through the land clearance phase.

Project success! In 2022, Ecotrust Canada was approved for a $11,246 Community Places grant for the Kaien/Kxeen Island Urban Farm Community Market, situated in the established Kaien/Kxeen Island Urban Farm in downtown Prince Rupert. The new market space provides fundraising opportunities for community groups and local producers through the cultivation and sale of produce. The market acts as a hub for the city’s growing food culture and economy in Prince Rupert, and will improve the community’s access to healthy, affordable local foods in a friendly and inclusive outdoor covered space.

 

FORT ST JOHN 

Tyne Tkachanko

Tyne Tkachanko has recently joined the team at Maddex Turbine Services.

Somae Ranger will start work as Finance Manager at Driving Force Vehicle Rentals, Sales and Leasing in Fort St John.

The City is looking for a Fort St. John-related artist or artist team to submit a series of art wrap ideas that will be placed along the 100 Street corridor.

Fort St. John Co-operative Association has upgraded one of their payment terminals at 91 Avenue Cardlock from Petro Vend (PV) 200 to Petro Vend (PV) 300E!

Site C employment at BC Hydro had a little increase in April, with 2,092 people, or 75 per cent of the total workforce, coming from the province of British Columbia.

The Airline Pilots Association, which represents WestJet Encore pilots, and WestJet have reached a tentative deal to prevent a work stoppage. The group had earlier declared a strike following two weeks of negotiations.

This year’s Bluey Day event raised almost $120,000, surpassing the fundraising goal set by the Fort St. John Hospital Foundation.

 

KITIMAT

Fives Services Inc. is celebrating the 70th anniversary of Rio Tinto BC Works on June 1st in Kitimat.

Office Bar & Bistro, located at 406 Enterprise Ave. in Kitimat, welcomes back the All You Can Eat Challenge on June 1st.

Brock Canada Industrial LTD. is now seeking qualified insulators for the LNGC Kitimat project.

 

TERRACE 

Chris Tonkin, along with Justin Rose, the general manager and managing partner, has expanded his dealership family to include three long-standing locations in Terrace: MacCarthy GM, Terrace Honda, and Prevost RV.

CFNR (Canada’s First Nations Radio) is joining the ValhallaFest 2024 which will run from June 28 – 30.

The Cedar Ridge, located at 2903 Braun Street in Terrace, is hosting a BBQ party to celebrate its grand opening on June 1.

The Ohana K9 Centre announced its upcoming 9th anniversary celebration at 3098 Kofoed Dr., Terrance, on June 1st.

 

WILLIAMS LAKE 

Dana Lynn Favel of Re/max Williams Lake Realty, has donated $1000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The Recreation Facilities Association of British Columbia has named Scott Novakowski, Facility Maintenance 3, the recipient of the Harry Atkinson Operators Award for this year.

The Williams Lake Primary Care Clinic, a new Primary Care Network (PCN) Hub in Williams Lake, has been opened by a partnership between Interior Health (IH) and the Central Interior Rural Division of Family Practice (CIRDoFP). The clinic has limited capacity and will only accept new patients who are referred by other healthcare professionals or through hospital emergency departments.

Credential Asset Management Inc. will become Aviso Wealth, a part of Aviso Financial Inc., on April 1, 2024. NEI Investments, Qtrade Financial Group, and Credential Financial merged to form this new company in 2018. Aviso is a prominent independent wealth management company in Canada. Owned by credit unions, Aviso provides services and products that are comparable to Williams Lake & District Credit Union and serves over 375,000 members at 150 credit unions nationwide.

TikiTan has moved to its new location at 160 Oliver St. Unit #2 Downtown, Williams Lake.

 

SMITHERS

The Town of Smithers is looking for an applicant to become the Director of Finance and oversee the Finance Department.

On June 5, 2024, the Old Church (3704 1st Ave) will conduct a free workshop and event organized by the Town of Smithers to assist in grant writing for non-profits.

The 2024 Northwest Innovation Roundtable Luncheon with Hubspace is being hosted by the Smithers District Chamber of Commerce on June 13th. Members are invited to attend.

On June 3rd, there will be a tour and networking event hosted by the Nisga’a Nation, to learn about their intentions to create a coordinated program that will have hundreds of homes in Nisga’a towns energy-retrofitted in the coming years. Participants are requested to send an email to bal@communityenergy.ca.

 

QUESNEL 

The Cariboo Regional District is seeking the approval of residents of the West Chilcotin to introduce a new financial assistance program for community halls in Electoral Area J. There are three community groups and halls to be included in the new service – Anahim Lake Community Hall, Nimpo Lake Community Hall, and the Tatla Lake Community Hall.

 

100 MILE HOUSE

The trailer truck of Chilcotin Chills Ice Cream started operations at the South Cariboo Farmers Market in 100 Mile House.

Carter’s Project brought 100 air quality monitors to 100 Mile House on May 14, 2024, through the BC Lung Foundation.

The 100 Mile House & District Historical Society has set a goal of raising $2 million by the end of 2025 to relocate the historic 153 Mile Store to the 108 Heritage Site.

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