The Fort is on countdown mode. More delays regarding the Asia P&P sale (the buggers defaulted on $14 billion in loans in 2001 and the USA HATES them) and now the local Chief is threatening to delay the mine 10-15 years if they’re not included (ruled part of another Band’s area).
One month. One.
On June 1st, all those millworkers with families will have a choice. Wait more and have faith, or move when the kids get out of school and use thier last months EI to get established elsewhere. HArd to have faith when no party that everyone is counting on has given any reason to have faith in them!
same with the port and all the natives around here wanting in … i’m native myself and i mean i don’t know i say just stop with the land claims and embrace something for the greater good for a change. sure those schools where they were beatin and molested were a drag but yeah … this “land” we live on needs improvements bad and i’m honestly about to move too.
They called the guys in to gather their personal effects Weds.
Today I saw 4 moving trucks loading up… school isn’t even out yet.
My wife works @ the cruise ship docks and next year the only cruise ship to return is the Norwegian Star(so far). Tourists are complaining about the fact that there is not enough to do here and the high price of the tours being offered. Train ride to port edward -100$,1500$ for a whale watching tour. We as community need to rethink whats being offered to tourists if we expect them to keep coming back. Some of the other ships are going to nanaimo next year as a stop instead of here.
Tourists may complain about high prices for tours, but they also don’t take cheap tours.
Part of the reason is the perception of value, and the other part is that tours sold on the boat pay out a percentage commission. So the ship’s employees tend to push the more expensive tours.
I know from talking to a tour operator in St. John’s that he doubled the number of cruise ship customers when he doubled his price. How’s that for counter-intuitive?
But yeah, it’s pretty sad to get off a cruise ship in the rain and trudge through a cold and wet “historic” downtown with boarded up broken windows, empty shops, and lots of “closed” signs. It’s a totally different experience than arriving on a sunny day when the stores are all open and there’s lots happening in the park, etc.
Perhaps if we offered the cruise ship visitors free gym and pool priviliges at the civic centre and Earl Mah Aquatic centre they would feel more appreciated… 
um is that 1500.00 or $150.00 for whale tour, I have done all the tours for the last 3 years this will be my fourth year, I also have a pass this year, but $150.00 with any of the tours guides is a great price, the $1500.00 is a plane ride to the Khutzeymateen Valley.
do u have an idea how much it cost for gas, food, maintenances, tour guides, and other expenses…
I have been to other places along the coast and we in Rupert are not gouging the boat people they pay a hell of a lot more for those same activities in Alaska then they do here!!!
well i have been a tour guide on and off for 9 years and done 4 different types of tours, all different price ranges low to high. I know how the tours are sold on the ships and it is really sad, they really up sell the trips that pay a higher percentage to the ship (a sixty dollar package only gets the ship $10.00 per head where as the $160.00 trip will get them $40.00 a head). the people who sell the trips (shore excursion) come on the trips for free and you have to kiss ass in order for them to sell your tour. also they tell the passengers that there is nothing in rupert but a hardware store and a supermarket. they are just bitter because we won’t let them set their own shops and tours like in alaska. the people who come here are really forth coming with info on how the shore excursion people talk about the tours and our town. the smart people go on the internet before there trip and book a lot of the fishing trips and other tours before they come here. one more reason the passengers take the packaged tours is because if the tour is late the ship can not leave with out them and it happens.