If not for an extensive overview of the 2019 salmon fishing season from UFAWU-Unifor's Joy Thorkelson, Council members might have been able to make for another short meeting for the Council year.
With close to half the council members not in attendance on the evening, the majority of the Monday council session was handed over to Ms. Thorkelson who provided a thirty seven minute review of the troubled North Coast industry, which suffered one of the worst fishing years in recent memory.
For the remaining fourteen minutes, City Council quickly covered off requests for a property variance, approval of a development variance permit and to move forward with the Permissive Tax Exemption process.
They also moved ahead with a new communication policy for the City, replacing the previous one which dated back to 2003.
Some background on the work of Council on the evening and the various Regular Agenda elements for the October 7th Council session can be explored here.
Council also hosted a Closed Session earlier in the evening, the details as to why they required the doors to be closed for the 5PM meeting can be found 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, October 7, 2019
Mayor Lee Brain -- Present
Councillor Nick Adey -- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham -- Absent
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Absent
Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven -- Absent
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Video Archive for Monday, October 7, 2019
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Regular Council Session
(0:00 -- 1:00 ) Regular City Council Session for Monday, September 9, 2019 -- Mayor Brain called the Regular Council Session to order, with Council adopting the agenda and past minutes of previous minutes. He made note of one late addition to the Agenda, which provided for a presentation from Joy Thorkelson of UFAWU-Unifor to speak on issues related to the fishery.
Petitions and Delegations
(1:00 -- 37:00) Council received a presentation from Joy Thorkelson and Conrad Lewis who provided an extensive overview of the North Coast Salmon fishery season of 2019, providing some background on the work of Unifor-UFAWU as it looks to gain Federal assistance for all elements of the fishing industry in the region.
Ms. Thorkelson first thanked council for their recent letter of support delivered to the Minister and then turned to her notes on a troubled season and her frustrations in getting the attention of the Federal government on a range of issues.
As for her report on the fishery she noted that other than the Spring salmon run, the remainder of the fishery runs did not come back anywhere near the projections, which resulted in delayed fishing plans for the fleet which faced a month and half delay.
She also noted that with the Americans closing their coho fishery, Canada had to close its as well owing to treaty obligations with the US. Which made for a loss for the troll fleet.
She observed how things didn't fare much better for the gillnet fleet or seine fleet this year with only a few fishing opportunities and few positive returns.
Her takeaway from the season is that "everyone is in the hole, everyone is desperate" from the lack of fishing opportunities on the year.
She pointed towards ocean and climate issues as the main issue facing the industry, she also observed how contamination from fish farms is a contributing factor for southern fisheries, but as the North doesn't have that problem her conclusion is that climate change is the main cause of the current issues that have impacted fisheries along the Pacific coast.
She then outlined how the union is looking to make the case of those climate change concerns as it seeks out federal assistance, noting how they have continued to have difficulties in getting that message across to the senior levels of government and continue to try to receive the same kind of assistance that is provided for east coast fishermen and fish workers.
She also noted that the fishing companies that still exist on the North Coast also require some form of help from government to make for much needed maintenance on their vessels.
Noting how it's been a disaster she explained the frustration that the union has had in trying to get the attention of the politicians, making note of the climate issue that they have raised she wants the governments both federal and provincial to review all of the elements that have contributed to the troubles of this year.
She made note of a number of programs that the Federal government offers for other resource industries and how similar initiatives should be offered to the fishery.
She also outlined the dismal employment situation that faced the local work force this year, with only the most senior workers on a call out list making enough for EI, with the remainder of those on the list coming up short of the required hours of work.
The often heard call for adjacency and protection for a local owner/operator fleet was also delivered to the Council members, with the UFAWU-Unifor rep noting how larger and larger numbers of Canadian fish are being sent overseas for processing, only to return to our local supermarkets.
She reinforced the need to keep the fishing industry vibrant as it could provide for a fall back for this community, noting that while development of the Container Port has been the saviour of the community, she noted that global shifts in trade could have an impact on the local economy and how the fishery could help to cushion any potential troubles.
Councillor Adey asked Ms. Thorkelson to outline the reception she has received from their efforts in getting the attention of the Federal government.
Her reply was one of an expression of frustration at the lack of interest that they have found out of Ottawa, recounting the list of correspondences that the union, other organizations and provincial politicians have forwarded to Ottawa.
She noted how those inquiries seem to have turned the issue into a political football, with the unions calls for assistance bounced from department to department with little in the way of resolution.
Mr. Adey observed as to how frustrating that response or lack of must have been, in a follow up question he asked about recent news that BC Salmon is no longer going to be involved in an eco-certification process.
Ms. Thorkelson observed how that initiative is the responsibility of a consortium of the processing companies and how they have determined that at this time and in the current state of the fishery it's not a financially feasible program to implement.
She noted that DFO has assured her that the science has been done that is required.
The Councillor's final question was to ask what role Thorkelson may have as to what role local governments can play towards a solution to the concerns that the union has.
She outlined how the local government could assist in putting pressure on the Federal and Provincial governments, making note of the social issues that come from lack of work fall to their overview.
At the local level she observed how someone should talk to the Port Edward harbour authority to approach the two levels of government to seek out assistance for those in the fishing fleet.
Mayor Brain inquired if it would be helpful if someone from City Council accompanied the union should they gain meetings with Federal or provincial ministers.
Thorkelson noted that would be of great value and very helpful as it would show that communities care about the issue and are willing to speak to it. The Mayor agreed with her that the issue at the moment is to try and gain a meeting with someone at the Federal level to get the issue some attention.
Councillor Adey observed how the timing may be off at the moment as there is a Federal Election campaign currently underway and how the political landscape may change later this month.
Councillor Randhawa inquired as to which elements of the fishery are to be included in their efforts for assistance from Ottawa, with Ms. Thorkelson noting it was to take in all of those who work in the industry.
To wrap up the presentation Mayor Brain thanked her for her overview and observed how the city would be in touch to work out a strategy together.
Reports and Recommendations
( 37:30 -- 39:30 ) Report from the City Planner related to an Application for a Variance Development Period for a property on Kaien Road -- City Planner Zeno Krekic outlined the nature of the request from Four Seasons Maintenance which is looking to build a storage shed on their property, which would be slightly above the city's regulations.
Noting that it's location in the Industrial area, Mr. Krekic observed that it was reasonable to make an exception for this request.
Council voted its approval which will send the process to public notification.
( 39:30 -- 41:00 ) Report from the City Planner in relation to an application for a Development Variance Permit for a property on Seventh Avenue East -- Mr. Krekic outlined the nature of the request and renovation plans for the property in quesiton.
Council members had no questions or concerns related to the application and Council moved the process forward towards public notification.
( 41:00 -- 41:30 ) Report from the Chief Financial Officer presenting the Financial Variance Report for August -- CFO Corinne Bomben observed that all elements of the report were continuing on track with the overall budget, featuring the same caveats as in previous reports this year, with no significant variances to report at this time. She also noted that all capital projects continue and costs will continue to be recorded as the work progresses.
Council had no questions for the CFO.
( 41:30 -- 43:00 ) Report from the Communication Manager on the City's new Communication Policy -- Ms. Veronika Stewart , outlined the nature of some of the changes that have been made to the city's previous policy, noting that Council members had hosted a workshop, with some of the outcome of that session and other information gathering reflected in the new policy.
Councillor Adey asked Ms. Stewart to outline some of the differences between the previous policy of 2003 and what Council was considering on the evening.
Ms. Stewart noted that there are many different ways of communicating today than in 2003 and that the City now has communication staff on hand, which makes for more commitments for the city to communicate with the public.
Council voted to repeal the previous policy and introduce the new policy.
( 43:30 -- 44:00 ) Report from the City's Financial Officer-- On the Permissive Property Tax Exemption Bylaw - Ms. Bomben noted that staff had conducted the required notification and that only one response was received and no objections were received, for the bylaw to take effect it must be adopted by October 31st.
Council had no questions for the CFO and carried the motion.
( 44:00 - 45:30 ) Mayor Brain introduced the city's plan to write a letter to CN Rail on the topic of issues related to VIA Rail service to Prince Rupert. -- Councillor Randhawa recounted some of the recent problems with the scheduling noting how a recent train arrived significantly later than scheduled.
He asked that the city address the letter to CN and the Minister of Transportation with the goal of improvement for the scheduled service to Prince Rupert
The Mayor so noted the content for the letter and who it should be addressed to, Councillor Adey added that he hoped this letter doesn't suffer the same fate as some others that they had talked about on the night, a nod towards the discussions on the fishery at the start of the evening.
Councillor Niesh suggested adding to the letter, noting the City should also advise that Greyhound no longer serves the community leaving VIA Rail as one of the few options remaining for travellers.
( 45:30 -- 51:00 ) Reports and Comments from Council members
Councillor Adey brought up the issue of lead in the pipes in the water of home plumbing around the community and asked for some clarification on what steps a homeowner could take to put their minds at ease about the water in their homes.
The city's communication manager observed how the city had previously hosted a free program with Northern Health though noting that the program had since come to an end. She did suggest that anyone in the community looking to test their home water, could approach the local company Northern Labs for a water testing kit which she stated costs in the range of 30-40 dollars.
The Mayor directed residents to view the city's website and Facebook page where an information video is available that explains what the water issues are, he also observed that once the Water treatment facility is constructed many of the issues should be resolved.
He also outlined how the city continues to express caution for residents to test their home supply and flushing their pipes but reinforced that the city is not delivering lead to the homes but its the leeching of the home pipes that is the issue.
He noted how the city is working as fast and as hard as they can to get the city's 100 year old water infrastructure updated and how they are looking forward to having one of the best water treatment systems in Canada.
Councillor Adey observed how he didn't mean to mislead anyone on the topic and how he understood that it was an issue of the pipes in homes that he was speaking towards.
Mr. Adey also offered up some thoughts on the recent UBCM convention that Council members attended, noting how he found some of the forums quite informative.
Of the week in Vancouver he observed on the money laundering forum he attended and how while the issue is more of a concern for the Lower mainland, there were some takeaways he found that are applicable to smaller communities.
He also highlighted the opportunity to meet with Cabinet Ministers, as well as the work on the Resolution floor, pointing to one that the City Council had discussed prior to convention, that of the Lost Votes initiative which was approved by the UBCM members.
With no other concerns of note on other topics, the Mayor brought the evening to a close.
You can access the City Council Review for October 7th 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 October 7, 2019 (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, October 21, 2019.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
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