Prince Rupert, British Columbia
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| Prince Rupert | |
Prince Rupert as seen from Mount Morse | |
| Image:Prince Rupert-COA.png | Image:Blank.png |
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| Area | 54.9 km² |
| Population | 14,643 (2001) |
| Pop'n density | 266.7 /km² |
| Location | |
| Altitude | sea level metres |
| Incorporation | March 10, 1910 |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional District | Skeena-Queen Charlotte |
| MP | Nathan Cullen (New Democratic Party |
| MLA | Gary Coons (New Democratic Party |
| Mayor | Herb Pond |
| Governing Body | Prince Rupert City Council |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| Postal code | V8J |
| Area Code | +1-250 |
| Prince Rupert.ca | |
Prince Rupert is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's north coast, and home to some 15,302 people (Statistics Canada, 2001).
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[edit] Location
At , Prince Rupert is situated on Kaien Island (approximately 770 km north of Vancouver), just north of the mouth of Skeena River, and linked by a short bridge to the mainland. The city is located along the island's northwestern shore, fronting on Prince Rupert Harbour.
At the western terminus of Trans-Canada Highway 16 (the Yellowhead Highway), Prince Rupert is approximately 140 km west of Terrace, and 715 km west of Prince George.
[edit] Time zone
Prince Rupert is in the Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8), and observes Daylight Savings Time from April to October.
[edit] Neighbouring communities
By virtue of location, Prince Rupert is the gateway to many destinations:
- Dodge Cove (1 km west)
- Metlakatla (5 km west)
- Port Edward (15 km south)
- Lax Kw'alaams (Port Simpson) (30 km northwest)
- Oona River (43 km southwest)
- Kitkatla (65 km south)
- Kisumkalum (140 km east)
- Kitselas (142 km east)
- Terrace (150 km east)
- Hartley Bay (157 km southeast)
The Queen Charlotte Islands (also known as Haida Gwaii) are to the west of Prince Rupert, across the Hecate Strait. Alaska is 49 nautical miles (90 km) north of Prince Rupert.
[edit] History
Prince Rupert's history starts with the Tsimshian First Nations people. Archeological records and oral history suggest continuous occupation of the local area by the Tsimshian for more than 10,000 years.
Prince Rupert was founded by Charles Melville Hays, the general manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, who died on April 15, 1912 on the RMS Titanic and never managed to visit it. Mount Hays, the larger of two mountains on Kaien Island, is named in his honour, as is a local high school, Charles Hays Secondary School.
Prince Rupert was incorporated on March 10, 1910, and is named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine relagating the neighbouring city of Port Essington to a ghost town. Prince Rupert was the planned western treminus for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway with many grand ideas including large passenger ships docking and tourism factoring as a major industry, but these plans were lost with Charles Hays death. Nonetheless, the city grew over the next several decades and World War II brought thousands of allied troops through the city, passing through on their journey to the Aleutian Islands and the Pacific. It was American Troops in fact that finally completed the 100 mile stretch of road between Terrace and Prince Rupert much like they built the Alaska Highway. Local policians had used the promise of a highway connected to the mainland city as a tool for decades before this. Following World War II, the fishing industry, particularly salmon and halibut, and forestry became the city's major economic backbone. Prince Rupert was the Halibut Capital of the World until the early 1980s. A common dispute over fishing rights in the Dixon Entrance to the Hecate Straight (pronounced as "hekk-et" not "hekk-et-ee" by BCers) between American and Canadian fisherman has been a problem for years and lead to the formation of the ironically named 54-40 or Fight Society. One of the key points to the tension is that the United States Coast Guard maintains a military base in nearby Ketchikan, Alaska.
Over the years, hundreds of students were said to have largely paid their way through school by working in the then lucrative fishing industry. In the 1960s through the 1980s, it was a common summer practice for job seekers to show up at a fish plant wearing gum boots, ready to work and be hired practically on the spot. Construction of a pulp mill began in 1947 and was operating by 1951. The construction of coal and grain terminals followed. The 1960s, 1970s and 1980s saw the construction of many amenities such as the civic centre, swimming pool, public library, golf course and performing arts centre. For a city of such a small size, Prince Rupert now had much more to offer as it transitioned from a fishing and mill town to a small city.
In the 1990s, both the fishing and forest industries experienced a significant downturn in economic activity. In July, 1997, Canadian fishermen blockaded the Alaska Marine Highway ferry M/V Malaspina, keeping it in the port as a protest in the salmon fishing rights dispute between Alaska and British Columbia. As a result of the decline of primary industry, after reaching a peak population of about 18,000 in the early 1990's, people began to leave the city in search of work.
While the period from 1996 to 2004 saw difficult times for Prince Rupert, including closure of the pulp mill, the burning down of a fish plant, and a significant population decline, 2005 may be viewed as a critical turning point for the city. The announcement of the construction of a container port in April 2005, combined with new owners of the pulp mill, the 2004 opening of a new cruise ship dock, the resurgence of coal and grain shipping, and the prospects of increased heavy industry and tourism shine brightly in the area's future.
The book Unmarked: Landscapes Along Highway 16, written by Sarah de Leeuw, includes an essay about Prince Rupert entitled "Highway of Monsters".
[edit] Population
Statistics Canada has recorded the following population counts in their censuses. Census agglomerations are listed in parentheses.
[edit] Government
The current mayor of Prince Rupert is Herb Pond. The current councillors of Prince Rupert are Nelson Kinney, Ken Cote, Kathy Bedard, Sheila Gordon-Payne, Joy Thorkelson, and Tony Briglio.
Prince Rupert is part of the Skeena—Bulkley Valley federal riding (electoral district). Nathan Cullen is the current Member of Parliament for the riding, and is a member of the New Democratic Party.
In the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Prince Rupert is a large portion of the North Coast riding. Gary Coons is the current Member of the Legislative Assembly. He is a member of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia. The NDP traditionally has strong support in the region.
[edit] Significant politicians
After 1908 Thomas Dufferin "Duff" Pattullo became mayor of Prince Rupert he went on to become the Premier of British Columbia from 1933-1941 as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
In 1986 NDP candidate Dan Miller was elected to the Prince Rupert Electoral District and in Aug 1999 through Feb 2000 was Premier.
[edit] Industry
Prince Rupert currently relies on the fishing industry, port, and tourism; however from 1951 to 2001 Prince Rupert also benefited from the Watson Island Pulp Mill, located less than 14 kilometers outside of the city.
[edit] Seaport
Prince Rupert's sheltered harbour is the deepest ice-free natural harbour in North America. Situated at 54° North, the harbour is the northwestern most port in North America linked to the continent's railway network. Located on the Great Circle Route between eastern Asia and western North America, the port is the first inbound and last outbound port of call for cargo ships.
Passenger ferries operating from Prince Rupert include BC Ferries' service to the Queen Charlotte Islands and to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island, and Alaska Marine Highway ferries to Ketchikan, Juneau and Sitka and many other ports along Alaska's Inside Passage. The Prince Rupert Ferry Terminal is co-located with the city's train station, from which VIA Rail offers a thrice-weekly passenger train called The Skeena, connecting to Prince George and Jasper, and through a connection with The Canadian to the rest of the continental passenger rail network.
The Prince Rupert Port Authority is responsible for the port's operation.
[edit] Airport
Prince Rupert Airport (YPR/CYPR) is located on Digby Island. Its position is , and its elevation is 35 metres above sea level. The airport comprises one runway, one passenger terminal, and two aircraft stands. Access to the airport is typically achieved by a bus connection that departs from two locations in downtown Prince Rupert (Cow Bay and Highliner Hotel) and travels to Digby Island by ferry. The airport is served by Air Canada and Hawkair from Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
Prince Rupert is also served by the Prince Rupert/Seal Cove Water Aerodrome. Local seaplane flights use this facility with regularly scheduled and charter flights to nearby villages and remote locations.
[edit] Weather
Prince Rupert is known as "The City of Rainbows", as it is Canada's wettest city, with an annual precipitation of 2,500 mm (Statistics Canada, 1999). It is also regarded as the municipality in Canada which receives the least amount of sunshine annually. Winters are relatively mild for the latitude (even January does not average below freezing), although frosts and blasts of cold arctic air from the northeast are not uncommon. Summers are cool, with daytime temperatures averaging less than 20 degrees Celsius. Wind speeds are relatively strong, with prevailing winds blowing from the southeast. There is ample precipitation throughout the year, but autumn is the wettest season.
Snowfall is not uncommon, but it is not heavy either and rarely remains on the ground for any extended length of time. It is primarily in the form of hail, which, according to Dr. Lyons, at San Jaoquin College is very unusual in Orographic regions. He surmises its due to the low coastal clouds that build up and the aforementioned winds.
Tourist brochures boast of Prince Rupert's "100 days of sunshine".
[edit] Communications
Telephone, mobile, and Internet service are provided by CityWest (formerly CityTel). CityWest is owned by the City of Prince Rupert. CityWest provides long-distance telephone service, as does TELUS.
In September 2005, the city changed CityTel from a city department into an independent corporation named CityWest. The new corporation immediately purchased the local cable company, Monarch Cable Systems, expanding CityWest's customer base to other northwest British Columbia communities.
[edit] Tourist attractions
Prince Rupert is a central point on the Inside Passage, a route of relatively sheltered waters running along the Pacific coast from Vancouver, British Columbia to Skagway, Alaska. It is visited by many cruise ships during the summer en route between Alaska to the north and Vancouver and the Lower 48 to the south.
Prince Rupert is also the starting point for many wildlife viewing trips including whales, eagles and grizzly bears. The Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear sanctuary features one of the densest remaining populations in North America; tours can be arranged by water or air (using float planes) departing from Prince Rupert.
[edit] External links
- City of Prince Rupert
- Prince Rupert Web Forum
- Prince Rupert City and Regional Archives
- Prince Rupert & District Chamber of Commerce
- Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District
- Prince Rupert Pictures
- Prince Rupert Port Authority
- Prince Rupert Airport
- Northwest Community College (Prince Rupert Campus)
- School District 52 (Prince Rupert)
- Prince Rupert Secondary School
- Charles Hays Secondary School
- Prince Rupert Library
- Prince Rupert Economic Development Corporation
- Tourism Prince Rupert
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