The Northern View, August 26, 2015

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PRINCE RUPERT VOL. 10 NO. 34

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

FREE

Workplace accident proves fatal

DIGGING IN Feature

Man dies after embankment gives way

Heart of our city: Kimberly Williams Page A5

BY SHAUN THOMAS PRINCE RUPERT / The Northern View

Community Winther claims a national title Page A10 Phuong Ha Nguyen / Special to The Northern View

The Watermelon Eating Contest was just one of the fun events taking place at the Fraser Street Block Party on Aug. 22. For more scenes from the event, see Page A15.

Warren Pearce, 49, was killed last Wednesday afternoon after an embankment gave way at Wainright Marine. According to RCMP, who were called to the scene just after noon on Aug. 19, Pearce became trapped underwater after the embankment he was near gave way. Despite the best efforts of co-workers, paramedics and the Prince Rupert Fire Department, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The matter has now been turned over to WorkSafe BC for further investigation, with the Prince Rupert RCMP and the BC Coroner’s Service assisting. Friends and family gathered at the North Coast Convention Centre on Saturday for a celebration of life for Pearce.

Development planning sparks council debate Sports Rampage give back ahead of new season Page A13

Business Grilling to say thank you Page A22

BY KEVIN CAMPBELL PRINCE RUPERT / The Northern View

Prince Rupert city council agrees that the city is on the cusp of major change. What they didn’t necessarily agree on last Monday night at their regular meeting was the process to engage the public concerning the potentially unprecedented growth that comes with industrial projects to the region. While all councillors knew that engaging the public and gathering information pertaining to how the downtown, waterfront or outlying neighbourhoods will look in a few years is important, the speed with which the City of Prince Rupert does so became a divisive point at the meeting. Coun. Joy Thorkelson began the discussions when she put forward a motion for the city to host three separate public consultation workshops with the public concerning land use around the downtown, as well as undeveloped lands and

“I think we have lots more to talk about than just where the buildings are going.” -Joy Thorkelson parks, at the beginning of the council session. That’s when Mayor Lee Brain promptly revealed the as-of-now unofficial, but tentatively approved, Re:Design Rupert project. Slated to begin this fall pending various funding stakeholders complete the financial details, Re:Design Rupert is a thoroughly comprehensive public engagement and consultation process that will be coordinated by the University of Northern British Columbia’s (UNBC) Community Development Institute (CDI). Brain explained the city’s vision of working with CDI and the public for an 18-month process

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to fully outline the direction the city will be headed in terms of health care, education, land use planning, environmental and green space, sustainability and much more. “It would be one of the biggest public engagement processes our community has ever seen,” Mayor Brain explained to council. “It would be designed to create a vision for the future of this community as well as address topics such as [those brought up by Coun. Thorkelson]. Re:Design Rupert is not formally announced yet – there’s still contractual things that we’re signing to ensure it’s going to come to fruition ... but it would be branded, it would have a full-time facilitator, staff, research people associated with it and it’s all to address the fact that we’re going to experience unprecedented change and we want to ensure that as we go through a changed process, that we all collectively agree what the other side of a changed community would look like,” said Mayor Brain. See DEBATE on Page A2

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