Cheryl Elliott became the new manager of the Harvest Food Bank after founder and manager Pierre Beaulieu announced he would retire.
• Chandra Hovde presented Port Alice council with an Automatic External Defibrillator. Hovde was one of 300 people who applied for the 200 surplus AEDs left over from the 2010 Winter Olympics.
• A new RCMP staff sergeant took over the Port Hardy detachment.
Staff Sgt. Anna-Marie Mallard formally introduced herself to Port Hardy council Feb. 22.
“My passion is smaller communities,” said the seasoned officer, who worked in the Arctic, Alert Bay, Bella Bella and Campbell River before coming to Port Hardy.
• Following an 11-month, $15 million refit and upgrade, the new-look Quadra Queen II resumed service on the Port McNeill, Sointula and Alert Bay route.
• 7 Mile Landfill began accepting truckloads of contaminated soil.
• Port Hardy’s Joanne Ranger was named School Bus Driver of the Year by the Association of School Transportation Services of British Columbia. Ranger, who’s since retired this year, delivered 320,000 students 493,000 kilometres during her 32-year, collision-free career.
• Green energy pioneer Nomis Power Corp unveiled its Nahwitti Windfarm Project to Port Hardy residents and invited public comment on the project during an open house at the Civic Centre.
• Students in Gail Henderson’s class at Sea View Elementary created a book, Kaouk, the Trailer Park Sea Lion, and dedicated it to the North Island’s Marine Detective, Jackie Hildering. The Grade 4/5/6 class wrote the book that blends the known facts of the case of the sea lion that decided to leave the inlet and take refuge in a Port Alice trailer park with their own theories about what happened.
Ardie Bazinet , a councillor for the Village of Port Alice, arranged to have 50 copies of the book printed at no cost to the students. The books sold for $10, with a portion of the proceeds going to support the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre that came to the aid of the young male sea lion. It was taken to the Vancouver Aquarium to recover and later released.