The debut meeting for the Prince Rupert City Council had a bit in common with many of the sessions of the years of the last collective, with the work on the night completed before the fifteen minute mark was reached.
With the Mayor noting that the official swearing in for the new council that had been elected on the 20th of October had taken place at 5PM that evening, the listings of the Agenda did not take up much time for the returning council members and those newly elected to work their way through on their debut night.
Among the work on the evening, a range of appointments to Boards and the adoption of the Council Schedule for 2019.
The Mayor also provided for a brief inaugural address, observing on the plans for the Council membership moving forward, each member of council then offered up a few short comments on their thoughts for the term ahead.
Some background on the work of Council on the evening and the various Agenda elements for the November 5th Council session can be reviewed 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, November 5, 2018
Mayor Lee Brain -- Present
Councillor Nick Adey -- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Present
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present
Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Video Archive for November 5, 2018
(0:00 -- 1:00 ) Regular City Council Session for November 5, 2018 -- Mayor Brain observed how the official swearing in of Council had taken place at 5 PM, with family, friends and members of the public in attendance.To start their first session together, he reviewed the list of minutes and agenda items to be noted by Council members.
( 1:00 -- 2:00 ) Report from the Corporate Administrator on the Appointment of Acting Mayors for 2018-19 -- Mr. Mandryk read out the schedule and names of which Council members would serve as Acting Mayor in the case of the Mayor's absence.
The schedule was adopted by Council.
( 2:00 -- 2:40 ) Report from the Corporate Administrator on the Council Session Schedule for 2019 -- Council members approved the schedule of Council sessions for 2019.
( 2:40 - 4: 00 ) Report from the Corporate Administrator regarding Appointment to Regional District -- Mr. Mandryk outlined the nature and requirements of the duties of those appointed as City of Prince Rupert representatives to the North Coast Regional District. Councillor Mirau nominated Mayor Lee Brain and Councillor Barry Cunningham as the two representatives for the City.
With the City allocated 7 votes on Regional District, it was recommended that Mayor Brain receive four of those votes, with Councillor Cunningham to hold three.
Alternate members for Regional District will be Councillors Niesh (primary) and Randhawa (secondary).
Council then voted to approve the nominations.
( 4:00 - 8:00 ) Report from Corporate Administrator regarding Appointments to the Northwest Regional Hospital District -- Councillor Mirau recommended that both the Mayor and Councillor Cunningham hold those posts as well, noting how the Regional District and Hospital District provide for synergies between the two boards. Mayor Brain noted that both groups generally meet on the same day.
For Alternates Councillors Adey and Randhawa were selected by the Council members.
( 8:00 - 13:00 ) Reports and Comments from Council members
Mayor Brain led off the comment period for the Council session observing how he was looking forward to working collaboratively as a team, as they continue to execute many of the items that have been outlined from the Hays 2.0 blue print presentation. He noted how those elements remain the top priority for the council particularly the infrastructure deficit that the city is tackling. He outlined how Phase One had been completed, with Phase Two now underway and the city looking to raise funds for Phase Three which is the submarine line and the water treatment plans.
He noted how the water treatment issue is Council's flagship rebuild Rupert project moving forward as they look to secure the water supply, He noted that there were a variety of other infrastructure issues that the council will be addressing, as well as to create new revenue and getting Watson Island looking towards new proponents for that industrial site.
He observed how the Council would be sticking to the plan, with a good trajectory in place and some momentum to move forward to bring the community into the 21st century as they look to tackle some the past issues and get on top of them. The Mayor added he was looking forward to tackling those challenges and continuing on with the good work that they have been doing.
From there Mr. Brain turned things over to the council membership for some comment.
Councillor Nick Adey, one of the two newly elected members led off the tour of the council chamber offering up that he wasn't going to say much as we was going to be learning lots during the next few weeks. He did add that he was grateful for the opportunity to do this and how he agrees that there are a lot of very positive things that are happening and how he was enthusiastic about being a part of that.
Councillor Randhawa also offered his thanks for the opportunity to serve the community and they had a good team assembled and how he was looking forward to continuing on with the momentum from the previous term.
Councillor Mirau congratulated and welcomed the two newly elected members to the Council and thanked both Charmaine Carlson and Sarah Dantzer for having sought office, noting how it takes a lot of courage to put their neck out like that. Observing how it had been democracy in action he added that he was looking forward seeing how the new team comes together and gels over the next four years.
Councillor Niesh also issued his thanks, and how he is looking forward to the next four years and how it will hopefully be as productive as the last four years.
Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven, the second of the new members thanked those that came out to vote and also paid tribute to the efforts of candidates Carlson and Dantzer. He offered up that he was humbled and honoured to be there and for those that voted for him and those who didn't, he still continues to serve and how he has open ears for anyone with concerns they wish to bring to him.
Councillor Cunningham echoed the sentiments of the rest of Council and welcomed the two newest members, as well as to thank both Ms. Dantzer and Ms. Carlson for their election efforts, noting how many talk but few follow through with an election run. He noted that there was still much work ahead and how he anticipated that it will be a lot of fun and that they will achieve good results. He outlined how he will raise any issue that he believes is worthwhile bringing to the room and how anyone can talk to him at any time.
On that theme, he offered up to issues on the night returning to items he brought up at the last council meeting, the first noting that he was still waiting for an answer from city staff as to whether Emerson Place was still considered a road.
As well, he returned to his previous theme of looking to bring free parking to the Rushbrook Floats area during the off season so as to reduce the congestion at the other end of the Rushbrook Trail at Seal Cove. Reminding the council of the benefits of that idea to help encourage use of the trail in the winter time.
The Mayor then brought the inaugural meeting of the new Council to close.
You can access the City Council Review for November 5, 2018 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 November 5, 2018 (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, November 19, 2018.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
Showing posts with label City Council Timeline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label City Council Timeline. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
City Council Timeline, Monday, December 7th, 2015
The Public Hearing took up one hour of the three hour session, the presentation from some of the union executive of UFAWU/Unifor almost another at the end of the evening, leaving the middle hour to Council to tend to a number of zoning issues, a couple of them fairly controversial.
Council members also received a number of reports from the City's Financial Officer, heard a Housing report from the Mayor and took note of Councillor Cunningham's concerns over a now little used regulation by the Province related to liquor outlets in the province.
For some background on the evening's scheduled items of note, see the Regular Council Agenda for December 7, 2015.
Council also took part in the latest of their Special Closed Sessions which was held earlier in the day at 5:00 PM.
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 December 7, 2015
Mayor Lee Brain-- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Present
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Nelson Kinney-- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson -- Present (participating by phone)
Video Archive for December 7, 2015
( 0:00 -- 55:30 ) Public Hearing into the rezoning of land on Stiles Place for a proposed Condominium development --The Public Hearing process began with an overview of the zoning amendment bylaw by the City Planner Zeno Krekic, including the shift in conditions for the area around Stiles Place that has been proposed for development.
Following the City Planners review, the proponents of the development provided an expanded review of what they have in mind for the property, which would see an eight storey condominium development developed along the slope between Stiles Place and Bill Murray Way.
Mrs. Cynthia Pyde provided some history related to the land in question and what she and her husband Frank visualized for the community as part of their development. Following her comments, the development team from Swiss Real outlined how the project has come together and what the project will look like and provide for the community upon its conclusion.
Only one council member had questions for the group, with Councillor Thorkelson asking if they had any plans to develop affordable housing as part of the secondary building on the proposed site, she was advised that the project design would see that building used for medical clinics and retail development with no housing concept included in that design.
Public Comments followed those presentations, with nine participants providing their input to Council, with six members of the public raising a number of concerns related to the project, the majority of them related to noise, traffic issues and the high end nature of the housing for the project itself.
A number of those that did offer up their concerns were residents of the Harbour Side Apartments, or nearby condos along Bill Murray Drive which would be the most affected by the development in the immediate area.
Three participants offered their strong support for the proposal, noting how it signals that Prince Rupert is ready to see development, welcoming the concept of condominiums that will allow residents of the city to downsize from owning homes but remain in the community.
After one hour and with no other comments to be offered from the public gallery, the Public hearing was declared at an end. With Council to review the zoning issue as part of their Regular Council agenda.
Five Minute Break
( 59:30--1:00:00 ) Regular Council Session -- Adoption of Past Minutes and Agenda for the evening. -- Council reviewed a number of past minutes and accepted the Agenda for the evening's Regular Council session.
Petitions and Delegations
( 1:00:00--1:03:00) Report from the City Financial Officer on 2016 Capital Works and Purchases -- Ms. Corinne Bomben provided a review of where the city is at when it comes to planning for Capital works and projects of the year ahead.
Ms. Bomben outlined some of the items of note from her report, including an advisory that the City will have to consider a proposed 2 per cent increase to the mill rate on property taxes for next year.
As for projects, she highlighted the Shawatlans water project as one area where work would take place this year, with some funding from Prince Rupert Legacy Inc, and the Canada Builds Grant.
As well the Digby Island Ferry Dock in Prince Rupert will require repairs, as well as a number of retaining walls in the community. With the Second Avenue Bridge also requiring work in 2016.
Councillor Thorkelson asked for some further background related to the proposed increase to the mill rate, asking for clarification on what the Financial Department was looking for and what impact on the tax rate.
Council voted to approve the motion
( 1:03:00 --1:16:00 ) Report from the City Financial Officer on 2016 Community Enhancement Grants -- The City's CFO provided a review of the Grant process with the recommendation that with operating funds remaining much the same as the year previous, with stresses from general inflation and negotiated wage increases.
With the proposed mill rate increase as outlined previous, she offered up a recommendation to Council, suggesting that the proposed 2 percent increase could be eliminated by capping Community Enhancement Grants
Towards that theme, Ms. Bomben recommended that council not provide any new Grants for 2016 and when it comes to existing Grant recipients that a cap be placed on funding for the Grants to $850,000 dollars, down from the requested amounts for 2016 which are at 1.125 million dollars.
Following her report Councillor Mirau offered up a motion to have staff deliver a report to Council for the next meeting in January that will outline disbursements with no new grants to be made for 2016, along with baseline disbursements for 2016 that would be parallel to 2015 disbursements and that four criteria be established for considering grant allocations.
They would be: Frequency of use by community members, diversity of services provided, overall value to community as a whole and consideration of the lowest possible impact on public service levels.
Councillor Mirau spoke first to his recommendation, noting how the City needs to set clear and concise policy when it comes to grant allocations, allowing Council the ability to develop priorities.
Councillor Cunningham had concerns over the concept of a cap on any kind of funding, noting how some facilities have been underfunded and continue to struggle and how the City has to decide who gets what kind of funding.
Councillor Niesh offered his support for the motion from Councillor Mirau and agreed with the concept of the cap for this year, noting how the City finances dictate what they can allocate.
Councillor Kinney agreed with the motion, but urged for caution and how the City needs to be careful when it comes to some of the groups who are in the most need.
Councillor Thorkelson offered up her opposition to the concept, recalling how past decisions by council may have provided ramifications on revenue streams that are required and are now having an impact on their community partners. She noted how Council is having a rough time delivering this budget at this time, she also took issue with the criteria aspect of Councillor Mirau's motion, suggesting that is Council's job to determine not that of City staff.
She called it disgraceful that the City is talking about cutting funding to the key Grant recipients because of decisions made in the past, asking Council how these organizations will continue to provide those services.
She recommended that the City should take the grant figures from last year and accept the idea of the 2 percent increase to provide the required funding.
Councillor Randhawa noted the importance of the Grant recipients to the community, but also called attention to the burden it could place on the taxpayers, offering his support to Councillor Mirau's motion.
Council voted to carry the revised motion from Councillor Mirau to review the process in January following the receipt of further information from staff, only Councillor Thorkelson was in opposition to that motion.
( 1:16:00 -- 1:20:36 ) Report from the City Planner regarding a development variance permit for property on 8th Avenue East-- Mr. Krekic provided some background on the request. Councillor Mirau inquired of staff if there was an ability to delegate such types of variance requests to staff for approval, removing them from the need for approval by Council members.
Mr. Long and Mr. Krekic outlined some of the factors involved in that concept.
Council then voted to approve the variance motion.
( 1:20:30 -- 1:21:00 ) Motions from Closed Sessions of Council -- The Corporate Administer outlined that Council on November 23rd at a closed session had approved the recommendations of the Engineering Department and Associated Engineering, awarding the Shawatlan's pump station upgrade to the Electrician, it was approved by all members in attendance
Bylaws
( 1:21:00 -- 1:37:00 ) Report from the City Planner regarding rezoning of land on Stiles Place -- Council reviewed the background to the rezoning issue, which had been previously addressed as part of the Public Hearing earlier in the evening. From that point Council members offered up their comments related to the proposed zoning issue and condo project development.
Councillor Cunningham opened up the discussion by offering up some questions related to traffic issues in the area that need to be reviewed.
Councillor Thorkelson expressed her opposition to the project, noting that developers are asking the City to accommodate their business of development, but that the city's desire for affordable housing as part of new projects continue to go unanswered.
She added that the developers were looking to change the city for their benefit, with city setting in motion the prospect of many high end developments in the city, but that the poor were not being provided for. She further noted that Developers stand to make millions in the community and must be directed through cross subsidization to provide affordable housing.
Councillor Cunningham agreed with Ms. Thorkelson on some of those points, noting how it was up to the City to decide how it should extract money form these developments to put towards affordable housing, though he noted it was not the city's job to force them to build the affordable housing.
Councillor Niesh spoke strongly in favour of the zoning change and the proposed development, offering his 100 percent support to the project. Noting how Council frequently complains that we don't have money for Grants and other purposes, and here is a chance to access money.
He also observed as to the nature of the project, dismissing the idea from Councillor Thorkelson that it's a high end property, but offers residents the opportunity to downsize their life, and a proposal that alleviates some of the housing problems in the community. Adding that the more houses the city sees built will provide a domino effect that will provide accommodation for people that are looking for a place to live.
Councillor Mirau echoed a number of the same points as Councillor Niesh, suggesting that Council has to move forward on housing policy, with spot zoning preferable to blanket zoning. Suggesting that the increase in supply would reduce the cost of other housing in the community. He added that the project satisfies the concept of densification in the downtown.
Councillor Randhawa had similar comments in support of the project, adding that he hoped that the project included the hiring of local workers.
Councillor Kinney also was in favour of the project, calling it a great idea, noting how it was designed to allow Seniors to find accommodation in town without having to relocate upon selling their homes.
At the end of the discussion Council voted 6-1 in favour of approval of the rezoning of the land (with Councillor Thorkelson opposed) and setting forward the prospect of development for the lot in question.
( 1:37:00 -- 2:03:00 ) Report from the City Planner on the rezoning of the Kanata School Lands -- Mr. Krekic provided the background to the rezoning application, noting the plan of the proponent to develop the old school property into multi family housing units. He observed to the various public information sessions that took place related to the proposed housing project.
Council members had a number of questions related to the application and what plans the proponent had when it comes to the housing for that area, as well as questions related to adjacent land buffers associated to the site and plans for a playground and park area as part of the area development.
Councillors Thorkelson and Cunningham had the most concerns related to the nature of the development, with the timeline of development that the proponent has in mind which is LNG dependent, calling attention to another area of development that the city has made accommodations for the same developer on in the Graham Avenue area, where no development has taken place as of yet.
She had comments related to the concept of park development and how that would leave the city required to provide ongoing maintenance for any such project, as well as concerns that the proponent could begin the process of removal of trees, whether there would be development or not.
With Councillor Thorkelson returning to her theme of affordable housing and how in the Graham Avenue proposal there is again no inclusion of any form of affordable housing as part of that development, a theme she believes is constant with the current proposal for the Kanata lands.
On that topic she took issue with the concept of earlier in the night from Councillors Mirau and Niesh, that creating housing would provide a cascade effect, reducing the pressure on the housing situation. Ms. Thorkelson challenged the two councillors, by noting she has read a number of studies on housing that show other outcomes to their thoughts on housing, asking that they find a study that supports their concept.
Councillor Niesh picked up on that comment, noting his belief in the concept of the cascading effect and how this is not Vancouver, but Prince Rupert and how it's developers that will be creating housing in the community. Observing ow the City should be looking forward to the idea that someone wanting to come to town to invest and to develop housing here.
Councillor Cunningham also had concerns related to the developer involved in this proposed project, relaying a list of some of the issues he has with the way they have approached the development.
He also wondered if they were developers, or speculators, recalling how the same developers cleared much of the land off of Park Avenue, but have yet to begin any form of development.
He suggested that Council table the motion until further information from the proposed developers, a motion that Councillor Thorkelson seconded.
From that motion, Council decided that they would sit in private session with the developer to investigate the issues further, with that meeting to be scheduled before December 18th.
The rezoning issue would then be brought back to the public session in January of 2016.
( 2:03:00 -- 2:04:30 ) Report from the Director of Operations regarding a road closure request -- The heard a review of a request from Macro Properties to close a number of roads in the Digby Towers/Sherbrook Gardens area around Prince Rupert Boulevard and Albert Avenue.
Council approved the motion.
Correspondences for Action
( 2:02:00 - 2:50:00 ) Presentation from Members of UFAWU/Unifor requesting the support of Council -- Citing conflicts, Councillors Thorkelson and Mirau excused themselves from the Council session, Prior to the presentation from members of the union representing shore workers at the Canadian Fish Plant.
As for the presentation, with a number of union members in attendance in the public gallery, Arnold Nagy and Conrad Lewis from UFAWU/Unifor provided a review of the issues facing the local shore workers in the community, delivering a history lesson for council on the nature of the industry over the years and its importance to Prince Rupert.
They also offered up some background on the nature of the job losses that they estimate could be as high as 500 union members, as a result of the decision by Canadian Fish to close its canning lines at the Oceanside plant, including for Council the prospect of a number of secondary job losses that could be found from other businesses in the area as a result of the Canadian Fish decision.
Noting for council that unless the jobs in the fishing industry in Prince Rupert were protected, the community was facing another exodus of workers and families much like what happened when the pulp mill closed.
Part of their presentation included the request for the support of Council towards their efforts to have the Federal Government address the issue by providing the same kind of legislation that currently exists on the east coast, with four key elements of note of: Adjacency, Owner Operator provisions and Fleet separation.
The underlying theme of their presentation was the declaration that fish that is harvested in the North should benefit the North and that a strong message needs to be sent to Jim Pattison the owner of Canadian Fish.
They finished their presentation that the City of Prince Rupert would not be backing UFAWU/Unifor but backing residents of Prince Rupert.
Following the presentation, Mayor Brain read out the request from the union and after a short discussion, those Council members in the chamber voted to offer the city's support to the request to the resolution related to the request from UFAWU/Unifor.
To wrap up their comments to Council, both Mr. Nagy and Mr. Lewis noted that the community was becoming very involved in their efforts to address the issues of the canning line closures and that they were finding support from across Canada when it comes to the prospect of securing jobs in the fishing industry on the North Coast.
( 2:50:00 -- 2:55:00 ) Report on the Housing Committee -- The Mayor updated Council on the latest developments, observing that progress is being made on a number of initiatives, one which incorporates such social services as mental health and addictions into the review of housing needs.
With three groups in the community, the City of Prince Rupert and agencies of the province working towards a proposal for a housing project in 2016.
The Mayor also noted that he has been named Chair of the Group and that there are two meetings planned for December, with the prospect of moving forward with a development proposal by March.
He also outlined some of the work that they have put in place towards that process, calling the latest developments as "Good Traction and Good News"
( 2:55:00 -- 2:57:30 ) Reports, Questions and Inquires from Council
Councillor Cunningham called attention to an issue related to liquor licensing in the city, asking that the City look at putting back in place the one kilometre rule related to licensed liquor establishments. Noting that the province ignores that rule now, and that if the two large supermarkets in town were to introduce liquor outlets in their stores, it could have an impact on the private operators in the city and provide for further unemployment in the community.
Council voted to approve his motion to have City Staff investigate the issue further.
You can access the City Council Review for December 7th here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to media coverage of it can 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.
Minutes of the Regular Council Session from December 7th (not available yet)
Council next meets in Regular session on January 11th in Council Chambers at City Hall. That will mark Council's first scheduled meeting of 2016.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
City Council Timeline, Monday, November 9, 2015
With no city business to deal with for the first session of November, the majority of the twenty four minutes was allocated to housing and social issues in the community, with the Mayor and Councillor Thorkelson carrying the bulk of the conversation on those themes.
The Mayor opened the discussion by providing an update on the latest work of the housing committee, while Councillor Thorkelson added some thoughts to that topic and then delivered an address on the current nature of the unemployment situation in the city and the impact that it could have on the city as the winter months arrive.
A few housekeeping issues, the return of a Mayor's notebook of sorts and a see ya later folks at minute 24 and Council was done until the 23rd of November.
For some background on the evening's scheduled items of note, see the Regular Council Agenda for November 9 here.
Council also had taken part in the latest of their Special Closed Session which was held earlier in the day at 5:00 PM.
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 November 9, 2015
Mayor Lee Brain-- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Present
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Absent
Councillor Nelson Kinney-- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson -- Present
Video Archive for November 9, 2015
( 0:00-1:30 ) Regular Council Session -- Adoption of Past Minutes and Agenda for the evening. -- Council reviewed a number of past minutes and accepted the Agenda for the evening's Regular Council session.
With no Regular City business on the Agenda for Monday evening, Mayor Brain took the opportunity to provide a short update on the Housing Committee work over the last few weeks.
( 2:00 -8:30 ) An update on the Housing Committee -- The Mayor noted that owing to a number of reasons, there had not been much progress on housing in recent months, but that he held out hope that things would be back on track through the fall and into 2016.
Noting the two streams of approach that the City has engaged in over the last few months, the first in the nature of data collection, to provide for some baseline information related to lots available for affordable housing in the community, with the second course of engagement that of working with stakeholders in the community.
He pointed to a current Housing Committee initiative involving the City, Hecate Strait Business and North Coast Transition Society, who are all are working with the Prince Rupert Aboriginal Services, towards developing a housing strategy, with 50,000 dollars provided by the province towards their study.
A project which will put together some guidelines on how to address affordable housing issues before the community reaches out to the various levels of government, including the Federal government to move their plans forward.
He also noted some of the challenges facing the committee and suggested that there could be some movement on the housing issue as we head into 2016.
Councillor Thorkelson added a few comments to the topic, calling attention to some of the restrictions in place when it comes to developing affordable housing options, as well as some of the subsidy arrangements in place for those that require affordable housing.
She offered up some examples of how the provincial government commitments to the community have already been used up for the month and how there is little money by way of subsidy available to bridge the situation to December.
( 8:30--24:00 ) Reports, Questions and Inquires from Council
Councillor Thorkelson also took advantage of opportunity of the slow council evening to provide a review of her concerns over the nature of the Employment Insurance system on the North Coast and how the current structure is penalizing the region.
Making note of the dire situation facing a large number of local shore workers this year from the city's fish plant, which saw layoffs arriving much earlier than years of the past and the repercussions that the EI situation will cause for the city's residents.
She outlined some of the situations that are facing those that have seen their EI options reduced, with the prospect of missed rent payments and evictions and other social issues among some of the concerns she has for the fall and winter season ahead.
She explained in detail the structure of the EI system that the city's residents have to deal with, which places Prince Rupert placed in the same economic area as the province's more robust economy of the Northeast and communities like Fort St. John, a situation which she observes is weighted towards the Northeast employment picture, which currently is punishing the local residents of the North Coast who don't have access to the same form of employment options.
When it comes to the Unemployment and Welfare rates of the province, Ms. Thorkelson observed for the Council that the North Coast is listed among the highest in BC when it comes to unemployment, noting that the rate here could be as high as 15 percent, with a high number of residents also relying on the welfare system.
She noted that it was her belief that our EI catchment area should be much smaller and more reflective of the regions issues, something that she hopes will be addressed by the new Federal government in Ottawa.
She outlined for Council an approach that will soon be taken on through the local labour movement, which will put together a presentation to bring to Council to discuss and seek action through the Federal government.
Their efforts will be designed to provide an opportunity for those on the EI bubble to have better access to EI opportunities as opposed to having make use of the welfare system.
She wrapped up here review of the employment concerns with a short review of the recent commercial fishery which did not deliver the anticipated returns and has delivered the economic conditions for some of the troubles currently faced by local workers in the community.
Councillor Cunningham outlined some of his concerns over the lack of progress related to a rezoning application for a property on Borden. Mayor Brain provided some background related to the topic, with the City Manager noting that the issue is moving forward and is awaiting some clarification as to its status.
Mayor Brain then took a page from the previous Mayor, turning to Jack Mussallem's short observations of the past, providing what in effect was his version of Mr. Mussallem's old Mayor's report.
For his short review, Mr. Brain reminded everyone of the Wednesday Remembrance Day event starting at 11 AM at the Court House.
As well, he provided a reminder of the launch of the Love Prince Rupert campaign set for this Saturday at the Civic Centre from 11 AM to 3 PM, featuring a number of local businesses setting up booths to market themselves to the community, with a number of activities planned as part of the event.
He also provided called attention to the Seniors Tea taking place that same day.
The Mayor also noted that Councillor Mirau and the City Planner would be attending the Communities Fit for Children's Conference in Vernon appearing on behalf of the Mayor, who noted that he had duties to attend to on behalf of the City in Prince Rupert.
He then offered up a few notes on the recent Nation to Nation conference that he attended on behalf of the city and how he believes it provided some good dialogue on the theme of engagement among local First Nations of Northern British Columbia and the various communities of the North Coast.
To close the meeting, the Mayor reviewed some of the new communications efforts that the city is engaged in to inform the public, many of them through Facebook, though he did add that he realizes that not everyone uses Facebook, so he will be making more use of the Council sessions to also deliver some of those messages to the community.
He also noted the new arrival of a Communications Director for the city who will also be reviewing how the City communicates its message to residents and introducing new measures to inform the public.
Councillor Cunningham had one final question for the night, inquiring as to the status of the terms of reference for a Business Committee, wondering where city staff was at when it comes to that process.
The councillor was advised that the information had been provided to the Mayor and Councillor Mirau for further study and feedback, adding that nothing had been defined from that process.
Councillor Mirau offered up the view that he had asked for the background on the proposal, while the Mayor stated that they would have more information on that topic for the whole council shortly.
With that the Monday session came to a conclusion.
You can access the City Council Review for November 9th here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to media coverage of it can 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.
Minutes of the Regular Council Session from November 9, 2015 (not available yet)
Council next meets in Regular session on November 23rd in Council Chambers at City Hall.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
City Council Timeline, Monday, September 14, 2015
Not so this week, with a Public Hearing, Committee of the Whole and Regular Council session taking the city's local politicians towards the three hour mark on Monday night.
The Public Hearing aspect of the night provided for the bulk of the evening's discussion, with a large number of local residents taking to the council microphone to outline their support, or opposition, to a proposed zoning change for the city's Masonic Hall on Sixth Avenue East.
Homeless issues dominated the public comment session of the Committee of the Whole portion of the night, with a pair of residents providing some of their thoughts to council on an issue that has been one of the mainstays of discussion for Council members this year.
When they finally made it to the Regular Council session, the Mayor and Council members addressed a number of bylaw and zoning topics, including a follow up on the Public Hearing on the Masonic Lodge rezoning as well as a further discussion on the status of the city's Housing committees, with a focus on the homeless situation in the city at the moment.
After close to three hours of at times energetic discussion on those two topics, Mayor Lee Brain brought the gavel down on the evening just before 10 PM
For some background on the evening's scheduled items of note, see the Regular Council Agenda for September 14 here.
Council also had a Special closed Session earlier in the day at 5:00 PM.
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 September 14, 2015
Mayor Lee Brain-- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Present
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Nelson Kinney-- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson -- Present
Video Archive for September 14, 2015
( 0:00 - - 1:25:00 ) Public Hearing related to rezoning proposal for a portion of the Masonic Hall for use as a storage area for MacKenzie Furniture -- The evening for Council opened with the Public Hearing portion of the night, with City Planner Zeno Krekic providing some background on the issue, including his overview on the current level of light industrial land available for use in the community and the changing nature of such social group locations as the Masonic Hall which no longer are used as much as in the past.
Among some of the notes of interest from the City Planner, he noted that the applicant would be installing new fencing, speed and safety restrictions in place at the site of the Masonic Temple location, with hours of operation from 9 AM to 6 PM, with a restrictive covenant in place restricting the loading and unloading of trucks from 8 PM to 8 AM, the average number of trucks anticipated to access the site is somewhere between 5 to 10 per month.
As well there is a restriction in place on the site that will see it only used for storage of furniture for MacKenzie furniture.
Mr. Krekic also outlined the number of correspondences that were received by the City regarding the proposed zoning change, with the City noting that nine correspondences had been provided to the city.
Following the overview, the proceedings were turned over to the public for their thoughts and comments related to the proposed zoning change for the property in question.
Jim West, the treasurer for the Masonic Hall outlined the financial requirements of the organization which requires money for upkeep and upgrading of the Hall, noting that at the moment the Masonic organization believes that renting a portion of the space out to MacKenzie Furniture will provide the necessary financial cushion that they need at this time.
Rob Eby of MacKenzie Furniture provided Council with the background to their decision to seek out the storage space at the Masonic Hall, which he outlined would offer more retail space for his 1st Avenue West location. He observed for Council that at the moment finding storage space is a challenge with few warehouse type locations available in the community.
He then provided his company's response to a number of Council's previous concerns related to speed, safety, noise and other items listed during previous Council sessions. Followed by answers to a number of questions posed by members of Council.
As well, for their part both Rob and Brian Eby from MacKenzie's highlighted the impact that their store has on the community, both in service and financial contribution through commercial taxes, as well as the expansion plans that they are currently working on.
A number of residents then followed with their observations on the zoning issue, those in favour noted the community nature of the Masonic Lodge and need to provide that group with this kind of assistance, while those opposed highlighted concerns of safety on surrounding streets, the location of the Tot Park adjacent to the Masonic Lodge as well as thoughts related to changing zoning in residential areas.
By the time the public comment period had ended thirteen people had offer up their thoughts on the rezoning issue, four against the rezoning, 9 in favour, of those speaking in support of the rezoning a majority of those participating on the night had affiliations with either the Furniture store or the Masonic Lodge.
Council then brought the Public Hearing to an end, with the topic of rezoning to be addressed again during the course of the Regular Council session.
( 1:25:00 -- 1:32:00 ) Committee of the Whole Session for September 14, 2015 -- Two items dominated the Committee of the Whole session, an Update on the city owned Legacy Corporation, which first featured a short presentation from the City's Financial Officer, Corinne Bomben who outlined the financial aspects of the corporation as of December 31, 2014.
A follow up opportunity for questions from the public on the Legacy Corporation received no contribution from the public in the gallery on the evening.
The Committee of the Whole session was then opened up to general comments from the public, with Larry Golden approaching council with some concerns about the city's current homeless situation, suggesting that the City should conduct a homeless count on a monthly basis.
His commentary was followed by more observations from another resident, Mike Calli, who offered up more suggestions for Council as to how to address the issue.
That would be the last public contribution to the Committee of the Whole Session on the night.
( Council took a break from 1:32:00 - 1:40:00 )
( 1:40:00 - - 1:41:00 ) Regular Council Session -- Adoption of Past Minutes and Agenda for the evening. -- Council reviewed a number of past minutes and accepted the Agenda for the evening's Regular Council session.
Petitions and Delegations
( 1:41:00 -- 1:45:30 ) Report from the City Planner related to property on Prince Rupert Boulevard -- Prior to a report from the City Planner, Councillor Randhawa excused himself from the chamber stating a conflict. Following the Councillor's departure, Mr. Krekic outlined the nature of the issue under discussion which was a request for a property variance and to take the issue to the public notification process.
Councillor Thorkelson had one question on the topic, asking what kind of distribution of notification is required in each neighbourhood and how that is determined. She noted that she had received complaints from some residents in the city that they had not received proper notification of upcoming consultation or requests for comments.
Council voted to carry the motion.
( 1:45:30 -- 1:58:30 ) Report from the City Planner related to a property on Atlin Avenue -- With Councillor Randhawa back in the Council chamber, Mr. Krekic provided a review of the proposed plan to add to the height of a property on Atlin Avenue. Highlighting some of the factors that are to be considered with the development variance application under consideration.
Councillors Thorkelson and Niesh asked a number of questions and offered comments related to the proposed variance. With Councillor Thorkelson noting a number of concerns she had received from some of those living in the area.
Council then voted to carry the motion and moved the process forward.
Bylaws
( 1:58:30 -- 2:32:00 ) Rezoning of the Masonic Hall -- Council picked up the themes of the Public Hearing related to the Masonic Hall rezoning proposal, starting with questions for the City Planner.
Councillor Thorkelson inquired as to the dangers in place of the type of rezoning being considered on the night. Mr. Krekic highlighted some of his previous notes on the theme, focusing on the lack of light industrial zoned land in the city at the moment and how it's a wake up call for the City to look at that issue.
He also noted how the proponents of the warehouse space have addressed many of the community concerns that have been raised.
Councillor Niesh, while noting the work and importance of Mackenzie Furniture to the community spoke to his concerns related to the location of the proposed Warehouse location in the residential area and close to a park that is heavily used by children in the community. He further offered up some of his thoughts when it came to safety concerns and large trucks in the community.
Councillor Cunningham spoke to some of the concerns raised by Councillor Niesh and then outlined his support for the proposed re-zoning. Noting that he had also sought out the opinion of those living in the area and found that many were not concerned about the rezoning issue.
Councillor Kinney also offered his support for the rezoning, calling on Council to look to the past and the number of businesses that have left town and how he wouldn't want to see MacKenzie's going onto that list, observing that Council needs to start working to assist business operators in the community.
Council Mirau also spoke to some of the concerns of Councillor Niesh, offering up his support and a number of points related to the proposal. He pointed out that the proponents of the warehouse space have answered many of the concerns, allowed for a pair of covenants on the property and adopted a number of design adjustments to the Masonic Hall space.
He also noted that the topic of the need for more industrial space is a discussion that Council needs to have in order to avoid having the need to encroach on residential areas to serve the needs of the commercial and business community.
Councillor Thorkelson followed up with a number of questions for the City Planner, ranging from what kind of inquiries the city has received for other similar types of uses. As well she asked what kind of covenants the city can and can't put in place on property around the city.
The City Manager, Robert Long picked up on some of the explanation on those issues for the Councillor.
Following those explanations, Councillor Thorkelson noted that she did agree with everything that Councillor Niesh had stated, but also had sympathy for the points raised by both MacKenzie's and the Masonic Hall.
However, she did note that she had concerns about the location of the proposed warehouse in a residential area and with a park nearby, recounting for Council her observations of trucking issues near the Fishermen's Hall at Overwaitea.
She suggested the concept of a contractual basis to address safety issues related to the operation of the warehouse, calling for a swamper to be on hand when the trailers arrive and a flag person be in place when the trailer is leaving to watch for children near the park.
The City Manager noted that the didn't think that City could sunset any clauses into zoning and that the only option that could be put in place was a voluntary opportunity for the proponents to highlight the safety requirements they would agree to.
Councillor Niesh reminded Council of the contributions of Mr. Thompson a former employee with the City, who outlined a number of points during the course of the Public Hearing and how Council should take note of those suggestions.
Councillor Cunningham noted that the proponents of the warehouse proposal were following the rules and taking the right approach, while across the city there are illegal business operations taking place in residential areas, with little consequence.
Council then gave third reading and adopted the motion with Councillors Thorkelson and Niesh voting against the motion.
( 2:32:00 -- 2:42:00 ) Report from the City Financial Officer on Permissive Property exemptions -- Ms. Bomben provided a short overview on the topic highlighting some of the changes requested by Council at the September 1st session.
After her overview Council had a short discussion on the process to be adopted, with Councillor Thorkelson agreeing to the 100 per cent exemption proposal but raising a concern about what proposal staff will bring to Council regarding a four year guarantee on Community enhancement grants to those groups and whether that list has been increased in the last year.
Ms. Bomben provided an overview as to where that process stands at this time, noting that staff will wait for direction from Council on those issues.
Councillor Randhawa made an inquiry as to where the extra thirty percent that would be provided to the exemptions would come from, Ms. Bomben noted that Council would have to examine where they would allocate that money from, deciding whether to cut costs raise taxes or find new avenues for revenue streams.
The motion was carried
( 2:42:00 --2:48:00 ) An update on the Housing Committee -- The Mayor provided a short update on the latest developments with the Housing Committees, noting that the topic of homelessness, which was raised earlier during the Committee of the Whole public comment period is one topic that the Committees are looking to address.
Mayor Brain noted that the progress of the work of those committees is perhaps not quite where Council would like it to be, but hat they are making progress.
From that point, he turned the review over to Councillor Thorkelson who spoke to the topic of homelessness in the community. She provided a short review of the affordable housing survey of June and what the City learned from that project. On the theme raised earlier of a count once a month, she suggested making use of the soup kitchen numbers to determine the status of those that may be homeless or on the cusp of homelessness.
On the larger issue of the homeless situation, she stressed the need to push BC Housing to take action on the problems facing residents in the city. Noting that she knows of three homeless camps in the community, which she believes hold a total number of twenty five people, but reminded Council that the wet and cold months are almost here.
She made note of comments made previous of the idea of putting trailers on BC Housing land to try and solve the immediate need and also noted that BC Housing has stated in the past that they are willing to convert current apartment buildings or hotels into social housing if they can find a willing seller.
She also commented that the housing issue is one that they should take to the UBCM gathering in Vancouver later this month, as well as pushing the issue further with BC Housing both in Victoria and Prince George.
The Mayor offered his own observations related to the housing situation in the community.
Council then voted to give the bylaw first, second and third reading.
( 2:48:00 -- 2:51:00 ) Reports, Questions and Inquires from Council
The Mayor outlined the schedule ahead for City Council members at the UBCM convention in Vancouver next week, noting some of the topics that Council members hope to take with them to the Convention.
He also called attention to the Southeast Conference which the City is hosting over the next three days, as they discuss common issues with communities of Southeast Alaska.
And with that, the council session came to an end for the evening.
You can access the City Council Review for September 14 here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to media coverage of it can 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.
Minutes of the Regular Council Session from September 14, 2017
Council next meets in Regular session on October 5th in Council Chambers at City Hall.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
City Council Timeline, Monday, May 25, 2015
While Monday was listed as a Committee of the Whole night, with no members of the public in the audience to raise concerns or ask questions about Civic functions, that portion of Council's business was but a formality, with Council quickly moving on to the Regular Agenda for the evening, which for the most part provided for few items for discussion.
Council reviewed a report from the City's Financial Officer related to the purchase of the new support apparatus truck for the Prince Rupert Fire Department.
As well, the City's Engineering Coordinator outlined the timeline for work to be done as part of the Fraser Street Rehabilitation Project.
The Mayor provided a short update on the plans ahead for the City's housing data survey to be held in the community in the coming weeks ahead.
Council also heard a review from Councillor Thorkelson of the current housing situation for those at risk of homelessness in the community, with a particular concern expressed for those recently moved out of the Neptune Inn after that housing option closed its doors.
For some background on the evening's scheduled items of note, see the Regular Council Agenda for May 25 here.
Council also had a Special closed Session earlier in the day at 5 PM.
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 May 25, 2015
Mayor Lee Brain-- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Absent
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Nelson Kinney-- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson -- Present
Video Archive for May 25, 2015
( 0:00 -- 1:00 ) Introduction of the Committee of the Whole Session -- The Mayor opened the evening session by moving into the Committee of the Whole proceedings, however with no members of the public in attendance in the gallery to offer comment, Council declared the Session closed and moved on to its regular business of the night.
( 1:00 -- 2:30 ) Introduction of the Regular Council Session for Monday evening -- The Mayor provided the listing of Agenda and past Minutes of council sessions for approval by Council members.
( 2:30 -- 8:30 ) Report from the City's Engineering Coordinator on the Fraser Street Rehabilitation Project -- Mr. Richard Pucci, outlined the timeline ahead for the long delayed project and provided background on the bids received for the work for Phase One, in addition to the timeline of work ahead Mr. Pucci made a recommendation that Council award the work to Adventure Paving which submitted a bid of 1,185,228.56 dollars..
The 80,000 dollar budget shortfall for the project would be absorbed through the use of the Gas Tax Fund. After a short discussion, Council moved to adopt the motion and award the contract to Adventure Paving.
The project is scheduled start by June, with a completion date of September 1st.
Councillor Thorkelson had questions related to the location of the work of Phase One (which will be near the Salvation Army) and any impact that the shortfall payment would have on the Gas Tax Fund.
( 8:30 --12:30 ) Report from the City's Financial Officer on Borrowing authority for the new Apparatus Support Vehicle for the Prince Rupert Fire Department -- CFO Corinne Bomben outlined the nature of the request as it relates to the purchase of the new vehicle for the Fire Department. The cost of the new vehicle, which has been built and delivered to the City, is $338.904 with repayment to be made over five years.
Council reviewed a suggestion to use the Legacy Fund to make the purchase, a recommendation offered up by the absent on the night Councillor Barry Cunningham, as relayed through Councillor Thorkelson.
However, following that discussion, the decision of Council was to go ahead with the borrowing plan to finance the purchase of the vehicle.
Correspondences for Action
( 12:30 - 14:00 ) Proclamation Request from the Community Action Network -- The Mayor outlined the nature of the request that would see June 15th proclaimed as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in the city of Prince Rupert, adding that there is an event on June 15th from Noon to 4 PM at the Moose Hall.
Council then voted to approve the motion
( 14:00 -- 14:30 ) Request for support from the Friendship House -- The Mayor outlined the nature of the request that would see the City provide a letter of support for the efforts of the Friendship House, who are looking to approach the BC Heart and Stroke Foundation, seeking to access an onsite defibrillator.
Council then voted to approve the motion
( 14:30 -- 14:45 ) Resolution from Closed Meeting -- Announcement of the names of those selected for the Board of the Prince Rupert Airport Authority. -- The City's Corporate Administrator, Mr. Mandryk released the names of Dave Smith, Michael Cote, Erminio Pucci and Judy Fraser who were named to their positions as members of the Prince Rupert Airport authority effective Monday, with terms expiring in 2017.
( 14:45 -- 15:00 ) Resolution from Closed Meeting -- Announcement of the names of those selected for the Board of Tourism Prince Rupert -- The City's Corporate Administrator, Mr. Mandryk released the names of Scott Farwell and Jack Payne who were named to their positions as members of the Board of Directors effective Monday, with terms expiring in 2017.
( 15:00 -- 17:00 ) An update on the Go Plan survey -- The Mayor provided some background to the upcoming Housing survey to be conducted in the city. Between June 8 and 18, the City will be launching a community campaign to collect information for the City to help them determine the need for affordable housing in the community.
He advised that a video would be released over the next few days to explain the project, with the City looking for volunteers to help with the survey process.
Reports and Recommendations from Council
( 17:00 -- 31:00 ) Councillor Thorkelson expanded on a current housing situation in the community and how the survey might provide more information regarding those who are homeless. She observed a regional situation that has found other communities of the Northwest sending their homeless residents to Prince Rupert to try and find accommodation as housing options dwindle in those communities.
She then provided a review of the status of some of the former residents of the Neptune Inn who were forced to leave their accommodations when that housing location closed. Expressing a great amount of frustration at their situation as they are soon to be moved from their temporary accommodation and have no location to be moved to.
She noted that in the weeks since the Neptune closed, some of those former tenants have been sleeping outdoors in areas of the city, with the police coming to move them on from where they have set up.
She also focused her attention towards BC Housing, which she says has not been of any help to those relocated out of the Neptune.
At one point, she observed that perhaps those residents should just stay in the lobby of the hospital as a last recourse, in order to engage Northern Health into the issue.
She urged Council to push BC Housing, as well as the upper levels of government on the need to step up and address the ongoing issues of housing in the community, recounting for Council a recent appearance by BC Housing officials, noting that there is clearly a problem with the grant and subsidy program that they mentioned at that time.
She also passed along concerns she has heard of other apartment buildings and hotels planning to close for renovations, putting those tenants out on the streets.
She spoke to the issue further, stating that it's something that Council has to address, she then asked that the City write to the Province and Federal ministers involved with housing, offering an outline of the current situation and to seek the assistance of the upper levels government on the issue of housing in the community.
The Mayor noted that with the City about to move the Go Plan initiative forward, the project is designed to provide some information on the issue to better address the problems that have developed, adding that if there is any economic development related to LNG the situation may become amplified significantly.
Council then voted in favour of Councillor Thorkelson's motion to write to the provincial and federal officials.
Reports and Recommendations from Council
( 31:00 -- 35:00 ) Councillor Mirau outlined for Council the background to his attendance at a pair of local events. Providing a review of the recent celebration of the last spike at the Rail, Road and Utility Corridor project and at Saturday's SalmonFest at the Civic Centre.
Councillor Randhawa asked the Mayor if any decisions had been reached regarding the requests for rental reductions at the Civic Centre, Mayor Brain advised that those requests are still being considered would be addressed in a future Council session.
Mayor Brain outlined that he will be out of town in early June, attending the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in Edmonton. Noting that it was the first time in seven years that the City has sent a representative to that conference and that he will be reconnecting with the national network of municipalities and that he has plans to meet with a number of ministers, he will provide a report on his trip when he returns to the City.
And with that, the Monday night session came to an end.
You can access the City Council Review for May 25 here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to media coverage of it can 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.
Minutes of the Regular Council Session from May 25
Council next meets in Regular session on June 8th in Council Chambers at City Hall.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
City Council Timeline, Monday, May 11, 2015
The short Council session provided for one proclamation, the release of the names for the Recreation Commission for 2015, as well as a brief overview of the City update released earlier in the day.
Council members also had short discussions on a pair of items related to housing issues for the region.
For some background on the evening's scheduled items of note, see the Regular Council Agenda for May 11 here.
Council also had a Special closed Session earlier in the day at 4 PM.
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 May 11, 2015
Mayor Lee Brain-- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Absent
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Nelson Kinney-- Absent
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson -- Present
Video Archive for May 11, 2015
( 0:00 -- 2:20 ) Introduction of the Regular Council Agenda -- The Mayor provided the listing of Agenda and past Minutes of council sessions for approval by Council members.
( 2:20 - 3:00 )Proclamation Request from the Heart and Stroke Foundation -- The Mayor outlined the nature of the request that would see June 6th declared as National Health and Fitness Day in the city of Prince Rupert, adding that he believed that it was a great idea and that he was in support of the proclamation.
Council then voted to approve the motion
( 3:00 -- 4:00 ) Resolution from Closed Meeting -- Announcement of the names of those selected for the Board of the City's Recreation Commission. -- The City's Corporate Administrator, Mr. Mandryk released the names of Sheri Pringle, Dawn Quast, Anna Ashley, Joy Sundin, Joyce Charleton and Marc Page who were named to their positions as members of the Recreation Commission effective Monday, with terms expiring on March 31st 2018.
Also announced as Alternate Directors were Karen Cruz and Alexie Stephens, they will have the same three year term as the Directors.
( 4:00 -- 12:00 ) A motion regarding the Innovative Housing Project that the Aboriginal Community Services Society is undertaking. -- The Mayor outlined the nature of the participation of the City Prince Rupert, which will be partnering with a number of other local organizations in the housing initiative.
He then called on Councillor Thorkelson to provide a short overview of the proposal. She observed that Prince Rupert had been targeted by the Provincial Government through the Aboriginal Homelessness Group, advising that there was some money available to come up with an innovative design for a community project regarding housing. She outlined for Council some of the background discussion that has taken place regarding the initiative and what the next steps will be towards the project.
The main focus as Councillor Thorkelson outlined is to be to directed for supportive housing for people who are homeless or in danger of being homeless and only have need for one room accommodation. A supply of housing that the local agency Makola does not have very many of.
She relayed to council that one of the messages from the Government has been that BC Housing has to be brought into the discussion, noting for Council how in recent discussions with the housing agency the city had learned that BC Housing doesn't believe that there is a housing crisis in the community, or that there is a need for more housing in Prince Rupert.
Towards delivering the city's views on the topic the City will form a small committee and a number of the other community services and societies in the city and look for ways to find housing for single people who are homeless as well as single parent families looking for supportive housing.
As a way of approaching the issue, the City's imminent homeless housing survey will be conducted to determine just what the need might be in the region.
If a need is determined from their work, then the committee will move its work forward using the money available to identify how to address that need in an innovative way.
The Mayor then followed up her presentation with a review of some of the recent steps that the City's two Housing Committees have been involved with and what the next steps in that approach will be.
He outlined how there will be more information released to the public on their plans over the next two weeks as to how it will all move forward.
Council then voted to approve the motion of participation in the work with the Aboriginal Community Services Society.
( 12:00 -- 14:25 ) An information item for Council on an upcoming meeting hosted by the BC Non Profit Housing Association to take place in Terrace -- The Mayor advised Council that he, Councillor Thorkelson and Councillor Cunningham would be attending the sessions, advising the remainder of Council that if they wished to attend to register for the conference and they could all go.
Councillor Thorkelson offered up a few more thoughts on the nature of the conference, observing for some of the Council members as to what kind of topics that they might find interesting at the Terrace gathering. She did note for Council that it was two day event and that she wanted to know if Council should put forward a motion to cover both the registration and accommodation costs for the event.
The Mayor moved forward the motion, with Council members then voting to approve it.
( 14:25 -- 23:00 ) A report from the City Manager regarding the information release of earlier in the day providing for a Spring Community Update from City Council -- Mr. Long provided a verbal report to Council on some of the highlights of the information release of earlier in the day.
As part of the overview, he noted the Community Enhancement Grants, a new addition called Planning for Major Projects and the allocation of 1 million dollars from Legacy Inc., to be provided for road and sidewalk repairs or improvements, with a plan to provide updates on the city website as to where repairs and the nature of them in each area.
As part of the announcement he outlined some of the aspects of the 1.3 million dollars from Legacy Inc towards Planning for Major Projects, making mention of some of the initiatives ahead from those plans including the decision of council to support the approval of a 17,000 dollar increase to the Mayors salary to have him working on a full time basis, with Mr. Long adding that he could assure Council that the Mayor is working on a full time plus basis lately with all of the things that are going on.
He wrapped up his report touching on the issues of Housing, infrastructure deficits, preparing for growth and the LNG Go Plan and how it will assist the city in preparation for any LNG major project should it come forward.
Following Mr. Long's overview, only Councillor Niesh offered up a comment on the nature of the City's announcement, urging the public to have a real good read of the document and try to understand what the city has tried to work towards here, noting how the rumours get started pretty quick in this town and how people will discuss or focus on one thing, but that they should review all of the pages and try to understand where the city is coming from on all the topics of the update.
Councillor Thorkelson then observed that at some point when Council has a light load, as they had for this session, that Council should post the information to the website and then walk the public through the various aspects of the website and where they could access information.
The Mayor then offered up his thoughts on the approach that the city has taken as outlined through its update of the day, and how some of it is designed to specifically to help with additional staffing and staff capacity to help handle the load, something that he believes the city absolutely must do.
The Mayor also noted for the public, so that the public is aware, that a lot of this was passed through a closed meeting and those minutes will be coming out shortly. He further advised that they had to do it that way because of the sensitive nature of issues related to land, legal and labour, that they had to have discussions around those types topics and that they could not have that conversation necessarily in public
Adding that they are here now revealing to everyone and being transparent and open, and making what Council believes to be wise and good choices for the community to move forward. Addressing such things as infrastructure deficit and to really take on the bigger problems that the community is facing. With the Mayor highlighting staffing capacity and the need for more staff to get things done, so the public can see and feel that we are moving forward as a community.
He wrapped up his review of the update by explaining how it provides the rationale for why Council passed the budget and that Council believes it is going to serve them well.
Reports from Members of Council
( 23:00 -- 26:00 ) Councillor Thorkelson outlined for Council the background to her attendance to the graduation for the Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs last Friday, with sixteen graduating from a program run through the Gustavson School of Business at University of Victoria. With local assistance provide through Tri Corp and the BG Group.
Mayor Brain outlined that he was unable to attend that Graduation as he, Councillors Niesh and Kinney and City Manager Long were all attending the NCLGA sessions in Prince George.
And with that, the Monday night session came to an end.
You can access the City Council Review for May 11 here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to media coverage of it can 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.
Minutes of the Regular Council Session from May 11
Council next meets in Regular session on May 25th in Council Chambers at City Hall.
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