Construction on the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades (the Project) recently passed the 70 per cent completion mark with the overall projected project cost coming in at $37.9 million. This projected cost reflects a $6.3 million increase from the original 2018 estimate.
Port Alberni, BC – On January 10, 2020, the City of Port Alberni hired David Cusson as Manager of Community Policing to round out the new community safety team.
On Thursday, December 19, 2019, the City of Port Alberni awarded the position of Manager of Recreation Services in the Parks, Recreation and Heritage Department to Mr. Shawn Bourgoin.
Mr. Bourgoin comes to the City of Port Alberni with over 25 years of experience in aquatic and recreation services. Most recently, Mr. Bourgoin worked for the Town of Comox as their Recreation Supervisor, and previous to that was with the Canadian Recreation Excellence Corporation as their General Manager.
Port Alberni, BC – On Friday, November 22, 2019, at 3:35 p.m., Technical Safety BC lifted its Safety Order and provided the City of Port Alberni with a new Certificate of Inspection authorizing reactivation of the Alberni Valley Multiplex ice plant.
“We are happy to announce that we are officially back in the ice-making business,” said Tim Pley, City of Port Alberni CAO.
Port Alberni, BC – On the afternoon of Thursday, November 21, 2019, the City received a new Certificate of Inspection from Technical Safety BC (see attached.) The certificate provides the City a clear path forward to achieving compliance, enabling the Alberni Valley Multiplex the ability to resume ice-making activities as quickly as possible, once certain conditions are met.
Port Alberni, BC – On November 15th, 2019, City officials met with a number of agencies including Technical Safety BC and representatives of the manufacturer of the ice plant to discuss a Certificate of Inspection issued the previous evening by Technical Safety BC.
Technical Safety BC has ordered that the Alberni Valley Multiplex remain closed until further notice.
City staff, contractors and Technical Safety BC inspectors worked through the evening of November 6th and into the early morning of November 7th to repair what is now classified as a cracked weld on a manufactured flange. After the crack was repaired, while conducting a pre-service pressure test of the system, a second crack was discovered.
Port Alberni, BC – Due to a low-level ammonia leak detected in the Multiplex’s ice plant refrigeration system, all programs and services at the Multiplex have been cancelled and the facility will remain closed until further notice.
Port Alberni, BC – Mayor Sharie Minions has issued the following statement in response to the report released by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) regarding their investigation of three murders which occurred in northern British Columbia in July 2019:
“I want to thank the RCMP for releasing their report summarizing the investigation of the tragic circumstances surrounding the loss of three innocent lives this past summer.
I hope the additional information answers some of the questions that so many people have had about this very sad case. While I recognize there will never be an adequate explanation for the families and loved ones of the victims, we hope the findings will at the very least bring some closure.
On behalf of the community and residents of Port Alberni, I wish to express our deepest condolences to the families of Chynna Deese, Lucas Fowler and Leonard Dyck.
This has been a challenging time for our community, but nothing compared to what the families of the three victims have been through. In Port Alberni, we continue to support each other and those affected by this case and demonstrate our strength and resilience as Vancouver Island’s community with a heart.
Once again, on behalf of the City of Port Alberni, I would like to express my thanks to everyone who has worked on this difficult case.
PORT ALBERNI, BC – Discovery Channel’s hit TV series, Hellfire Heroes, returns for a second season featuring Port Alberni’s very own fire department.
Premiering October 22, 2019, at 7 p.m. PST, Hellfire Heroes follows four fire departments in their pursuit to serve and protect the communities in which they live. The eight-episode series takes viewers to Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta, Yellowhead County, Alberta, Swift Current, Saskatchewan and here to Port Alberni, British Columbia.
For the past year, film crews have been in Port Alberni periodically following the City’s department as they responded to a battery of emergency calls from structure fires to motor vehicle accidents and more.
“We are fortunate to have been selected by the Discovery Channel as one of the locations to film season two of Hellfire Heroes. This gives our residents and the broader viewing population an opportunity to get a glimpse of the great work our crews do every day,” said Port Alberni Fire Department Chief, Mike Owens.
To get a sneak peek of season two, click here.
Tune in to the Discovery Channel every Tuesday at 7 p.m. PST starting October 22, 2019, to see the Port Alberni Fire Department crew in action.
