The Northern View, April 22, 2015

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PRINCE RUPERT VOL. 10 NO. 16

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

FREE

CLEANING UP THE HIGHWAY

First Nations contractors protest Phase 2 Agreement reached after three day demonstration

Feature Heart of our city: Alf Smith Page A5

BY MARTINA PERRY PRINCE RUPERT / The Northern View

As preparatory work for the Phase 2 expansion project at Fairview Container Terminal was set to begin, members of the Lax Kw’alaams, Metlakatla and Kitkatla First Nations conducted a peaceful demonstration in - Michael Gurney front of the terminal’s public viewpoint last week. While a resolution was reached over the weekend, workers from First Nations contracting companies protested on April 16, 17 and 18 after out-of-town groups were hired for clearing and grubbing to prepare for the expansion project. See FAIRVIEW on Page A2

“First Nations ... were given the opportunity to bid.”

Community Why we relay: Team Amazon Page A10

Larry Hope / Special to The Northern View

Prince Rupert Middle School teachers Kristy Tillman and Elin Scott were among a number of volunteers who were taking part in Chantal Bolton’s Positive Prince Rupert - Civic Pride program over the weekend. Kristy and Elin were working with four others on a two kilometre strip of Highway 16 near the BC Hydro site. The group filled over 20 garbage bags in just two hours.

City approves rezoning despite SD52 objection Business Chamber wraps up a year of growth Pages A14

Sports Rupert teams sweep in Kitimat Page A19

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Trustees worry about impact to Kanata land value BY MARTINA PERRY PRINCE RUPERT / The Northern View

Prince Rupert city council gave the go-ahead to rezone the former Canadian Freightways yard so Quickload Logistics can relocate to the site. Quickload currently operates on Watson Island, but was given notice to vacate the premise as the city prepares for the decommissioning of the former pulp mill. Quickload set its sights on the former Canadian Freightways yard, but came across a stumbling block as the company’s operations don’t fit under the site’s “M1” designation. In order to allow the property be used for wrapped lumber lifts into shipping containers, Quickload submitted a rezoning request to change its designation to general industrial use, or “M2”. “Relocating to this property is the result of a fairly exhaustive and extensive search. There is not much industrial land that’s available for this kind

Harbour View Property

“There is a desire to have that property sold and developed as a residential property.” - Cam McIntyre of use in Prince Rupert,” Wayne Carson, CEO of Quickload CEF Inc., told council last Monday. David McWalter, who also represented Quickload at the meeting, noted that relocating to another site in Prince Rupert would keep the company on the city’s tax roll. The City of Prince Rupert held a public hearing on April 13 in regards to Quickload’s application, with representatives from the Prince Rupert School District (SD52) speaking against it. “On behalf of the school district, we are

opposed to the amendment because ... it will affect the Kanata School property which is immediately adjacent to the property,” said Cam McIntyre, secretary-treasurer of SD52. McIntyre told council of the three closed schools in the community, Kanata is the lone property SD52 is able to sell. “There’s a desire to have that property sold and developed as a residential property. Those residents would then be immediately beside this property you’re considering to rezone,” he said, noting this would make the site less appealing. “We understand the proponents are very involved with the container business and that container business has announced an expansion and is likely to grow. It may grow to the point where this company needs more space ... with a M2 classification it could be sold for a wide variety of other things,” McIntyre said. See REZONING on Page A2

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