A much anticipated trip for some on Council who will be hoping to catch the ear of member municipalities and provincial politicians on issues of importance to Prince Rupert.
Before they pack their bags for the late September trip however there were a few items on the Monday night agenda to take care of, though the tasks for the night were not particularly time consuming, as the session was over in just a shade over thirty minutes.
Following the usual string of adoptions of the agendas and minutes of past meetings, the Mayor made a presentation to a young Prince Rupert woman, Gianna Evan's, who was awarded the Sergeant William Booth Award, only the fourth time that it has been awarded in the city's history.
Council offered up a pair of proclamations on a range of awareness issues as part of the evening as well.
A Discussion on development variance permits followed, with the City Planner outlining the nature of the application to Council.
As part of their Questions and inquiries for Council, members outlined some concerns from local residents regarding the progress of the backyard chicken coop proposal and the nature of road maintenance time lines in the city.
As well, Councillor Kinney offered up congratulations to Dr. Klopper's for a recent video Northern Health produced about the region.
Council also offered up its support towards seeking a resolution to the labour dispute between the province and the BC Teacher's Federation.
The Mayor brought the session to an end with a review of a number of items as part of his Mayor's report.
Prior to the Monday night public session, Council once again hosted another in their growing list of closed sessions with the latest entry taking place earlier in the evening.
The background of the evening can found on the Regular Council Agenda of the night.
The timeline of the Regular public council proceedings can be found in red below, tied in with the City Council video feed archived below.
Further information such as minutes and permanent placement in the video archive can be found below as they are posted to the city Website.
In Attendance September 15, 2014
Mayor Jack Mussallem-- Present
Councillor Anna Ashley-- Present
Councillor Judy Carlick-Pearson-- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Present (participated by phone)
Councillor Gina Garon-- Present
Councillor Nelson Kinney-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson-- Absent
Video Archive for September 15, 2014
( 0:00--4:30 ) The Mayor called the meeting to order and proceeded to the adoption of the Agenda with one addition to include a request from the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors for a civic proclamation. Following the adoption of the Agenda. Council moved on to the adoption of minutes from previous meetings.
Petitions and Delegations
( 4:30- 9:30 ) A Presentation by the City of Prince Rupert to Ms. Gianna Evan's -- The Mayor outlined the process of nomination of Ms. Evans for the Sergeant William Booth Award. Following some background on the history of the Award, the Mayor placed Ms. Evan's name in nomination, recognition of her life saving efforts during a family medical emergency. The Mayor outlined the special nature of the award, as this marks only the fourth time that it has been awarded in its history.
Correspondences for Action
( 9:30 -- 10:30 ) A Proclamation Request of Council from the Prince Rupert Self Advocacy Group -- Council was asked to declare October as Community Living Month in the City of Prince Rupert. The City Administrator outlined some background on the request before Council, including details of the events planned for a Community Living Day in October.
The motion was adopted.
( 10:30-- 11:30 ) A Proclamation Request of Council from the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors -- Council was asked to declare the week of September 22 to 26 as Environmental Public Health Week
The motion was adopted.
( 11:30--15:30 ) Report from the City Planner regarding an application for a development variance permit for a property on 6th Avenue East -- Mr. Krekic provided the review of the request in front of Council, highlighting some of the aspects of the proposed development and how it fits into the city's overview on vacant lots in the community.
Following the presentation Council adopted the motion to adopt the recommendation.
( 15:30-- 23:30 ) Reports Questions and Inquiries from Council
Councillor Ashley had two items of note for Council, one an inquiry on the backyard chicken coop issue and the status of the progress on the topic. Mr. Long advised that the issue was still at the moment at the bottom of the priority list.
Councillor Ashley's second item of interest was on the theme of road maintenance in the community and some observations from a resident of the city who suggested that the city look at re-directing some of the talks for public works staff. The main focus on his recommendation that the city staff fill potholes over a two week period of time. She thought it might be a worthwhile initiative to review and something that the new council may wish to discuss for next year.
Mr. Long advised that he would look at the proposal and refer it to the public works department.
The Mayor had a motion on Education for council to consider, one which required Councillor Ashley, who is an employee of School District 52 to excuse herself from the Council chamber. The Mayor reviewed the status of the dispute between the BCTF and the provincial government, making note of the burdens the dispute was resulting in for parents and students in the Community. He then asked for Council to consider a motion to be directed to the Premier and the Minister of Education, that would see the City of Prince Rupert urge the government, the employer and the BC Teacher's Federation to come to a solution to see a return of children to the schools.
Council voted to adopt the motion.
Councillor Carlick-Pearson offered up her commendation to the Mayor and Councillor Kinney for their putting forward the motion, she outlined some of her thoughts and concerns over the nature of the dispute and the length of the ongoing labour disruption.
With the motion adopted, Councillor Ashley returned to the Council chamber.
Councillor Kinney offered up some observations on a video presentation featuring Prince Rupert that Dr. Amor Kloppers has posted to Facebook and urged residents to seek out the presentation for a viewing.
You can take a look at the video from our item on the blog.
The Mayor then offered up some news from the Recreation Complex and its efforts to provide daycare for local children during the course of the Education dispute. He provided details on the nature of the two camps , the cost of 40 dollars a day and the hours that it will be operating.
( 23:33--31:00 ) The Mayor's Report
The Mayor along with Councillor Garon attended the Airport Authority Board of Directors meeting of September and provided a short review of some of the progress on the work to date at the Digby Island facility.
The Mayor outlined his attendance at an Open House from Exxon/Mobil/Imperial Oil that provided more background on their plans to develop an LNG export terminal along Tuck Inlet and part of the District Lot 444 area. He advised that as the project moves forward it will be the subject of a public hearing where residents can seek out more information on the proposal and provide comment on it.
The Mayor attended the Grand Opening of the new YPR shuttle pick up and drop off centre adjacent to the Prince Rupert Hotel, he provided a thumbnail sketch of the amenities there and the nature of the partnerships in the community that contributed to the development of the new transportation hub in the city. He advised that the city paid a nominal sum towards the lease and a bit of seed money, while the bulk of the funding for the project came from the group of partners.
He also participated in an event held to commemorate International National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum awareness Day, the event taking place at Friendship House
The Mayor also outlined his participation in meetings with NDP MLA's Jennifer Rice and Bruce Ralston of the NDP discussing LNG issues, as well as the status of the City Community development plan.
He and two members of the Prince Rupert RCMP detachment attended the arrival of a cruise ship to the City, with the Mayor providing a greeting to passengers. He outlined that there will be one more visit to the community, taking place this week which will bring an end to the 2014 cruise season in the community.
He participated in meetings with members of the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District to discuss their efforts on provincial revenue sharing with local government and to hear an update on their Northwest BC Resource Benefits Alliance Initiative, a project which the City may become a community partner in, advising that Council would be receiving a report on that initiative in the future.
He reviewed his attendance at a tour of the completed Ridley Island Utility Corridor and reviewed some of the plans of usage regarding it and the options for future development.
He outlined the latest usage statistics from the Prince Rupert Airport had increased by 7.6 per cent.
The Mayor expressed his concerns over truck traffic passing through the city on the east side of town, he then asked the City manager to address the issue with the RCMP regarding streets on that side of the city. Highlighting the roads which trucks travel in that area and the need to possibly review the current level of speed and traffic on those routes, with an eye towards reducing the speed to 30 km/h. He asked for the City Manager to compile a report and present it to City Council for consideration.
Councillor Ashley asked a question of the Mayor regarding his meeting with the North Coast MLA, and if he had information regarding the upcoming BC Ferries town hall that Ms. Rice is hosting. Councillor Kinney filled in the details for Council for the session set for the Highliner Inn on the evening of September 17th.
You can access the City Council Review page for September 15 here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to media coverage of it can be found.
As always, consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to the website for further review.
Minutes Regular Council Session from September 15, 2014 (not available as of yet)
The Mayor along with Councillor Garon attended the Airport Authority Board of Directors meeting of September and provided a short review of some of the progress on the work to date at the Digby Island facility.
The Mayor outlined his attendance at an Open House from Exxon/Mobil/Imperial Oil that provided more background on their plans to develop an LNG export terminal along Tuck Inlet and part of the District Lot 444 area. He advised that as the project moves forward it will be the subject of a public hearing where residents can seek out more information on the proposal and provide comment on it.
The Mayor attended the Grand Opening of the new YPR shuttle pick up and drop off centre adjacent to the Prince Rupert Hotel, he provided a thumbnail sketch of the amenities there and the nature of the partnerships in the community that contributed to the development of the new transportation hub in the city. He advised that the city paid a nominal sum towards the lease and a bit of seed money, while the bulk of the funding for the project came from the group of partners.
He also participated in an event held to commemorate International National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum awareness Day, the event taking place at Friendship House
The Mayor also outlined his participation in meetings with NDP MLA's Jennifer Rice and Bruce Ralston of the NDP discussing LNG issues, as well as the status of the City Community development plan.
He and two members of the Prince Rupert RCMP detachment attended the arrival of a cruise ship to the City, with the Mayor providing a greeting to passengers. He outlined that there will be one more visit to the community, taking place this week which will bring an end to the 2014 cruise season in the community.
He participated in meetings with members of the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District to discuss their efforts on provincial revenue sharing with local government and to hear an update on their Northwest BC Resource Benefits Alliance Initiative, a project which the City may become a community partner in, advising that Council would be receiving a report on that initiative in the future.
He reviewed his attendance at a tour of the completed Ridley Island Utility Corridor and reviewed some of the plans of usage regarding it and the options for future development.
He outlined the latest usage statistics from the Prince Rupert Airport had increased by 7.6 per cent.
The Mayor expressed his concerns over truck traffic passing through the city on the east side of town, he then asked the City manager to address the issue with the RCMP regarding streets on that side of the city. Highlighting the roads which trucks travel in that area and the need to possibly review the current level of speed and traffic on those routes, with an eye towards reducing the speed to 30 km/h. He asked for the City Manager to compile a report and present it to City Council for consideration.
Councillor Ashley asked a question of the Mayor regarding his meeting with the North Coast MLA, and if he had information regarding the upcoming BC Ferries town hall that Ms. Rice is hosting. Councillor Kinney filled in the details for Council for the session set for the Highliner Inn on the evening of September 17th.
You can access the City Council Review page for September 15 here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to media coverage of it can be found.
As always, consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to the website for further review.
Minutes Regular Council Session from September 15, 2014 (not available as of yet)
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