The debut meeting for the Prince Rupert City Council had a bit in common with many of the sessions of the years of the last collective, with the work on the night completed before the fifteen minute mark was reached.
With the Mayor noting that the official swearing in for the new council that had been elected on the 20th of October had taken place at 5PM that evening, the listings of the Agenda did not take up much time for the returning council members and those newly elected to work their way through on their debut night.
Among the work on the evening, a range of appointments to Boards and the adoption of the Council Schedule for 2019.
The Mayor also provided for a brief inaugural address, observing on the plans for the Council membership moving forward, each member of council then offered up a few short comments on their thoughts for the term ahead.
Some background on the work of Council on the evening and the various Agenda elements for the November 5th Council session can be reviewed here.
Further information from our overview and placement in the video archive can be found below, with the permanent record of the minutes added as they are posted to the city website.
In attendance Monday, November 5, 2018
Mayor Lee Brain -- Present
Councillor Nick Adey -- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Present
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present
Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Video Archive for November 5, 2018
(0:00 -- 1:00 ) Regular City Council Session for November 5, 2018 -- Mayor Brain observed how the official swearing in of Council had taken place at 5 PM, with family, friends and members of the public in attendance.To start their first session together, he reviewed the list of minutes and agenda items to be noted by Council members.
( 1:00 -- 2:00 ) Report from the Corporate Administrator on the Appointment of Acting Mayors for 2018-19 -- Mr. Mandryk read out the schedule and names of which Council members would serve as Acting Mayor in the case of the Mayor's absence.
The schedule was adopted by Council.
( 2:00 -- 2:40 ) Report from the Corporate Administrator on the Council Session Schedule for 2019 -- Council members approved the schedule of Council sessions for 2019.
( 2:40 - 4: 00 ) Report from the Corporate Administrator regarding Appointment to Regional District -- Mr. Mandryk outlined the nature and requirements of the duties of those appointed as City of Prince Rupert representatives to the North Coast Regional District. Councillor Mirau nominated Mayor Lee Brain and Councillor Barry Cunningham as the two representatives for the City.
With the City allocated 7 votes on Regional District, it was recommended that Mayor Brain receive four of those votes, with Councillor Cunningham to hold three.
Alternate members for Regional District will be Councillors Niesh (primary) and Randhawa (secondary).
Council then voted to approve the nominations.
( 4:00 - 8:00 ) Report from Corporate Administrator regarding Appointments to the Northwest Regional Hospital District -- Councillor Mirau recommended that both the Mayor and Councillor Cunningham hold those posts as well, noting how the Regional District and Hospital District provide for synergies between the two boards. Mayor Brain noted that both groups generally meet on the same day.
For Alternates Councillors Adey and Randhawa were selected by the Council members.
( 8:00 - 13:00 ) Reports and Comments from Council members
Mayor Brain led off the comment period for the Council session observing how he was looking forward to working collaboratively as a team, as they continue to execute many of the items that have been outlined from the Hays 2.0 blue print presentation. He noted how those elements remain the top priority for the council particularly the infrastructure deficit that the city is tackling. He outlined how Phase One had been completed, with Phase Two now underway and the city looking to raise funds for Phase Three which is the submarine line and the water treatment plans.
He noted how the water treatment issue is Council's flagship rebuild Rupert project moving forward as they look to secure the water supply, He noted that there were a variety of other infrastructure issues that the council will be addressing, as well as to create new revenue and getting Watson Island looking towards new proponents for that industrial site.
He observed how the Council would be sticking to the plan, with a good trajectory in place and some momentum to move forward to bring the community into the 21st century as they look to tackle some the past issues and get on top of them. The Mayor added he was looking forward to tackling those challenges and continuing on with the good work that they have been doing.
From there Mr. Brain turned things over to the council membership for some comment.
Councillor Nick Adey, one of the two newly elected members led off the tour of the council chamber offering up that he wasn't going to say much as we was going to be learning lots during the next few weeks. He did add that he was grateful for the opportunity to do this and how he agrees that there are a lot of very positive things that are happening and how he was enthusiastic about being a part of that.
Councillor Randhawa also offered his thanks for the opportunity to serve the community and they had a good team assembled and how he was looking forward to continuing on with the momentum from the previous term.
Councillor Mirau congratulated and welcomed the two newly elected members to the Council and thanked both Charmaine Carlson and Sarah Dantzer for having sought office, noting how it takes a lot of courage to put their neck out like that. Observing how it had been democracy in action he added that he was looking forward seeing how the new team comes together and gels over the next four years.
Councillor Niesh also issued his thanks, and how he is looking forward to the next four years and how it will hopefully be as productive as the last four years.
Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven, the second of the new members thanked those that came out to vote and also paid tribute to the efforts of candidates Carlson and Dantzer. He offered up that he was humbled and honoured to be there and for those that voted for him and those who didn't, he still continues to serve and how he has open ears for anyone with concerns they wish to bring to him.
Councillor Cunningham echoed the sentiments of the rest of Council and welcomed the two newest members, as well as to thank both Ms. Dantzer and Ms. Carlson for their election efforts, noting how many talk but few follow through with an election run. He noted that there was still much work ahead and how he anticipated that it will be a lot of fun and that they will achieve good results. He outlined how he will raise any issue that he believes is worthwhile bringing to the room and how anyone can talk to him at any time.
On that theme, he offered up to issues on the night returning to items he brought up at the last council meeting, the first noting that he was still waiting for an answer from city staff as to whether Emerson Place was still considered a road.
As well, he returned to his previous theme of looking to bring free parking to the Rushbrook Floats area during the off season so as to reduce the congestion at the other end of the Rushbrook Trail at Seal Cove. Reminding the council of the benefits of that idea to help encourage use of the trail in the winter time.
The Mayor then brought the inaugural meeting of the new Council to close.
You can access the City Council Review for November 5, 2018 here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to local media coverage, can also be found.
As always, our Council Timeline is only a reflection of our observations from the Council session of the night. Be sure to consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to their website for further review.
Official Minutes of the Regular Council Session from November 5, 2018 (not available yet)
In addition to the city's official minutes, the City's Video archive provides a helpful record of the events from each public council session.
Council members next meet on Monday, November 19, 2018.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Councillor Cunningham looks to keep North Coast issues on health high on the agenda for Northern Health and the Minister
Mr. Cunningham who through his time on council has been one of the strongest and most consistent of defenders for health care on the North Coast, outlined some of his concerns through a Facebook post on Monday afternoon.
His observations of the day, making note of a community meeting held at the offices of MLA Jennifer Rice last week, a session which put the focus on health care issues in the region, in this case the need for better ophthalmologist care for Prince Rupert.
His observations of the day, making note of a community meeting held at the offices of MLA Jennifer Rice last week, a session which put the focus on health care issues in the region, in this case the need for better ophthalmologist care for Prince Rupert.
In his Facebook notes on themes of health care he observed how there is a growing trend of medical services drifting to the Terrace region, calling for Northern Health to have specialists make time for Prince Rupert visits, particularly as we head into another winter driving season.
You can review the full scope of his concerns and the call for more attention from Northern health here.
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| Health Minister Adrian Dix in Terrace earlier this year announcing the plans for a new hospital |
Mr. Cunningham followed up on that theme in February of 2017, raising a number of concerns over the potential loss of services in Prince Rupert as the Terrace plans continued to move forward.
The final go ahead for the new Mills Memorial hospital came earlier this year, with the planning phase for the new facility now underway, that while Mr. Cunningham keeps his watch on the potential impact on the North Coast.
As more residents review the commentary from his Facebook post from yesterday, some are starting to deliver their own list of services that need to be added to the items of concern.
Observations from constituents that offer up some guidance for the North Coast MLA and for City Council members to bring to the attention of both Northern Health and the provincial Health Minister.
For more items of note related to Health Care on the North Coast see our archive pages.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
Highway 16 remains reduced to one lane, alternating travel near Shames Mountain
Traffic remains reduced to one lane at the location of Sunday morning's rock slide along Highway 16 with Drive BC advising travellers that motorists should be aware of the alternating traffic provisions until further notice.
As we noted on the blog on Sunday, the incident took place ten kilometres west of Terrace not far from the Shames Mountain turn off.
As a result of the slide, travellers were faced with a highway closure while crews worked to assist a vehicle that had been impacted by the slide and to begin the process of removing the slide debris.
You can access the latest updates on the situation from the Drive BC website and twitter feed.
For more items of note related to travel along the Highway 16 corridor see our archive page here.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
Nathan Cullen named Parliamentarian of the Year at Ottawa ceremony
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| Another award for the Cullen mantlepiece as the Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP was named as Parliamentarian of the Year on Monday evening (photo fro Mclean's Magazine awards tribute edition) |
Monday night was awards night for Members of Parliament in Ottawa, as a number of politicians received their due in the annual Maclean's Salute to politics hosted at the Chateau Laurier Hotel, the Ottawa landmark that is but steps from the office for the members of the Class of 2018.
The Parliamentarians of the Year Awards feature ten categories, with those honoured each year selected through a vote conducted by all of the MP's on Parliament Hill,
Among the ten MP's to be honoured on the night, was Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen, who this year was named Parliamentarian of the Year, the award is just the latest for the five term MP who previously was named Most Knowledgeable MP and twice given the title of Best Orator.
The selection of the Parliamentarian of the year is awarded to the MP who has scored the highest in ballots from all of the categories for 2018.
Once the returns came in, Mr. Cullen had topped the most categories up for voting, with MP's Gérard Deltell and Kevin Lamoureux also in the running for the top award.
The continued success for the Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP through the Parliamentary tributes, highlights the respect that the long serving Member from the Northwest has earned since his arrival on the federal scene in 2004.
The Maclean's biography can be reviewed here.
Now that he's conquered Ottawa once again, the global stage awaits and perhaps a run at few other titles that are out there.
Here's one worth seeking, but with the larger fish bowl, it seems that the competition steps up ...
You can review the full list of MP's who were honoured at the gala on Monday evening along with the Maclean's biographies for them below:
Best Represents constituents -- Georgina Jolibois (NDP)
Best Civic Outreach -- Terry Beech (Liberal)
Most Collegial -- Monique Pauzé (Bloc Quebecois)
Best Orator -- Gérard Deltell (Conservative)
Hardest Working -- Chrystia Freeland (Liberal)
Best Mentor -- Judy Sgro (Liberal)
Rising Star -- Richard Martel (Conservative)
Most Knowledgeable -- Pierre Poilievre (Conservative)
Lifetime Achievement -- Paul Dewar (NDP)
For more notes on the work of Mr. Cullen in Ottawa see our House of Commons archive page here.
Further items of interest related to the Federal political scene can be found through our political blog D'Arcy McGee.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
New Environmental Assessment rules call for additional consultation with First Nations
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| George Heyman, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy introduced the NDP government's reworking of the province's Environmental Assessment process on Monday afternoon |
MLA's have some new guidelines for Environmental Assessments to review and eventually turn into legislation this session.
That after Environment and Climate Change Strategy Minister George Heyman delivered the final results of a one year consultation process towards what the NDP government is calling the modernization of the environmental process of major resource projects in the province.
“By revitalizing our environmental assessment process, we’re striking a better balance for our province, where good projects that respect B.C.’s environment, Indigenous peoples and the public will be approved more quickly ... Our province was built upon the wealth of natural resources at our disposal. This legislation reaffirms the continued importance of these resources to British Columbians and enhances public trust by engaging people and communities early to ensure our resources are used sustainably. Growing a strong economy and protecting the environment we all cherish go hand in hand. That’s the legacy we want our kids and grand kids to inherit.”--
One area of focus for the new EA process will be to pursue reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples of the province, part of the NDP government's commitment to implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
“Having Indigenous collaboration from the beginning means a more certain and efficient process where good projects can move forward more quickly, providing benefits to Indigenous peoples while respecting their rights, values and culture.
We want to reduce the potential for the types of legal challenges we’ve too frequently seen in B.C. These have impacted our province’s economic development, eroded public trust, alienated Indigenous communities and left project proponents trying to navigate through a costly, time-consuming process.”
Should the legislation pass, Heyman noted that it will result in an EA process that delivers timely, evidence based decisions where the public can more actively participate.
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| (click to enlarge) |
Increased clarity and certainty to project proponents through an early engagement phase that will identify the focus areas for the project assessment prior to proceeding through an environmental assessment.
Enhanced public engagement including additional comment periods and earlier collaboration between the Environmental Assessment Office and local communities, coupled with funding to support public participation.
The ability to more fully assess positive and adverse environmental, economic, social, cultural and health effects, including greenhouse gas emissions, and require their consideration in decisions.
Strengthened compliance and enforcement for approved projects, along with audits, to make sure conditions included in EA certificates are mitigating identified adverse effects as intended.
The development of the of revisions for the new Environmental Assessment process was conducted over the course of the last year, with consultations taking place with Indigenous peoples, Industry, Local communities, environmental organizations and the general public.
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| (click to enlarge) |
Environmental Assessments that are already underway will continue under the current process with what the government describes as practical transition provisions.
Members of the Legislature will hold the second reading for the legislation today and then begin the process of discussion of it in the chamber this week.
The notes related to Monday's announcement can be reviewed here.
A wider overview of the new legislation and the changes that it will bring to the process can be explored here.
The video of Mr. Heyman's introduction of the legislation is available from the Chamber Video Archive for Monday at the start of the Afternoon session.
Some notes from the media on the introduction of the Environmental Assessment legislation can be found from our Victoria Viewpoints archive on our political blog D'Arcy McGee.
More items of interest related to the Legislature can be found through our archive page here.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
Monday, November 5, 2018
Mid-day temblor rumbles along west coast of Vancouver Island fault line
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| The latest in a string of moderate quakes off shore of Vancouver Island was recorded over the noon hour today |
Yet another in a string of medium range earthquakes has been recorded off the coast of Vancouver Island, with a 4.5 magnitude quake reported 206 kilometres SW of Port Hardy.
The seismic event was recorded at 12:26 this afternoon with a depth of 11 kilometres.
No Tsunami warning was generated by the event.
It was located in much the same area as a number of other similar sized quakes that have been reported over the course of the last month.
You can review those seismic events as well as other notes on earthquake activity from our archive page here.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
Ridley Terminals Sale Notice has MP Nathan Cullen calling for more details on government's "rushed timeline"
As we outlined earlier today, the Federal Government is using the investment corporation as its listing agent to sell off a 90 percent stake in the resource shipment terminal in Prince Rupert, with 10 percent of the ownership to be turned over to the Metlakatla First Nation and the Lax Kw'alaams Band.
Mr. Cullen through both Facebook and twitter today outlined some his observations on the government move, referring to the Investment Corporation notice as one from an obscure website and suggesting that it was a move similar to how the Conservatives previously handled attempt to sell off the publicly owned facility to the private sector.
The Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP made no mention of the ten percent share to be provided for the North Coast First Nation communities, while calling for more information on the proposed sale and suggesting that the desired completion date of the summer of 2019 is that of a rushed timeline.
Mr. Cullen's initial salvo in the discussion over the fate of Ridley Terminals, mirrors many of his concerns from August when he offered up this overview of the announcement by the Federal Government that it was considering its options when it comes to the future of the shipment terminal facility on the North Coat.
For more items of note related to Ridley Terminals see our archive page here.
Further notes on the work of Mr. Cullen in Ottawa can be reviewed from our House of Commons archive page.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
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