January
Jennifer and Martin Dean welcome daughter Eden Caroline into the world on January 1 at 2:43 pm. Eden is the first Powell River baby born on New Year’s Day since 2012.
City of Powell River releases its regional recreation study, beginning a pointed discussion about the issue throughout 2017.
Developer Steve Brooks rebrands his Townsite mall project to Townsite Market, setting a new target opening date in spring. The building remains unopened.
A 40-foot wooden boat runs aground in Lund Harbour, causing a diesel spill. The owner, a resident of Courtenay, BC, is arrested at the scene for causing a disturbance with harbour staff.
Three Powell River Chamber of Commerce directors quit after news that then-BC Liberal premier Christy Clark will speak at a chamber-hosted event. The event brings out a group of protestors and Peak publisher/editor Jason Schreurs does a one-on-one interview with Clark while she is in town.
BC Hockey Hall of Fame announces it will induct Powell River Regals’ 1997 Allan Cup Canadian championship hockey team during a July ceremony in Penticton.
February
Community leaders move forward with a plan to open a temporary cold/wet weather emergency shelter for residents in need.
A record snowfall of more than 45 centimetres over three days causes havoc for local drivers and transportation providers.
City of Powell River purchases 20 acres of land on Townsite’s waterfront for $575,000 in order to build a new wastewater treatment facility. Two 10-acre parcels are bought from the city’s waterfront development corporation and its joint partnership with Tla’amin Nation.
City of Powell River council passes a bylaw to increase remuneration for its mayor and councillors. The increase brings the elected municipal representatives closer in line with what other comparable cities pay their council members.
Salish Orca makes its first appearance in area waters during BC Ferries’ testing of the vessel between Westview and Little River.
March
City of Powell River seeks legal advice about Island Timberlands decades-old ownership of trees in Millennium Park in an effort to determine if it may have rights to them. The legal advice has yet to be released to public.
Local women and allies march along Marine Avenue in celebration of International Women’s Day. The march draws approximately 200 people.
City of Powell River council approves funding for a public art gallery above the new Powell River Public Library location on Alberni Street.
Mayor Dave Formosa suggests a Canada goose cull in order to stop the birds from inhabiting city parks, raising the ire of animal-rights activists.
Approximately 70 United Steelworkers Local 816 members return to work at LafargeHolcim’s Texada Quarrying after standing on the picket line for 20 weeks. The union’s new contract is approved by a narrow margin.
Lightning strikes a Pacific Coastal Airlines plane on its final approach to Powell River Airport. No one is injured and the strike leaves a one-inch hole on the right wing.
Powell River Kings exit round two of BC Hockey League playoffs in a double-overtime heartbreaker. Kings fall 2-1 to the Victoria Grizzlies in game seven of the Island Division final.
April
Townsite Brewing celebrates its fifth anniversary on April 1 by launching a new, expanded lounge.
Then-transportation and infrastructure minister Todd Stone visits, addresses the business community and makes some local funding announcements at a Powell River Chamber of Commerce meeting. Stone’s trip also includes a tour of Catalyst Paper Corporation’s mill.
City of Powell River receives $3.3 million in federal funding to go toward the initial design phase of its wastewater treatment facility in Townsite.
Tla’amin Nation celebrates one year in self-governance with an open house anniversary celebration at its government house.
City of Powell River council orders the demolition of the former Inn at Westview. The city requires that building owner Seaboard Hotels applies for a permit to take the building down within 15 days. The permit has yet to be applied for and the derelict building still stands.
City council bans the sale of bottled water from its buildings, including Powell River Recreation Complex.
May
BC Green Party leader Andrew Weaver speaks at a Powell River Chamber of Commerce meet-and-greet event leading up to the provincial election.
Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding re-elects MLA Nicholas Simons for a fourth term in the provincial election. Simons receives nearly 12,000 votes and more than half the total votes in the riding.
City of Powell River demolishes a derelict house on Joyce Avenue and remediates its property after its owner fails follow an order to apply for a permit to take it down and clean up the yard. The former Inn at Westview still stands.
After several pushed launch dates, BC Ferries newest vessel, Salish Orca, finally begins its run between Westview and Little River amid sailing delays and computer-system issues.
City of Powell River purchases 132 acres of land adjacent to Millennium Park in Lot 450 for $800,000 from its joint partnership with Tla’amin Nation. The land includes a small portion that has been considered for Sino Bright School’s international campus.
Brooks Secondary School jazz band Take 5 wins a gold medal at MusicFest Canada, a competition that features school bands from across the country.
June
Powell River Regional District begins the process of changing its name to qathet Regional District, a name gifted by Tla’amin Nation elders meaning “working together.”
PRISMA celebrates Canada 150 at its annual PRISMA on the Beach concert event at Willingdon Beach.
A double-homicide in Lund leaves the entire region devastated as Braxton Leask and Dylan Buckle, both 20 years old, are gunned down by 19-year-old Jason Foulds. A third victim, Zane Hernandez, survives the shooting.
Leading up to Canada Day, Tla’amin Nation citizen Drew Blaney writes an impassioned front page Viewpoint for the Peak explaining how the past 150 years under colonialism have devastated his people.
July
Powell River Farmers’ Market celebrates its 30th anniversary at a special Canada Day event at Paradise Exhibition Grounds.
Wildlife coordinators urge residents to be Bear Aware as Powell River region sees a spike in black bear encounters due to an abundance of attractants.
Hundreds attend the memorial service of Lund shooting victims Braxton Leask and Dylan Buckle. The ceremony takes place at Evergreen Theatre in Powell River Recreation Complex.
Just two weeks after Sea Fair Parade organizers announce the parade will go ahead, they suddenly cancelled it the night before citing lack of participation.
Powell River Logger Sports returns to Willingdon Beach for the second year since resuming the event after a long absence. The weekend competition draws thousands of attendees.
Powell River Public Library finally opens its doors to area residents after lengthy construction delays. The new, modern space in Crossroads Village Shopping Centre sees thousands of patrons in its first week alone.
A group of European visitors is the first in recent history to traverse a 70-kilometre route between Powell River and Squamish. The 15-person party takes seven days to make the journey.
Powell River Villa loses a challenge match to stay in Division 2 of the Vancouver Island Soccer League. The team remains in Division 3A, where it was relegated after finishing last in second-division play in March.
August
Six Williams Lake families seek refuge in Powell River after BC wildfires make it unsafe for them to return to their homes.
A group of concerned residents raise issue with the Townsite waterfront location of City of Powell River’s wastewater treatment facility at a council meeting. This begins a grassroots campaign called PR Groundswell to monitor the building of the project.
Vandals target illegally parked cars at the end of Lund Highway, left there by some drivers while they spend time on Savary Island.
Cranberry celebrates 75 years as Powell River area’s second oldest neighbourhood with a community event organized by Cranberry Community Hall Association.
Fisheries officers fine a group of tourists for poaching shellfish from local beaches. Nearly 2,500 clams and 300 oysters are seized in two separate incidents.
September
City of Powell River proposes a $300,000 per year tax increase for Catalyst Paper Corporation. The increase is approved by council in October.
Remnants of the early Powell Lake settlement of Jasper Mallory Daniels Senior and his family surface due to low water levels near the lake’s head.
BC Treaty Commission includes Tla’amin Nation and City of Powell River in its annual report as a shining example of positive relations between first nations and non-first nations governments.
Hɛhɛwšɩn (The Way Forward) Reconciliation Canoe Journey Project begins with five local carvers under the tutelage of a Tofino-based master carver. The red cedar log used in the canoe project is blessed in a traditional Tla’amin Nation ceremony.
October
An afternoon-long event at The Patricia Theatre includes the debut screening of A Theatre Near You, a 22-minute documentary film about the historic movie house.
Canada C3 icebreaker ship stops in Powell River as part of its Canada 150 expedition.
Powell River Regional District board approves a name change to qathet Regional District in a narrow 4-3 decision after a controversial public-consultation process. Public comments are sent to the province for its final decision.
November
BC Ferries agrees to running a pilot project that would see ferries run between Texada Island and Comox. The pilot will not begin until late summer or fall of 2018.
Powell River Public Library releases Water & Wood: Recipes from a Coastal Community, a library fundraiser cookbook including recipes from local chefs, restaurateurs, farmers and business owners.
The community celebrates the completion of Hɛhɛwšɩn (The Way Forward) Reconciliation Canoe Journey Project with a canoe-gifting ceremony and launch at Willingdon Beach, followed by a luncheon at Tla’amin Government House. Hundreds of area residents attend the two events.
A group of City of Powell River residents calling itself PR Groundswell expresses its disdain for a proposed wastewater treatment plant’s predesign work. The Townsite waterfront facility proposed in the plans is criticized mostly for its industrial design and impact on surrounding greenspace.
Medical cannabis producer Santè Veritas Therapeutics expresses its intention to expand current operations at the former Catalyst Paper Corporation administration building, owned by City of Powell River. The company says it will exercise its option to purchase the building and look to buy additional property owned by the city and Catalyst.
December
A regional recreation working group made up of municipal government representatives discusses cost-sharing options for Powell River Recreation Complex. Working group members say they are optimistic that facility costs could be shared by all regional taxpayers.
City of Powell River completes the Haslam Lake water trunk main project on time and under budget.
The NDP provincial government releases a fixed-link study commissioned by the BC Liberals in 2016 to determine the feasibility of various bridge and highway systems between the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast. The report concludes that four different options are technically possible, but not financially viable.
Just in time for the holidays, BC Ferries announces it will reinstate Wednesday and Saturday afternoon sailings between Powell River and Comox. The reinstated 3:15 run from Little River and 5:15 pm run from Westview were cancelled in 2014.
