News Influencing Decision Makers in Northern BC
PRINCE GEORGE
David Molinski
David Molinski is rejoining the Executive Team at CO2 Lock Corp. as Vice President, Regulatory and External Relations to lead permitting for its first CO2 mineralization project located near Prince George.
Coun. Amber Hipkiss has resigned from the District of Mackenzie council, where she served for a decade, to relocate to Prince George.
Northam Beverages, the leading alcoholic beverage brand inventor in BC, has recently unveiled a bold and innovative collection of BC’s most beloved brands in non-alcoholic and de-alcoholized versions: Hey Y’all!, Lonetree dry cider, Cabrón tequila, and Lumette.
Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society has opened its new office in Prince George, located at Unit 203 – 715 Victoria Street.
Pacific Coastal Airlines now offers three direct routes between Vancouver Island and Kelowna—Victoria, Nanaimo, and Comox—and will launch direct flights between YLW and Prince George, 6 times a week, starting at the end of October 2024.
PICS-Career Services & Foreign Credential Recognition opened its new facility in Prince George on August 13, 2024.
The University of Northern British Columbia launched a comprehensive Trevor Angus Wolf-designed Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre gymnasium floor renovation with community partner Brownridge Insurance and the City of Prince George.
The BC government’s $25 million Prince George & Region Prosperity Fund, which promotes social inclusion and poverty reduction, is currently accepting applications. Submissions are being accepted through September 27th.
The BC Museums Association (BCMA) is excited to host a conference on sustainability in all its forms in Prince George on Lheidli T’enneh territory from September 24–27. Attendees will discuss the future of the arts and culture sector together.
Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment is launching the H.E.A.L. Healthcare website on August 16th at the UNBC, Prince George, Lheidli T’enneh Territory.
Prince George has been ranked as the most affordable city, with an average monthly rent of $900 for a one-bedroom apartment.
PHSA and BC Cancer are actively hiring Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) at the Prince George, Surrey and Victoria cancer centres.
The myPG Community Grant application period is currently open and will conclude on October 15.
The Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society has been accredited by the Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO) program, demonstrating that it has met a comprehensive set of standards aimed at providing the best possible care based on its practices.
Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans Canada, and the Canadian Coast Guard, announced plans to create a Pacific salmon hatchery in Prince George, to conserve and regenerate Chinook and sockeye salmon. The proposed hatchery would be developed with PSSI funds and operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in partnership with Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and Canfor Pulp Ltd. Building on federally owned land on the north bank of the Nechako River near the Fraser River is planned to begin this fall.
Prince George Chamber welcomed the following new memebers in July: PCI Surveys, Pacific Coastal Airlines, Carol Surbey, Business Systems Coach, Immigrant Employment Council of BC (IECBC) and the Henderson Family.
PRINCE RUPERT
Brandon Haldane
Brandon Haldane has been appointed as the next chief executive officer of the Gitmaxmak’ay Nisga’a Society.
The 6th Ave Food Market recently opened its doors for a soft launch on August 13th at 601 6th Avenue, West.
Mami Temaki food truck is now fully open and operational on a regular basis at 716, 3rd Avenue West, Prince Rupert, next to the City Furniture.
Ocean Wise has its new educational display at the Ice House Gallery, created in partnership with the North Coast Ecology Centre Society.
The Prince Rupert Health Unit will be temporarily located in the CORE clinic at the Ocean Centre Mall, 378 3rd Ave West, from August 19th to the 23rd.
In September, Prince Rupert’s Charles Hay Secondary School will offer fishing-related scientific courses to Grade 11 and 12 students. The school’s fourth-year marine science program is in partnership with Ecotrust Canada, Archipelago, Aero Trading, and the North Coast Ecology Centre.
The Prince Rupert Public Library has recently acquired a collection of rare materials and a new online video streaming platform. These additions were made possible through a generous library enhancement grant of $14,682 for 2024.
Prince Rupert Council approved the construction award for the MacCarthy building project to Coast Tsimshian Northern Contractors Alliance for $5.98 million to construct the next phase of the progressive design-build for the project.
At the Committee of the Whole meeting, Prince Rupert Council received an extensive presentation from Magna Engineering on the proposed design for a wetland wastewater treatment system for the former WWII Department of National Defense tank sites. Rather than a standard treatment system, this is a nature-based wetland system that will not smell of waste. All materials will be treated with a multi-tiered contained system. Additional information will be provided at a public information session in the fall, and made available to the public.
Mami Temaki food truck is now open.
FORT ST JOHN
Macro Industries Inc. is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Scott Ford of Fort St. John has been appointed as an assistant coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 2024-25 season.
Tourmaline Oil Corp. has just made a massive $1.3 billion ($947 million USD) deal to acquire all shares of Crew Energy Inc.
A road closure on 100th Avenue between 96th and 98th Street will be enforced by the City of Fort St. John to connect water supplies for the Senior Housing Complex which is currently under development. The 9636 100th Avenue project is a four-story building that will have 115 apartments for rent to people 55 and older.
The Fort Nelson sanitation system will be maintained by Uni-Jet until August 23rd, as announced by the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality.
KITIMAT
Trishan Food Kitimat has opened at 434 Enterprise Avenue.
Bradley’s Bait and Tackle, MK Bay Marina, Ron’s Mobile Tackle and Bait Shop, and The Kitimat Chamber of Commerce will sell tickets for the 37th Annual Kitimat Fishing Derby scheduled for Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.
Under the renewed Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF) Agreement, which will be administered by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) on behalf of the federal government, the District of Kitimat is set to receive $438,428 for the 2024/25 term. These funds will be used for infrastructure projects within the community.
The HaiSea Wamis, an electric tugboat, has finally made it to Kitimat from a facility in North Vancouver. The new export facility for LNG Canada will be serviced by five tugboats from HaiSea Marine, the first of which will offer escort towing.
To accommodate the growing number of boaters and tourists in the area, Minette Bay Marina has applied to the provincial government to increase the capacity of its mooring facilities.
TERRACE
Dempsey Bob, a Tahltan/Tlingit master carver and one of the founding instructors of the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art at Coast Mountain College in Terrace has inaugurated a new exhibit at the North Pacific Cannery Historic Site in Port Edward. The exhibit will be on display until September 30.
Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat marks its 25th anniversary.
In honour of Sikhism‘s founder, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the local Sikh community is collecting funds to name the cancer care unit at the recently constructed Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace.
WILLIAMS LAKE
Williams Lake is merging the policies of its former Grants-in-Aid (GIA) and Event Hosting Grant programs into a single Community Grants Program in an attempt to streamline the application process for both applicants and city employees.
A development agreement was made by West Fraser and Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) to combine local tenure quantities into a single First Nations Woodland License. Sean McLaren, president and CEO of West Fraser, stated that the agreement upholds the WLFN’s pioneering role in the management of forest resources within their ancestral domain and carries on the organization’s endeavours to establish significant relationships.
SMITHERS
The Bulkley Valley Health Foundation and the Bulkley Valley Youth Sports Foundation will benefit from proceeds from the August 8–11 Smithers Celebrity Golf Tournament.
The ten-week Making Sense of Pain Program by Pain BC will be offered by the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice starting in September.
Sperling Hansen has been awarded the contract by the Smithers Council to conduct an Organic Waste Diversion Feasibility Study, which will investigate the viability of curbside organic waste diversion in the city.
The Frozen North Smithers mobile restaurant is seeking for grant funding to enhance its security measures and implement a few enhancements.
Smithers will experience a significant improvement in long-term care as 160 new beds are added with the addition of a new home, which will increase the number of beds at Bulkley Valley Lodge to a total of 216. The new facility is set to be built on land provided by the Town of Smithers with the anticipated opening slated for 2030. Additionally, there will be a 32-space adult day program to provide support for seniors who choose to continue living in their own homes.
QUESNEL
Byron Johnson, the city manager of Quesnel for many years, will be leaving his post at the end of September 2024 to take a job with the Clearwater District.
The research group, led by Professor Dr. Ellen Petticrew, Department of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences (GEES), and Quesnel River Research Centre (QRRC) Manager Dr. Jason Raine, received $5 million from the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF), co-funded by Canada and British Columbia and administered by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The team will examine how climate change and human activities affect Quesnel Lake watershed fish habitat and ecosystems and raise Chinook salmon from northern Fraser River populations.
The new government funded long-term care home in Quesnel will replace 67 beds from the existing Dunrovin Park Lodge, and it will add 221 beds, resulting in a total of 288 beds. Construction is scheduled to commence in the autumn of 2026 on land donated by the City of Quesnel, and the facility is anticipated to be occupied by residents by late 2028.
100 MILE HOUSE
According to a news release from Interior Health, the emergency department at 100 Mile District General Hospital will be closed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, August 14. This closure is due to a shortage of doctors. Patients have the option of receiving care at Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake, Lillooet Hospital and Health Centre in Lillooet, or Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.
The Forest Grove Fire Protection Service Area has decided to secure a loan of $600,000 to fund the acquisition of a new fire truck for the Forest Grove Volunteer Fire Department. The loan will be repaid over 10 years.
The 2024 South Cariboo Garlic Festival will be held on August 24 – 25.
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