Regional District Board session covers themes of BC Ferries, DFO concerns and support for CityWest sub sea plans

North Coast Regional District put the wrap on their work for 2023 last Friday, the session held at the Prince Rupert Campus of Coast Community College,

The Agenda for the night covering a range of topics the first of which was a presentation on BC Ferries' Charting the Course Vision plan  consultation project for coastal Ferries.

From that review,  the Board members brought forward a resolution to send a joint letter to B.C. Ferries from the NCRD and local governments and First Nations within the NCRD to provide comments on B.C. Ferries’ Charting the Course engagement. 

Two themes related to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans also were taken on for the night.

From their work, the Board resolved to send a letter to Fisheries and Oceans Canada and provide input into the Draft 2024/25 Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for Crab. 

The Board  also resolved to send a letter to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, copying MP Taylor Bachrach, regarding inviting a Fisheries and Oceans Canada delegation to a future Board meeting of the North Coast Regional District to discuss the Draft 2024/25 Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for Crab.

The recent housing initiatives from the Province also captured their attention, with Board putting forward a resolution to write a letter to the Minister of Housing requesting that all municipalities and electoral areas be given the option to opt into the Speculation and Vacancy Tax program. 

CityWest's ongoing efforts towards development of their subsea fibre redundancy project also gained some support from Regional District, with the Board members to write a letter to the North Central Local Government Association in support of the CityWest work.

A number of Haida Gwaill themes also made for the night's work, among them a decision to write a letter to the Executive Director of the North Central Local Government Association in support of a northern living allowance for Haida Gwaii residents.

The Board members also divided up some of the work for appointments in 2024, of note for Prince Rupert Representatives, appointments for the Prince Rupert Regional Archives and North Central Local Government Association, along with the Northern Benefits Alliance.

Director Bergman was assigned duties with the Port Edward Historical Society

The full list of appointments can be reviewed here. 

The Board also set the schedule for 2024, with their first return to duties coming January 19th, with two meetings one at 2PM the second at 7PM.

Some additional information on the meeting from Regional District can be reviewed here.

More notes on past Regional District themes is available here.