Victoria named one of the world’s friendliest cities

THE#BCBIZDAILY
Plus, drilling resumes off Lelu Island and Port Metro’s container trucking commissioner quits

Victoria reigns
Victoria ranks as one of the world’s friendliest cities, according to Travel + Leisure magazine’s 2015 World’s Best Awards survey. Friendly cities “know how to charm,” according to the magazine, with residents who are proud of their city and happy to give directions and share tips on where to go and what to see. (In contrast, readers rank New York as the world’s unfriendliest.) Tourism favourites include the Butchart Gardens, high tea at the Empress and the Royal BC Museum, which also just won Trip Advisor’s award for best museum in Canada for the second year in a row. According to an August visitors’ survey, 56 per cent consider the museum a factor in their decision to come to Victoria and about 47 per cent of summer visitors were from outside B.C. Must be all the friendly people.

The drill on LNG
Test ocean drilling off Lelu Island resumes despite the efforts of members of northern B.C. First Nations—including Lax Kw’alaams and Gitxsan—who oppose the proposed $11-billion Pacific Northwest LNG plant. Over the weekend, their efforts to stop the drilling of what they say are sensitive salmon-rearing eel grass beds worked, but now they are kept at bay by Prince Rupert Port Authority boats patrolling a 50-metre perimeter. 
 
Hello and goodbye
The search for B.C.’s second-ever container trucking commissioner is on after Andy Smith’s resignation Tuesday—just seven months into the job. Todd Stone, B.C. minister of transportation and infrastructure, said Smith’s in-depth knowledge and experience helped him with the challenges of keeping the peace in the container trucking sector that serves Port Metro Vancouver. But at the time of his appointment, Smith, as head of B.C. Maritime Employers Association, which represents terminal operators, drew heat from the union that represents trucks serving the port for a possible conflict of interest.