These stories are no doubt important, but do not answer a more important question: what words appear most frequently in the budget? So, we decided to find out.

The chart below shows how often certain words, represented by vertical tick marks ( | ), appear in the budget. We tried to make a list of words that mirror some of the bigger issues being discussed, especially in the Northwest. We also threw in some other words for comparison’s sake, such as the nouns from the budget’s subtitle, “Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity.” We found it curious that these three words (jobs, growth, prosperity), appeared a total of 562 times, while the word “tax” appeared 1,333 times. We also found it strange that, with all the media attention focused on job cuts at the CBC, the phrase “Canadian Broadcasting Corporation” appears only once in the budget.

At any rate, the words are ranked from fewest appearances to most. And, in case you’re wondering, the word “and” appears 4,524 times, while “the” appears 10,006 times.

Appearances of certain words in Canadian 2012 federal budget

Source: Canada. Department of Finance. Budget 2012: Jobs, Growth & Long-term Prosperity.

The dollar figures show revenues by what Statistics Canada calls “liquor authorities and their agents” (which we suspect means “liquor stores”), as well as wineries and breweries. This would include any sales by liquor stores to bars & restaurants; but it would not include sales by bars & restaurants to the consumers. The revenues do not include totals from you-brews, duty-free shops, or bootleggers. Statistics Canada also cautions that this should NOT be read as an indication on consumption; although, in our opinion, if you’re going to spend money on booze, you’ll probably drink it.

At any rate, beer remains the choice of Canadians, and leads sales in every province except the Northwest Territories. Wine is increasing in stature across the country, but spirits remain the second-most-popular drink of choice for Maritimers, and most of the Western provinces. Only in Quebec, Ontario and B.C. do wine sales surpass spirits.

Click on the graph for a larger image.

The graph below shows the change in percentage of voter turnout for each age group in Canada. For example, the turnout for voters aged 18-34 was 37.4% in 2008 — 6.4 percentage points lower than 2006. That difference is shown in the blue bar in the “2006-2008″ column.

The 2008 election, by the way, holds the record for lowest turnout in a Canadian federal election. Things got a bit better in 2011.

Sources: Elections Canada, Statistics Canada

The life of each prime minister is in grey, and the coloured bands denote the years of their terms as the nation’s leaders (red for Liberal, blue for Conservative). The chevrons on either end of the row denote whether or not the prime minister was still living on either end of the spectrum from 1952-2012.

Only one prime minister on the graph below — Stephen Harper — was born after the queen ascended to the throne.

Click anywhere on the graph to see a larger image.

We should probably emphasize that these are estimates, which calculate the population from July 1 to June 30 (e.g. the most recent estimate is from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011). How are these estimates made? We’ll let the good folks at B.C. Stats explain it themselves:

B.C. Stats produces sub-provincial population estimates using the Generalized Estimation System on an annual basis. This regression model uses symptomatic indicators like health registrations and residential hydro hook-ups to gauge population growth from one year to the next.

~B.C. Stats, Infoline Report, January 20, 2012, p.3

We’ll get a more accurate picture of our population once the national census results for 2011 are released on February 8. Until then, we’ve used the data from B.C. Stats to create a graph showing populations over the last six years at randomly-selected places in the North.

Source: B.C. Stats.

The graph below shows data accessed via B.C. Stats. The provincial agency releases a monthly snapshot of unemployment in a bunch of different areas across the province; the region that applies to Rupert is “North Coast/Nechako,” which stretches from Haida Gwaii to Vanderhoof. While that’s a giant geographical area, it gives some sort of idea of what unemployment looks like, especially when taken over the long term.

As you’ll see in the graph below, the provincial unemployment rate has consistently been lower than the regional rate, except for a few months of the spring and summer earlier this year. Also, after a huge divergence from December 2009 to September 2010, the two rates got much closer to each other, where they mostly remain today.

In case you’re wondering, the provincial unemployment rate for November 2011 was 6.3 per cent, and the regional unemployment rate was 7.7 per cent. Click on the graph below for a larger version.

Source: B.C. Stats

Muskeg Press decided to find out whether or not this increase in complaints mirrors the data. The graph below shows the monthly rainfall from 2008 – 2011 from January to October. The coloured numbers show the year (on the left) and the total rainfall (on the right).

The evidence shows mixed results. This year’s rainfall since July has been higher this year than in years past; however, rainfall in September and October was actually higher in 2010 than this year. Still, 2011 has been one of the wettest years, beat out only by 2008, which saw a particularly wet August.

Source: Environment Canada

It has become common practice in some publications for an editor to write a short essay once he leaves his post. In my case, I’m closing Muskeg News myself and, since I’m the boss and this is the last day of work, I can do whatever I want, which, in this case, means subjecting you to a sum-up of what happened over the last year, as well as pondering what the future may bring.

Muskeg News rose out of the ashes of the Daily News, closed by Black Press a few weeks after it bought the 99 year-old newspaper in July 2010. The difference, of course, was the medium which transmitted the information: while the Daily News was the old grey lady of Prince Rupert, Muskeg News’ presence was mostly online, over the Internet. Our first post was on July 11, 2010 — our first picture for our main story was the one you see above. It would be silly to say we were trailblazers; the migration of information to the Internet has been going on for the last decade.

But there were similarities, mostly with the people who contributed stuff for Muskeg News. George T. Baker, who always had a great nose for a news story, wrote for us for a while before he was scooped up by the MotherCorp. Patrick Witwicki, a.k.a. “LB,” continued his sprightly sportswriting career by filing a story once a week. Rudy Kelly, who actually hadn’t worked for the Daily News since the Liberals were in power, filed his beloved “slice of life” columns online.

A handful of other contributors came and went. Most notable were Mike Ambach, a local photographer who has that rare ability to tell a whole story with a single image. Gina Clark used her network of connections in the local arts scene to promote and publicize local goings-on in town. Even local celebrities like Matt Simmons, Thom Chow, Chantal Cornwall and Larry Hope made cameo appearances.

While the website maintained the same look and feel for the last year, the print edition went through multiple transformations. From a leaflet to a tri-fold brochure to a tabloid broadsheet, it finally settled upon a monthly 12-page entity that was delivered to every door in Rupert. Looking back on it all, I can say without a modicum of modesty that the product grew larger than I thought it would, thanks mostly to our readers and our advertisers.

Over the last year, we covered some great stories, but we also missed many. Such is life in a newspaper. The Northwest news cycle seems to me like a baseball game – nothing much happens most of the time, but suddenly there’s a whole bunch of news happening all at once and reporters get utterly overwhelmed. Because of that, it was much easier to throw together a monthly print edition than a website that was updated daily; hence the reason you may have noticed that nothing changed on the website for a few days at a time.

Still, we broke quite a few stories over the year before our competition, which has to be the measure of quality for any news agency, large or small. And, given all the changes we’ve documented over the last year, I think I can safely make some declarations about the state of Prince Rupert, and where it appears to be going.

First off, I believe the economy in Rupert is improving. This may coax a confused look or two from some people, or perhaps a “are you outta your mind?” Yes, McMillan is closing. Yes, many storefronts remain empty on 3rd Avenue West. Yes, it’s a tough slog for any local businessman to make any money around here. But there is a great deal of confidence in Prince Rupert that has been shown by some big guns. The provincial government just announced $15 million for the railyard at Ridley Island; that announcement attracted the CEO of CN to our remote part of the world. Speaking of Ridley Island, the coal terminal continues to sign contracts, allowing it to leverage that into borrowing power to expand its facilities. Outside of Rupert, Rio Tinto Alcan’s expansion in Kitimat, and B.C. Hydro’s new transmission line have most likely employed some people in town. Canpotex, that coy suitor, has caused everyone in town to repeatedly murmur “will they or won’t they?” If that company ultimately decides to build a potash terminal here, you won’t be hearing about the struggling Prince Rupert economy for a long time to come.

As always, the only thing that stands in the way of progress is political will, or lack thereof. The container port has enjoyed the support of people of all political stripes and, perhaps surprisingly, outside of Port Edward’s council there has not been many protests of expansion at Ridley Terminals Inc. – surprising because dirty coal is usually an easy target.

Provincially and federally, this town is NDP orange, and this doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon. They have been in opposition both in Victoria and Ottawa for so long, I wonder if they know what it’s like to govern. The HST protest was a case in point: a tax that made sense was decimated because of a long list of grievances against former premier Gordon Campbell. In other words, people voted it down simply to oppose it. I blame both the B.C. Liberals and the NDP for the destruction of that tax, and I’m still waiting for either party to explain to me how people my age will be able to pay for our aging population in the decades to come. After all, that was the conundrum the HST solved; its defeat has created a new economic puzzle that still needs to be sorted out.

Federal politics in the area will be given new life over the next few months as Nathan Cullen pursues the leadership of the NDP. He’s a long-shot, but if he wins, his presence as leader may turn Skeena-Bulkley Valley into a national voice, which will bring forth both treats and an unwanted spotlight onto the constituents of the riding.

Municipally, the City of Prince Rupert can choose to be a main player in the development that’s happening. Whether or not the current council has taken a leadership role is for you to decide at the ballot box this November. The next council is going to have to make some tough decisions about its finances; yes, this is said with every election, but this time it’s a bit more important. The contract with city workers will be expiring in the next few years, and payroll is by far the biggest strain on the City’s budget. Businesses and residents alike are fed up with the constant tax hikes that seem to be inevitable with each passing budget. If council chooses to build a new fire hall and police station, these taxes will rise even higher. Taxpayers, quite frankly, can only take so much, so councillors may have to make deep cuts in the next few budgets if they want to get re-elected in 2014.

As for me, although Muskeg News has ceased publication, Muskeg Press Ltd. lives on. This URL will have a new look in the coming weeks, and we will continue to provide information services & products to Prince Rupert. Many people have asked me if Muskeg News will come  back in the future. The short answer is “no,” but Muskeg Press may have a few different publications up its sleeve. Stay tuned.

Finally, I know I’ve said this many times, but I think it bears repeating once more in this finale. Thank you so much to all the readers and advertisers who supported Muskeg News over the last year – you were the reason it existed. Most of all, thank you to all my friends and family who put up with the typical side-effects of running a newspaper: mood swings, moments of panic, and eternal second-guessing.

A la prochaine.

~Chris Armstrong

Harbour Theatre is readying itself for a new theatrical season in the wake of a successful UdderFest.

“Now in its 32nd season, Harbour Theatre continues to expand its involvement in community theatre,” says Lyle McNish, past president of the club.

The season features some of the regular aspects of Harbour Theatre’s lineup, as well as some original stuff. The popular Dessert Theatre will run Feb. 16-18 next year, and UdderFest, Northwest B.C.’s only theatre festival, will take place August 8-11.

As well, with a municipal election coming up, Harbour Theatre has decided to have some fun with the campaign and stage “So You Wanna Be Mayor?” on November 18 – the day before the real municipal election. A popular show from UdderFest will also grace the stage over the next few nights – “Hot Judge Sundae,” a courtroom improv show, will be on stage on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, with shows starting at 8 p.m.

Harbour Theatre will also be producing a fall show at the end of November, which may include help from a dramaturge. It will also be producing a spring show in mid-March.

A new addition to the Tom Rooney Playhouse is Unity Theatre, a series of classes on Friday nights for anyone from Grades 4 to 6. Treena Decker, the co-ordinator of Unity Theatre, used to hold the classes at the Civic Centre, and decided to bring them to the local theatre for the new session.

Decker is also busy organizing the spring show – “Gods of Carnage.” A play about two couples meeting each other after their kids had gotten into a playground fight, Decker says the play shows how quickly the veneer of civility can descend into a juvenile breakdown.

“It’s a great piece of theatre,” says Decker, who first saw the play on Broadway in New York. It has also been made into a movie, set to be released this December.

Harbour Theatre will be holding its Annual General Meeting on October 26 at the Tom Rooney Playhouse at 7:30 p.m. “We’re always looking for new members and anyone willing to sit on the executive,” says McNish.

I used to call myself the Last Bastion.

And perhaps I was – there until the bitter end, the day the Daily News closed down after 99 years. At the time, I had no idea what I was going to do, or whether I’d even be able to stay in Rupert. Things worked out – I stayed, and then a nice surprise arrived in my lap (or should I say laptop) – Muskeg News.

And then that Bastion ended too. Funny. I used to joke about the curse of the Chicago Cubs, or for anyone, for that matter, who happens to call Cleveland home (and don’t even get me started about the Canucks). But now, I can’t help wondering … is it me?

One thing I looked forward to every week at the Daily News was writing my sports column. It was the one time during the week I didn’t have to go 100 per cent local, although even occasionally in my column, I would remain local, sometimes even, controversial (Hockeyville anyone?). But when Muskeg started soaking my veins, the creative juices were nixed. Sort of. Oh yeah I could write a feature, and go all-magazine-like (or novella, as is the case of my last story regarding McMillan), but I was restricted to the boundaries of Kaien Island.

Only once was I allowed the freedom of writing a column, and that was in celebration of Santa.

And then all of a sudden, with yet another tombstone invading my screen-saver, Muskeg gives in, and allows me one final column. About anything sporty. Anything? But why bother? How can I predict something, or anything, when 48 hours from now, I may never write another sports story again?

Never you say? Yeah, never. Sportswriting is dead. Newspapers are almost Jurassic-like, and their sports sections (with the odd exception) are printed more out of spite than out of necessity. And unless you read the Province every day (but really, is that LOCAL sports? Nope, of course not), what newspaper actually gives a darn about sports anymore?

But over the past year, I have heard one common refrain from the average Rupertite – they miss local sports coverage. Clubs like the swim club, skating club, curling club, you name it – they feel like they’re invisible these days, and they struggle to get the word out about what they’re doing. It is tough, I understand that – it’s not just Rupert where this is occurring.

Yet, for a year with Muskeg, I was able to at least keep the beat alive. It wasn’t the wall-to-wall coverage the Daily News was able to deliver (and I’m talking about the entire history of the paper, not just my tenure there) when it came to local sports, but at least it was something. Rupert still had a pulse.

But what now? What will happen when endless Rainmaker teams (both male and female) start racking up provincial basketball banners left and right, now that we only have one high school? And what about other banners? I think a provincial banner could come as early as this November, with senior girls volleyball – fine Muskeg, there’s a prediction.

Want another? Our track and field team finally rips it up and takes the title away from Smithers, something that just hasn’t happened, ever (or at least not in recent memory). Or how about this: with one high school, the Rainmakers rugby team continues to strengthen, which eventually translates into a tournament victory for the Seaman.

Or how about this one? Somebody from the Rupert Rapids Club (I’m not singling anyone out, because this prediction could have multiple names attached to it) wins a medal at nationals. Check that – several medals. Meanwhile, our own Adrian Liu is off to the Olympics in London. I don’t know if he can duplicate the heroics of Hazelton’s Carol Hyunh from 2008, but a medal is possible for him too.

But it always comes back to basketball doesn’t it? And now that we have one high school, the Rainmakers will be on everyone’s radar, and somebody from here will one day head off and play Division I basketball in the NCAA. NBA? That dream is a lot closer thanks to the success of Steve Nash, and I would love to see that too. That dream may be a little tough.

And yet, what about the NHL? Wouldn’t that be ironic, a Rupertite making it to the dance? But there are two Rupertites who have outside shots at it as we speak – Devin Oakes and Frank Slubowski. I watched both of these players when they were dominating the ice at the peewee level, and it hasn’t stopped them yet.

As for major league sports’ predictions that Muskeg would finally allow in this final waltz, well, the Canucks will win the Cup before I die. I plan to live to the age of 80. That gives them…never mind. In all honesty, their best shot to win it is this year. The Northwest division is awful, and Detroit is fading. Boston won’t be as good this year, so if the ‘Nucks are ever going to hoist the Cup, 2012 has to be it (and it would be fitting, since the Mayans have always predicted the end of the world will come in 2012. So while we’re at it, maybe I should predict the Detroit Lions win the Super Bowl, and the Chicago Cubs win the 2012 World Series … nah. I’m not that crazy).

But here’s a prediction for you, speaking of the end of the world: remember that crazy religious zealot Camping? In 1994, he predicted the end of the world. The end never came. Then, the Canucks proceeded to lose Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals and the city rioted. But then, the B.C. Lions, in a year that nobody expected them to do it, won the Grey Cup on home turf – the last time any team, CFL or NFL, won the big prize in their home park.

Hm, sense a theme here? Camping, May 2011, predicts the end of the world. Doesn’t happen. Canucks then lose Game 7, and the city riots. The Lions then start the season 1-6, and … yup, you guessed it. Grey Cup is in Van-City this November, and the Lions will be hoisting it.

Other predictions? The Blue Jays pull an American League “one-off” and win the pennant in 2012. In retaliation, both the Yankees and Red Sox then sign all of their free agents during the 2012 off-season (see Tampa Bay, circa 2010). Meanwhile, teams like Pittsburgh and Kansas City continue to suck, and we won’t even mention those lovable Cubbies (besides, we did earlier, didn’t we?)

The NBA lock-out ends just in time to sneak a 50-game season in, and once again, Lebron chokes in the playoffs, this time to Oklahoma, against Kevin Durant who actually did the un-Lebron thing, and re-signed with the team that drafted him.

In football, the prophesy of Rich Jerstad (watch my Channel 10 show, North Coast Sports Talk, if you don’t know what I’m talking about – I know, shameless plug) comes true, as 6-10 wins the awful NFC West, and then, that team (likely Arizona) wins its first playoff game. But Green Bay repeats as Super Bowl champs (sorry Detroit and Buffalo fans).

Meanwhile, on the local front (hey I had to bring it all back eventually) the Rampage barely scrape by into the post-season, but pull off a first-round upset before succumbing in the second round.

As for yours truly? He sadly pushes his pen aside, and hopes his TV show grows enough in popularity that one day, maybe five years from now, he will once again get to write a sports column. Or maybe, by some strange miracle, the print media suddenly undergoes a Camping-like revelation and realizes that wait a minute – local sports coverage does matter! – and Witwicki can be happy again.

After all, like I said, I am the Last Bastion. Right?

~Written by Patrick “Last Bastion” Witwicki