Author: SKEENA NEWS

PRINCE RUPERT — As the Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) celebrates a banner year for international trade, the city’s domestic front is facing a familiar paradox: an industrial boom that is rapidly outpacing the local housing supply. According to a comprehensive year-end report reviewed by City Council on January 19, 2026, the Port of Prince Rupert handled 26.3 million tonnes of cargo in 2025—a 14% increase over the previous year. While the harbor hums with the movement of metallurgical coal and oversized pipeline components, local planners are sounding the alarm on a “steady but cautious” housing market that saw zero new units approved in…

HOUSTON — The District of Houston, long heralded as the “Forestry Capital of the World,” is confronting an existential threat to its municipal operations. On Monday, January 19, 2026, the District revealed a staggering $1.2 million revenue shortfall—a direct result of the Canfor sawmill’s transition from an industrial engine to a dormant asset. The crisis stems from a fundamental shift in the province’s municipal assessment framework. Because the Houston sawmill is no longer an active enterprise, BC Assessment has reclassified the property, stripping away the high-value industrial tax rate that the community has relied upon for decades. This $1.2 million gap represents a 20% loss of the…

TOPLEY — A piece of Highway 16 history has been reduced to ash after a fast-moving inferno gutted the Topley Garage on Sunday afternoon. The Topley Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the scene within minutes of the initial call, but the landmark wooden structure was already fully engulfed by the time crews arrived. Despite the intensity of the flames, firefighters successfully prevented the blaze from spreading to neighboring Grizzly Jim’s General Store—a critical save given the store’s proximity and the presence of high-capacity fuel tanks. A Heroic Save at Grizzly Jim’s Six firefighters and two specialized vehicles battled the blaze through…

OTTAWA — Federal climate scientists are sounding the alarm for the year ahead, projecting that 2026 is on track to join the ranks of the hottest years ever recorded. In a news release issued Monday, January 19, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) revealed that global mean temperatures are expected to sit between 1.35°C and 1.53°C above pre-industrial levels. If these projections hold, 2026 will rival the extreme heat seen in 2023 and 2025, trailing only 2024—the current record-holder. Even more striking for residents of the Northwest is the long-term outlook: ECCC forecasts that the five-year window from 2026 to 2030 will likely be the hottest half-decade…

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is reportedly reviewing military plans to deploy a small contingent of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel to Greenland, a move that could place Canada directly in the crosshairs of U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalating “Greenland Crisis.” Sources familiar with the matter confirmed Monday that military officials have presented Carney with options for a symbolic deployment to join NATO allies in sovereign training exercises. While Canada already has a handful of personnel in Greenland for long-standing NORAD and survival training, this new proposal would see a fresh “tripwire force” arrive to demonstrate solidarity with Denmark. The “Golden…

KITIMAT — The Kitimat RCMP’s weekly report for the period of January 8 to January 14, 2026, details a series of high-stakes investigations, ranging from a middle-of-the-night roll-over to a spree of downtown break-and-enters that led to a residential search warrant. Prohibited Driver Caught After Roll-Over On the night of January 8, at approximately 10:25 p.m., officers were dispatched to a single-vehicle collision near the intersection of Bunting Street and Lahakas Boulevard North. Upon arrival, police found a vehicle rolled onto its side, but the driver was nowhere to be found. Following a description provided by witnesses, officers located the driver nearby.…

BRITISH COLUMBIA — As British Columbia navigates a volatile trade war with the United States, Premier David Eby and Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon have completed a high-stakes, six-day trade mission to India, aimed at securing the Northwest’s economic future through massive energy and mining partnerships. The mission, which spanned from January 12 to 17, 2026, targeted four major hubs: New Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, and Bengaluru. The goal was singular: to diversify B.C.’s export markets and reduce the province’s reliance on a U.S. administration that has hammered the local forestry sector with “unjustified” tariffs. Mining the “Belle of the Ball” Speaking from…

PRINCE GEORGE — Residents across the Central Interior and Northern regions are advised to prepare for a series of scheduled power interruptions this month as BC Hydro ramps up its 2026 infrastructure renewal program. The utility has confirmed that several planned outages are necessary to accommodate critical pole replacements and equipment maintenance. These upgrades are part of a province-wide initiative to retire aging wooden distribution poles, many of which have reached the end of their 40-to-50-year lifespans and have been further weakened by winter storms and insect damage. Upcoming Scheduled Outages The following municipalities will see localized service interruptions through the end…

TERRACE — British Columbia is betting on a massive injection of clean energy to revitalize the Skeena-Stikine corridor, utilizing new legislative powers to prioritize heavy industry over the emerging “digital gold rush.” With the recent passage of Bill 31 (the Energy Statutes Amendment Act), the provincial government has cleared the path for the $6-billion North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL). The project, which is set to begin construction in Summer 2026, will deliver 2,200 megawatts of electricity—roughly double the current capacity—from Prince George to the Terrace-Kitimat region and as far north as Bob Quinn Lake. By exempting the project from the standard B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) review process, the province…

PRINCE RUPERT — The Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) has signaled a decisive “strategic recovery,” reporting a robust 14% increase in total cargo volumes for 2025. According to data released January 15 and 16, the gateway handled 26.3 million tonnes of cargo last year, marking a significant rebound from the labor and wildfire-related disruptions of 2024. While the numbers show a port in ascent, the data also reveals a “rebuilding phase” for the intermodal sector. The Fairview Container Terminal, operated by DP World, moved 885,797 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units)—a 20% year-over-year jump. However, this volume remains approximately 27% below the pre-pandemic…