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By Andrew HudsonHaida Gwaii Observer
Drinking water at four Haida Gwaii schools is being tested after
high lead levels were found at older schools in Prince Rupert.
Angus Wilson, superintendent for the Haida Gwaii school
district, said last Friday that results will be posted once they
come back from the lab.
As a pre-caution, staff at Tahayghen, George M. Dawson, Port
Clements and Agnes L. Mathers are regularly flush-ing the pipes,
and everyone at the schools has been asked to run any drink-ing
water until its cold.
Three of the four schools were built before 1989, the year B.C.
banned lead pipes, fixtures, and solder from any plumbing used for
drinking water.
Port Clements Elementary is a newer school, built in 2008, but
its gym predates the change.
North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice says she is glad to hear the Haida
Gwaii school dis-trict is acting quickly.
Even a little bit of lead is not good for anybody, and its
particularly bad for young children, said Rice, the NDP critic for
northern and rural health.
As Dr. Perry Kendall, B.C.s public health officer, has said, the
problem is not acute no one at the Prince Rupert schools has shown
any signs of lead poisoning.
OBserverFounded 1969
Haida Gwaii
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Friday, March 18, 2016
White Creek bridge
page 3
Quinn Bender photo Carl Coffey, right, and Bruce Ives with
Operation Refugee Haida Gwaii celebrate with Parks Canadas Ernie
Gladstone, after touring a vacant four-bedroom house in Queen
Charlotte, which Parks Canada owns and has agreed to lease for one
year for a family of Syrian refugees.
Lead testing underway for HG schools
Island smart metres not so smartBy Stacey MarpleHaida Gwaii
Observer
How smart are Haida Gwaiis Smart meters? Thats what Port
Clements Council is trying to figure out.
After several residents approached village staff about irregular
spikes in their monthly hydro bills, council is seeking
clarification from BC Hydro on how the bills are being
calculated.
In a written reply BC Hydro explained that residential meter
readings are taken bi-monthly, which is the normal procedure
province wide. This was explained to mean that half of Haida
Gwaiis metres are read each month, while the following month the
other half of the islands are read. For meter reading on Haida
Gwaii we travel to the communities every month on a Thursday
overnight ferry, returning on the follow-ing Thursday, Dave Mosure,
Community Relations Coordinator for BC Hydros Northern region,
wrote in the letter.
RCMP quarterly reports
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By Stacey MarpleHaida Gwaii Observer
The early morning of Friday April 24, Haida Gwaii was hit by an
Earthquake of 6.1 magnitude. No tsunami warnings were issued after
the earthquake. The epicentre of the quake was approximately 167 km
south of the Village of Queen Charlotte.
Some residents of Haida Gwaii reported objects shaking and
windows rattling, but no serious damage or injuries were
reported.
As the islands of Haida Gwaii all have unique geological
qualities, the effects of an earthquake can vary from island to
island. Every community reported feeling the quake in different
ways. Queen Charlotte Village which has a rock base didnt feel the
quake as much as the residents of the northern parts of Graham
island. Tlell and north is mostly a sand based area and feels
almost every quake that happens.
Shirley Wilson of Skidegate reported feeling the earthquake. I
was sitting in my bed when I heard the house creak. After the
initial creak she felt her bed start rocking and noticed her
ornaments rocking. The ornaments rocked for a while after the quake
stopped, Ms. Wilson told the Observer. My son and brother who were
also in the house didnt feel the earthquake at all.
Barry Pages of Masset, director of the Skeena-Queen Charlotte
Regional District said he felt the quake but because it was fairly
short he wasnt too concerned. However, he added, This is a reminder
to every one to be prepared.
Earthquakes are nothing new to Haida Gwaii. The quake comes just
weeks after a study identi ed Haida Gwaii as ground zero for the
next major seismic event on the west coast.
This recent earthquake doesnt qualify as the big one scientists
predict, as it was smaller than even some of the aftershocks after
the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in 2012.
The same weekend that Haida Gwaii got hit by this 6.1 tremor,
Nepal was devastated by a 7.8 magnitude event.
Earthquakes between a 6.0 and a 6.9 are considered a strong on
the Richter scale.
Submitted photo Committee members of the Pulling Together Haida
Gwaii Event demonstrate their teamwork abilities at the carving
shed in the Kay Centre. The group will be holding a fund raiser May
2. See full story on Page 3
Earthquake rattles beds but fails to startle nerves
Search and rescue suspended after Day 3By Quinn BenderHaida
Gwaii Observer
The search for Kumdis Ilsand resi-dent, Brent Hendren, was
suspended last weekend following one of Haida Gwaiis largest search
and rescue operations in more than 25 years.
I know for a fact that if he was alive out there we would have
found him. Theres no chance we would have missed him. The community
should know we did everything we possibly could to find him, said
Chris Ashurst, SAR manager with Archipelago Ground Search and
Rescue and deputy unit leader with
Massett Marine Rescue.Mr. Hendren, 27, was last seen
rowing out to his Kumdis Island cabin rental with supplies
Sunday
morning, April 18. He missed dinner plans with friends later
that night. The following Tuesday Masset RCMP received a missing
persons report, which led to the discovery Mr. Hendrens boat
abandoned and overturned south of Watun River near Pure Lake
Provincial Park.
It is strongly believed that Brent drowned when his rowboat
capsized west of Kumdis Island, Mr. Ashurst said. This is based on
information from witnesses, the location of the cap-sized vessel,
and the distribution of his personal effects along the
shoreline.
See SEARCH on Page 2
I know for a fact that if he was alive out there we would have
found him.
- Chris Ashurst
See LEAD on Page 2 See METERS on Page 3
We could complain but it doesnt mean they will change.
-Doug Daugert
Even a little bit of lead is not good for anybody and
its particularly bad for young
children
-Jennifer Rice
-
www.haidagwaiiobserver.comObserverHaidaGwai i2 Friday, March 18,
2016
Gwaii Taxi & Tours
Skidegate/Queen Charlotte 2 Taxis Plus a
15-Passenger Van Available for Tour or Charter
Web: gwaiitaxiandtours.ca Email: [email protected]
250-559-2380Tours & Services
vehicle rentals custom tours
booking for island accommodation andmarine excursions
Reservations recommended.
250-637-1162Taxi
correctionIn the March 4 edition we incorrectly spelled
Gidgalang Kuuyas Naay,the newly recog-nized name for Queen
Charlotte Secondary School, which means Precious Childrens House.
We appologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Rice calls for routine testing of school water
But lead is toxic to the nervous system and, even in small
doses, long-term exposure can cause harm.
Children are especially vulnerable. Childrens exposure to lead
is associ-ated with lower IQ scores, increased attention-deficit
disorders and anti-so-cial behaviours.
Given the extra risk for children, Rice is calling for B.C. to
adopt routine test-ing for lead in school drinking water, as
Ontario already does.
Rice is frustrated that the issue isnt taken more seriously,
particularly on the north coast and Haida Gwaii, where the
freshwater tends to be naturally acidic, meaning it is more likely
to leach metals out of lead and copper plumbing.
People knew there was an issue in the northwest for a long time,
and no one did anything, she said.
In fact, what triggered a public health official to do a recent
test for lead in Prince Rupert schools was a similar Kitimat
incident that dates back to 2012.
When a teacher in Kitimat noticed that the salmon eggs in her
class aquar-ium kept dying, she asked a parent who works for the
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to test the water coming
out of the classroom sink.
Tests showed lead and copper levels above Canadas drinking-water
guide-lines.
After alerting the Northern Health Authority, public health
officers did further tests and found metal leaching throughout that
school and several others in town.
The amount of lead in the water varied from school to school,
and also among different outlets.
All the school drinking fountains were covered up until the
issue was resolved, and the schools switched to bottled water.
According to a 2014 report published in Environmental Health
Review, test-ing showed the water was fine before it reached the
schools.
The trouble is that drinking water sat in the schools old pipes
overnight or for long periods during the day.
Without running the water first, anyone taking a first drink
would be at higher risk of exposure.
At some taps, it took a full 10 minutes of flushing to bring the
levels down.
The study authors urge the B.C. government to adopt routine
testing and, given the daily time and effort that flushing the
pipes requires, they recommend other long-term solutions.
Besides replacing plumbing mate-rials, schools could install
lead filters
on faucets and fountains Rice said four Prince Rupert schools
are doing that now.
Another option is to have munici-palities lower the acidity of
the source water.
Whatever the answer, Rice is hoping the issue will not fall off
the radar again.
Theres a lot of this, Well, whos going to pay for this problem?
she said.
In Prince Rupert, many residents are buying $30 test kits to
check the lead levels of their water at home.
Rice found the levels were high in her own home, but the cost of
tearing out her old plumbing was so high she installed a lead
filter instead.
There are so many people here that are living in old, war-time
homes that do not have the means to change out their pipes, she
said.
Even the B.C. legislature has a lead-in-the-water problem, she
said, as MLA Vicki Huntington found out after order-ing a test last
week.
It just goes to show that this is probably a much broader issue,
but we dont know if we dont test, she said, noting again that
children are at the highest risk.
When I ask why arent we testing the daycares or the mom-and-tot
groups, you know, I just get a pause on the phone.
LEAD from Page 1
However, councillor Doug Daugert said he found it interesting
that the meters causing the most discussion are in the rural
subdivision. These are farther from the road for [crews] to go
read. And it seems that this might not be a coincidence; it might
be geography related, he said in council.
The letter from BC Hydro went on to exp la in tha t d e p e n d
i n g o n fer ry schedules and weather they dont always get 100 per
cent of the readings on the islands. The m e t e r r e a d e r s
are supposed to ensure they are reading ones that were e s t ima
ted two months ago, Mosure explained.
He continued to say that BC Hydro suggests anyone with concerns
to contact the cus-tomer care team at 1-800-224-9376. If this shows
a pat tern indicat -ing accounts are i n d e e d b e i n g missed
for more than one estimated billing we can review to see where it
is hap-pening and follow up accordingly, Mosure said in the
letter.
According to BC Hydro there is approx-imately 3,000 smart metres
installed on Haida Gwaii and the vast majority (85 per cent) are
communicating with their network.
The remaining smart meters that arent able to communicate with
the network are in low density areas that have no cellular network
coverage, like the Port Clements area . These remaining meters have
to be continue to be read manually.
BC Hydro told the Observer that there are about 30 residential
customers on Haida Gwaii that elected to keep an old meter and
those meters will also continue to be manually read.
Village Council decided to receive and file the letter from BC
Hydro. We could complain but it doesnt mean that they will
change...The problem is that they used the smart meters to make the
system worse, Councilor Daugert said.
BC Hydro installed 1.9 million smart metres across the province
between 2011 and 2013.
The smart meter system is intended to not require a meter reader
once all is in place. The meters are only part of the system and
includes repeaters mounted on the utility poles to receive and pass
the data along.
Community questions the smartness of smart meters
The problem is, that they used smart metres to make the
system worse
- Doug Daugert
METERS from Page 1
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ObserverHaidaGwai iwww.haidagwaiiobserver.com 3Friday, March 18,
2016
818-3rd Avenue WestPrince Rupert, B.C. V8J 1M6
1-866-624-7734fax: 250-624-7737
[email protected]
North Coast ConstituencyJennifer Rice, MLA
LEGIS
LATIVE ASSEMBLY
Fn2.13
Seamus Allen Corym Chatelaine
Birth announcementYippie! Is shouted out on top of
Hippy Hill for the new parents. James Chemko and Bobbi-Lee
Chatelaine
on their arrival of a precious baby boy.
Born Feb. 23, 2016 at 10:40 am Weighing in at 8 lbs. 5 ozs
and
20.5 inches in length.
CongratuLatIons & HappY parentIng! Love, nana, granny,
family & friends Xo
Bridge work to start at White CreekBy Andrew HudsonHaida Gwaii
Observer
Crews are replacing the wood bridge supports with steel
piles.
A temporary, single-lane detour bridge will keep the road open
during the repairs, and that temporary bridge has a load limit of
4,000 kg.
Dennis Reindl, operations manager for OBrien Road & Bridge
Maintenance, said barring any delivery problems, the work should be
done by early April.
Reindl also said notices will be posted once the temporary
bridge is in place. The bridge is likely to see more traffic now
that the commercial clam
fishery has opened on North Beach.
On the Tow Hill Road Facebook page, a few resi-dents reacted to
the construc-tion notice with mock outrage.
Doncha know how busy we are up here on Tow Hill Road? joked
Stephen Reid.
And what about rush hour during wash-ups?
Overall, the motorists on the islands are very
good.
- Sgt. Scott Hromadnik
Fines to increase for passing school busesBy Quinn BenderHaida
Gwaii Observer
The B.C. government is preparing to increase pen-alties for
drivers who pass school buses while chil-dren get on and off. Weve
had 14 children injured, thankfully none killed, in the last five
years, said Transportat ion Minister Todd Stone. There are still
far too many motorists who are not getting the message of just how
important it is to slow down in school zones and certainly not pass
a school bus when the lights are flashing.
Queen Charlotte RCMPs Sgt. Scott Hromadnik says hes not at all
opposed to a penalty hike, as child safety is a top priority, but
adds such offences are rare on Haida Gwaii.
I do my patrols every morning as do my members and I have
watched many school busses stop and load/unload kids, he said. Note
that no vehicle, in the three
years I have been doing this, have went through the lights.
Overall the motorists on the island are very good
other than a bit of speed here and there so I dont feel an
increase in fines for the community residents will really be an
issue on island.
According to the province school districts and local governments
have been call-ing for these increased pen-alties. Across the
province, police have issued 1,100 tickets for failing to stop for
a school bus for the past five years, with 14 injuries during that
time.
The current B.C. penalty is $167 fine and three demerit points,
the same as disobey-ing a school crossing guard.
In Ontario, a first offence of passing a school bus results in a
fine of $400 to $2,000 and six demerit points, and a second within
five years can result in a fine of up to $4,000 and up to six
months in jail.
New Brunswick has a $1,000 fine and loss of driv-ers licence for
every school bus offence.
-with files from Tom Fletcher
Forest fire offenders face higher penaltiesThe pilot of a
recreational
drone that forced water-bombers from smoke-filled skies around
Oliver last summer was never located, but future offenders who
impede forest firefighters will face higher fines.
Fines for 19 offences under the Wildfire Act, including
interfering with wildfire protection efforts, are being increased
to among the highest in Canada, Forests Minister Steve Thomson said
Thursday.
The fine for failing to comply with fire restric-tions such as
campfire bans will increase from $345 to $1,150. A new penalty of
failing to comply with a stop-work order made because of fire risk
will
carry a maximum penalty of $100,000 and one year in prison.
Thomson said there are constitutional issues with a proposal to
seize vehicles from people who toss ciga-rette butts out the window
while driving, but the prov-ince is still considering its
options.
A proposal to ban people from B.C. parks if they vio-late
campfire restrictions is also being considered, but is not included
in the current changes.
Thomson said the legis-lation will redefine inter-ference with
firefighters so it doesnt mean inten-tional interference. That
would apply to boaters who blocked air tankers from fill-
ing with water on Okanagan Lake, as well as the drone pilot who
caused aircraft to land as vineyards, homes and a school around
Oliver were threatened by fire.
O l i v e r M a y o r R o n Hovanes the battle against two fires
threatening the community last August were likely due to a
recreational drone flown because some-body just wanted a closer
look.
It was very hard to drive by the airport and see heli-copters
quiet on the ground, no bombers in the air, all the while people
were clinging to the hope that the fire wouldnt reach their homes,
their businesses, Hovanes said.
Athlii Gwaii Legacy Trust PO Box 588
Masset BC V0T 1M0 Phone: 1-250-626-3654/ Fax: 1-250-626-3261
(Masset Office)
Phone: 1-250-559-8883/ Fax: 1-250-559-8876 (Skidegate
Office)
Athlii Gwaii Legacy Trust (AGLT) Public Notice
As required under section 35, subsection b of the AGLT Deed of
Trust, the following required documents that must be made available
for public viewing are:
AGLT Operations Report for the year ending December 31st, 2015,
and AGLT Annual Statement of Financial Position for the year ending
December 31st 2015.
Links for both reports may be found at: http://www.aglt.ca.
Hard copies of both reports may be obtained through either of
the two local Gwaii Trust Society/Athlii Gwaii Legacy Trust
offices.
For questions regarding either of these two reports, or any
other information regarding AGLT please do not hesitate to contact
Carla Lutner, Chief Operations Officer Gwaii Trust Society/Athlii
Gwaii Legacy Trust at [email protected] .
-
www.haidagwaiiobserver.comObserverHaidaGwai i4 Friday,March 18,
2016
By Quinn BenderHaida Gwaii Observer
A group of proactive students from the Living and Learning
School presented council with a proposition in hopes of lessening
the need for bylaws governing activities at the Haydn Turner Park
area. Following an increase of youth parties at the camp-ground
earlier this year, coun-cil is in the midst of com-munity
consul-tations for the Public Places Bylaw, aimed at curbing youth
partying, and the dangers that have arisen from it.
The Living and Learning students had their say on the matter
last week, stating they would be willing to volunteer their time to
clean the beach area near the graveyard one Friday per month until
the end of the school year. Our class would like to provide this
ser-vice to the community to prove all youth are not trouble makers
who contribute to the mess, they wrote.
We would like to give back to society and be good citizens. We
would like to keep the beach clean because its a fun place. We also
hope this prevents the need for a bylaw. We would like the freedom
to enjoy the beach without a whole bunch of rules.
In return they asked only that council arrange to pick up the
garbage the receiver from the beach.
The area in question falls outside munic-ipal boundaries, but
nonetheless Council unanimously accepted the students offer of good
citizenry, and will arrange for the garbage pick ups.
In addition to the bylaw consultations, the village is also
undertaking commu-nity dialogue sessions with stakeholders, through
which a number of preventative programs targeting alcohol and
substance abuse have been identified to potentially bring into
island schools.
At the regular school board meeting Feb. 23 Queen Charlotte
Mayor Greg Martin asked trustees for their support in bringing such
early intervention and prevention pro-grams into all schools. Billy
Yovanovich, Chief Councillor for the Skidegate Band Council, spoke
in support of the idea, for which the board passed a resolution to
seek funding and work to identify the most suit-able program.
Andrew Hudson photo Dr. Peter Ross, a marine toxicologist with
the Vancouver Acquarium, talks about ocean contaminants at the
Dixon Entrance Marine Museum in Masset on Sunday, March 13. Dr.
Ross joined several other presenters at the seventh annual Coast
Watch workshop hosted by the Haida Gwaii Marine Stewardship Group
in Masset and Skidegate this weekend. Dr. Ross also gathered
samples in Haida Gwaii waters for the acquariums ocean pollution
research program.
RCMP release quarterly reportsBy Quinn Bender and Andrew
HudsonHaida Gwaii Observer
QUEEN CHARLOTTEThe detachment reported a slight drop
of 11 calls from the previous quarter. Of the 204 calls for
service between Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, police dealt with several high
profile files where charges of domestic assault, dangerous use of a
weapon, trafficking in cocaine and assault charges were laid in
three unrelated cases, but noted all individuals charged have
attended court and are currently in custody.
Traffic remains a priority with the detachment, which issued 66
warning and tickets this past quarter, compared to 87 in the first
and 51 in the second.
Over the holidays police completed several roadblocks for
drinking and driving and driving licence and insurance checks,
issuing three 24-hour roadside suspensions, and four 30-day vehicle
impounds and 90-day driving prohibi-tions.
The police continue to make commu-nity outreach a priority with
elementary and high school students, assisting and participating in
both regular school-re-lated activities and other special
events.
Of the 215 calls made to police 77 came from Queen Charlotte, 57
from Skidegate, 25 from Sandspit, 17 for administration and
assistance and 28 from all other locations including highway and
water.
In terms of offences, nine calls were received regarding liquor,
and of those two individuals were charged and placed in cells for
their well being, the report read. In four other offences the RCMP
located the individuals and simply gave them a ride to their
residencies.
A total of four files were created fro drug-related offices. In
once case cocaine, methamphetamine, firearms and ammunition were
seized. One man was arrested and transported to Prince George
Correctional Centre and later released on several conditions,
including a no-go order for Haida Gwaii.
MASSETA review of annual crime statistics by
Masset RCMP shows a focus on repeat thieves is helping to keep
property crime at bay.
Officers at the nine-member detach-ment responded to nearly
1,600 calls in 2015, 306 of which resulted in Criminal Code
investigations a nearly 10 per cent drop from 2014.
Reviewing the numbers, Corporal Peter Dionne noted that in an
area of roughly 2,500 people, crime statistics can be easily skewed
by a few prolific offenders.
For example, said Dionne, the north end saw a single robbery in
2014, and none at all last year a decrease of 100 per cent.
An enforcement blitz, such as the dis-tracted-driving crackdown
announced across B.C. last week, can also skew the numbers.
But there was one significant trend over the last two years: a
few spikes in property crime.
The largest dates to a spree of burglaries in the fall of 2014,
which quickly fell after police charged a small group of repeat
offenders.
Police saw similar, but smaller rises-and-falls in property
crimes last year, with one blip in June and another in
September.
These offences were being committed by a very small group of
people, said Dionne.
When they were identified and
addressed, the offences dropped off.Dionne noted that, for the
most part, it
is very rare for Haida Gwaii to see a true break and enter,
where windows and doors are damaged to gain access.
They tend to be crimes of oppor-tunity, he added, advising home
and business owners to lock their doors and otherwise secure their
property to deter thieves.
The Masset RCMP, who cover Masset, Old Massett and Port Clements
as well as northern coastal and marine areas, recently met with
village councillors to review the trends and hear community
concerns.
As always, persons offences, such as assault, sexual assault, or
threats, are the top police concern.
Property can be replaced or repaired, said Dionne.
Public safety is our primary focus, and other considerations are
secondary.
Besides a dip in overall reported crimes, the Masset RCMP saw
another welcome change last year new officers are now assigned to
the detachment for a three-year rather than a two-year term, as
they are in Queen Charlotte.
Besides getting to know the community better, and having more
experience when new officers join, the three-year rotation means
the Masset detachment will have fewer vacancies, said Sergeant
Stephan Drouin.
Four officers who were already at the detachment when the change
came in last February were given the option of stick-ing with their
original two-year posting, or increasing it to three. Most decided
to take the extra year.
It speaks positively about the level of morale for our members,
and how much theyre enjoying working here, said Drouin.
Students give lesson on good citizenry
We would like to enjoy the
beach without a whole bunch of
rules.
- Living and Learning students
-
ObserverHaidaGwai iwww.haidagwaiiobserver.com 5Friday,March 18,
2016Council Briefs
Camp supportPort Clements Village Council
released a letter on their position regarding the recent logging
activities around Mount Moresby Adventure Camp. Councillors say in
the letter that they support Mount Moresby Adventure Camps efforts
to stop the logging in the vicinity of the camp. The Village feels
that the value received from logging is not compa-rable to the
value the camp offers in perpetuity for guests and residents of
Haida Gwaii, especially the children who use it as part of the
school cur-riculum. The letter also states that the village will be
bringing their concerns to the attention of the Ministry of
Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
The village is also looking for a more robust reporting system
that allows people to view logging plans more easily for the next
three to five years, ensuring consultations and debates can occur
in a timely manner, rather than as a last-minute reaction prior to
the commencement of logging.
Playground upgradeFollowing a failed Gwaii Trust grant
application to upgrade the villages playground equipment, staff
asked councillors how they would like to proceed. The village has
managed to raise $14,000 for the equipment and was seeking another
$14,000 from Gwaii Trust. Councillors felt the upgrade is worth
pursuing, and decided to use $14,000 of the villages own Vibrant
Community fund to com-plete it.
Phone billVillage councillors raised questions
last year about how much the village pays for telephone
services. The vil-lage has 11 separate phone lines, each of which
costs $105 per month. Staff found the rate comparable with what the
islands other two municipalities are paying, and identified
potential savings of $15 a month by changing two of the phone
plans.
Lease renewedAs the lease agreement for the
ambulance bay in Port Clements is set to expire in May,
Accommodation Management BC has asked that the village put forward
a proposal for a five-year renewal. The lease for the medical
clinic, also in the same building, was also recently renewed.
Village staff negotiated a 2.5 per cent increase on their lease and
felt it was fair to raise the ambulance bay lease by the same
amount, which council
Port Clements | By Stacey Marple
Dozens of scientists say LNG report is flawedBy Andrew
HudsonHaida Gwaii Observer
Over 130 scientists have signed a letter calling a draft report
on the Pacific NorthWest LNG project sci-entifically flawed.
Sent last week to Canadas Minister of Environment and Climate
Change, the letter questions a draft environmen-tal report that
concluded the project proposed for Lelu Island would not severely
impact fish in the Skeena River estuary.
The draft report was published Feb. 10 by the Canadian
Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA).
Otto Langer, a long-time salmon biologist who signed the letter,
said in a release that the CEAA report is full of speculation and
wishful thinking.
Now retired, Langer is the former chief of habitat assessment
for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), and the former
director of marine science conservation for the David Suzuki
Foundation.
In 1970, Langer assessed a proposed shipping port in the Skeena
River estuary, and concluded then that the area was too important a
fish habitat for such development.
If built, the current Pacific NorthWest LNG proposal would
include a gas liquefaction plant, a storage facility and an on-site
power plant on Lelu, a wooded island at the north end of the
estuary and about 15 km south of Prince Rupert.
The facility would also include a shipping terminal connected by
a 2.7-kilometre trestle bridge leading to deep water off Flora
Bank.
Flora Bank is shallow, sandy area off the west shore of Lelu
Island with about 40 acres of eelgrass beds a nearshore habitat for
salmon, herring, halibut and other fish, as well as inver-tebrates
such as crab and shrimp.
Langer said he is concerned that the Flora Bank eelgrass wont
survive the pile driving, dredging, light, noise, or possible
spills associated with the LNG shipping terminal.
We must keep industry out of this area, he said.
In the letter, Langer and other scien-tists highlight five major
issues they see in the CEAA report.
First, the scientists say the CEAA report downplays the unique
value of Flora Bank as a nursery habitat for salmon and other
fish.
Other issues listed by the scientists include a lack of local
data on marine species such as eulachon, a down-playing of research
from the Skein Fisheries Commission, a lack of study of cumulative
effects, and an over-re-liance on mitigation measures.
In a release, CEAA defended its draft report.
The government of Canada is committed to conducting
high-quality, thorough and science-based envi-ronmental assessments
that are fair, transparent and that take into account the views of
Canadians and indigenous
peoples, the agency said. Scientists from Fisheries and
Oceans
Canada advised that with a long-term monitoring program and
mitigation measures, there would be a low potential for significant
adverse effects to fish and fish habitat resulting from the
presence of the marine terminal.
That mitigation plan includes using silt and bubble curtains
during con-struction, as well as the planting of new eelgrass beds,
as well as reefs and gravel benches for fish.
Given those mitigation measures, the CEAA also concludes the
project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental
effects to fish or fish habitat.
Regarding eulachon, the agency accepted a baseline study
submitted by Pacific NorthWest that found no adult eulachon in the
area, adding that a one-year study to identify any larval eulachon
is underway.
CEAA also noted that it did not rely on Pacific NorthWests own
threshold for what constitutes a significant harm.
While CEAA is less concerned about potential impacts to fish
habitat, the draft report concluded that Pacific NorthWest LNG is
likely to harm harbour porpoises and to significantly increase
Canadas greenhouse gas emissions.
If built, the project would be the third-largest single source
of GHGs in Canadas whole oil and gas sector.
A copy of the draft report is available at the CEAA website, and
over 10,000 public comments on the report have been received.
After taking the comments into account, a final CEAA report will
be delivered to Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and
Climate, who will make the final decision on whether the LNG
project is likely to cause significant environmental harm.
Archie Stocker Sr. photo At a ceremony in Old Massetts Elders
Centre, Chief Allan Wilson adopted film producer Charles Wilkinson
as his brother last Sunday afternoon. The ceremony included a feast
and Haida dancing. Mr. Wilkinson, with his wife Tina Schliessler,
produced the acclaimed film: Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World.
Pictured left to right are Chief Lonnie Young,(Skidegate), Chief
Frank Collinson, Film Producer Charles Wilkinson, Chief Allan
Wilson, Chief Kenny Edgars, and Chief Allan Davidson.
We must keep industry out of this
area.
- Otto Langer
-
www.haidagwaiiobserver.comObserverHaidaGwai i6 Friday, March 18,
2016OPINIONS
Editorial
20Years Ago
Tides and weather
Queen Charlotte RCMP were warn-ing residents that fuel tank
valves should be secured with locks, after several fuel thefts were
repor ted over two months. A couple have definitely been siphoning
jobs, said Sgt, Kerry Bennington. The thefts all occurred in the
west end of Queen Charlotte in the Second and T h i r d Av e n u e
areas. None of the reported fuel was properly secured.
Like many islanders, were a little groggy this morning. We have
been since Monday, and will likely still be for a full week, or
longer. Intuitive logic may tell you losing that hour of sleep as
we move our clocks forward for daylight savings time isnt that big
a deal. After all, its only an hour and its just a matter of
getting to bed a little earlier on Saturday night. You wont even
feel the difference, right?
Not so, according to a series of studies that link our spring
forward into daylight savings time with everything from increases
in suicides to goofing off at work.
Dr. Colleen Carney, an associate professor and director of the
Sleep Deprivation Laboratory at Ryerson University, said losing
that hour of sleep is particularly tough on an already
sleep-deprived
nation.We have clocks (throughout) our bodylosing
an hour of sleep compounds an already difficult situation for
some, she said.
And Dr. Stanley Coren, professor emeritus of UBC agrees: Very
bad things happen when sleep deprivation is an issue, he said. He
pointed to research that has shown a spike in traffic and workplace
accidents in the three days following daylight savings time.
Canadian statistics show an increase in accidents of about seven
per cent. A sleep-deprived person will engage in whats called
micro-sleeps, periods of about 10 seconds where the brain reverts
to sleep mode. Do that while driving a car, and its very serious.
Moreover, sleep deprivation has been blamed for some of humanitys
greatest disasters, from the Exxon
Valdez to the Challenger explosion.The primary goal of Daylight
Savings Time
is to reduce energy consumption, but there are a number of
studies that contradict whether this actually works. And so, a
number of movements are underway in many of the roughly 75
partici-pating countries to end this antiquated habit once and for
all. In BC a petition on change.org is a few thousands signatures
short of reaching its goal of 35,000. Its organizers claim BCs
health and transportation ministers are aware of the petition, and
will accept it once they pass 30,000.
The call to end Daylight Savings is nothing new. And, yes, there
are bigger issues we can concern ourselves with, but why put up
with anything so contrived as this, when it appears to affect us
only negatively?
Teh error in this headline was caused by sleep deprivation
Associate Publisher/Editor - Quinn BenderReporters - Stacey
Marple, Andrew HudsonContributors - Archie Stocker Sr., Rhonda
McIsaac, Margo Hearne, Kris Leach, Elaine Nyeholt, Evelyn von
Almassy, Elizabeth Condrotte, Gaetano HoustonPhone: 250-559-4680
1-888-529-4747
[email protected] Press 623 7th
St., Box 205 Queen Charlotte, BC V0T 1S0SUBSCRIPTIONS on island
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Haida Gwaii Observer
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of
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activities.
MONDAYTime M (ft)01:21 6 19.707:24 1.8 5.913:29 6.2 20.319:43
1.3 4.3
TUESDAYTime M (ft)01:54 6.2 20.307:59 1.6 5.214:07 6.3 20.720:16
1.3 4.3
WEDNESDAYTime M (ft)02:25 6.3 20.708:32 1.4 4.614:41 6.3
20.720:45 1.3 4.3
FRIDAYTime M (ft)04:52 2.8 9.210:58 5.7 18.717:32 1.7 5.623:58
5.5 18.0
SATURDAYTime M (ft)05:56 2.5 8.211:58 5.9 19.418:24 1.5 4.9
TIDESMarch 18 to 24
FridayCloudy. High 10 Low 6.
Saturday A mix of sun and cloud with 40 per cent
chance of showers. High 9Sunday
Cloudy with 60 per cent chance of showers. March Average
Temperature 9C
Record High: 12.4 C (2005) Record Low -2.0 (2007)
THURSDAYTime M (ft)02:53 6.4 21.009:03 1.3 4.315:14 6.2
20.321:14 1.5 4.9
SUNDAYTime M (ft)00:44 5.8 19.006:44 2.1 6.912:47 6 19.719:07
1.4 4.6
Published by Black Press Ltd. 623 7th Street, Queen Charlotte BC
V0T 1S0
March 14, 1996
5Years Ago
The Canadian C o a s t G u a r d A u x i l i a r y received news
that they would be one of the char-itable organiza-tion that would
receive money from donations accepted instead of gifts at the royal
w e d d i n g . T h e Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary was one out of
the chosen 26 charitable orga-nizations and the only Canadian
organization to be chosen to receive money.
March 24, 2011
10Years Ago
The schools dis-tricts decision to shuffle around four
principals a n d t e a c h e r s a f t e r a p p r o v -ing a eave
for Queen Charlotte Secondary prin-cipal Elizabeth Condrotte would
have a negative effect on hun-dred of students, Masset parents
said. Concerned parents met at a emergency meet-ing in response to
the staff changes, which was said to be disruptive and was poorly
com-municated.
March 16, 2006
30Years Ago
The Wilderness A d v i s o r y Committee had r e c o m m e n d e
d that most of South Moresby area to be turned into a national
park, but that the log-ging continue on Lylee Island, with the
exception of a strip along the west side, and around the
eco-logically-sensitive Windy Bay area on the islands east coast.
The report was handed over to the Ministry of Environment after
several months of study.
March 13, 1986
-
ObserverHaidaGwai iwww.haidagwaiiobserver.com 7Friday, March 18
, 2016
Doug LouisQueen Charlotte
Everything! We get lots of potatoes, rad-ishes, beets,
carrots,
tomatoes, chives, walking onions
and deer.
Expand climate action program
Dear Editor,On April 13, 2015, Premier Christy Clark chal-
lenged other jurisdictions to meet or exceed BC actions on
climate change.
According to data from Environment Canada, National Inventory
Report 2014, changes to pro-vincial GHG emissions since 2005, BC
ranks No. 7 out of 10 (our 10 provinces). I am not a math expert,
but if you are No. 7 out of 10 are you a leader?
The B.C. carbon tax brings in $1.2 billion per year but almost
all of its goes to reducing other taxes with only about $50 million
per year to carbon reduction, like the Climate Action Revenue
Incentive Program and that program covers only reductions by
municipal government operations.
Currently the province is looking for input from anybody, until
noon March 25, 2016, on how to reduce emissions. On the provinces
website it states: To lessen the severity of climate change, we
must reduce our emissions. And We can continue to transition to
communities that use less energy and to an economy more reliant on
clean energy sources.
How about expanding the Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program
so that anybody who reduces their emission receives the same
mone-tary benefit as the local governments and give the
municipalities were the reduction occurs the same amount of money.
Our local governments have to balance their budgets by law and sure
could use a bit of extra money for looking after their
citizens.
Sincerely,Martin Holzbauer
Many alternatives topesticides
Dear Editor,Pesticides have been around for 70 years, yet
weeds, pests and diseases that attack plants have, if anything,
become worse because they have become resistant to all these
chemicals, much like the bacterial super bugs have become resistant
to antibiotics. This means you have to spray more often, using more
toxic chemicals every year.
Many pesticides, herbicides and fungicides are responsible for
adding extra cause gene mutations or are neuro (brain) toxins.
Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, once touted as safe
because it kills bacteria, not humans, has been shown to be
anything but. As a killer of bacteria, it is deadly to the bacteria
in the soil and in our gut.
Bacteria in the soil keeps it free of pathogens such as e-coli
and are necessary for the uptake of minerals into crops.
The bacteria that live in our gut keep us free of pathogens and
facilitate uptake of our nutrients.
When you put these chemicals on your lawn, everyone, including
pets, neighbors gathered for a barbecue and little children running
around are exposing themselves to serious toxins. All it takes are
minute amounts to disrupt the delicate balance of the body.
There are many non-toxic alternatives to pes-ticides and
herbicides available and myriads of websites, books and farmers in
the community that can teach us about them.
Sincerely,Jo Phillips
Grant LavoieSewall
It depends, there are microclimates, but root crops do well
if you balance your soil.
May RussMasset
Raspberries! These two were
transplanted from a friends garden.
Eve HansenMasset
I would say herbs. Ive got sage,
chives, thyme, miny, parsley and cilan-
tro.
Q Say, Seedy Saturday folks, what grows well in your
garden?Question of the Week
Letters to the Editor
Please send your letters to the editor to
[email protected]. We will always give preference to
letters submitted by islands residents.
QC Thrift Shop embarks on much-needed expansion
By Carla lutnerChief Operating OffiCer
Exciting times are ahead for the Queen Charlotte Thrift Shop
Society. Its application for a Major Contributions grant was
ap-proved earlier this month, which means that after years of
plan-ning, the society is about to start work on a major expansion
that will make the shop much more accessible, secure, and
energy-ef-ficient.
The Thrift Shop is located in one of the oldest buildings in
Queen Charlotte, a 1909 schoolhouse that has been moved to its
current location on 2nd Avenue, behind the former United Church
build-ing. The popular shop has been running since the early 1970s,
making donated second-hand items available at low prices. But as
anyone who uses the
shop can see, the building is deteriorating and is too small to
prop-erly display its goods.
The expansion project will see a 24 x 26 addition built onto the
existing building, almost doubling the shops space. The addition
will include a secure drop-off bin, a covered deck, and an enclosed
storage space. But thats not all. The existing heritage building
will also be renovated, with a cement foundation, new roof, and new
racks and shelves for display. The old and inefficient oil furnace
will be taken out and replaced with a heat pump, which should
reduce the societys annual heating bills significantly and can also
provide air conditioning on hot summer days. (We know theyre rare
but it does happen!) All work will be done by local
contractors.
Our directors were very impressed with the Societys
ap-plication. It was easy to see that this project meets several of
our goals and objectives, including promoting the cultural and
eco-nomic health of the community, fostering a spirit of
cooperation, and making the islands a better place to live through
infrastruc-ture improvements. The Thrift Shop was also able to
demonstrate that it has lots of community support: it has held
successful fund-raisers, and submitted several letters of support
from groups like Northern Healths Mental Health and Addictions
Services, the Haida Gwaii Society for Community Peace and the
Village of Queen Charlotte. In fact, the Society is contributing
more than $60,000 of its own savings to help pay for the project,
as well as volunteer hours. The Gwaii Trust grant of $166,426 will
pay for about 70 percent of the total project cost.
The Thrift Shop Society is a non-profit group run entirely by
volunteers, and the shop and its services have been an import-ant
part of our community for decades. The shop promotes the re-cycling
of second-hand items and provides a source of affordable clothing,
housewares, toys, books, furniture and small applianc-es. It turns
discarded cotton into rags for resale, and has donated bedding and
pet items to the local SPCA. The society covers all its operational
expenses through sales of second-hand items, and also manages to
donate to other community groups like the Men-tal Health program,
the Teen Centre, food banks and Hospital Day. The expansion will
allow it to offer even more items for sale, increasing its revenues
and creating an attractive and accessible space for volunteers and
shoppers. Congratulations to the Thrift Shop as it embarks on this
exciting new project!
The Gwaii Trust update is a collaborative promotional venture by
the Gwaii Trust Society and the Haida Gwaii Observer.
-
www.haidagwaiiobserver.comObserverHaidaGwai i8 Friday, March 18
2016
Andrew Hudson photo A worker near Lawn Hill Road hauls the
bright green and orange conduit with a cable of 96 fibre-optic
strands inside. Behind him, a drill crew was preparing to route the
line below a road crossing and nearby Haida archaeological
site.
Haida Gwaii Internet grows some backboneBy Andrew HudsonHaida
Gwaii Observer
After years of work by the GwaiiTel Society, a $10-million
upgrade is underway to bring islanders faster, more reliable, more
widely available Internet.
Its an epic task.For one thing, until the islands can tap into a
marine
cable a hugely expensive job that starts with renting a
submarine every cat video, email, money transfer or Facebook like
that isnt sent here by satellite has to zip 124.83 km over the
Hecate Strait.
All that data is beamed precisely between a micro-wave radio
tower on Mount Hayes and another above Old Massett.
Its got to go from dish to dish, says Mark Halwa, project
manager for the GwaiiTel upgrade.
Thats a pretty small target over 125 kilometres.So far as Halwa
knows, its the longest microwave
shot in North America.That wireless link remains the biggest
bottleneck for
the islands network, but the GwaiiTel upgrade is making it much
less of a squeeze.
Thanks to a second set of radios, the amour of data travelling
over the Hecate will double, going from 366 to 722 megabits per
second.
And thats the easy part.Anyone driving the Graham Island highway
these
days can see what a challenge it is to install the back-bone of
the on-island network a new fibre-optic line that stretches 114 km
from Masset to Skidegate, with a connecting branch to the end of
the paved section of Tow Hill Road.
Equipped with a micro-blade plow and a directional drill, crews
have to be extremely careful as they go, drilling well below
rivers, streams and Haida archae-
ological sites.And inside each spool of green or orange conduit
is a
cable with 96 strands of fibre-optic glass inside.Its a big
change. Until the new backbone lights up,
likely in May, GwaiiTels only fibre-optic lines are the much
shorter, 12-strand links connecting Queen Charlotte to Skidegate
and Masset to Old Massett (Another set of microwave radios keeps
Sandspit in the loop).
Haida Gwaii has two Internet service providers, or ISPs, who
will get to access the new fibre-optic backbone and begin
connecting individual homes and businesses to it.
Really, all you need are two of the fibres in there to light up
your whole island, said Dylan Griffiths, pres-ident of DSG
Communications, which is carrying out the work as part of Lite
Access Technologies.
There are only four lighting up all of Vancouver.Having a
96-strand backbone will help future-proof
the system leaving plenty of dark fibre to light up.
Also, a few major customers might pay for a dedicated line of
their own.
But with so many scattered locations, especially mid-island
where access is weakest today, it takes plan-ning to avoid using up
even 96 strands as the network branches.
Griffiths recently gave a tour to several GwaiiTel direc-tors
and the Observer to show how the upgrade is going.
Weve been using this product for 30 years, believe it or not, he
said at the outset.
People think its new technology, but it really isnt.Born in
Wales, Griffiths spliced copper phone lines for
his father, who he followed into a decades-long career at
British Telecom before he and his brothers struck out on their
own.
Griffiths has installed fibre-optics in London, England and
across the West Kootenays, but he has never had a job quite like
the one on Haida Gwaii.
In big cities, the task is usually to pull copper out of
existing conduit and replace it with fibre-optics.
What Griffiths does differently is micro-trenching, which means
digging an unusually narrow channel and using thinner conduit, all
to lessen the disturbance when new lines are needed. His company is
among the first to lay fibre-optic lines right inside city
streets.
Micro-trenching is also proving useful here on Haida Gwaii.
Standard lines trap so much air that they slowly float to the
surface wherever there is a high water table, Griffiths said, which
it is on all but 20 km of the Masset to Skidegate route.
And as any gardener knows, earth tends to close nat-urally over
a narrower trench.
People think its a new technology, but it really isnt.
- Dylan Griffiths
See INTERNET on next page
-
ObserverHaidaGwai iwww.haidagwaiiobserver.com 9Friday, March 18,
2016
By late February, Griffiths crew had buried just over half the
main line, and laser-tested 40 km.
Its all testing perfectly, he said.
Stepping into a work trailer south of Masset, Griffiths showed
one thing installers have to avoid.
Watch this now, he said, bending a short strand of fibre-optic
glass in his fingers.
At the open end, the red laser light went dim.
Thats a big loss, he said, noting that the light should still be
visible 7 or 8 km down the line, and is usually strong enough to
carry data for 50 or 60 km.
Because its impossible to build or ship a single 114-km roll of
fibre-optic cable, and because the main line needs several access
boxes along the way, Griffiths crew has to build the main line by
splicing several sections together.
At each splice, all 96 glass fibres have to be perfectly
fused.
Surprisingly, Griffiths said thats not where signal losses
happen the biggest risk of signal loss comes from how the fibres
are curved in each splice case.
Just across the Chown River bridge, Griffiths caught up with his
son Cai, who was splicing together glass fibres and tucking them
into one of those cases.
Each time Cai welded the glass ends together, his fusing machine
measured the likely signal loss on one strand it was just 0.01 per
cent.
Working with such fine mate-rials makes it easy to pinpoint
problems down the line.
On 114 kilometres, I can find
a fault to about 10 millimetres, said Griffiths.
Farther south, close to Lawn Hill, Griffiths checked on the
drilling crew, who were just then routing conduit about three
metres deep for a distance of 300 metres in order to clear a Haida
archaeological site.
Owen Jones was there on behalf of the Haida Nation to monitor
the work and alert the crew to other protected sites or plants
along the way, a job he said was going well so far.
Along with those sites and watercourses, the drilling crew has
had to negotiate tree roots, solid rock, and buried timbers
leftover from the old plank road between Tlell and Port
Clements.
In a few wet spots, his plow crew had to float planks just to
keep the machine moving.
A short video Griffiths put together of the work so far has a
booming orchestral back-ing track think fibre-optic installers
working in a Haida Gwaii downpour, all to Ride of the Valkyries.But
Griffiths was cheerful about the challenge.
Its a unique place to do this, he said, smiling.
Andrew Hudson photo Dylan Griffiths, president of DSG
Communications, shows how the laser light at the open end of a
fibre-optic line dims when the line is bent too much.
Its a unique place to do this
- Dylan Griffiths
Andrew Hudson photo A worker on a directional drill signals to a
colleague using an above-ground locator to track it.
INTERNET from Page 8
A division of
-
www.haidagwaiiobserver.comObserverHaidaGwai i10 Friday, March
18, 2016
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Adjustments-Custom Hearing Protection
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Rupert Hearing Clinic
Stephanie Curry, RHIPPart of WorkSafeBC provider network Veteran
Affairs Canada & First Nation
health benefits accepted250-627-8663 or 1-844-568-4327
Unit 201-515 3rd Ave W, Prince Rupert (Capital Mall)
is accepting Quality, Clean, Current Clothing for
Consignment!
250.559.4753
Funk It!Funk It!
AGM GwaiiTel Societys Annual General Meeting
March 23, 2016, 7:00 p.m.
Location: Village of Port Clements Council Chambers
The public is welcome to attend
Gwaii Taxi & Tours
Skidegate/Queen Charlotte 2 Taxis Plus a
15-Passenger Van Available for Tour or Charter
Web: gwaiitaxiandtours.ca Email: [email protected]
250-559-2380Tours & Services
vehicle rentals custom tours
booking for island accommodation andmarine excursions
Reservations recommended.
250-637-1162Taxi
-
ObserverHaidaGwai iwww.haidagwaiiobserver.com 11Friday, March
18, 2016
Were having an OPEN HOUSE FRIDAY, APRIL 1ST FROM 3PM - 10PMThere
is a number of small & large business owners we would like to
get to know.
Come meet your fellow area business owners and share what you
are doing and ways you may be able to help in and around your
community. We are expecting a very busy tourist season. We want to
be ready for our guests. We need the right information. If your
business caters to tourism in an any way we would like to know
about you.
Light hors doeuvres and drinks will be served beginning at 3pm.
Come ready to meet new people, exchange ideas, business cards and
socialize with some fun, interesting, like-minded folk.
COPPER BEECH HOUSE is hosting a Business
Please R.S.V.P Faustine at Copper Beech House 250-626-5441
There is a number of small & large business
ANDAND
Haida Gwaiis one-of-a-kind educational experienceAndrew Hudson
photo
IDavid Douglas, a professor of rural planning and development,
speaks with students in the Haida Gwaii Semester in Natura Resource
Studies at the Kay Centre on Feb. 24.
Every year university exchange students come to Haida Gwaii for
a one-of-a-kind educational experience. This, many islanders know.
But what are the lessons theyre learning, and who are the students
learning from? The Observer takes a closer look.
By Andrew Hudson
On a bright Thursday morn-ing at the Kay Centre, semester
students Danika Hammond and Connor Cepella were in a class called
Diversifying Resource-Dependent Communities.
Down the hall, the Council of the Haida Nation happened to be
hosting its Winter Sessions, setting the agenda for the new
year.
Its no coincidence that one of the big lessons taught in Hammond
and Cepellas class that morning was about how todays community
leaders help small places thrive.
Its not a question of who has coal or lumber or fish it used to
be, we used to speak of com-parative advantage in only those
terms, says David Douglas, a professor of rural planning and
development who was teaching the students class.
Increasingly, were seeing that its This communitys got the
vision, got the leadership, got the champions.
Douglas class is one of five natural resource studies courses
the Haida Gwaii Higher Education Society is offering to visiting
third-year university students this winter.
But speaking with Hammond and Cepella, it seems they learn as
much or more outside the classroom.
A huge part of the value of this program is living somewhere
remote and new, said Cepella, who came to Haida Gwaii from Halifax,
where he studies sustain-ability and environmental science at
Dalhousie University.
At 20, Cepella has spent time in small northern Ontario and
Arctic towns as a tree planter and canoe guide, but this winter
marks the Ottawa-born students first chance to really connect with
people in a small place.
Ive had that rural experience, but its mostly been romanticized
and I wasnt really immersed in the community, he said.
A day before they spoke with the Observer, Cepella and
Hammond had a fish-soup lunch with elders in the Skidegate Haida
Immersion Program, or SHIP.
Both volunteer as part of the semester program, Cepella at the
Hecate Strait Stream Keepers
hatchery and Hammond at Skaadgaa Naay Elementary.
Our Haida Gwaii branch hours are changingEffective March 21,
2016, our hours will be: Masset Branch:Monday Thursday: 10:00am -
3:00pmFriday: 10:00am - 5:00pmSaturday & Sunday: Closed
Queen Charlotte Branch:Monday Friday: 10:00am 5:00pmSaturday
& Sunday: Closed
See SCHOOL on Page 12
-
www.haidagwaiiobserver.comObserverHaidaGwai i12 Friday, March
18, 2016
1563 Main Street Masset250-626-3236 1-877-626-3236
101 Causeway Queen Charlotte250-559-0049 1-866-559-7909
Serving the North Coast and Haida Gwaii since 1995
CALL US FOR MORE INFORMATION
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This is not happening anywhere else.
- Danika Hammond
A truly unique Haida Gwaii style of education
They meet several local guest speakers in their classes, some of
which are taught by local instructors such as Chief Satsan (Herb
George).
At home, thanks to their landlady in Skidegate, the two are
nearly done weaving their first cedar baskets.
Hammond has joined a Ukul-ladies music group (Cepella wants to
start the Ukul-laddies), and both made it up to Masset to take in
this years Valentino Cabaret (A pretty crazy event, says
Hammond).
Compared with her life at UBC a campus of 60,000 students that
feels like a small city full of young people Hammond said she is
struck by how easy it is on Haida Gwaii to connect with people
older or younger than her.
Its one of the reasons Hammond hopes to find a career that will
return her to a place like New Denver/Silverton the twin West
Kootenay towns on Slocan Lake where she grew up.
Haida Gwaii, where she actually lived for a year at age seven,
is the first place besides the Kootenays where she can imagine her
future.
In class, Hammond said she learns a lot about the eco-nomic
struggles faced by small places like Haida Gwaii resource
dependence, lack of services, an ageing population and youth who
move away.
But there is a flip side, too.When Im in a small town, all I see
is the strength that
comes from it organizing strength and how committed, how
involved people are.
Asked what makes Haida Gwaii stand out from other small B.C.
communities, Hammond was quick to answer.
The Haida, she said. I think in other communities Ive been in,
the First Nations presence is just not as strong.
Theres so much more cross-cultural sharing, more respect and
willingness here, she said.
Part of that shows in the formal links Hammond and Cepella
learned about in Chief Satsans class on First Nations governance
things like the Gwaii Haanas agree-ment, or the Kunstaa
guuKunstaayah protocol but it also shows in day-to-day life.
I kept thinking, This is not happening anywhere else, said
Hammond.
I think theres a better relationship than Ive ever seen.
David Douglas agrees.The future in what we call the Canadian
federation
is changing, he said, speaking of the many successes achieved
here by island communities and the Council of the Haida Nation.
Now in his third year of teaching courses for the Haida Gwaii
Semester in Natural Resource Studies, Douglas said despite its
size, Haida Gwaii is increasingly looked to as a role model.
Its not well known, he said. But through conferences, through
newsletters and websites and so on, it is increas-ingly being
known.
Im hoping that Haida Gwaii itself will be increasingly involved
in international conversations about develop-ment.
To learn more about HGHES, drop by their offices at the Haida
Heritage Centre, the shared office at Community Futures in Masset,
or visit www.hghes.ca.
SCHOOL from Page 11
The Queen Charlotte Harbour Authority
We are accepting applications for ASSIGNED MOORAGE no sooner
than
March 15, 2016 and no later than March 30, 2016. As per the QCHA
policy, Assigned Moorage is open for application for any
vessel 30 or less and will only be available from April 1st to
October 1st. To apply,
please send an email to:
[email protected]
Please include your name, the vessel name, and total vessel
length (including outboards).
-
ObserverHaidaGwai iwww.haidagwaiiobserver.com 13Friday, March
18, 2016
The AGMs which were held in February have elected a number of
Tlellians to various positions. Peter Vogen is now the secretary of
the Port/Tlell Seniors. Ralph Leach has traded his presidency of
the Graham Island East Coast farmers Institute for the vice
presidency, Marylynn Hunt is treasurer, while Tammy Abbot, Dan
Abbot, Veronika Higlister, Stevie-Lyn DeGroot and I volunteered as
directors. Adolf Bitterlich was acclaimed as an auditor and the
other auditor is Dominic Legault from Masset. The new president is
Doug Louis from Queen Charlotte, while his wife Linda continues as
secretary. The AGM considered a name change for the institute and
formed a committee to bring forth recommendations for a new one. If
you have any ideas, let me know as Im on the committee.
One of the major events sponsored by the Farmers institute is
Saras Seedy Saturday, which was held in the Port Clements hall on
March 12. It was the
best yet with produce, crafts, baking, seeds, bed-ding plants
and garden supplies (there were even containers of earthworms) for
sale from all over the islands. The vendors tell me that they did
well and there was a steady stream of happy customers. A full table
of free seeds and plants for exchanging took up the center of the
hall and there were more than ever before. Ten new members signed
up to join the Institute. Everyone there enjoyed the lunch provided
by the Port Clements grade 7 class to raise money for their grad
trip.
This was a wonderful start to what should prove to be a very
productive year for local food. The Mennonite families displays
were an inspirational example of what can be grown here. They even
had frozen strawberries and blueberries from their last summers
crops.
Jason Shaftos mother, Margaret has moved away to take care of
her own mother. She will be missed. Jason himself was away for a
vacation trip in the States but has returned. Dutes has also come
back from his trip there with new treasures for the Crystal Cabin.
The Crows Nest has reopened since Jason Fox, Anne Barnes and their
family have all returned from Mexico. The store has been
reconfigured and the coffee, sweets and savories are still
available for snacks. The brunch crowd has followed Andre
to TheYakoun in Port along with the open Mics and dinners. I was
there last Sunday for brunch with Mike and Kim and joined the
birthday breakfast for Manzanita. Different ambience, same
delicious fare.
Scout is back from the Yukon. She visited Riverworks where she
worked last summer. There was a joyful reunion with Percy the farm
dog but she is moving to Queen Charlotte and looking for a puppy of
her own. Miranda has taken over the farming for this season. Wendy
has returned to a renovated house and will resume instructing Tai
Chi at the regular time.
March Madness is progressing with the annual cut-ting one end
off the day and attaching it to the other end to make it longer,
aka Daylight Savings. The school district budget meetings were held
in all communities this past week encompassing Pi Day, the Ides of
March and ending on St Patricks Day, when Spring Break started.
Easter falls during the break so back to school on the day after
Easter Monday. If you think there was a short spring break this
year, contact the school board to have some input on next years
calendar.
The March lion and lamb continue to battle it out with
ferry-stopping windstorms and beautiful sunny days bringing the
earliest spring ever. My lawn needs mowing, in March! By the time
you read this I hope to have kid goats to join all the Tlellian
lambs and calves already here. That would be March happiness.
A wonderful start to a productive year
by Elizabeth CondrotteTlellagraph
by Elizabeth CondrotteTlellagraph
I recently took an online quiz about identifying the most iconic
women in history. You can probably still find it if you Google the
words. I received 15 out of 15, and was a little surprised that I
aced the quiz, as I have never taken a womens studies course, or a
womens history course. What I have done is read many books, and
kept up with current events, and of course there are photos, and
shows about famous people. After I completed the quiz, I received
the message: Youre a true feminist who understands the meaning of
girl power. That may or may not be true, but it made me think, as
we recently cele-brated International Womens Day on March 8, are
things truly better for
women? Have we come a long way?
Last week I heard that women are now, on average, still making
only 72 cents on the dollar compared with men.
I was shocked because for so long, it was 69 cents. That is only
3 cents more than it what it was for about 30 years.
Women are often still seen as objects. Take a look at any
Victorias Secret ad or fashion show. Yet if a woman dares to
breastfeed in public, there is often outrage.
Why should women have to cover up when they wish to feed their
child? What is inappropriate about that? Kids have to eat.
That is normal. What is not normal is the obsession with womens
breasts. No one appears to be obsessed by the breasts of men, as
far as I know.
Progress is sometimes slow in our society. I was surprised to
hear that Ms. Melanie Mark was the first First Nations woman to be
elected to the provincial legislature.
She is one of the two NDP members
who won by-elections in February. (Ms. Carole James of the NDP
is Metis.)
Ms. Marks heritage is Nisgaa, Gitxsan, Cree and Scottish. Women
won the right to vote and run for office in B.C. in 1917, and since
that time 102 women have been in the provincial legislature.
Laura Sample, of Sandspit, posted a beautiful shot of a Kermode,
or Spirit bear, on Facebook that she entered into the BC Ferries
West Coast Wildlife photo contest. Laura took the photo in the
Great Bear Rainforest on the mainland, and she has been honing her
photography skills for years.
Cohen Isberg and his mom Waneeta Richardson of Skidegate were at
the Vancouver Outdoor Adventure Travel Trade Show, partnering with
the Misty Isles Economic Development Society and Gwaii Haanas to
represent Haida Gwaii.
It was great to see Cohen. I wasnt in the big smoke, but saw a
wonderful photo of both of them. Cohen is a young man now.
The big date to put on your calendar (besides the Seniors Winter
games, now running more than fifty years, in Old Massett on April
19), is July 16.
Yes, that is the date for this years Totem to Totem race, from
the Haida Heritage Centre to St. Marys Spring.
This increasingly popular marathon is a qualifier for the Boston
marathon. I did the shorter walk last year, and if I ever resume my
training with my neighbour Eliza, I may even try to run (very
slowly) the 10k part of the event.
Have a great Easter, with Palm Sunday this Sunday, Good Friday,
and Easter Monday after that.
For the students and school staff, spring break is happening as
well, so everyone enjoy your vacation whether you are staying home
or going off island.
In less than two weeks, it will be April. Time really does go
faster the older you get.
Please send your news by Thursdays at 2 p.m. to
[email protected]
Have we come a long way?
by Evelyn von Almassy
Charlotte Communiqus
by Evelyn von AlmassyCharlotte Communiqus
Print & Online SolutionsThe Results are black and white!
Use e-commerce, the solution to get the employees you
need./localwork-bc @localworkbc1-855-678-7833
-
www.haidagwaiiobserver.comObserverHaidaGwai i14 Friday, March
18, 2016
Spring time is clean-up time. Clean the house and gutters, clean
the yard and ditchesoh yeah, and the greenhouse too. Perhaps its
time to take down that old dog house, or shed and clean away the
debris! So, the Landfill hours are
useful to be know: - Monday to Friday 11am-3pm &- The first
Saturday of the month 11am - 3pm.There are students around who are
willing to do
yard work during spring break, if you watch for posters around
town you will get their info.
The closing of the Credit Unions on Saturdays is seriously
inconvenient to the working people who live outside of the major
communities. As of March 21st the Credit Unions will be open on
Mondays (which is not useful to working people) and closed on
Saturdays. How is an 8-5r supposed to get any banking done.
We understand that there are many things that
can be processed on-line, but with NO ATM and no service on
Saturdays, or Statuary holidays, what is the benefit to banking
on-Island? The Mission Statement of the Credit Union used to say
that their purpose is to provide service to the members they must
have changed it. Okay, I am ranting again. Sorry, a little bit. The
staff are happy, but thats all.
There will be a Village Council Meeting on Monday the 21st at
7pm.
Another Canadian Firearms Safety Course will begin on March
21st. This course is needed to buy or handle any firearms in B.C.
Phone Ron Haralson to register - 250 557-4255.
Spring cleaning on your mind? Hire a student!
Odds n Sods
Odds n Sods
by Elaine Nyeholt
by Elaine Nyeholt
See ODDS on Page 15
I promised a friend that I would deliver a recipe concerning the
remaining berries left in the freezer from last summer....but my
yearning for fresh greens right now will have to take prece-dence
this week. For those of you lucky to still have berries in your
freezer, use them straight out of the freezer with your oatmeal in
the morning, make some jam, or let them thaw, adding a little bit
of sweetener using them for pancakes or a plain white cake (angel
food is nice) with whipped cream. How about a Pavlova? Meringue and
frozen thawed berries is decadent, different, and delightful!
Stewed Rhubarb with a touch of cream added when serving helps
mellow out the tartness of the rhubarb without overdo-ing it with
the sugar. These are nice things to have on your
table on the blustery days of February....but my body and soul
are craving fresh greens right now. This is the time of year to
begin harvesting local wild greens. The chickweed is already
start-ing to flower which makes it not quite as desirable because
of the seeds, but is still a tasty free green which is prolific in
my garden. Also the dandelion greens, nettles and
the sour grass are up and ready for pick-ing. I have written
about wild harvesting before, and if you keep an open mind, and are
mindful of washing the sand and salt off your food before you use
it, these wild offerings are available for all of us to use even
when the ferry doesnt arrive with our fresh spinach aboard! Even
better, they are healthier because
they are fresher (read more nutrients) just picked, and they are
free. If you have a friend who has a garden, they would be
delighted to have you pick any of their extra weeds, and nettles if
you dont already have a favorite patch to pick your own, and are
sometimes available at the farmers markets. When picking wild
greens, try to find an area away from highway traffic, as the
roadside tends to
be dusty and laden with chemicals from vehicles and salt.
Spanakopita a la Haida Gwaii2c. Feta cheese, crumbled5 eggs2 T.
flour2 c. cottage cheese1 tsp. oregano1 tsp. basilSalt and pepper
to taste4 cups fresh wild greens (dandelion,
stinging nettles, chickweed, sour grass)1c. fresh spinach, chard
or kale1 onion, chopped6 garlic cloves chopped3 T. butter1 box
Phyllo pastry, thawed1 c. butter (or a mixture of butter
and olive oil) meltedBegin by thoroughly washing the
greens, stemming and chopping then sauting over medium heat for
about five minutes until everything is nicely wilted. I dont add
any extra water, as
there is enough juice in the greens to keep from sticking to the
pan. Add to the greens the feta, eggs, flour, cottage cheese and
spices, set aside. Saute the garlic and onion in 1 T. butter until
soft, add to feta and greens and mix well.
Assembling the pie you can use a buttered 9x13 pan, placing a
Phyllo leaf in the pan brushing generously with the melted butter
or butter olive oil combo until you have 8 layers. Spread with half
the filling. Continue with another stack of 8 layers, spread on the
other half of the filling. Place the remaining Phyllo in buttered
layers . Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until
golden.
I also like to make Spanakopita tri-angles, they are a bit more
work, but are really nice for appetizers. Begin by cutting the
entire stack of Phyllo layers in 3 strips lengthwise (theyll be
approximately 3inches wide by S11 inches long). Cover the other
two stacks with a damp towel so they dont dry out while youre
working with the first stack of strips. Brush one strip with melted
butter down the entire length. Place a Tbsp. of filling at the
bottom of the first strip then fold into a triangular shape,(like
folding a flag) placing the completed Spanakopita triangles onto a
baking sheet. Continue shaping until all of the filling and Phyllo
is used up. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 25 minutes.
These can be frozen unbaked for later use by layering them
between sheets of parchment or waxed paper and wrapped well before
placing in the freezer. To bake, place frozen in a single layer at
350 degrees and add about 10 minutes longer to the baking time.
And there you have it...when the frost burns off this morning
Ill be heading out to shop local; as in heads down, bums up picking
for my dinner!
Spanokopita A La Haida GwaiiCooking on the
Rising Tideby Kris Leach
-
ObserverHaidaGwai iwww.haidagwaiiobserver.com 15Friday, March
18, 2016
We need to switch off power in your area for about three hours
while we conduct
system maintenance. To keep our crews and the public safe, power
must be switched
off while we complete this important work.
Where: All of Queen Charlotte City - Skidgate to Tlell,
including Alliford Bay. This includes all side roads between these
locations.
When: Sunday, March 20, 2016
Time: 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
To protect your equipment from damage during the outage, please
turn off all lights,
electrical heaters, major appliances and unplug all electronics.
Well restore power as
soon as we can.
Visit bchydro.com/outages or call 1 888 POWERON (1 888 769 3766)
for more information.
Power outage notice: planned maintenanceQueen Charlotte City
4945
Publication: Haida Gwaii Observer (BCNG)Size: 5.8125 x 89
linesInsertion date: March 11 & 18Deadline: March 4 Noon
Sit back and watch the grass grownot on our watch!
This was the plea last November that resounded loud and clear in
our small community (and island wide) via word-of -mouth, fliers
and bulletins: save the Willows!
Under a lease agreement with an island individual set to expire
December 31, the future of the Willows Golf Course was uncertain
for 2016. With no off-island/off-shore buyers waiting to tee off,
the rumour was the course was destined to revert back to a sheep
farm, or a dairy farm, or even a potato farm!
Yep, a potato farm. The empty paddock with its mobile
trailers and junk equipment across from the golf course was once
row upon row of russet potatoes, stretching from the boundary of
the Sandspit Airfield down to as far as the No. 3 hole and the
Coast Guard Towers. Those organic spuds served up at the tea table
and local markets survived roaming deer because of their toxic
leaves but did not survive progress. Willows was born.
On November 3 we saw approxi-mately 30 community members rally
at a 13th hour town hall meeting
under the guidance of MIMC to find out, firstly, what the
potential loss of the Willows would mean to our small logging
community who, like every other small single-resource community in
British Columbia, has suffered high rates of attrition.
And secondly, we wanted to find out if there were enough
community members in our small town willing to commit volunteering
to yet another group. Do we as a community value Willows and its
infrastructure enough to incorporate it into our community
infrastructure? Can we as a community alone afford to keep the
Willows open? Should we call upon Haida Gwaii to join together and
support our juniors, our teenagers, our golden agers and of course
our mainstream golfers through programs both on the course and in
the schools? This is not only for the love of game, but for the
love of health, fitness and all other recreational, economic
possibili-ties open to us.
Yes, we should and we are! How do we do this? Volunteer, get our
hands dirty, ask for support from local and off-island
organizations, apply for funding available on and off island and
share with and sup-port the many groups that have sprouted up with
similar goals!
At its February meetings Moresby Island Management Committee
(MIMC) presented the Vibrant Haida Gwaii Communities Initiatives, a
program established for the purpose of provid-
ing Gwaii Trust Funds to community projects that support the
creation, devel-opment, maintenance and support of necessary
community infrastructure as determined by each individual
commu-nity on Haida Gwaii. The Gwaii Trust defines infrastructure
as: The basic physical systems of a community. Clean water, sewers,
transportation, commu-nication, waste management, recreation
facilities and community safety initia-tives; in essence all
systems that are vital to a communitys economic development and
prosperity.
Updates on the newly-formed Sandspit Golf Course Society has
seen its board members hard at work, along with the enthusiasm of
all gofers over the past three months getting the golf course back
into shape. If you are one of those diehards, there are new score
cards in the honesty box at the entrance along with a notice of
golfing feeswe thank those who have braved wind and rain to golf,
leaving their fees inside the honest box.
Greens fee memberships and day passes can be purchased at
Supervalu. Keep golf alive and the course open. Sunday April 10
sees the first scheduled tournament at the Willows. This tournament
is one of 12 planned for the 2016 Second Anniversary of the Haida
Gwaii Golf Tour. The Sandspit Golf Course Society welcomes the
donation of 400 litres of fuel for each tour date from Fast
Fuels.
According to last years organizer the
greatest thing that happened with the 2015 tour was that the
organisers were able to get golfers from the north to play at the
Willows. There were golfers that had played for years at their own
courses and had never golfed at the other until this tour. This
year will see the junior division play free of charge, thus getting
our youth out in the fresh ocean air with the potential of becoming
one of Canadas great golfers of the future!
Plans are underway to have training sessions before each tour
event, if you would like to hold your own company golf tournaments
as weekends are filling fast. Send your details to the Sandspit
Golf Course Society email: [email protected].
Is it true about global warming? Will the winds and rain ever
quit! Many stranded ferry passengers here and in Rupert were not
happy being kept prisoner because of gusting winds great for the
local Rupert economy but not great for the prisoners pocket
books!
Long faces and tearful kids are not the norm at ALM Elementary
Sandspit but was the case for the remaining kids of the ALM School
who had planned a ski trip to Smithers and Shames in Terrace last
week. The winds huffed and puffed and kept that ferry docked in
Rupert. Only the seventh graders made it across the Hecate the
lucky few enjoyed the both ski hills immensely.
Funding from this edition to be donated to Sandspit Salmon
Enhancement Society.
Keeping the Willows Golf Course aliveSandspits Shingle
by Gaetano
School is out for Spring Break and Easter from March 18th-28th.
Watch out for chil-dren biking, roller blading or just being
children...even more diligently please, during this period.
The Annual Rec Commission Easter Egg Activities and Hunt is on
at the Community Park on March 26th from 10:30am to 11:30am. The
Teen Youth group, sponsored by Conch and Ryan are eager to flesh
out this Easter Celebration, so we will see what they come up with
for fun.
Its a Spring Thing is the name of the Flea Market at the Port
Clements Community Hall, on Saturday, March 26th from 11am-4pm. The
Grade 7 Class is fund raising with the lunch counter, and will
appreciate your support. Tables are to be booked by March 22nd.
The Gwaii Tel AGM on Saturday the 26th of March in the Council
Chambers, from 6pm-9, will help if you are won-dering whats going
on there.
The Book Club meets for literary discussion on the 28th
of March from 7-9pm in the Sr. Room. This is a lively group of
readers to join in with.
There is a Movie Night for the youngsters on April 1st at 7pm.
The name of the movie is Hotel Transylvania 2, watch for the
posters around town. The children always know what is playing, and
at least one child usually will tell us what is going to happen
during the movie! I often ponder- why is it that they remember TV
and Movies so well, but they cannot find their coat?
Old Massett is hosting the Seniors Al l - Is land-Winter-Games,
in the gym, on April 9th. They are requesting a donation to the
Food Bank for our regis-tration, which strikes me as a great idea.
We all have a little we can share! Games and Lunch will be from 9
until 2pm and the Loonie Auction and Awards will be from 2-4pm.
More help is needed, please call Chris (250-626-7517). You do not
have to be a Senior Citizens Group member to attend, you only need
to be 50 years old!
A Happy Birthday goes out to Ann Mintenko in April.
I wish you all a Happy Easter. We will be back refreshed and
Odds n sods Continued from Page 14
-
www.haidagwaiiobserver.comObserverHaidaGwai i16 Friday,March 18,
2016
www.haidagwaiiobserver.comObserverHaidaGwaii4 Friday, September
26, 2014
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phone no. & street address
Ngystle SocietyAnnual General MeetingThurs. Oct. 2 7:30 p.m.
162 Second Ave., Skidegate
Parks Canada photo University of Victoria researchers may have
discovered one of Canadas oldest archaeological sites on Haida
Gwaii.
In Brief
A Celebration of Life for Port Clements mayor Wally Cheer is
being organized for Saturday, Oct. 4.
The ceremony will be held at 2 pm at the community hall, the
village office said in an emailed invitation.
Mr. Cheer died in mid-August after serv-ing almost three years
as mayor. He was first elected as a councillor in 2005 and again in
2008, before running successfully for the mayors seat in 2011.
14,000-year-old fishing weir discovered
on Haida GwaiiUniversity of Victoria research-
ers may have found one of Canadas oldest archaeological sites on
Haida Gwaii, after their autonomous underwa