Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Council members vote to donate unused honorarium for Nelson Kinney, funds to be put towards clinic to be created in his name

Prince Rupert City Council will be lending
a hand towards fund raising for a clinic
to be named after the late Council member
Nelson Kinney who passed away in March

Prince Rupert City Council members will pay tribute to the memory of Nelson Kinney by moving forward with a suggestion to donate the unused honorarium money for the late council member, putting that money towards a proposed clinic that will be put in place in the community and bear his name.

Council approved the suggestion spearheaded by Councillor Barry Cunningham on Monday night, having first sent the proposal to the City's Financial Officer Corinne Bomben  for review.

In the memorandum for Council, Ms. Bomben noted that the request came from the last Closed Council session and from her research, there does not appear to be any legal reason that would preclude the City from making such a donation.


A memorandum for Prince Rupert City council on a proposed donation
to fundraising to a clinic in the name of the late councillor Nelson Kinney
(click to enlarge)


The total value of that unspent honorarium is listed as $8,246.96, which is the full value which Council could donate should they decide to move forward with their plan.

The long serving member of Prince Rupert City Council passed away in March of this year.

Councillor Cunningham offered up some background on the fundraising project currently underway in the community, which has a target goal of 20,000 dollars and now, with the city's donation of Mr. Kinney's honorarium is but a few thousand dollars short of that total.

"They are attempting to raise 20,000 dollars and with this donation it almost makes it, but there will still be a little bit more to go and any donations for it are greatly received, and this is just something that Councillor Kinney was working on before he died and I think it will be a nice gesture from this council to do it" -- Councillor Barry Cunningham on plans to donate unused money from Councillor Nelson Kinney's honorarium towards a health clinic that will bear his name.

Councillor Joy Thorkelson also offered up some thoughts on the plan and the legacy of Mr. Kinney in the community.

"I think that this is a fitting memorial and I certainly think that Nelson would have like to do have done that, I know when he first became ill with COPD and with his heart problems that he was quite distressed ... I think that this is a distressing thing and that this clinic will really help people in Prince Rupert and all throughout the North Coast.  I really support it ... Councillor Cunningham suggested it and I think it's a really excellent idea"

Councillor Barry Cunningham was the driving force behind a city donation
to pay tribute to the memory of  the late council member Nelson Kinney

As we outlined on the blog earlier this month, the fundraising is being hosted by the North Coast Health Improvement Society and Mr. Cunningham relayed how residents can contribute to their efforts or through Judy Fraser who initiated the funding proposal.

"If anyone else out there has donations they can go to the North Coast Health Improvement Society at Box 326 (Prince Rupert BC V8J 3P9) designating the donation as the Nelson Kinney Lung Memorial Clinic, or they can send their donations to Judy Fraser at judy. fraser3915@gmail.com"

Councillor Cunningham also observed how the scope of the plan for the clinic had expanded and would no longer be COPD specific, but would provide services for a number of respiratory issues with a respiratory  therapist to be part of the services provided once the clinic opens.

The review of Ms. Bomben's memorandum and discussion on the fundraising project can be reviewed from the City's Video Archive starting at the fifteen minute mark.



For more items of interest related to Monday's City Council session see our Council Timeline Here.

Further notes related to Prince Rupert City Council discussions can be found from our Council Discussion Archive here.

To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.

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