PRINCE RUPERT VOL. 10 NO. 25
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
FREE
Manhunt on for suspects Five cars ablaze, four deemed suspicious
Feature Heart of our City: Nancy Pama-Edwards Page A5
News Shuttered schools in bad shape Page A4
BY MARTINA PERRY PRINCE RUPERT / The Northern View
Two more vehicles were set on fire in Prince Rupert last week, bringing the total to five in June. Prince Rupert RCMP and the Prince Rupert Fire Rescue Department have responded to five separate vehicle fires between June 11 and 19, with four of the five incidents being deemed suspicious in nature. Most recently, e m e r g e n c y responders were - Dave McKenzie called to two different vehicle fires in the early morning hours of June 19, starting with a fire involving a truck on 11th Avenue East at approximately 3:51 a.m.
“The fire department and the RCMP had to evacuate 45 people.”
NOW THAT WAS SOMETHING ELSA Kevin Campbell / The Northern View
Elsa (Caitlin Gray) reigns over her icy kingdom on Saturday night in “Nearly Frozen”, Spectrum City Dance’s year-end showcase. For more on the studio’s weekend performance, see Page A9.
See FIRE on Page A2
Northwest wants its share of the pie Business Port Authority’s amazing year Page A12
Sports Men’s Jubilee big winners Page A13
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Skeena-Queen Charlotte joins 21-member alliance “The Northwest is about more
BY TODD HAMILTON PRINCE RUPERT / The Northern View
Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District chair Barry Pages joined with his Northwest B.C. counterparts to demand the provincial government live up to their election promises for a revenue sharing agreement. Skeena-Queen Charlotte has joined with the regional districts of Kitimat-Stikine and Bulkley Valley to expand the Northwest B.C. Resource Benefits Alliance (RBA) to include all 21 member local governments. “The RBA offers the best way to work collaboratively with Premier (Christy) Clark and her key ministers to secure access to significant revenue sharing to ensure the longterm sustainability of all our communities in the Northwest,” Pages said in a statement. “The Northwest is about more than fly-in, fly-
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than fly-in, fly-out camps and band-aid solutions.” - Barry Pages out camps and band-aid solutions. This time, Northwest B.C. communities must be provided access to significant revenue sharing so we can invest to build sustainable communities for the long-term.” The RBA is seeking a cross-government revenue sharing agreement with the B.C. government to address infrastructure and servicing impacts, while also providing a legacy from the multi-sector economic expansion now underway in the region.
Clark promised the RBA revenue sharing negotiations during the 2013 provincial election and re-affirmed that commitment at the September 2014 Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conference. In January 2015, Dan Doyle, the Premier’s chief of staff, also committed to these negotiations. Despite these assurances, the RBA’s urgent request for a meeting with Clark, key ministers including Minister of Community, Sport & Cultural Development, Coralee Oakes, and senior B.C. government officials to “kickstart” such negotiations is still awaiting a response. “For the past 11 months the Northwest B.C. Resource Benefits Alliance has been ready and willing to engage in revenue-sharing discussions and negotiations promised by Premier Christy Clark,” said Chair Stacey Tyers. See RBA on Page A2
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