The continued use of the old Blue Bird Bus for Airport shuttle duties was a topic for discussion on Monday night
Monday's City council session found Councillor Cunningham seeking a bit of clarification from the Mayor on the status of the city's new airport shuttle bus.
Mr. Cunningham, who no doubt is speaking for many that travel by way of the Prince Rupert Airport noted for Council that in some recent travels through YPR over the last month, he had once again found himself taking a seat on the old Blue Bird school bus.
A form of transportation that city has suggested was nearing its end for service in Prince Rupert back in April.
Mayor Brain observed that at the time of the published photo that it had been noted that the buses weren't ready for service at that time, but would be introduced soon. As well, on Monday he advised Council that the shuttle buses are to undergo a wrapping process.
A procedure that is apparently accounting for its lack of service on the Downtown to Airport run, with Mayor Brain suggesting that the new bus may be on the route by the middle of June.
The City trumpeted the arrival of the new shuttle with a stream of photos in April, with the now rather optimistic prediction that the new bus would be put into service no later than Mid-May.
The new bus made for a good photo op in April but Councillor Cunningham would like to see the vehicle put into service sooner rather than later
The discussion on the airport shuttle theme comes up towards the end of Monday's City Council session, you can check into the conversation at the 51minute mark.
Further background on Monday's Council session can be found on our Council Timeline page, while more items of interest on Prince Rupert City Council can be explored on our Council archive page.
Conservation Officer Gareth Scrivner provided City Council with an update Monday on the wolf situation in Prince Rupert
The topic of recent wolf encounters in the city made for the topic of a presentation to Prince Rupert City Council on Monday, as Officer Gareth Scrivner of the Terrace Conservation Office appeared at Council with a review of some of the past activities over the early Spring.
His presentation provided some background into the recent string of wolf sightings in the community and the steps that the Terrace based Conservation officers took to address the issue. Which the service attributed to one particular wolf that they suspect had been rejected by the pack and had moved further into the city to seek prey.
As part of his presentation Scrivner noted that the estimated size of the Kaien Island pack is around twelve or thirteen wolves, adding that the level of complaints made to the Terrace office is on par with those of past years.
In response to a number of questions from Council members, the Conservation Officer provided some further information related to how residents can reduce the chance of any encounters, and reminded those living on the North Coast that they need to report any incidents to the Terrace office so they can take further action if required.
As for how to deal with wolves that may be found in the populated area of the region, he noted that residents should not provide any food for the animals, if they do come across a wolf and believe there is danger they should yell at the animals, appear large and throw sticks or stones at them to scare them off.
He also recommended that the City of Prince Rupert post information signs at local trail heads and area walkways providing some background on the nature of the Kaien Island pack for residents.
The topic of what's next for the McKay Street Park was brought up as part of the Committee of the Whole Public comment portion of Monday's Council session
The five finalists for consideration in this year's BCAA Better place to Play competition were released on Monday and unfortunately for those hoping to see some progress for the Transition Prince Rupert Society plans for the derelict McKay Street park, when it came to the final five communities, the Prince Rupert bid did not make the final cut.
The competition host by the BCAA settled on five other communities for the nomination, with Crawford Bay, Lillooet, and communities in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island now among the Final Five nominees.
The top prize for the successful project was to be a 100,000 dollar donation to be put towards the winning city's park revitalization plans.
The topic of the competition did come up for a short review at Monday's City Council session as a resident of the McKay Street area outlined her disappointment at the news of the day and inquired of Mayor Brain as to what comes next for the public space in that neighbourhood.
The Mayor provided an update as to where Transition Prince Rupert will go from here, noting that Transition Prince Rupert has been working to finalize its financing to get the design completed, having conducted fundraising with local groups towards the twenty five thousand dollar cost of the design work.
He added that should Transition Prince Rupert find success in their fundraising, they will then take the design process back to the community and once they have settled on the design, Transition Prince Rupert will then look towards another round of fundraising to help construct the new McKay street park.
He noted that it is hoped that there will be a start on that process in 2017.
So far, Prince Rupert City Council has not provided for much discussion in Council chambers on the theme of the Transition Prince Rupert Society plans for the city owned public park in the McKay Street area. Something that has left the bulk of the planning and information sharing to the community group, which for the most part communicates their plans through the Transition Prince Rupert Facebook page and website.
Still to be outlined for the community in a public session by City Council is how the City will address the topic of turning over the public space to the Society for development and if the city will remain responsible for upkeep of the proposed new use for the site.
As well, to this point, Council has not advised who will retain responsibility for the land in the area and what cost if any the process may provide for the City.
You can review the discussion from Monday related to the McKay Street Park plans from the City's Video Archive starting at the very start of Monday's session, the comments and discussion took place during the Committee of the Whole Session where local residents can raise items of interest and/or concern.
More items related to Monday's Council session can be found on our Council Timeline.
While it wasn't as quick a session as the May 9th meeting which clocked in at less than 20 minutes, the final session for May also went by fairly fast, wrapping up before the one hour mark on the night.
A light agenda provided Council with the opportunity to take care of the work in a fairly quick fashion, with little in the way of questions or discussions related to the topics of the night posing for a time consuming process on the evening.
The Monday session featured some inquiries from two members of the public through the Committee of the Whole session at the start of the night, while the Regular Agenda items featured a presentation from the Terrace Conservation Office related to recent wolf encounters in the community.
As well as part of the main portion of the Council session, a number of bylaw motions were approved by Council, included in that process was the appointment of Fire Chief Dave McKenzie as the city's Emergency Management Coordinator.
Council members wrapped up the evening with a number of observations for discussion.
For some background on the evening's scheduled items of note, the Agenda for the Regular Council session for May 30, 2016 can be reviewed here.
Council also had a Closed Session scheduled previous in the evening.
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 30, 2016
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 May 30, 2016
(0:00--17:30) Committee of the Whole Session for Monday, May 31, 2016 -- After providing a brief review of the rules for participation in the Committee of the Whole Session, Mayor Lee Brain called for those in the audience interested in participating to come forward to the microphone. Two residents of the City took advantage of the opportunity to discuss their concerns, the first a resident of the McKay Street area, outlined a number of items related to the neighbourhood. Noting in her opening remarks her disappointment at hearing the word that the Transition Society Plan for the McKay Street Park had finished out of the running in a funding competition hosted by BCAA to Build Better places to Play in the province. Mayor Brain provided a short overview of the situation and noted that Transition Prince Rupert has finalized its financing to get the design complete, having conducted fundraising with local groups towards the twenty five thousand dollar cost of the design work. Should they find success in their fund raising efforts, Transition Prince Rupert will then take the design process back to the community and once the design is settled on, Transition Prince Rupert will conduct another round of fundraising in the community to help construct a new McKay street park, with hopes for a start in development of the park in 2017. Other issues of interest that were mentioned as part of the first contributor were some observations on the current cruise ship season and the importance of tourism to the community. Traffic issues in the community were also raised as part of the discussion with Council members. The second participant on the night, focused the majority of his concerns on the various proposed LNG developments in the region and his observations on the risks they may prove to the area. Two items of interest for him were the proposed WCC LNG project for the Lot 444 area of the east side of the City and the Pacific NorthWest LNG project for Lelu Island, both of which provide for a number of environmental concerns for him. Mayor Brain noted that the City has provided some input on the environmental process and that the City has staff engaged on the issues. After ten minutes of that presentation, the Mayor advised that the resident's time was up and with that the Committee of the Whole session came to an end. (17:30--18:30) Regular Council Session for Monday, May 9, 2016 -- The Mayor reviewed past minutes and the current agenda for the evening. (18:30--33:30) Presentation from the BC Conservation Agency on the issue of Wolves in Prince Rupert -- Conservation Officer Gareth Scrivner, a representative from the Terrace office of BC Conservation provided a short overview of the current wolf situation in Prince Rupert since the Spring began. He noted that the current level of inquiries on the issue or complaints from the public is on a par with past years, adding that they haven't had any particular problems with the Kaien Island pack, with only one wolf causing the problems in the community and that the situation had been addressed and the wolf removed.
In response to a question from Councillor Cunningham, the Conservation officer outlined the timeline for response to calls from the public that the Terrace office uses to deal with issues as they come up. He did note that owing to the size of the region they patrol there are going to be delays at times between the original call and the response to them. He did stress the need for the public to call in their information as incidents occur so they can determine the nature of their approach to the issue of a problem wolf.
Councillor Kinney asked for some suggestions as to what residents can do if the have an encounter with a wolf.
In reply, the Conservation Officer suggested that residents not provide any food for the animals, to yell at the animals, appear large and throw sticks or stones at them to scare them away. He also suggested that the City may wish to post the information at area trail heads or walkways to provide some background on the pack on Kaien Island for residents and visitors.
Councillor Thorkelson asked a number of questions related to the traps that the Conservation Office might use and how they determine when to use them. Asking if the Conservation Office could be a bit more proactive in response to the complaints as they come in.
He outlined some of the process that they put into motion when they work to remove a wolf and the amount of time that such an approach may take to deliver the results the city might want to see.
Councillor Thorkelson offered up some further observations on the nature of the Conservation Office approach and how she doesn't want to see any kind of carcass left to be discovered by residents as part of any removal process.
Councillor Cunningham wrapped up the question and answer period, noting his understanding over the staffing levels that the Conservation office is facing, he followed up that observation with a question as to how large the Kaien Island pack might be.
He was told that it's estimated to number at around twelve or thirteen and that the recent troubles in the community seem to have been limited to one particular wolf, who may have become to brazen or bold or been rejected by its pack and had moved further into the city to seek prey.
Bylaw Reports
( 33:30--38:30) Report from the City Planner with Background on the Bylaw to Establish Policies and Procedures to Require Development Approval Information -- City Planner Zeno Krekic provided a review of the proposed Impact assessment Bylaw, noting for Council that the City of Prince Rupert is on the doorstep of major influx of development caused by one or more major projects. The proposed bylaw is a procedural one and will allow staff to ask questions on a list of topics of proponents and give specifications on how information is to be provided and will allow applicants an opportunity to ask the Council to reconsider requirements that have been asked by staff. The new proposed bylaw will allow staff the background to seek impact analysis on any proposed development. It is the first in a succession of bylaws that will implement, enable and authorize the recently adopted Interim Land Use Policy Framework. Councillor Mirau offered up a few questions to seek some clarity on the proposed bylaw asking for the rationale behind some of the elements of the bylaw, suggesting that the City doesn't want to bite off more than they can chew on the process. Mr. Krekic noted that the final draft was significantly more condensed than the original proposal and that the current recommendation is more of a compliment to the Land Use Framework. Councillor Cunningham inquired as to the process related to the ability for a proponent to take the planner's process to Council to address their concerns. Mr. Krekic provided the background as to how that would work in relation to the Bylaw. Council voted to approve the Bylaw motion.
( 38:30 -- 41:30) Report from the City Planner providing details on the Quality of Life - Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw --Mr. Krekic outlined the background to the proposed amendment which will go to public hearing on June 13th at 7 PM. He noted that the bylaw is dovetailing to the previous bylaw that had just been approved by Council. The proposed initiative will amend the Quality of Life Official Community plan and provide an overarching policy that will allow City staff to seek impact assessments on proposed projects. Some policies that are included will require further detail work to define standards and specifications with that work to commence in early July. The Mayor noted that the Interim Planning booklet is available on the city website for review of the public prior to the Public Hearing. Mr. Krekic also advised that he would be working with the City's Communication Manger to further inform the public on the topic. Council voted to approve the Bylaw Motion
( 41:30:00--48:00) Report from the Fire Chief providing background on the Emergency Management Program Bylaw -- The City Manager Robert Long, delivered the report providing an outline to the terms of the new Bylaw and how it will be delivered. He provided some background into the process of how an Emergency Situation would be declared and what support the City would provide. He noted that since there are some fairly new staff members that some training would be required in the near future to bring everyone up to standard with a table top exercise planned for the Fall in order to be sure that the city members are ready to respond. Councillor Thorkelson inquired as to the nature of the Emergency committee make up and if it was an ongoing process. Mr. Long noted that it should be as part of an ongoing basis and that the different elements of the support process do meet through the year and that the actual program would only be implemented during an emergency. Councillor Cunningham offered up some clarification for Councillor Thorkelson as to how the process would work, calling on his experience through Federal Coast Guard exercises in the city. As part of the approval for the motion Fire Chief Dave McKenzie was appointed to the position of Emergency Management Coordinator.
( 48:00--49:30 ) Report from the Director of Operations providing background on a proposed Road Closure and Removal of Road Dedication Bylaw for a portion of Third Avenue West at the Benser Block -- Mr. Richard Pucci provided Council with an overview of the current situation related to the sidewalk area in front of the Besner Block on Third Avenue and what the City has proposed to address the issue.
Council voted to approve the motion and gave it first, second and third reading.
( 49:30--52:30) Reports, Questions and Inquires from Council
Mayor Brain noted that he had not been able to get in touch with some of his contacts on the Housing files, so he had no new items of interest from the Housing Committee for this session of council.
Councillor Thorkelson provided Notice of Motion to Council that she will be bringing to Council for further discussion the topic of the request by Enbridge Energy for an extension for their proposed Northern Gateway project, she also suggested that at the same time Council discuss the issue of the proposed tanker ban for the coastal waters off the North Coast. The Mayor noted her intention and turned the subject over to the City's Corporate Administrator for the next Council agenda.
Councillor Cunningham offered up an inquiry as to the status of the city's new airport shuttle bus, noting that while the City had featured them in a recent photo advisory, that in some of his recent trips through the Prince Rupert Airport he had noticed that the old BlueBird school bus was still in use. He asked the Mayor what was happening with the new buses and when they might be put in use. Mayor Brain observed that at the time of the photos that it had been stated that the buses weren't quite available for service yet and that they also have to be "Wrapped" with a design, adding that the process of the wrapping is to take place shortly. He estimated that the buses would be in full service within the next few weeks.
Councillor Randhawa expressed concerns over the growing number of shopping carts that are being abandoned around the city. The Mayor noted that it was perhaps a topic that the City should first address with the city's retail stores, asking the Corporate Administrator to make contact with them, adding that he would also make some calls.
You can access the City Council Review for May 9th here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to local media coverage, if any, 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.
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.
Official Minutes of the Regular Council Session from May 30, 2016 (not available yet)
Council members now get three weeks away from the public forum portion of their work, with the Regular session set for June 13th in Council Chambers at City Hall.
A chance to take in some award winning theatre and help out a Prince Rupert fundraising initiative for the local Syrian Refugee group comes up this weekend.
This Saturday brings to the Stage the popular annual Theatre and Dessert auction series to the stage at the Tom Rooney Playhouse.
As the Charles Hays Secondary Drama Department presents a year ending presentation of Write me A Murder, a Mystery-Comedy in four scenes.
The main attraction of Write Me A Murder is complimented during the event by what should be an entertaining session of Improv Games, as well as a selection of Silent Dessert Auction items available for bidding to tempt the audience and help to raise funds.
There are two show times for the Saturday event with an afternoon matinee at 2 PM (Doors open at 1:30) and the evening presentation at 8 PM with Doors swinging open at 7:30.
All proceeds from the two Saturday shows will be put towards the efforts of the Rupert Syrian Refugee fundraising campaign in the city. Tickets are available for ten dollars from any cast or crew member, at Charles Hays Secondary School or at the door prior to show times on Saturday.
Administrators at School District 52 will have close to an additional 125,000 dollars to work with in September as the Ministry of Education divides a 25 million dollar redirection of administrative savings back to the provinces School Districts.
The announcement of the redirected funding was made on Tuesday by Education Minister Mike Bernier, with the Prince Rupert School District share coming to $123,861.
The funding comes by way of an advisory from the province that provincial administration charges will not be collected by the British Columbia government for this year and that the School District can redirect the money towards front line services for students.
“Districts worked hard to reduce their administrative costs and we are pleased to be able to direct that $25 million back to programs and initiatives that will directly benefit the kids of B.C.” -- Education Minister Mike Bernier on the Province's redirection of administration charges for 2016-17.
The British Columbia Government is giving back $25 million that it had previously cut from School District budgets
It's worth observing that more than a few British Columbians have noted that the additional funding for education comes along as the province is about to enter the provincial election campaign.
Among those that have suggested a connection between the renewed interest in funding and the upcoming 2017 election was NDP Opposition leader John Horgan who issued a statement on the theme on Tuesday.
“This is not about Christy Clark doing what’s right for parents and kids, this is all about Christy Clark trying to make bad headlines go away until after the election."--NDP Leader John Horgan with some thoughts on recent Liberal education funding announcements
Some other notes related to Tuesday's announcement can be found below.
