City Council Timeline, September 30, 2013

A lengthy gathering (over two and half hours) of Council for the final day of September, as the Mayor and his Council reviewed a number of items and issues of concerns, many of which featured a fair amount of discussion and debate as the evening moved forward.

The September 30th session offered up the  usual items found on the weekly agenda.

However with this Regular Council Session,  Monday evening also provided for a Committee of the Whole session for Council. A public forum which provided for some heated discussion both from civic participants and members of Council.

In addition to the public forums on the night, September 30th featured another "closed session" of Council, an event that seems of late to be a rather common development with each gathering of Council.

The timeline of all of the council the proceedings can be found in red below, tied in with the City Council video and audio feeds archived below.

Further information such as minutes and permanent placement in the  audio and video archives can be found below as they are posted to the city Website.

In Attendance September 30, 2013

Mayor Jack Mussallem-- Present  
Councillor Anna Ashley-- Present 
Councillor Judy Carlick-Pearson-- Present
Councillor Gina Garon-- Present
Councillor Nelson Kinney-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson-- Present 

Councillor Jennifer Rice-- Resigned her position on June 10th.

Video Archive for September 30, 2013 
Audio Archive for September 30, 2013 (not available yet)

(0:00 -- 40:30) The September 30th session of Council started with the Mayor taking the evening to the Committee of the Whole session, included in that was an opportunity for the public to ask questions of Council. One question asked of council came from a delegation of residents from the west side of the city, regarding a development plan for the Westview Park land area of Atlin Avenue.

The Mayor explained the nature of the notice that had been published and received further questions regarding the nature of that land in question and what steps should be taken to provide more information to the public.

The Mayor advised that the process was going to a public meeting on October 22nd, where more information would be provided on the proposed development for that part of town. The delegation then offered up more observations and asked further questions regarding the City's exploration of the land in question.

Councillor Garon asked City Staff what the land in question was currently zoned at, advised that it is now zoned as P1 status, Public institutional.

The delegation wrapped up their presentation with a number of questions regarding the City Planners designation of the land and how in their opinion the issue does not require any public meetings.

The assembled Councillors and Mayor thanked the delegation for their interest and contribution to the discussion. The Council members in particular were thankful that the delegation brought the issue to their attention, advising that they weren't aware of a lot of the issues surrounding the area in question.

Another participant then took to the microphone to discuss the recent UBCM sessions in Vancouver and what the cost to the city of attendance to that week long convention.  Councillor Ashley then expressed her thanks for the question and outlined that in her opinion, attendance to UBCM was an important thing for the City's representatives.

The follow up question on attendance at UBCM provided for a bit of push back from the assembled councillors and Mayor, many of whom took the tone of questioning to task and offered up a broad based reproach at his line of questioning.

Following that universal display from Council, the Mayor returned to the theme of his request for the total expense of the UBCM, the citizen at the desk was asked to submit an FOI request to have his questions answered.

The Mayor, clearly a little agitated, advised for a second time that the citizen file a FOI request to seek out the information he desired, he then brought the public participation session to an end.

(40:30--41:30)  With the Committee of the Whole process complete, Council moved on to the remainder of it's regular agenda for the night. The Mayor  beginning the session by outlining the usual procedural aspect of the adoption of the agenda and past minutes from September 9th, before carrying on with the agenda items for the evening.

(41:30-- 1:17:00) A Presentation from the Museum of Northern British Columbia  outlining their thoughts on the permissive tax exemption status for the strata lot aspect of their property and the impact that it has on their finances at the Museum.  Following the presentation, Councillor Ashley offered up a few observations and questions for the delegation. Included in her thoughts, the suggestion that the Museum could consider raising its entrance fee, which the Museum said might receive a fair amount of push back from would be visitors, with even the current price considered high by some visitors to the Museum.

With the Museum one  of the "Big Six" of permissive grant exemptions that the City reviews, Councillor Ashley then offered up her concerns over the lack of say on, or connection to the board, other than when they make presentations. Using the Lester Centre as an example, she inquired as to how the Museum was different to that cultural site in the City, one which the City has board representation on. The Museum delegation then reviewed the nature of their current situation and relationship with the City.

The Mayor then returned to the issue at hand, the request for a tax exemption of the strata lot aspect.  He outlined some of the past complaints from others regarding the request by the Museum. Representatives of the Museum made their case to keep the city from taking away their status, outlining the cost cutting that they have done at the Museum and the concerns that they have over those cuts.

Councillor Thorkelson raised some of the recent history of the financial situation of the city and the lack of civic resources to cover all the costs for services and cultural activities that the public seem to want to have in place, the Councillor went on to outline how that is proving to be challenging for the City in the current fiscal climate.

After further questioning and suggestions from Council the Museum delegation brought their presentation to an end. With Council set to discuss and vote on the issue later in the session.

(1:17:00--1:40:00) Presentation from the Heritage Commission regarding Pillsbury House -- Another delegation appeared in front of Council to outline some background on the historical nature of the property and the renovations that have taken place, much of it by way of public and corporate donation. As well they were prepared to answer the Council's concerns regarding the Permissive Tax Exemption on the Heritage Property in question.

Councillor Thorkelson asked for further background on the Heritage Commission and the nature of their work within the community charter. Councillors Garon and Kinney offered up her thanks for their work in the community.

Councillor Ashley then weighed in with some thoughts on how Council should approach these issues of tax exemptions, Councillor Thorkelson then followed up those comments by asking for some clarification on the issue at hand and the time lines required.

The Mayor provided a recap of what process that Council should consider on the exemption status discussion.  He then turned to the City Financial Officer to offer up some background on the situation.

Amid a fair amount of confusion and further discussion on the topic, Council then moved to table the the topic until they had more information on it.

Council accepted that motion and the issue was tabled.

(1:40:30--1:48:30) Council then returned to the topic of the Museum's Property Tax Exemption, Councillors Ashley and Garon then reviewed what impact that granting the exemption to the Museum might have, particularly of concern that other grant holders may also approach for their own exemptions. The Mayor asked for direction from the City Manager on the issue and what requirements might be required.

With that the motion was put forward to consider the Museum of Northern British Columbia at Full exemption, Councillor Thorkelson outlined that she would not support the motion as it currently reads. Offering up her preferences for the motion.

After some discussion on procedure, Council then reviewed Councillor Thorkelson's proposal eventually settling on her template of the discussion approving the tax exemption on the condition of deducting the amount from the community grant by the amount of the tax that they would have paid, which was explained was approximately 6,500 dollars. That amount would not count towards any potential cuts to their grants in the future.

With that Council voted to accept Councillor Thorkelson's amendment and the main motion as amended, with all members of Council, voted in favour of it, with the Mayor opposed to the motion.

Reports and Recommendations

(1:48:30--1:53:00) Report from the Chief Financial Officer -- Ms. Bomben outlined the monthly department report findings from July of 2013.  Highlighting he financial details of the Operating budget and what the departments reported for her report.

Council received the report for Informational purposes.

Councillor Thorkelson followed up the report with some questions regarding the drop in income from 911 from land line users and whether the City should be pursuing 911 revenue from cel phone users. Mr. Long outlined what is currently taking place at the moment regarding that issue. Councillor Ashley recounted some of the developments at UBCM regarding the issue of 911 funding.

(1:53:00--2:17:30) Report from the Deputy Corporate Administrator Regarding the Loan Bylaw Alternate Approval Process -- Council received the Report from the Deputy Corporate Administrator and discussed the issue further. Ms. Bomben outlined the nature of the report and the process ahead to enable the Loan Bylaw to move forward.

Councillor Ashley said she would not support the Alternate Approval Process and suggested that instead the process go to referendum at the time of the By-election of November.  Councillor Garon outlined that she was against Councillor Ashley's motion and would be voting against it.

From there, Councillor Ashley outlined her concerns over the Alternate Approval Process the timeline of it and whether it was fair and an alternative to the referendum process. Among her fears, a lack of resources in the community to spread the word of the process and a concern that local residents may think that they've been tricked by the City's use of the Alternate Approval process.

Councillor Garon addressed the issue of the required renovations to the Airport and the various concerns over infrastructure there, which if not handled quickly offered the prospect of not having airport service as a very real possibility. With that she advised that she would not be endorsing the referendum proposal.

Councillor Thorkelson echoed many of Councillor Ashley's thoughts on the issue, lending her support towards the referendum proposal, as opposed to the Alternate Approval Process. She stressed that she was in favour of the loan agreement with the Airport, but as she had serious concerns over the Alternate Approval Process she would rather support the referendum approach.

Councillor Kinney, had concerns over the need to move forward with the airport renovations and that he was supporting the Alternate Approval Process.

Councillor Ashley stressed that she was not against the loan, but the process the City was using to approve it, suggesting that there was only four days difference between the Alternate Approval Process and a possible referendum on the issue.

Ms. Bomben provided Council with some background on the nature of both the Alternate Approval Process and the timeline with a referendum option.

The Mayor expressed his hesitations over the Referendum process, the question of taking the issue to referendum went to a vote, with the motion failing.

With Councillor Ashley's motion going down to defeat, Council then voted to move forward with the Alternate Approval Process, Councillor Ashley then stressed the need to make sure that more information was delivered to the public regarding the Process and how it works.

With their concerns recorded, Councillors Ashley and Thorkelson cast their votes against the motion.

Following the passing of the motion on the Alternate Approval Process, Councillor Ashley moved a motion that the City have a Public Information session and provide more information regarding the process, with copies made available at both the Airport Library and Civic Centre.

Correspondences for Action

(2:17:30--2:19:00) Proclamation request for a letter of support to designate the North Pacific Cannery Historical site as a UNESCO site. -- Council advised staff to write a letter of support of North Pacific Cannery's request.

The motion was passed

Resolutions from Closed Council Meetings

(2:19:00--2:20:00) Mr. Long advised that there were two resolutions from the Closed meeting.  Ms. Bomben released details on both of those items, the first an announcement that a new Corporate Administrator had been appointed.  The second that Council had approved the transfer of the Doug Kerr name to the Roosevelt Field

Report from the City Manager on Outstanding City Initiatives

(2:20:00-2:25:00)  Mr. Long provided a review of the work of the Public Works and Engineering department over the course of the last few months. Among the list of projects, he advised that the 9th Avenue East repairs had moved into the paving process on that project.

Reports, Questions and Inquires from members of Council

(2:25:00--2:25:30) Councillor Garon inquired as to the timeline for placement of the bench at the hospital.

(2:25:30--2:27:00) The Mayor then called on Mr. Long to outline some background on a recent grant received by the City from the Ministry of Community, Sport and Culture. The money will be put towards a review of the city's water system.

(The final twelve minutes of the Council session can be found on the second segment of the Video Archive for September 30th.)

(0:00:00--00:00:44) Councillor Ashley reviewed her attendance at the Annual Filipino Night in the community.

(00:00:44--00:6:00 ) Councillor Thorkelson then spoke to the need for the City to develop a list of priorities for the City to consider from the last year and develop a Strategic Planning Process. One item she would like to see examined is where the City owns property and where development may be best suited. She also suggested that the rental situation in the city should be something that Council will want to address.

Councillor Ashley added her thoughts to the proposal from Councillor Thorkelson.

(00:6:30--11:51) The Mayor's Report

The Mayor reviewed his schedule over the last two weeks, touching on the various meetings he attended, the arrival of the final cruise ship in the community and he provided a quick recap on the Council's conversations at the UBCM gathering in Vancouver in September.

The Mayor announced that the City would receive 10 cruise ships in 2014 and asked that Mr. Long seek out a meeting with the Prince Rupert Port Authority and other various stakeholders in the industry to enhance next years cruise ship visits.

He touched on the coming 100th anniversary of the railroad in Prince Rupert and asked if City Council wished to facilitate some form of commemoration of the railway in the community.

He outlined the results of a recent economic development collaboration meeting in Terrace.

And with that final bit of discussion the Council session was brought to an end.

You can access the City Council Review page for September 30th here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including 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 30, 2013 

City Council Timeline, Monday, June 10, 2013

A rather short session for Council on Monday night, but thirty minutes in length and attended by a bare minimum of the city's elected officials, with four Councillors on hand to keep things moving along.

Absent from the proceedings for June 10th were Mayor Jack Mussallem, Councillor Joy Thorkelson and Councillor Jennifer Rice, the latter the subject of an announcement towards the end of the quick review of civic governance.

Councillor Kinney was in the Chair for the night, keeping the short list of items for consideration flowing quickly as the Councillors in attendance made quick work of the Agenda items on the night.

The timeline of all of the council the proceedings can be found in red below, tied in with the City Council video and audio feeds archived below.

Further information such as minutes and permanent placement in the  audio and video archives can be found as they are posted to the city Website.

Minutes from June 10, 2013 (when posted)

In Attendance June 10, 2013

Mayor Jack Mussallem-- Absent
Councillor Anna Ashley-- Present 
Councillor Judy Carlick-Pearson-- Present
Councillor Gina Garon-- Present 
Councillor Nelson Kinney-- Present
Councillor Jennifer Rice-- Absent
Councillor Joy Thorkelson-- Absent

Video Archive for June 10, 2013 
Audio Archive for June 10, 2013 

Audio and video difficulties provided a challenge for the viewers at home who, had to wait until the three minute mark before the technical difficulties were resolved and the broadcast of the council's proceedings was available without troubles.

(0:00 - 13:00) After the required housekeeping of the opening moments of Council business, City Council heard a presentation from Paul Kariya, a representative of proponents of Clean Energy in BC, with a particular focus on wind electricity and other options for the North Coast. A major portion of his review was to provide some background on the thoughts of his industry with the process of Clean Energy and their concerns over the impact of energy issues regarding the arrival of LNG development in the region.

Council members had no follow up questions for their guest and then moved on to other business

Reports and Recommendations

(13:00-15:00) Recommendation from the City Planner for a request variance permit for a property on Prince Rupert Boulevard.  Council approved the application


(15:00-16:00 ) Report from Corporate Administrator on Watson Island train whistling issue and request from Port Edward to conduct a safety assessment-- Council approved the request.

(16:00--18:30 ) Recommendation from the Corporate Administrator regarding a property on Ambrose Avenue to rescind a wreck and remove order-- Council approved the recommendation to rescind their wreck and remove order.

Councillor Ashley asked for a bit of background on the issue and why Council was being asked to rescind their previous order, Robert Grodecki provided the review of the history of the property in question.

(18:30-20.00) Report from the Acting Chief Financial Officer on the 2012 Annual Report -- Council accepted the Report for circulation and set the date of June 24th for the public meeting on the Annual Report.

Councillor Carlick-Pearson moved the motion, but advised that a small edit was required on the biography page of the report.

Councillor Ashley had a minor point on the report, that was missing information on her biography.

Councillor Garon thanked staff for putting the report together under their current short staffed situation.

Councillor Kinney took this moment to advise that the Mayor was not at the Council session this evening as he was presenting medals at a function, though he did believe that the Mayor would arrive before the session came to an end (as it would turn out, the Mayor did not attend Council chambers before the session ended)

Resolutions from Closed Meetings

(20:00--21:00) Robert Grodecki outlined the nature of some appointments to the Prince Rupert Library Board, the Tourism Prince Rupert Board and that Robert Long the City Manager had been appointed to the CityWest Board of Directors.

Report from the City Manager on Outstanding City Initiatives

(21:00--23:00) The City Manager, Robert Long, asked Robert Grodecki  to outline the nature of a letter from Councillor Jennifer Rice, the newly elected MLA for the North Coast, her letter advised hat she was resigning immediately from City Council.

Councillor Carlick-Pearson offered up her gratitude to the outgoing Councillor, a sentiment shared by Councillor Kinney on behalf of all of Council.

Reports, Questions and Inquries from members of Council

(23:00-- 25:00) Council Garon asked a question of the City Manager as to the process moving forward on the resignation of Councillor Rice, the City Manager Robert Long advised that Council would address the issue at their next session of June 24th.

Mr. Long also then suggested that Council was so disposed that they provide a resolution to cancel it's scheduled session for July 29th. Councillor Ashley moved to cancel the July 29th session, then offered up her thoughts on the topic of the cancellation. Towards that motion she pointed to the current staffing situation to be considered, and that any emergency situations could be handled by a gathering of council, but she advised that she believed that they should hold one session per month through the summer.

(25:00--28:00 ) Councillor Ashley then brought up the topic of the recent LNG presentations to the community, she wondered as to the challenge that the overwhelming amount of information was providing for staff. Suggesting that Council write a letter to Provincial and Federal counterparts seeking assistance on how they can deal with the various environmental concerns.

Councillor Garon then offered up her thoughts on the theme which she believes goes beyond the environmental concerns, suggesting that the city seek out financial assistance and otherwise from the provincial and/or Federal Government.

Council approved the Motion to seek that request.

(28:00--29:00) Councillor Garon advised that with the departure of Councillor Rice from council, that the City would be required to amend its Acting mayor schedule. Some discussion on how best to approach the revisions took place, with Mr. Grodecki asking for e mail submissions from Council.


(29:00--30:00) The Mayors Report

Sitting in for Mayor Mussallem, Councillor Kinney passed on his congratulations to the Seafest organizers for their efforts in the successful weekend of events that just took place.

Council then adjourned, with a closed session to follow after a five minute break.

You can access the City Council Review page for June 10th here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including 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.

City Council Timeline Monday, April 29, 2013

Another full day for Prince Rupert City Council, with close to two hours of review and discussion the majority of it Budget related with a few hard decisions made and offered up for public comment next week.

The main thrust of the Monday session, a decision to remove over 400,000 dollars from the Operations Budget a move that will require layoffs of a portion of the civic work force, a decision which clearly split Council down the middle, with the Mayor (participating by telephone) required to cast the deciding vote on that issue.

A bit of housekeeping followed the main discussion and the advisory that we all gather again next week in a Public forum for comments from the public on the nature of the City Budget which must be in place by mid May.

The timeline of all of the council the proceedings can be found in red below, tied in with the City Council video and audio feeds archived below.

Further information such as minutes and permanent placement in the  audio and video archives can be found as they are posted to the city Website.

Minutes from April 29, 2013 (when posted)

In Attendance April 29, 2013

Mayor Jack Mussallem-- Present (participated by telephone)
Councillor Anna Ashley-- Present (sitting as Chair)
Councillor Judy Carlick-Pearson-- Present
Councillor Gina Garon-- Present 
Councillor Nelson Kinney-- Present 
Councillor Jennifer Rice-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson-- Present

Video Archive for April 29, 2013 
Audio Archive for April 29, 2013 

The first task of business for Council on the 22nd was the usual adoption of the agenda for Monday night, with Mr. Rodin adding one addition to the agenda regarding the upcoming Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency Assessment process on LNG development. (0:00-2:00)

Presentations to Council

Public Comment on the City Financial Plan

(2:00--22:00) The public segment of the council night began with one citizen, a regular contributor to the public forums, asking a pair of questions. The first on CityWest with an inquiry as to whether CityWest was providing any contribution to this years budget. The public participant then offered up his thoughts on the nature of the CityWest dividend and how it was once treated along the lines of a loan repayment.

Mr. Rodin was asked to outline the nature of CityWest and the nature of the state of the company at this moment, taking exception to the characterization by the citizen of the current status of the communication company in relation to its relationship with the City.  Mr. Rodin then expanded on the theme of dividends from the company and how it is accounted for in the accounting from the City. He reinforced the belief that the City is onside with the Community Charter and assured that the City was onside with the rights of a sole shareholder of the company and any governance model that could be checked in regard to CityWest.

Another inquiry from the same participant inquired as to the nature of information delivery from CityWest to the public and the variety of components that make up the company, he followed that question up with a suggestion that the City should re-evaluate the relationship between the City and CityWest.

Mr. Rodin outlined the reasoning behind why CityWest is no longer releasing financial data to the public, which revolved over the nature of competition with other communication companies.

That reply gained another suggestion from the citizen that shareholders as owners should be allowed to see the information.

That question prompted the Mayor to weigh in on the topic by way of telephone, advising that he took offence to the nature of the questioning, advising that there is nothing that the  City is doing that is underhanded and suggesting to the Chair (Ms. Ashley) that if the participant could not craft a proper question then he should no longer be allowed  the microphone.

Councillor Ashley considered that advice from the Mayor and suggested to the citizen that he be cautious about how he frames his questions.

The citizen participant then turned his attention to the current status of the payments in lieu of taxation,.

Councillor Ashley then turned to Mr. Rodin to review that current situation and how it impacts on the City at the moment. He retraced much of the same material that he has offered up in past council sessions over the last few months.

A second citizen then stepped up to the microphone and offered some thoughts on the topic of CityWest, suggesting that the communications company is anything but transparent, questioning some of the financial aspects of the company in relation to the delivery of their recent power point presentation at Council. She then offered her support to the previous citizen who had asked questions and took issue to the nature of respect from Council towards citizens that ask questions of them, in particular suggesting that he had been treated with dis-respect at this session.

She then returned to the theme of CityWest and inquired as to whether there was any City representation on the CityWest Board. Mr. Rodin then advised that at the moment there is no current City representative on the Board of Directors of the company. He anticipates that once the city has returned to full staffing then that participation will resume.

To wrap up her presentation, the citizen called to the council's attention the nature of the current advertisement for senior staff and how the City should be seeking out a candidate that could best help the city out of the morass that it finds itself in.

No other citizens took to the microphones for the public comment session, so Council moved on to other business.

By Laws For Consideration

(22:00--1 hour forty minutes) 2013 five year financial plan 331-2013-- A recommendation that Council introduce and give first, second and third reading to the Bylaw.  Mr. Rodin was asked if there were any changes to the nature of the Bylaw from last weeks discussions. He said for the most part no changes were made, he did point Council to his report on the topic and outlined some of the parameters of the discussion.

He outlined the challenge ahead for Council in the next year, with some very hard decisions required of Council moving forward. He also advised that there would be a significant decrease in revenues owing to market value changes in Port capped property, in particular McMillan Fish and a Ridley Island Pellet plant which recently closed.  A situation that leaves the City with $171,000 less in tax revenue to work with.

Mr. Rodin then read into the record a message from the Mayor outlining the current challenges facing the City at this time. It touched on such themes as the various groups that depend on grants from the city, reviewed the recent closures of some industries and the developments from CityWest and the dividend situation, suggesting that there may not be dividends provided for a few years into the future, but holding to the theme that there may be better days ahead for the company. The letter then wraps up with a recognition of those city workers and the work that they perform for the City. Highlighting the City Council's dedication towards delivering services, while trying to hold down tax increases and only looking at them when necessary.

Councillor Ashley then asked for the Mayor to expand if he wished, though he had no comments to make.

Councillor Ashley then turned the session over to Council for further discussion.

Councillor Garon asked a question of staff, wondering if the City had information on taxation increases in the Industrial park area. Mr. Rodin offered up a bit of a guess, suggesting that the Industrial Park taxation might be around $99 dollars, at around a $500,000 valuation.

Councillor Garon followed up with a second question on Industrial taxation, viewed in the window of recent industrial closures in the region. Mr. Rodin provided the overview, more or less a tutorial of how the City adjusts the tax roll on these issues.

Councillor Garon then outlined that over the last five years Council has introduced some 15.23 per cent in tax increases, expressing her empathy to those taxpayers that are weary of those increased, something she suggests was worth council's consideration.

Councillor Thorkelson then offered up some observations regarding the Budget deliberations. Starting her presentation with wondering a thought as to what she expects from herself and what people in the community expect from their councillors. From that theme she took Council to the 2012 budget and the nature of the balancing of the books  that Council is required to perform each year. Outlining the work that was required to run the city from those decisions of last year. Turning to the 2013 budget she outlined the challenges faced by Council with current Budget discussions.

She appeared to take offence to the thought by some that the city's finances are a mess, suggesting that considering the difficulties that the City is facing they have done what they could to handle the situation.  She reminded council members as to the lack of revenue from Watson Island and how far back that scenario has gone, Mr. Rodin offered up that caution needed to be reviewed on that theme in regard to tax issues there. Councillor Thorkelson expressed her frustration over the Watson Island Issue as well as the CityWest announcement.

She again outlined her interest with the Port and revenue generated to the city from the current payments in lieu system in place. Again returning to the theme of her suggestion that the Port may see fit to make up the difference with some of the community groups that the city currently provides money for.

She outlined the ability of the City to keep its services intact in the current situation, which she described as fine budgeting. Suggesting that the City has tried its best to keep tax levels down and again returning to her theme that the City's finances are not in a mess. Suggesting that it's the current system that the City has to use in its generation of revenues, that is providing for the city's problems

She reinforced her thoughts on the Port contributing to some of the expenses the city faces and said she wouldn't mind looking to CityWest to see if they could find some cash to provide to the city at this time.

Councillor Ashley then offered up her thoughts on the topic of the Budget considerations, calling to the un-anticipated shortfall of revenues from recent announcements. Her main concern was that $850,000 dollars is from one time funding and not sustainable.  Outlining the nature of where that money is going to come from. Added on to that the realization that next year wasn't going to be much better for the city's fiscal planning.

Expressing concern as to where the City will be at next years Budget discussion and how the City needs to address those issues in a fiscally prudent nature, suggesting that there may be the need for cuts. She outlined the nature of money recovered by the city from any potential cuts that they could make at this time.

Councillor Garon then introduced a motion in agreement with Councillor Ashley's overview of the situation, the motion being for a 3 percent reduction across the board.

Once they reconnected with the Mayor, he then offered up his thoughts on the topic, recommending a number of steps that could be considered.

Councillor Thorkelson then weighed in that she was at a loss as to the nature of Councillor Ashley's suggestions and Councillor Garon's motion. Wondering why they were considering those suggestions at this time.

Councillor Ashley then outlined her reasoning for the introduction of cuts at this time.

Councillor Thorkelson then inquired as to what Council would be looking in the nature of the proposed cuts. Asking what the City would be looking to reduce from this process.

Councillor Ashley suggested that she was looking to keep some kind of operating surplus intact by way of these cuts, with an eye towards next years financial considerations and having a more sustainable budget for next year.

Councillor Thorkelson suggested that the Budget would be sustainable next year if CityWest provides a dividend next year and if the Port was to pay what the Port should. Stating that she was gambling that those things will occur, while she suggested that Councillor Ashley was gambling that they won't occur.

Councillor Thorkelson then asked if the city had a chart as that shows what the reserves are and what Council would be depleting them by, Mr. Rodin corrected her on the terminology, advising that they would be depleting the operating surplus, not reserves. Outlining the various options as to the nature of risk involved in the consideration of any reductions to it.

Mr. Rodin continue his tutorial for Council as to what kind of things they may want to factor into their discussion as to unexpected costs that could rise up over the next year and the need to have finances on hand for those items.

Councillor Thorkelson upon review of all of Mr. Rodin's information again spoke out against any across the board cuts, suggesting that Council needs to review their past budgets for an indication that they have the situation under control.

Councillor Garon expressed her thoughts on what she sees as the bottom line, suggesting that she is not budgeting on "ifs" so Council should budget on the current reality and not looking to the possibilities of  revenues of the future. She also suggested that Council needs to look at how they do things and if there is not a better way of doing them in the future.

Mr. Rodin outlined the number of potential layoffs dependent on the across the board cuts, most of which would come out of the City's public works department. As the Fire and Police levels can't be changed, Public Works is about the only place where any potential cuts could come from.

He then made a suggestion going forward, that Council should call on the new senior Administrators (City Manager, Chief Financial Officer), upon their hiring to conduct a frank discussion as to what items and services are and are not important to the City. He pointed to possible scenarios, which include a review of services at the Civic Centre, the Pool and in the Parks.

He recommended that council give the budget its three readings and then have the new senior management team go back and review it and make their recommendations to Council in the fall.

Councillor Rice asked for clarification as to what they were considering, included in her question the anticipated 2 per cent tax increase and a 3 per cent cut to civic departments across the board.

Councillor Ashley explained again her concerns over the sustainability of the financial plan without her recommendations for across the board cuts. She as well expressed her hope that the Port might offer up some additional money to help the city out of its current troubles.

Mayor Mussallem then provided some input, suggesting that before Council considered a 3 per cent cut across the board, that council consider further cuts to the autonomous and semi autonomous groups that the city provides funding towards as well he recommended a look a property tax exemptions.

Councillor Ashley then brought Council back to he motion currently on the floor.

After some clarification on the numbers for Councillor Thorkelson and further discussion on the topic of the planned cuts, Council was asked to cast their vote on the motion.

Council's vote on the issue resulted in a split with Councillors Ashley, Kinney and Garon voting in favour, Councillor's Thorkelson, Rice and Carlick-Pearson voting against, the Mayor's vote by way of telephone was reluctantly in favour.

With that vote, the motion for a three percent cut across the Board was passed. The three percent cuts would take effect immediately with lay off notices to be issued with the cuts approved.

(1 hour, forty minutes to two hours thirteen minutes  ) Further Discussion on Budget options

Council then turned its attention to the next aspect of the Budget discussions, regarding tax increases, short term tactics and reduction of the paving budget.

Councillor Thorkelson then asked for further guidance on the topic, asking what document Councillor Ashley was working from. And wondering what further action Council was considering now. Councillor Ashley outlined her thoughts as to where the across the Board cuts would be directed and what other measures the City should take on regarding its Budget concerns.

Mr. Rodin then was asked for his thoughts on the direction for Council's considerations.

Councillor Ashley then asked for council to make their suggestions as to how the process should move forward, what options they wished to consider or change from previous sessions.

Councillor Garon suggested that $596,000 of the General Operating Fund appropriated surplus, be used to fund the Current years Operating Costs. Mr. Rodin asked for clarification on that option, wondering if that would mean no tax increase this year.

Councillor Garon confirmed that was her intent.

Mr. Rodin's input was sought on that theme and he recommended that Council consider the required maintenance issues that need to be addressed and that the proposed tax increases would not be overly onerous on residents. He also recommended that Council hold a forum in the future on what residents may wish to have as services and amenities provided by the City.

The Mayor again offered his counsel to the gathering suggesting that Council hold a forum to explain to the public the process ahead before the deadline of mid May.

The Mayor then recommended that the motion be tabled until after that public forum.

That motion was voted on and accepted

Councillor Thorkelson then suggested that it's a good thing to consider the issues further after that forum, but that if Council had known of its financial situation earlier then perhaps it was a forum that could have taken place earlier.

She then suggested that Council review past budgets and how they performed, giving thought to those performances in the scope of the discussions of this session. She cautioned against any drastic cuts at this time, offering her remembrances on past reviews during the Victor Kumar years, where Councillors provided their thoughts on services and cuts. Though she did remind Council that no real consensus ever was reached during those sessions.

She did however go along with the consensus that they should hold a similar forum in the future, to reassess where they want to go as far as some of the issues they were discussing tonight.

She has fears that a last minute forum at this time, as suggested by the Mayor, could result in a wide range of citizens with lengthy lists of  issues for council to consider in a very short time frame.

What she would like to see is that Council receive suggestions from staff on where to go for this year and provide those suggestions for the public forum and instead plan for future forums of public consultation to provide for feedback from the public, regarding any direction that they might wish to see the city follow.

The Mayor then recommended that a motion be put forward asking for staff to provide for financial information for the public forum, outlining the areas of consideration for council at that time.

The motion was passed.

Mr. Grodecki urged council to pick a date for the public session, after discussion with Mr. Rodin, the date of May 8th was suggested for the public forum.

He outlined the tight nature of the timetable ahead to move the Budget forward. With the prospect of a public forum and the required other Council sessions to move the Budget process to conclusion.

Council will wait for Staff to advise as to the proper location for the public forum, which could possibly be either the Civic Centre or the Lester Centre.

Councillor Thorkelson recommended that the Public Forum take place on the 8th, with follow up Council Sessions on the 9th and possibly the 10th. With a May 13th session for adoption.

The motion then was read and adopted by Council.

Councillor Thorkelson then recommended that staff be put on notice that Council would like to have discussions in scheduled for the fall, to investigate further options for the City.

Councillor Ashley then moved on to other City items.

(2 hours thirteen minutes to 2 hours twenty one minutes )
Notice from the CEAA of a Working Group on Environmental Assessment on LNG discussions-- Mr. Rodin outlined the nature of an upcoming workshop from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency on the topic of LNG Terminal development, advising that they would only require one participant from the City in their working group. With the CEAA offering up to appear with Council to provide a general overview on their process.

Councillor Carlick-Pearson suggested that she was interested in attending the session. Councillor Garon  then recommended that Councillor Carlick-Pearson attend on behalf of the city. Councillor Thorkelson,  seemed inclined to attend as well, suggesting that their stipulations were quite rude, and advised the Mayor and Council that she would be attending one way or another, even if she was required to attend as a member of her union.

Staff was further advised to invite the CEAA to Council's meeting of the thirteenth of May, where Council would have opportunity to ask questions and make their thoughts known.

Reports, Questions and Inquiries for Council

With no concerns or questions to be offered, the Council meeting came to a close.

You can access the City Council Review page for April 29th here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including 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.

City Council Session for Monday, April 8, 2013

City Council Sessions for Monday, April 8, 2013

Home page and archive of sessions can be found here

Live Broadcast of session can be found here

North Coast Review Preview of Council Session for April 8, 2013

Agenda for Regular City Council Session of for April 8, 2013

Agenda for Special Council Meeting April 8, 2013
(resolution to exclude the public)

Info to Council

April 3, 2013

Note: Official Attendance and Minutes not posted to City website yet.

Mayor Jack Mussallem-- Present 
Councillor Anna Ashley-- Present
Councillor Judy Carlick-Pearson-- Absent
Councillor Gina Garon--  Present
Councillor Nelson Kinney--  Present
Councillor Jennifer Rice--  Attended by phone
Councillor Joy Thorkelson-- Present

Minutes of Regular Meeting April 8, 2013  

Audio Recording of April 8, 2013  

Video Recording of April 8, 2013   (not available)

North Coast Review City Council Timeline April 8, 2013  

North Coast Items on April 8th Session of Council

Seeking a path of priorities for City Council
Mayor Mussallem provides an update at council on the Watson Island situation

News items from the April 8th Council session

Northern View-- Prince Rupert City Council must stop passing the buck
Northern View-- Metlakatla chief concerned about Prince Rupert's boundary expansion plan
CFTK-- Prince Rupert Looks to Tighten the Belt on Municipal Liquor Laws
CFTK-- Prince Rupert City Growth (video)
CFTK-- Prince Rupert Paves the Way for Economic Growth
CFTK-- Prince Rupert Writes Enbridge (video)
CFTK-- Prince Rupert Sends Enbridge a Written Lashing
CFTK-- Fish Freezer Storage (video)
CFTK-- Prince Rupert Seeks Freeze Space for Commercial Fishers
CFTK-- Marine Laboratory (video)
CFTK-- Prince Rupert considers a Marine Laboratory

City Council Preview for April 8, 2013

After a number of marathon sessions over the last month or so, Monday's agenda suggests that it may be a bit lighter workload this time around for the City's Mayor and Council.

Council will review and then adopt the minutes of its last session and then move on to the new business of the day.

From the City Council Agenda (see here),  you can click on the respective page numbers to take you to the item of interest. (We list the page number in red below, use it as your guide for the City Agenda for items you may have an interest in)

Among the topics for discussion on Monday are a Report from the City Planner on a protocol template for Antenna System siting, with a recommendation that Council adopt a customized antenna system siting protocol, following public engagement and subject to further staff recommendations. You can review the template and recommendations on Page 12 on the Agenda.

Council will also be asked to declare a property on Ambrose Avenue as a nuisance and that the registered owners be required to remove or demolish the building within 30 day. You can review the report and recommendation on Page 48 of the Agenda.

Council will also consider a recommendation to strike a Committee to formulate a draft Municipal Alcohol policy, you can review the report from the Corporate Administrator on Page 52 of the Agenda.

Council will also be asked to provide Letters of Support for Planet Youth as they seek support for Additional Funding (Details of the request can be found on Page 57 of the Agenda).

As well,  Council will be urged to write a letter of support for the District of Invermore, seeking support against Towns without Councils, You can learn more about it from Page 61 of the Agenda.

Council will also be asked to proclaim the week of May 19-25, 2013 as Public Works Week in the City of Prince Rupert. (Page 75 of the Agenda)

Council will reveal the items they feel they can share from the Closed Meeting of earlier in the day.

To wrap up this session Council will examine Bylaw issues, receive a report from the City Manager on Outstanding Council Initiatives.

Towards the end of the session, Council members can offer up their thoughts on reports, ask questions provide for inquiries of Council or offer up topics of interest to them for discussion of Council.

You can also review the Information for Council package that City Council will have received over the last week.

Council begins their work on Monday with a Closed Session of Council at 5 PM, the Regular Public Council session gets underway at 7 PM.

Those with a high speed Internet connection can watch Council proceedings live through the City's Website.

The results of this weeks Council Session and any media follow ups to the items of the day can be found from our Council session page here.

A full review of the Council year thus far can be found on our City Council archive page.

City Council Timeline, Monday, March 25, 2013

Another night of Full Attendance for the 25th of  March edition of City Council, with all Six Councillors, the Mayor and City Manager all gathered in Council Chambers for what would be another  lengthy review of events.

Communication towers and signs dominated the first hour of the council session, as the Mayor and Council held an extensive examination of a communications tower for the college and the highway pullout development near the Ferry Terminal.

Council also reviewed the Community Funding Agreement with the province and where they plan on spending the revenue from your traffic tickets from the last year, as well as to where they would allocate the small Community grant.

The Sunken Gardens was a topic of interest for discussion, as the City reviewed how they would partner with the Prince Rupert Garden Club to help them gain funding for their project.

The remainder of the council night was taken up with resolutions and discussion on a number of items from the agenda.

No doubt the most interesting topic of the bunch, come in at the 1 hour five minute mark, an extensive review of some of the aspects of the Financial Plan that Council has to consider. With Council discussing such items as potential service cuts, tax increases, potential staff additions and the looming prospect of a new collective agreement with the civic unions.

The timeline of all of the council the proceedings can be found in red below, tied in with the City Council video feed archived below.

Further information such as minutes, audio and video archives can be found as they are posted to the city Website.

Minutes from March 25, 2013

In Attendance March 25, 2013

Mayor Jack Mussallem-- Present 
Councillor Anna Ashley-- Present 
Councillor Judy Carlick-Pearson-- Present
Councillor Gina Garon-- Present 
Councillor Nelson Kinney-- Present 
Councillor Jennifer Rice-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson-- Present

Video Archive for March 25, 2013 
Audio Archive for March 25, 2013

The first task of business for Council on the 11th was the usual adoption of the Agenda sessions of  Council meetings March 25th. (0:00-1:00)

The Mayor then opened the session of the Committee of the Whole and asked for questions from the public gallery. (1:00-17:00)

Larry Golden asked a question on whether the City could fine tune it's budget figure presentations, to better explain the budget process. Looking for more detailed explanation of what is under consideration by Council. The Mayor then had Acting City Manager explain the reasoning behind the current budget process and how it has changed over the years.

The main focus of Mr. Golden's questioning seemed to be on the topic of open and transparent delivery information, in particular on the topic of CityWest.  A process which he expressed the opinion of was one that he didn't feel was particularly open or transparent.

Councillor Ashley took exception to his belief that it wasn't an open and transparent process. Councillor Thorkelson directed Mr. Golden's attention to the calendar of meetings to come that could provide him the opportunity to further question the process.

Next up was Devlin Fernandez of Eco-Trust Canada, who advised City Council of an upcoming trans-border Economic and Stewardship gathering in Prince Rupert on May 14-16 and asked that Council send one or two representatives to the event.

Councillor Ashley asked if people could attend part of the conference, as part of it falls on a workday.

The Mayor inquired as to how far reaching the conference was going to be from where the guests were anticipated to come from.

With No more questions from the public, the Mayor moved on to the Regular City Council business of the day.

Regular City Council Business

Adoption of agenda and additions to it and adoption of Minutes from meetings from previous Council Sessions (17:00-19:30)

Reports and Recommendations (19:30--40:00 )

Recommendation for a Variance Permit for 11th Avenue East be Approved -- Mr. Krekic outlined the background of the request in front of council. The motion was approved

Recommendation for a Variance Permit on 5th Street  (NWCC) to be approved-- Mr. Krekic provided another outline of the property in question and the nature of the communications tower that is in question. Councillor Thorkelson expressed a concern over the possibility of children climbing up that tower.

Peter Freeman of NWCC outlined the safety measures that the college had plans in place for to safeguard over the prospect of people climbing the tower. Councillor Rice outlined the nature of an email she received over possible emissions from the tower and an impact on health. It was explained that the nature of the tower wasn't going to be directing any transmissions.

Councillor Carlick-Pearson also expressed concern over any rays that might be directed from the tower but found the answer to Councillor Rice's question to be sufficient. The motion was then approved.

A number of councillors then weighed in to offer up a variety of amendments to the theme, the end result being that the final motion was that the tower would be approved, providing there were safeguards to ensure that youth could not climb it. As well, should the nature of the tower be changed from its original purpose of receiving data, to transmitting data, then the college must appear at Council again to request that change.

The motion on the tower then was passed.

(40:00 - 54:00) Report from the Engineering coordinator on the Highway pullout on Highway 16 near the Ferries terminal. Mr Rodin outlined the details on the project  (already in place) which would provides for an information billboard and highway pullout . The City will provide the province with the required three metres of land for the project.

Councillor Carlick-Pearson had a couple of concerns on the topic,  the location of the pullout and safety concerns of that particular spot.

Councillor Ashley inquired as to the cost of the signage to the City considering its current budget concerns. The Mayor suggested that perhaps a way of providing for its cost through community involvement.

Councillor Garon expressed her shock at the fact that it was already developed, wondering why the City didn't have any more input into the process.

Councillor Ashley then asked that since it was a provincial project, why the province was not footing the bill for the sign. Mr. Rodin then provided some background on the situation and suggested that the City could bring forward its concerns over the development. The province will pay for its sign, the City doesn't have to construct its sign at this time.

Councillor Thorkelson then asked for a friendly amendment to have signage constructed to advise that the pull out is up ahead.

The motion then was approved.

Council  then discussed where to direct any potential tender for the community portion of the highway pullout sign, Councillor Garon suggested that Tourism Prince Rupert perhaps could be approached,  she also reinforced her disappointment in how the city had no say in the pull out construction.

Councillor Ashley echoed some of the frustration over the nature of the province's handling of the situation but did make a motion to direct city staff to seek out possible public supporters for the construction of the city's portion of the pull out sign. Suggesting the Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Prince Rupert or Community Futures be consulted for possible options.

Councillor Thorkelson then expressed her thoughts on what the sign might look like, suggesting that some of the local industrial groups such as the Prince Rupert Port Authority or Ridley Terminals could be approached to be asked to contribute to a sign. Her preference is for one with a nice design with community information and one that avoided featuring a number of advertising blocks.

Councillor Rice then sought out some clarification on the nature of the sign and to make sure that the City wasn't planning to pay for it. Preferring to have a community sponsor come forward to provide it.

After the lengthy discussion on the topic, Mr. Rodin then advised that staff understood Council's concerns and would do some research on the topic.

The motion was passed, with Councillor Garon opposed.

(54:00-- 56:00) Report from Acting City Manager on the Strategic Community Investment Funding Agreement -- Mr. Rodin outlined the background on the Agreement with the province, which provides funding to the city through the small community grant and traffic. The City includes these revenues in the budget and outlines what they plan to use the money for.  The Small Community grant is destined to be directed towards a reduction of any possible tax increase, while the Traffic fine monies would be directed to the RCMP.

The motion was adopted

(56:00- 57:00) Report from Acting City Manager on a request regarding the Sunken Gardens-- Mr. Rodin explained how the City would partner with the local Garden Society to gain grant funding for their sunken Garden project. It's the same process that the City used in partnership with Hecate Strait Development in the past, with city issuing tax receipts on behalf of the Sunken Gardens group, as they sought further funding for their plans.

The motion was adopted.

(57:00- 1:04:00) Report from the Acting City Manager on the December 2012 Monthly Department Report --  Mr. Rodin reviewed his report, outlining a number of aspects of the report on the various City departments.  Advising that it was available for a leisurely review.

The motion to receive the report was adopted.

Councillor Ashley asked a question on the purchase of the new ice chiller and whether it was costed out for this years budget. The problems from the old chiller were costed to the 2013 budget.

Councillor Carlick Pearson also had a question regarding the chiller and the nature of the rinks shutdown and timeline for a return of ice.

Councillor Thorkelson raised a question regarding the Watson Island revenue and the nature of the money received. She also inquired as to the nature of the property taxes that the city owes itself on that property and how they are accounted for with the City.

(1:04:00-- 1:05:00) Report from  the Acting City Manager on the 2013 Financial Plan Process-- Mr. Rodin reviewed the schedule ahead for the consideration of the City's Financial Plan and what will be considered at each session.

(1:05:00-- 1:42:00) Report from the Acting City Manager on the 2013 Financial Plan options-- Mr. Rodin reviewed the different options that the City could consider regarding its Financial situation and what impact those options may have on their final Financial plan.

He reviewed some of the revenue streams and provided a few items that staff might wish to add to the budget, among them a night time clerk for the RCMP, an additional manager for the Civic Centre complex as well as the prospect of more money for the Recreation Centre.

Mr. Rodin then reviewed some of the options; reduce the paving budget somewhat, perhaps by as much as $150,000, increase property taxes by about 1 percent to fund existing costs, with the possibility of cutbacks and service reductions.

He also suggested that the City could pull some money out of the surplus to fund some of the deficit.

He said Council could consider increasing fees, some of which have not been increased in a number of years.

He advised that Council could direct staff to do any or all of the above or hold off for further public consultation on the topic.

Councillor Ashley inquired as to the topic of an infrastructure priority list and whether city was addressing any of them, Mr. Rodin outlined the streetlight replacement project, the Duncan Road sewer extension and the Moresby Creek sewer project.

She also inquired as to the nature of any work on Shawatlans Dam and whether anything is planned for this year, Mr. Rodin advised that they are looking for grants for that and the Mayor added they were waiting for further criteria on the Federal Governments infrastructure plans.

Councillor Ashley asked if the head of engineering could attend a council session to provide further information on the city engineering requirements.

Councillor Garon expressed the thought that she wanted to hear from the public as to what they think of the possible options.

Councillor Thorkelson inquired on the status of the CUPE agreement, and asked for an estimate that the impact of any potential wage increase would have on the budget. The current contract ended in 2012, the next set of negotiations is set to take place in the second or third quarter of this year, the contract if settled could be effective January of 2013. Councillor Thorkelson requested some kind of projections for council to consider with the various wage provisions in place.

Mr. Rodin estimated that the CUPE aspect of wages takes about 7 million out of the budget.

Councillor Thorkelson inquired as to the prospect of the part time clerk for the RCMP and if the RCMP had asked for any other increase in staff. She then outlined her thoughts on the request for the clerk for the RCMP, the additional rec centre manager and other recreation centre financial options.

The two new positions would be incremental costs, as would be the additional spending on the rec centre.

Councillor Ashley asked if there was any tax revenue included in the financial plan stemming from Pinnacle Pellet.

He reviewed some of the properties that would no longer be taxed, the fish plants that have closed recently and the shut down of the Houston Pellet plant at Ridley, which reduces the city's industrial taxation prospects.

She also inquired as to the status of the now paid off Museum mortgage. She, like other councillors wanted to see more information and ideas and what the possibilities are and the impact they might have on the budget and the community. Such as fee increases, service reductions.

Councillor Thorkelson expressed concerns over the prospect of a huge tax increase, while at the same time didn't want to see service reductions that may drive civic employees out of town. Her main concern is over the prospect of wage increases and the impact of them on the budget.

She counselled for patience as the City waits for better times to come to the community, before exploring the larger issues at hand.

Councillor Ashley returned to the theme of infrastructure concerns and that the city should maximize its funds.

Councillor Kinney joined in on the conversation, calling on the promise of the future and how the City should make things presentable so that those arriving in the community may wish to remain here.

The motion to receive the report for informational purposes was adopted.

(1:42:00--1:57:00 ) Report from the Corporate Administrator on the topic of a Nuisance property on 7th Avenue East-- Mr. Grodecki outlined the details of his report, recommending that the property and items upon it in question  and items upon it be demolished.

Councillor Ashley asked about property valuations and the procedure of recovering cost from the tax sale provisions.

Mr. Rodin then delivered a review of some of the accounting procedures of the city both in regard to these property demolitions and other facets of civic accounting.

The motion was adopted.

(1:57:00--1:58:00 ) Correspondence for Action -- Request for a letter of support for Northwest Community College regarding an application for a Community Enhancement grant from the Port to enhance their marine courses at the college.

The motion was adopted

(1:58:00--2:01:00) Proclamation Request from Community Social Service

The motion was adopted

Councillor Thorkelson also added to the motion that they write a letter to the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition expressing the city's support for Community Social Services.

That motion was adopted

Councillor Rice asked if they could include a copy to Regional District on the letter.

(2:01:00--2:01:30 ) Resolutions from the Closed Meeting

Announcement of appointments to the Board of Variance

(2:01:30-- 2:14:00 ) An internship proposal from Northern Development Initiative Trust -- Mr. Rodin outlined the concept of the proposal from NDIT, offering further education for those interested in civic governance issues. The City would be required to provide some of the money towards the project, the Mayor offering up a potential three way split with Port Edward and Regional District. The only concern that Mr. Rodin has is that the City may not have the proper amount of staff on hand at the moment to take advantage of the internship.

Councillor Ashley asked as to the timeline of the application process for the project.

Councillor Garon outlined her conversation with NDIT on the costing of the project to the city, which she believes to be around 8,000 dollars. She spoke in favour of moving forward with the proposal.

Councillor Ashley again returned to the theme of the timeline and the ability to contact other potential partners with Prince Rupert.

Councillor Thorkelson offered up the thought that they only received this tonight, so it's hard to know all of the details of it. She followed up on the theme of Mr. Rodin's about what we might be able to offer any potential intern and how the City needs to be fair to them at this time.

Councillor Garon returned to the theme of the project and again spoke strongly in favour of the program.

The motion was adopted, providing that the approval is received from Port Edward and SQCRD.

( 2:14:00- 2:14:30) Report from the City Manager on Outstanding City Initiatives-- Mr. Rodin reviewed the current projects that the city is working on, including a number of Capital Works projects.

Reports, Questions and Inquiries for Council
(2:15:00-- 2:29:30 )

Councillor Garon advised Council as to the nature of the NDI website and the programs that they offer to communities.

Councillor Rice reviewed four items of interest to her, inquiring about a share shed at the landfill, Mr. Rodin said he would look further into the topic. Councillor Rice then followed that up with a request of clarification on the backyard hens proposal and if there has been any progress on it. Mr. Rodin advised that staff was advised that it was a low priority on the agenda for workload purposes. He wasn't sure if it would be addressed in 2013.  Councillor Rice then turned to the Information package of March 20th and the Port Authority planning for the Waterfront East, asking that the City take the next step towards its vision of the development in that area.

Councillor Ashley wondered where that fits into their top five priorities at the moment, the Mayor asked Mr. Rodin to consult with Mr. Krekic on the status of the plans priority. Councillor Thorkelson also weighed into the discussion, suggesting that the boundary expansion project probably knocks the Waterfront East planning down the list of priorities. Councillor Thorkelson also offered up that she would like to talk to the Port about the Kwinitsa west portion of the waterfront.

Councillor Rice had one final item of interest, regarding the Welcoming Committee for new immigrants to the community and wondered if anyone was going to participate in that April 10th meeting.

Councillor Thorkelson raised an item from the last Mayor's report, asking that the City send a letter to the Provincial parties to seeking their development of a BC commercial fisheries program and accompanying policies, to promote the growth and development of a commercial fisheries and processing sectors in coastal communities, including serious consideration of the State of Alaska style of regional salmon aquaculture.

Councillor Garon then asked about the nature of disappearing garbage cans in the downtown area.

Councillor Garon also wondered if the planters were being removed on Second and Third Avenues, they were removed at the request of Civic Pride owing to the deteriorating condition that they were in.

Mayor's Report

(2:29:30-2:35:30)

The Mayor received a note from Air Canada Express, advising that they will be operating a flight on Saturday afternoons as of May 4th, to compliment their morning flights of Saturday.

The Mayor also advised that the Prince Rupert Airport reported that passenger figures for January and February of 2013 show an increase in passengers of 4.14 per cent from last year at this time.

The Mayor participated in the City of Prince Rupert Awards of Appreciation ceremony. Councillors Carlick-Pearson and Garon were also in attendance at that ceremony.

The Mayor also took part in an interview with Bill Good discussing the development of port facilities in the community.

He advised that there is currently some upgrading of the Butze Rapids trail at this time.

The session then came to a close.

Rainmaker Results... Wednesday, March 6, 2013

With three Prince Rupert basketball teams participating at Provincial tournaments this week, we'll track the results from each team through the blog on a daily basis.

You can access up to date information from our right hand column on the blog, found under the North Coast Events section.

Below find tournament information for the Junior and Senior Boys Charles Hays Rainmakers, as well as the Junior Girls. Tournament News, results and links to on line video feeds from each tournament can be found below


Charles Hays Secondary Senior Boys Basketball

AA Tournament at Thomson Rivers University, Kamloops (website)
On line Streaming Feed (only semi finals and medal games to be streamed)

Wednesday, March 6, 5 PM
Charles Hays 43 vs Holy Cross 81 (Boxscore)

Charles Hays plays King George tomorrow at 11:45 AM


Kamloops Daily News-- AA Notebook March 7
Kamloops Daily News-- Lots on the line at AA Provincials
Kamloops Daily News-- Organizers aim for strong final AA tournament


Charles Hays Secondary Junior Boys Basketball

Provincial Tournament at Vancouver College, Vancouver (website)
On line Streaming Feed

Wednesday, March 6, 5 PM
Charles Hays 45 vs STMC 44 (OT)

Charles Hays plays number one ranked Churchill Thursday at 1:30


Charles Hays Secondary Junior Girls Basketball

Provincial Tournament at Langley Events Centre, Langley (website)
Jr Girls Tournament twitter feed
On Line Streaming Feed

Wednesday, March 6, 5 PM
Charles Hays 9 vs Riverside Rapids 71

Charles Hays plays Little Flower Academy on Thursday 1:30 PM

Return to Archive Page for past items of interest