Xi'an's Og

The last week of our BCations was spent in Prince Rupert, 54⁰18’W, on Kaien Island, almost the northernest coastal spot before Alaska. (Although Stewart, 55⁰56’W, may qualify.) With a much more oceanic [and cooler] weather than in farther south, still warm enough to swim in the ocean. And an interesting airport since it sits on another island, with an airport bus taking all passengers from the airport to town via a 15mn ferry, and luggages being delivered only at the end. (Which led to some confusion on our side!)

This place was once called “the halibut capital of the World”, with numerous canneries of halibut and salmon along the coastline. We visited one such (p)reserved cannery, the North Pacific Cannery, which operated till the 1980’s with appalling working and living conditions (and racial discriminations against First Nation, Chinese and Japanese workers). Which made me realise that Canada had also turned to the internment of Japanese descendants during WW II. While there is some degree of recognition of the First Nation rights to land, since 95% of BC territory is unceded, with acknowledgments of which First Nation one uses the land, the persistence of the colonial era struck me in the numerous topographical names with British connections, from the name of the province, to the name of the city, the first Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company. (The fish we ate while in Prince Rupert was fabulous!)

Prince Rupert is a passenger ferries and cruise stop, even though most unfortunately the ferry to Alaska was not running this year, supposedly due to staff shortage, although this could be yet another round of the US-Canada dispute of the area. (Cruise days are to be avoided at all costs, as cruisers invade the waterfront and even the closest hiking trails!) This is also the northwesternmost container port in North America connected by rail (hence, an unceasing parade of  endless CPR trains).