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Sentinel
Northern
www.northernsentinel.com
Volume 58 No. 39
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
1.30 INCLUDES TAX
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Gil Island popular among local humpbacks Cameron Orr It’s no fluke. There’s a growing body of evidence that shows the area around Gil Island is actually a very important habitat for humpback whales. A scientific study into the abundance of humpback whales was published on September 12, showed that at least in the immediate area of Gil Island, the threatened humpback whale continues to grow at a remarkable pace. Naturally researchers are now cautioning that industrial development with increased marine traffic could pose a threat to the whales. The report comes after an eight year study done by researches from the University of St. Andrews, Cetacea Lab, and the Gitga’at Lands and Marine Resources Department. Among the reports findings are that eight per cent of B.C.’s humpback whale population use the waters around Gil Island, an area which represents just 1.5 per cent of B.C.’s inland coast. Also, from 2004 to 2011, the number of whales doubled in the area, to an average summer population of 140. “We just wanted to get a better understanding of which species are in the area, what different parts of the area are they using, and how many there are,” said Chris Picard, science director for the Gitga’at First Nation, in which the territory study took place. “Down the road we want to, with that better understanding, develop recommendations or strategies that could assist in their conservation,” he added.
The idea to do this study came from anecdotal evidence that there just seemed to be a lot of whales in the area. Janie Wray, a whale researcher for Cetacea Lab, said they first arrived at Hartley Bay to seek permission to install a whale monitoring station in 2000, and were fortunate to be allowed.
“We built the station on Gil Island and put in a number of hydrophone stations that allowed us to listen to whales,” she said. Continued on page 2
A humpback whale emerges from the Douglas Channel. www.forwhales.org
No easy path towards affordable housing Cameron Orr Kitimat Council will push ahead in seeking an amended terms of reference for the Kitimat Housing Committee, in an effort to form a sub-committee, specifically tasked to promote development of housing projects. The move comes from a recent motion from Mayor Joanne Monaghan, who had asked for staff to prepare a draft terms of reference for an Affordable Housing and Housing for Persons with Disabilities committee. The resulting report provided two options to councillors: amend the existing terms of reference for the housing committee, or create a brand new steering committee. The debate sparked a conversation about whether or not the existing housing committee was the best group to take on the task of getting actual construction projects started.
Housing Needs Assess“I’m a little torn,” ment, nothing would be said Mario Feldhoff, who would later vote “We won’t be moving gained by waiting. “We won’t be movwith two others to table the discussion forward in solving issues ing forward in solving in the commuuntil the council could in the community, if the issues nity, if the motion is speak to housing commotion is tabled.” tabled,” he said. mittee representatives, Empinado noted a motion which ultithat the mandate of the mately failed. committee right now is Rob Goffinet was not to develop projects the original mover of tabling, and wanted to hear from the com- but to investigate needs, which limits their mittee if they felt they were prepared to ability to get concrete actions done. “We cannot even access grants. We devote the “intense effort” to go from an can just ask around about how many apartadvisory role to a construction role. Edwin Empinado, who is also coun- ments are rented, how many are vacant... cil’s representative on the housing com- we cannot move on. So we need to amend, mittee and moved for the amending of the really, so they can move on and move fororiginal committee’s terms of reference at ward in order to respond to social issues,” the meeting, said that he wouldn’t favour he added. But Mayor Joanne Monaghan, a foundtabling the motion because with the committee’s success in 2012 in completing a ing member of the committee nearly four
years ago, expressed grief over the lack of progress on housing from the committee. “I have seen very, very little happening. They say they’re going to do it but nothing ever happens and that’s one of the reasons I put this motion forward, to say that we need people who understand the building and that aspect of it,” she said. “They talk about it every month, every couple of weeks but nothing ever gets done because they haven’t really focused. We need a focus group.” Margaret Warcup, who is the housing committee chair, said that’d it’d be unfortunate if there was to be two overlapping committees. “To appoint two committees, our thought was, well then, who are you going to put on the other one, are we both going to be doing the same work?” said Warcup. “It needs a lot more discussion before we start another meeting.” Continued on page 2
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