City of Prince Rupert expands on plans for Alternative Approval Process

A screen shot from a video released by the City of Prince Rupert 
on Friday that outlined the city's plans for loan approval through the
Alternative Approval process.

A burst of additional information came mid Friday afternoon from the City of Prince Rupert, with the city using its social media stream to provide for some background to the use of the AAP towards their loan authorization proposals for infrastructure need.

The city's information relay providing a review of the recent Local State of Emergency, some notes on the financing required towards the infrastructure work and a review of what the city describes as the commonly used tool of the AAP to seek that approval.

click to enlarge

In addition to the written documentation, the city also included a video for residents to review over the weekend towards the topic.

The City's information blitz through Facebook,  came following a Thursday social media post from former City Councillor Anna Ashley, who had expressed some of her concerns over the city's use of the Alternative Approval Process.

Her contribution to the discussion seems to have brought one current city council member into the debate, with Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven, taking on the role of Defender of the Realm.

The Council member who at the moment is looking to change jobs through a quest for the post of elected Chief Councillor of the Metlakatla First Nation, provided for a lengthy response to the social media messaging this week.

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Over the weekend, Mr. Skelton-Morven posted his contribution to as many Facebook forums as he could find that had taken up the topic.

Mr. Skelton-Morven's dire warnings of what could happen in the future,  combined with a defence of city staff, city council and their works serving more to deflect away from the topic of the use of the Alternative Approval Process that Ms. Ashley has raised. 

Instead, the Councillor put his focus more on the infrastructure need, over the question of the use of the somewhat controversial reverse petition process that the city has adopted for the two loan authorizations.

His contribution to the discussion saluted by Mayor Herb Pond on Sunday, the Mayor echoing a few of the themes, though avoiding the discussion on the AAP process.

The only real explanation as to why Council has chosen to use the AAP comes towards the end of Mr. Skelton-Morven's lengthy treatise to the topic. 

No, this public loan process isn't a "shady money grab" or our City Staff & Council going rogue in spite of the community. 

This process is available to municipalities in times of dire & critical need, and we are doing this because we care, and it's extremely time sensitive with the winter approaching along with other factors. 

And we each understand that we have to make the tough decisions quickly at times to be able to effectively protect the people & place we love. -- Councilor Reid Skelton-Morven commentary through Facebook this weekend

However,  of note from that passage is that the city council's that the councillor has participated in past and present, as well as those before his time,  have all made use of AAP mostly as their default process, whether the situation was dire and critical or not. 

Those who follow the blog on a regular basis will likely remember that the use of the Alternative Approval Process has been a frequent approach adopted over the last few years.

Before the twin infrastructure AAP process was launched last week, there was the RCMP building loan authorization that came in May of 2022. The Council of the time offering up a range of themes towards why the AAP was their preference.

Previous to the RCMP loan authorization came the September 2020 AAP process towards borrowing for the Woodworth Dam and Solid Waste infrastructure projects. 

The City staff going to the video then to explain the use of the process for the public.

2016 saw the City Council use AAP towards a land question on Graham Avenue.

The City's push to take in some land along Tuck Inlet which eventually spawned the Legacy Corp financial instrument was the subject of an AAP process in 2014.

Council also used the AAP for Airport Renovations in 2013.

So dire and critical need may be a talking point for the current infrastructure situation, but as a focus for the past, it's hard to see how each of the times that the AAP was used met that threshold of urgency. 

At times it appears to have been mostly the short cut Council used to push forward with their plans.

What probably has City Council members worried beyond the cost of using a larger referendum,  is sometimes the public doesn't quite see the math the same way that they do. 

Such was the case last month in Quesnel, where voters turned down a loan request towards that community's recreation facility.

The result of 1,664 Votes against came after some extensive discussion in the community on the need for the borrowing, leaving the North Cariboo Joint Advisory Committee to now consider other options towards the future needs for the facility.

The test for the Prince Rupert Council's full on information approach will come on August 14th, with the end of the AAP process and the tally comes ia as to whether that 10 percent of voters threshold and been met.

If that is met, like the Cariboo city, Prince Rupert officials will have to give some second thought on how to approach the loan request and offer up some alternatives perhaps to the current proposal.

More notes on City Council themes can be explored from our archive page.