Category: Enterprize


TGIF-politics as usual

Machine parts, File Photo KDG

Machine parts, File Photo KDG

Editorial Opinion:

Pipeline politics are in the news again, after a visit from the Chinese there is talk of the Northern Gateway project again about parliament. With Vancouver’s opposition to medium size tankers increasing traffic in their neighbourhood it seems a shift is occurring in the flow of activity. Foreign owner ship of expensive properties  subject to a new tax have dropped off .06 % and pressure has moved to Toronto.

We hold that it is in the national interest that one pipeline should be built, that’s the twining of the trans mountain line to Burnaby tankers and all. In fairness to foreign nations and their investments in the Petro industry and the  dynamic we have in law here for private property rights we need to show sovereignty before we don’t have the skills to do a project of that scope and will need development help to do it.

This is the national interest not coast to coast but by pipe but control of our resources and the ability to manage them as a country. PP

On this Day: September 23rd 1641

The Merchant Royal sinks at Lands End, Cornwall England…

A $110.9 cents a liter….

Heritage gas pump? File Photo KDG

Heritage gas pump, it was water that was dear…
File Photo KDG

The price of gas has been stable here of some weeks at 111.9 a liter, including through the Labour Day long weekend. Today the Petro Canada at Voght and Nicola is selling for a dollar 10 .9 per liter down a penny. That’s probably it for the summer driving season. However personal thrift and conservation could well spill over into lower prices for food at harvest and necessary trucking from southern states of produce.
Lets hope every one gives a little and gets a little in the way of quality of life this coming fall and winter…
There are no pumps at the local Canadian Tire .

The average price in BC is $115.9 per liter lowest is $98.9. Price trend is stable….
At this writing all five competitors are at $110.9 per liter, that’s Shell. Petro Canada, Extra Foods , Super Save and Chevron.
WWW.gasbuddy.com

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Leaf has direct connection to 500 volt quick charger in Merritt. Photo KDG

On this Day: September 8th 2012

Jimmy Carter former US president becomes the longest retired civil servant(office holder) at 11,553 days. He beats the record of Herbert Hoover held for 54 years.

Artisan individualism

Grinding stone abandoned but still working in a river dike File photo KDG

Grinding stone abandoned
but still working in a river dike
File photo KDG

On this Day: August 17th 1907
Pikes Place Market opens in Seattle.

Team work

White Flowers

Photo KDG

The British Columbia Youth Ambassadors had their event on the weekend giving title to three new youth for a year. The 2016/17 Ambassadors came from Lake Cowichan, Ladysmith and Quesnel.
More info is available at their website bcambassador.com
On this Day: August 16th 2008
The Trump international hotel and residence is topped at 423 meters in Chicago.

 

TGIF-prosperity be glad for it

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A sidewalk marketer readies his signs File Photo KDG

A sidewalk marketer readies his signs
File Photo KDG

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A liquidator readies his signs to walk the sidewalk to promote his few days in a rented downtown building a number of years and downturns ago.

On this Day July 15th 2006

Twitter a social media platform is launched.

John Paul taking a tree down, bench area November File Photo KDG Photo KDG

John Paul taking a tree down, bench area November File Photo KDG

The forest service requires something called a pre-harvest siliva-culture prescription before logging plans can be approved by mills. Starting in May of most years some crews are about Merritt to plant trees. One time catch phrases such as Weyerhaeuser’s  We plant two trees for everyone one we harvest have not rung aloud as much as in previous decades. Regulation seems to have taken over a little from public relations.

There are tree-planters at work this summer in the Black Diamond Ranch area by Brookmere in the Coquihalla, one from Salmon Arm, an immigrant from eastern Europe  says that it is possible to plant 3000 a day at piece work rates. A long slender shovel blade distinguishes them from other forestry workers.

The Merritt Desert Inn is an annual venue for a Tree Planters Ball that sees many dress up in costume for a night of hilarity. The Ball was held in June this year and a management source at the Desert Inn said there were few planters this time and she knows of none at this writing.

Weyerhaeuser (pronounced “Warehouser[4]) is one of the world’s largest private owners of timberlands. It owns or controls more than 6 million acres of timberlands, primarily in the U.S., and manages another 14 million acres under long-term licenses in Canada. The company also manufactures wood and cellulose fiber products. Weyerhaeuser is a real estate investment trust.[2] source wikipedia 

A logger sports day in forestry week is on the agenda for Merritt this year, celebrating forestry week September 23rd-25th 2016. Billed as West Coast Lumberjack Show, it will feature a chainsaw carving competition. By two Carver Kings as seen on HGTV. The show will include will be forestry logging equipment displays and a big rig show and shine.

Forestry week was observed with a parade in recent years and the Fall Fair grounds sported two high spars for climbing competitions. Climbing with spurs was a skill that hydro, telephone and loggers practiced at work.

On this Day: July 12th 1971

The Australian Aboriginal flag flies for the first time.

 

 

 

 

TGIF- Survey off Voght street

Google mapping car File Photo KDG

Google mapping car
File Photo KDG

A couple of Underhill and Underhill’s surveyors are doing the alley behind the Murray GM facility today. ‘Only we know were the survey pins are “said one of the operators of the line of sight equipment. “i don’t fully understand what google GPS dose in these things “says the operator of the legal survey.

The GM business has frontage on the Nicola Avenue/ 97c million dollar upgrade involving a lane upgrade and street light overhaul.Trucks turning right going west have had troubles numbers of times do to lane squeeze.

General Motors Canada is reported to be showing interest in smart vehicle navigation according to the CBC.
On this Day: July 8th 1874
The Canadian Mounties begin the march west from Ottawa.

Canoe quest to north west coast of BC

Canoe quest to north west coast of BC File Photo KDG

The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion approved in May/2016 had conditions, one was ongoing consultations .
The expansion will increase tanker traffic from Vancouver, something unattractive to many and in particular First Nations. Because the expansion is considered by the regulator as in the public interest, consideration must have been given to what this will cost us. Including ascetics and life style. The shirt and caricature above was made for a canoe trip by First Nations people up the coast of BC, and shows an attitude that we understand and appreciate.

Large tankers can only be really be appreciated by sailors,  double hulls by engineers,  natural beauty by most and the coast of BC best by the indigenous residents. This will cost us as paying for any necessity does. A consuming humanity awaits and a vigilance demands a balance and respect for the costs and commitment of watchers and attitude molders.

 

On this Day: June 24th 1938
A meteor weighing over 400 metric tons explodes in to pieces in the earths atmosphere, landing at Chicora Pennsylvania.

Stack appearing

A crane drives piles at the 200 million dollar cogen facility in Merritt BC File Photo KDG

A crane drives piles at the start of a 200 million dollar cogen facility in Merritt BC File Photo KDG

 

 

The Merritt Green energy project, is now constructing the stack. The construction consortium that are building the 40 Mega watt facility have a height variance of 45 meters in place. It now is starting to be present on the North side of the main building and is visible front he center of town.
Jack Madrigals a local retired man with plant experienced reminded us that the thermal generator in Kamloops a hundred kilometers north of Merritt needed to get another permit to raise their stack to accommodate population. The generator provided and provides electricity for the Kamloops Pulp mill. The operation never exported power off the property.
The Green energy project takes the wood chips from three local mills and produces power to the grid. Wood chips have been going to the Kamloops mill in Kamloops by Arrow trucks made specially for elevated dumping. The Merritt project is constructing the same truck lifting and dumping. According to Len an employee on site.
The Kamloops pulp mill is now operated by Domtar limited, who celebrated 50 years of operation in Kamloops.

The operation began in 1965, when a new and innovative concept for utilizing waste materials from regional sawmilling operations was developed. Sawmill residuals or waste in the form of sawdust and wood chips would be used to make pulp, thereby providing not only economic development in the region, but also addressing a significant environmental challenge facing sawmills of the day. A group of innovative entrepreneurs saw this opportunity and set to constructing a pulp mill in Kamloops.

The Kamloops Pulp mill get wood fiber from 22 interior mills. No word if the Merritt supply effects them however transportation over local use is a Green prerogative.

On this Day: June 14th 2002

An asteroid comes within 75000 miles of earth.

TGIF-New Picnic Table

Green EV charger Photo KDG

Green EV charger
Photo KDG

There Is a new table at the parking arena parking lot on Voght Street. The round four seat-er appeared last week and is on a concrete platform under the maple trees that make the area so attractive for the Farmers market in the summer time.
It is also 25 feet from the quick charger and the 90 amp green highway EV charger.
It makes an invitation to bring a lunch to your EV recharge experience in Merritt. the quick charger is 20 minutes the 90 amp about 2 hours for most EVs.

On this Day: June 10th 1925
The first meeting of the New United Church of Canada in Toronto, making Presbyterian, Methodists and Congregationalists one entity for worship.

Conditions to operate, 157 in total….

The May 19th decision of the twining of the trans mountain twinning of a pipeline was not an absolute, now the conditions are demonstrated is the next challenge.

The 157 conditions apply during various stages of the Project’s life cycle, including before construction, during construction and during operation of the pipeline. Conditions are designed to reduce possible risks identified during the application process and ensure the pipeline is planned, built and operated safely. The requirements also ensure Trans Mountain protects the environment and respects the rights of those directly affected by the Project through construction, mitigation and into many years of operations.

The conditions, which would be enforced by the NEB, cover a wide range of topics, including:
•Safety and integrity of the pipeline;
•Emergency preparedness and response;
•Protection of the environment;
•Ongoing consultation with those affected, including Aboriginal communities;
•Socio-economic matters;
•Affirmation of commercial support for the Project prior to construction; and
•Financial responsibility.

source :Trans Mountain https://blog.transmountain.com/neb-conditions-taking-a-closer-look/?utm_source=Trans+Mountain+Today+June+2&utm_campaign=TM+Today+6%2F2%2F16&utm_medium=email

Shell Canada giving up expired oil exploration leases in the arctic, is not one of them listed unless you consider it ongoing consultation and expand it to interested parties.
Health and safety of the stakeholders are an ongoing concern . To live up to the adds on environment and economy in balance is  not a mean feat. Its  a great promise but should we just say lets see…

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clean gas clean gas pump

Trans Mountain has a great record here.

On this Day: June 9th 1948
The International Council of Archives is established.

$1.19 a liter, Happy Oceans Day.

Petro Canada

service stations kept up
File Photo KDG

The Petro Canada Station here in Merritt received a delivery of gasoline yesterday ending its 2 day lack. Today it is selling regular gasoline at a dollar nineteen a liter.

When we asked a customer fueling his vehicle bearing Saskatchewan plates if he had any trouble greeting gas on his trip from the east he said no. ” didn’t have to carry some in your pockets to get here ”  “no”.
At this writing the Chevron station on Dewolf way is selling regular gasoline at $116.9 a liter. http://www.gasbuddy.com/

 
Editors note: Greeting is getting.

On this Day: June 8th 1992

World Ocean day is celebrated.