David Eby comes to town in a parka, with announcements galore

And the last day it would ever snow

David Eby is in town and he (over)dressed for the weather:

He made several jokes about how bundled up he was during an announcement about a new hydrogen project for the city which will see byproduct from Chemtrade Logistics' sodium chlorate plant refined into hydrogen power to help run a Canfor pulp mill. He also used it as an occassion to once again talk about the potential for hydrogen power in B.C. generally and Princee George specifically while also acknowleding a major challenge: It takes a lot of electricty to run these proposed projects. In fact, just one — the proposed Fortescue project for Prince George (that’s the one being handled by the Australian mining billionaire) would take roughly all the energy that Site C will produce when it eventually comes online. He said negotiations on that project and its power use are ongoing.

Later, at the natural resources forum he went further, announcing a 10-year, $36-billion fund for new power projects in the province, including “new high-voltage transmission lines and supporting infrastructure from Prince George to Terrace to meet industrial customer demand in the north coast area, including in the mining sector.” So, I guess, we can expect a fair amount of activity in the next while?

The other announcement Eby made was more a pre-announcement than anything: The province is funding consultations for a youth mental health and addictions centre to maybe eventually be put up here. The obvious choice for where to put such a facility is the soon-to-be-closed youth custody centre (something the premier acknowledged) but right now it’s all in the pre-planning stages.

Also, while Eby didn’t take up the invitation to tour Moccasin Flats, a member of the Ministry of Housing did.

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The last day it would ever snow

With winter being less and less of a guaranteed thing, I find myself being grateful for multi-shovel days like we had, rather than annoyed. Prince George is not alone in experiencing this change, and writer Luke O’Neil posted this excerpt from his new book that I’ve been thinking about a lot.

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Pothole correction

Phil writes:

Love reading your newsletter, Andrew! It strikes a great balance between local news and musings about PG. I think your pothole math is out by a factor of 10 ;) 2,500 x 30 = 75,000

And yep, missed that zero. Oof.

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Quick news:

• Prince George area snowpack significantly low to start 2024.

• PG RCMP remind drivers to slow down after snow plow collides with logging truck on Highway 97.

• Hospice House Resale Shop truck stolen over weekend.

• While B.C. Hydro says they provided record amounts of electricty during last week’s cold snap, Fortis says they provided even more heat than that.

• The Hart ski hill is so busy with the snow, they are asking people to carpool to save parking space.

• City crews expect snow removal operations to wrap up by Friday night.

• Conservation North is hosting a free public information session on the BC government’s draft of the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework on Friday at the Omineca Arts Centre.

• Figure Skaters from all over Northern BC prepare for CNC Regional Championships this weekend.

• New course to be offered at UNBC will get planning students involved in regional district OCP review.

• Snowfrolics 2024!

Today’s song:

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