4.5 magnitude temblor jolts Haida Gwaii

Haida Gwaii felt another jolt on Wednesday afternoon as a 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck the islands just before 4 PM today.

The quake was centred 106 km South of Masset, 216 kilometres SSW of Prince Rupert. 

The quake was listed by the USGS as having a depth of 10 kilometres or 6.2 miles.

No reports of damage have been relayed from residents near the quake location, and No Tsunami warning was generated by the event.

This latest quake follows on a sequence of earthquakes felt further south of Vancouver Island in recent months.

A similar magnitude earthquake was felt in much the same location on Haida Gwaii on February 9th.

For more background on past seismic events on the North Coast and Haida Gwaii see our archive page.

Three nights of revolution on the Lester Centre for the Arts stage

 
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Unlike Jean Valjean, theatre goers this week will look up, look up, look up upon the stage, as Prince Rupert's theatre community takes on the ambitious work of Les Miserables for a three night run starting Thursday.

The production which had first auditions last fall, has been in rehearsal for the better part of the winter and now the spring. With opening night now in sight and its promise of a wealth of local talent eager to tackle the musical stylings of the French revolution.

Some familiar faces from community presentations past will be onstage, along with relative newcomers to the Prince Rupert theatre scene, all no doubt anxious get night one out of the way and to make their impression on North Coast audiences.


This years production is directed by Michael Gurney, who has been watching over the entire process in the lead up to Wednesday night.

In recent weeks he has had much to say in praise about his troupe of 61 and the 16 musicians led by Peter Witherly that are bringing Les Miserables to the stage.

Offering a glimpse into the passion that they have brought to the project as it comes together.

For a look at some of the behind the scenes activity for Les Miserables, visit the Lester Centre of the Arts facebook page, where some background on the work involved in this community presentation can be found.

Tickets for Thursday, Friday or Saturday night are available at Cooks Jewellers or the Lester Centre box office. Adult admission is 25 dollars, while students can take in the presentation for 20.

Earlier this month, the Northern View provided a look at the work in progress, twenty two days later the curtain is set to rise on the revolution.

On Wednesday, CBC's Daybreak North provided a bit more background into the preparation for Thursday's opening night.

If some of the past presentations from the talented North Coast theatre community are any indication as to what to expect when the curtain rises on Thursday night. Les Miserables should provide for a night at the theatre that will transport the audience to the drama of France of 1815.

Northwest Community College turns down Enbridge bursary offer

A few weeks back we outlined that a new bursary was being made available to students at Northwest Community, as Enbridge Northern Gateway and the college announced plans to create six bursaries of 2500 dollars each for Northwest students.

It wold provide for a fifteen thousand dollar opportunity for local students to put towards their education. The bursaries were to be provided to assist in funding to help Northwest students access trades training at the college.

Two weeks later however, it appears that the community college has had second thoughts on the source of that bursary money.  Though as of today, the notice of the bursary program is still posted to their website.

CFNR was the first to report that NWCC has reportedly turned down the Enbridge bursaries, though no reason for that decision has yet to be delivered by the college.

According to the CFNR report, Ivan Giesbrecht who represents Enbridge, outlined that some 70 students had already applied for the bursary prior to the  NWCC decision not to accept the donation from the Canadian energy company.

The Terrace Standard offers up a bit of review of the timeline of the decision from the NWCC Board, as well as the short two sentence notice of their decision.

It is interesting to note that NWCC has received bursary donations from other companies in the Northwest in the last year, some of which come from corporations that are involved in controversial developments or industries in the region.

Yet at those times, there was no apparent hesitation in accepting that financial assistance for students.

Today, the Terrace Standard outlines that NWCC remains committed to providing bursaries and that the college is renewing discussions with Enbridge on the nature of their bursary opportunity, without the college becoming officially involved in it.

Clearly NWCC will have to provide a bit more information than a couple of sentences outlining their reversal on the Enbridge bursaries and how they believe it may develop in the future.

NWCC should provide Northwest residents with a better understanding of the Enbridge controversy in this particular case, as well as an overview of the process of accepting bursary opportunities.

More to the point, NWCC should offer up an explanation as to why in an era of financial struggles, they have chosen not to accept financial assistance from a prominent national company.

There is more about developments at NWCC available on our archive page

City Council waits for more information before revisiting financial plan discussion

The topic of the City's Five Year Financial Plan for 2014 took up almost two hours of the Monday night session and by the time that the discussion had been exhausted, Council found themselves basically back where they started at 7 PM, waiting for more financial information.

The theme of the city's financials began with some participation from the public, with a number of questions regarding the city's revenue stream and costs and the impact that those are having on the residential taxation rates.

As well, items of concern over the cost of the Digby Island Ferry were brought to Council, with former Mayor Don Scott in particular providing some interesting background on the topic of access to the airport and the growing cost to the city of that access. (see here)

As for the Financial Plan itself, the City's Financial Officer Corinne Bomben provided another overview of her financial blue print, but not before first taking issue with a number of points from a recent article in the weekly paper the Northern View.

As part of her review of her report, she highlighted some of the areas where she believed the local paper had not quite delivered correct information to the public on the budget plan.

That would be a theme echoed later in the session by Councillor Cunningham, who referred to the Northern View story as sensationalism.

Beyond the critique of the research skills of the weekly paper, much of the review provided for many of the same points that Council has heard in the last few weeks.  As Ms. Bomben outlined four options for Council to consider, all based on different revenue streams, for the most part based on the Port of Prince Rupert's payments in lieu of taxes.

That is a rate that has yet to be decided as the city and Port continue on with their discussions over that rate for 2014, but clearly much of the City's financial blue print hinges on that final amount.

Towards that final review, Ms. Bomben's four options provided four different scenarios for financial planning for this year, the preference in her accountant's heart appeared to be Option One, which she described as financially prudent.

It provides for the most financial security for the city's budget makers, though It provides for a large tax increase over the five years, accounting for anticipated low returns on PILT discussions with the Port and other Civic expenses and financial expectations.

However, with an eye towards the growing unease from the public over the prospect of ever increasing tax rates, her final recommendation to council was to be Option Three.

That would provide for a tax increase of 3 percent, each year over five years. As well as the reduction of two full time equivalent RCMP officers, the city would not require the use of the accumulated surplus to fund the deficit.

From there the discussion revolved around a number of key issues, most of them raised by Councillor Anna Ashley, who seems to have been busy doing her homework on the topic and who offered up a number of items for consideration, some of which didn't find a particularly warm reception from some of her council partners.

Among her themes, the need to gain a better control of the Airport Ferry situation, with the recommendation of an increase in fares for the transit from Prince Rupert to Digby Island.

Adding in a suggestion that user fees be increased, placing some of the revenue generation requirements on those that use civic services.

She introduced CityWest as another area where the City should become more involved with, seeking a higher dividend for this year and if one cannot be delivered, suggesting that the City conduct a cost analysis on the communication company (see here)

She also recommended that Council consider not taking their annual trip to Ketchikan this year, as a cost cutting measure.

As well, she observed the nature of the PILT discussions and the current unknown of those financial numbers.

Following her talking points, Council members offered up their concerns over some of her suggestions, ranging from fears that the Airport Ferry proposal would drive traffic to the Terrace airport, to the desire to spread the cost of civic services across the board, rather than by user fees.

As the discussion of the budget planning approached the two hour mark, the decision to wait for further information became the theme of the night.

With Council asking staff to seek out a meeting with the Airport Society to discuss the impact of any proposed Ferry rate increases, while they also await further word from CityWest as to the nature of their  dividend return for this year.

Council will then meet in a special session following those meetings to move forward on their Financial plan for this year.

When they do, city residents no doubt hope that more members of Council join in on the discussion.

As mentioned earlier, the majority of Monday's conversation was brought to the Chamber by Councillor Ashley, who clearly has set the bar high for council participation.

The rest of her partners on  Council now need to hit the books if you will and offer some creative solutions to the public, other than just hitting the ATM that appears to be the residential tax payer.

Most importantly, Council should perhaps hold off on any more public sessions on the budget until they have a full understanding of how much money they have and where they are going to get it from.

Or as the Mayor puts it, "it's hard to do projections when theres' s a certain amount of unknowns".

These lengthy council sessions while fascinating in their overview of information, haven't to this point provided a very clear picture of where the City's financial planning is heading.

More importantly it has become quite clear from recent years, that the Budget story in March, doesn't necessarily resemble the final chapter that Council delivers in May.

Locking down such things as the CityWest dividend, the impact of airport ferry rate increases and other associated expenses should be taken care of quickly. So as to show some progress on the theme and to offer up a much more concise review of what the city is dealing with and clearing up some of the many questions that the public no doubt still have.

You can review the entire Financial review from Monday night through the City Council Video Archive.

The public comment from the start of the meeting can be found at the 38 to 59 minute mark and again from the 1 hour 28 minute to 1 hour 53 minute mark.

Ms. Bomben's reports and the discussion around it can be reviewed from the 1 hour 53 minute mark to 2 hours 27 minutes and again from the 2 hour 35 minute mark to 3 hours and 2 minutes.

We have more on City Council discussion points on our Archive page.

City to seek higher dividend from CityWest for 2014

The sound you hear coming out of the CityWest offices on Third Avenue is that of pencils being sharpened, with word no doubt reaching upper management that Prince Rupert City Council will be seeking a larger return from dividends for 2014.

The CityWest dividend, which in recent years has provided for disappointing returns to civic coffers was the subject of much discussion at Monday's city council session, with Councillor Anna Ashley leading much of the debate over the civic owned communications company.

Councillor Ashley looking over the prospect of a dividend of only 250,000 dollars for 2014 suggested that pushing the communication company for a larger return is something that Council should explore and if one cannot be delivered by CityWest that a cost benefit analysis on CityWest be conducted.

Allowing Council to consider the pros and cons of the civic owned telecommunication company, in relation to the growing list of infrastructure requirements that they face.

The Mayor also offered up a few observations on the theme, advising that he believes that this year has been the best year that the company has had in the last three and that the City may wish to seek a dividend of between 350,000 to 400,000 dollars from the company.

Towards that financial target, Council recommended that staff approach CityWest in regard to the desired higher return.

The discussion of CityWest's return of investment to the city seems to be an ongoing part of Council deliberations in recent years, which should perhaps be a red flag for Council that they may wish to take a larger interest in the company that they own.

Something that makes Councillor Ashley's suggestion of a Cost benefit analysis  a recommendation that should be pursued, regardless of the final dollar amount delivered at the dividend call later this spring.

You can review the full CityWest discussion from the City's Video Archive, the topic comes under review a the 2 hour thirty five minute mark.

We have more on the deliberations of Prince Rupert City Council from their Monday session available on our archive page.

For more on CityWest issues please see our CityWest archive page.

On buses, boats and planes and the financial pain of airport access

One of the key elements for this year's City of Prince Rupert Financial planning is the growing deficit faced by the Digby Island Ferry, a financial burden that is closing in on 900,000 dollars for 2014 and clearly having an impact on how the City puts together its financial forecast.

The topic of access to the Airport made for much discussion on Monday night, ranging from recommendation from Councillor Ashley that the city should consider raising the rate of passage on the Ferry to some background information from former Mayor Don Scott and his thoughts that the city should be making its case to the province to take over the cost of that access.

On the proposed Ferry Rate increases, Councillor Ashley outlined some of her financial review on the airport ferry and how an increase of fifteen dollars for transit on the ferry would provided some relief to the growing cost of operations.

Her recommendation provided for some council members to offer caution on that theme, suggesting that an increase of the airport ferry rates may in fact drive traffic away from the airport towards the Terrace airport.

Councillor Garon, had a number of questions regarding Councillor Ashley's figures regarding the return to the city of the proposed increased rates.

She then called on her experience with the Airport Society and suggested that before Council makes any decision on a possible fare increase that they meet with the Airport to learn more about the impact such an increase may have on their operations.

With that suggestion on the table, discussion on the proposal for an airport ferry increase (and the overall discussion on the financial plan) for the most part came to an end until Council meets with the Airport society to gain further information on the topic.

You can review those discussions from the City Council Video Archive from the 2 hour thirty five minute mark up to the 2 hour fifty eight minute mark.

The theme of responsibility for airport access was introduced by former Mayor Don Scott, who offered up some thoughts  in the public comment portion of the Committee of the Whole part of the night's session.

He asked council if the city had pursued the issue of the Digby Island ferry further with the province.

Offering up the suggestion that in other areas of the province the highway would be extended to and the provincial government covers the cost of these kinds of transportation requirements.

Adding that he believes that access to airports is the responsibility of the provincial government.

The Mayor outlined that in the past the province has disputed that fact, he then went on outline some past funding on a study for more effective airport ferry study that would provide for a route from the ferry that would reduce the transit time to ten minutes.

That study was presented to the provincial government, which then advised that until there was enough demand from industry to warrant the change.  Leaving it to the city of Prince Rupert to decide to make those changes on their own. The Mayor then he suggested that with the prospect of increased economic development that project may be more feasible.

Mr. Scott then returned to the prospect of pursuing a legal opinion on the provincial responsibility towards airport access.

The Mayor advised that as it stands, the province continues to refuse responsibility for the road on the airport.

Councillor Thorkelson asked further of Mr. Scott as to why he believes the province is responsible for the airport access, he then outlined he believes it's part of their regulations and policies and recounted his time as Mayor and discussions with then City Manager Smith on the topic.

He suggested a review of the existing provincial policies and why the province continues to ignore Prince Rupert's access to the airport.

With that information Council asked staff to contact the Airport Society to explore the issue further, with Councillor Garon outlining that she believes the city should continue to push the province on the issue and seek clarification.

You can review Mr. Scott's presentation on the airport ferry issue from the City's Video Archive he begins his review at the 1 hour thirty eight minute mark, the discussion continues on to the 1 hour fifty three minute mark.

The twin themes of concern on the airport access issue, will clearly have a key impact on the city's financial prospects, so taking Mr. Scott's suggestion to explore the issue further with the province seems like a worthwhile use of legal resources.

It also is something that the local MLA for the North Coast should take up as part of her duties at the Legislature, seeking to learn more about why access in some communities is provided by the province but not on the North Coast.

You can find more  on the discussion points from City Council from our archive page.

For more on the theme of developments with the Prince Rupert Airport see our archive page on transportation.

City Council Timeline, March 24, 2014

Prince Rupert Council settled in for a three hour marathon on Monday evening, with a wide range of items up for discussion and review.

 Before the night would come to an end, Council would learn more about a proposed housing development on the west side of the city and hear of the need for a new emergency fire rescue vehicle for the city's Fire Department.

As well, Council received a report on the budget process from the City's Financial Officer, then tabling it until they learn more about the contributions from the Port, CityWest or the ongoing expense of the Airport Ferry.

Prior to the Monday night public session, Council continued on with the common theme of the last year  that of the "closed session" of Council.

With Council once again sitting in a closed session earlier in the evening.

That was followed by a Public Hearing on the Graham Avenue housing project proposal as well as a short session of the Community of the Whole, complete with a Question period for the public to contribute to.

The background of  the evening can found on the Regular Council Agenda of the night.

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

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

In Attendance March 24 , 2014

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

Video Archive for March 24, 2014


(0:00--38:00 ) The Mayor opened up the night with the Public Hearing on a proposed housing development for the Graham Avenue Area. -- City Planner Zeno Krekic provided a short overview of the project and the timeline of its introduction to City Council.

As part of his review he identified a number of concerns of the public, one on the prospect of increased traffic, one on the height of the proposed development, while a third intervenor had concerns on water and sewer issues and the required change of zoning that the project requires.

For the most part Mr. Krekic explained that most of them should not pose a problem for the proposed development. Advising that staff recommended that the project be approved.

Mr. Cunningham inquired as to the infrastructure for water in the area, as he had heard concerns over the water supply in the area. He also advised that he had heard concerns over internet access to that side of town and the impact that the housing development may have on that. The Mayor outlined that the Internet question was one for the Internet provider.

Councillor Ashley asked as to what level of new taxation could be generated to the city by the development. The Mayor tasked Ms. Bomben to come up with a number based on a valuation of 4 million dollars, to which she advised that the taxation return to the city would be approximately 36,000 dollars.

Councillor Garon offered up an observation on the water pressure for the area.

Councillor Thorkelson offered up some concerns over the perceptions of the public over infrastructure issues and recalled similar issues at the last conversation on the Westview park proposal. She stressed that the city needs to be sure of the situation and to do some testing in the area, before they make any decisions on the proposed development.

The Mayor asked the City Manager to task the city's engineering department to make the appropriate tests.

Following those points, the Mayor explained the process and called for public comment at the hearing.

One member of the public, representing a number of residents along Graham Avenue, offered up  some views on the proposed development; those included response time for the Public Hearing, water and sewer concerns, traffic issues, zoning concerns and parking issues related to the development.

Councillor Ashley inquired of staff as to who would be responsible for such things as speed bumps and other road concerns.

Councillor Cunningham asked for clarification on the traffic issues that had neighbourhood residents concerned.

Councillor Thorkelson asked if the residents were concerned about the diversification of the project, she was advised that the larger concerns were how it was going to be managed and if this was the right area for such projects.

Mr. Kevin Newton one of the proponents of the project offered up some answers to some of the questions raised regarding the project.

On the theme of Parking, Councillors Kinney, Cunningham and Garon asked if there would be enough parking for the project requirements and the nature of them.

Councillor Garon observed that in her opinion the nature of the development as primarily a senior's facility would not lead to issues of speeding concerns.  Councillor Ashley asked for an overview as to who the project was designed for.

Following his presentation, The Mayor then closed the Public Hearing.

( 38:00--59:00)  The Mayor asked for the Committee of the Whole to be convened and the adoption of the agenda for the Committee of the Whole session. The next item of note was the Question Period aspect of the Committee of the Whole.

One participant asked Council about traffic issues in the Kootenay and McKay areas of the city, as well as in the downtown area. She urged council to ask the RCMP to step up enforcement in those areas.

She had one other topic of note, expressing a wish to see the NDP MLA in Council chambers to offer support to stop the proposed BC Ferry cuts. The Mayor took the opportunity to relay the steps that the City has taken so far to make its thoughts known on the issue.

One final question from the first participant was on cruise ships provided an overview from the Mayor as to what the 2014 season was going to look like.

The next question from a new participant at the Question period session was on the theme of recreation passes for civic employees. The Mayor outlined that the subject has been discussed by previous councils and was created as an inducement for civic employees to exercise and reduce the amount of sick time was claimed.

Councillor Ashley outlined some background on the exercise and pass program and why it was put in place. Councillor Garon agreed with the participant that perhaps an increase in the rate should be considered and if the program is not being utilized it should be examined.

Councillor Cunningham asked for some clarification on the process involved.

The Mayor asked that Staff prepare a report on usage of the passes and the cost to the city of them.

And with that the Question Period came to an end and the Mayor Moved on the Regular Agenda for the night.

( 59:00--1:02:30 ) The Mayor asked for the Regular Session to be convened and the adoption of the agenda for the session and past minutes of previous council sessions.

Petitions and Delegations from the Regular Council session

( 1:02:30--1:28:00 ) A Presentation from Ms. Stephanie Allen of BC Housing with an overview of what BC Housing is doing to create new housing and the process that is involved between the provincial agency and local communities.

As part of her slideshow presentation Ms. Allen reviewed some of the Workforce Housing Solutions that may be required with increased economic development in the region.

Following her presentation, Councillor Garon began questions, asking about proposed projects for Prince Rupert, she advised that there was nothing on the table at the moment, but that BC Housing was identifying potential prospects for the future.

Councillor Thorkelson asked about the nature of the Grants for land use planning and need in demand research, she then outlined some of the concerns of Council regarding targeted housing and supportive housing.  Adding that she was looking to increase the Housing Stock in Prince Rupert, with BC Housing having recently torn down a number of structures in the community.

Ms. Allen advised that the costs of redevelopment requires partnerships and that BC Housing is looking at some opportunities to address that issue.

Councillor Ashley asked how BC Housing could work with the city to identify housing needs with the prospect of increased development in the community.

Councillor Kinney had concerns over the need for increased Seniors Housing in the community, she advised that at the moment there is nothing in the development stage.

The City Manager outlined the nature of some conversations with Ms. Allen earlier in the day and what indications the city had presented to her regarding the requirements of further research between the City and BC Housing.

(1:28:00--1:53:00) Opportunity for Public Comment on the Five Year Financial Plan.

A participant from the public asked a number of questions regarding the City's budget deliberations and the increases planned for civic taxation, which he believed was an excessive option. He followed up his observations with a request for clarification on why the ten percent increase was required.

The City's CFO Ms. Bomben then provided a brief overview of the increased costs to the city for the year ahead, explaining where the extra 1.5 million is required.

Mr. Long the City Manager then provided some background on the factors and different categories that the city collects revenues from  that could impact on residential taxpayers. Ms.Bomben then followed up with a request that the participant from the public stay for the full presentation later on in the evening, which may help to clarify some of the concerns raised.

Councillor Thorkelson then suggested that Council change the Agenda to provide for the presentation from the City's Financial Officer to better explain the process to the public.

Councillor Ashley then suggested that before they move on with that presentation, that members of the public in attendance that may have questions be allowed to make their contribution at this time.

Former Mayor Don Scott was the next participant and he asked about the Digby Island Ferry and the cost to the city of its operation, he asked Council if the City or staff had pursued the prospect of the province to take over the financing of the ferry.

The Mayor advised that the province has disputed that concept, he then outlined the nature of an engineering study that the province participated in on a shorter ferry link to the Airport.

Mr. Scott then asked if the City was seeking legal advice on the issue and any provincial government obligations towards access to the airport.

Councillor Thorkelson inquired as to why he believed that that the province is responsible for access to the airport, Mr. Scott outlined that there had been some negotiation surrounding the issue while he was Mayor and that it is important to take another look at the existing policies and why the provincial government ignores our requirements.

The Mayor asked the City Manager to make contact with the Airport Authority to  gain a report from them on the topic and compare notes on the issue.

Councillor Cunningham then asked what kind of reaction the province provided to Mr. Scott when he was Mayor, he advised that the city received no funds for the airport road, but at the time it was decided that the province would take care of the Ridley Island Access road.

Councillor Garon offered up some background on the Airport Authority's attempts to deal with the issue, she then suggested that the City should take a more proactive role in seeking to push the issue forward.

Towards that the Mayor asked for a motion that staff work with the provincial government to take responsibility for the road from the Ferry dock to the airport as well as the Ferry Serivce.

With the public commentary at an end, Council shifted its agenda to allow for Ms. Bomben to make her Financial Presentation at this time.

(1:53:00-- 2:27:00) Report from the City's Financial Officer on the Proposed Budget -- Ms. Bomben provided an overview of the factors involved in creating the City's Financial plan for 2014, providing the options can challenges for the Five Year plan.

Her review offered up some background on the unique situations that face Prince Rupert when it comes to tax base and services required by the community. In her presentation she challenged some of the perceptions provided by the weekly newspaper the Northern View on March 19th and outlined how the city's financial situation does not match that overview in the paper.

She touched on the Service Challenges that the city faces, most of it funded through taxes.

She highlighted the challenges of the financing of the Digby Island Ferry.

The nature of the payment in lieu of Taxes process was next in her presentation and the discrepancy in values that the City expects and the Port provides.

Major industry cap rates and exemptions also provide a challenge for the city's financial revenues, with a number of the major industrial sites in the city capped at different levels.

Using 2014 BC Assessment values she highlighted the gap between what the city will receive and what it would anticipate without those caps in place.

She highlighted how the residential tax base was required to take up the tax burden with the decrease in industrial tax revenues over the years, particularly from when Skeena Cellulose was in operation.

She explained why Kitimat which does not have a Port Authority can collect higher tax revenues from their industrial users.

In her Services review, Ms. Bomben highlighted the service requirements faced with the revenue challenges in place.

She reviewed the accumulated surplus aspect of budget planning and how future plans for city requirements will impact on it.

The next phase of her presentation was the Options for Council's consideration, each which highlighted the tax burden to the residential tax payer.

She offered up four options for Council to consider, each one with a different definition of revenues for the city and projected deficit and potential service cuts.

In the end Ms. Bomben recommended that the City consider Option Three, which calls for 3 per cent tax increases in each of the five years, but still calls for sizeable deficits in each year from 2014-2018 with an impact on two Full Time positions with the RCMP. Recognizing the tax class imbalance, while retaining surplus.

Following her report, the Mayor asked for questions from Council.

Councillor Thorkelson inquired as to the difference between mill rates between Kitimat and Prince Rupert, and that the Prince Rupert mill rate is considered lower than that in Kitimat.

The Mayor then turned the floor back over to the public for comment.

One participant asked for clarification on the ability to collect revenue from industrial options with the PILT process.  He followed up that question as to whether the City can lobby the different levels of government to reduce the burden of the cap.

Councillor Cunningham outlined some comments on the nature of the caps and how he believes they place undue hardship on Prince Rupert as opposed to larger communities. He also took issue with the recent Northern View article on taxation, calling it sensationalism.

Councillor Ashley also had a comment on the nature of the need to approach the upper level of government to improve the cap situation that the city faces on industrial use.

Councillor Cunningham then outlined that with the current negotiations in place, the City should hold off until those discussions provide further results.

Councillor Thorkelson also suggested that the province is responsible for the cap problems and recounted some of her past research on the PILT issue.

Another member of the public asked a question on the four options and his concerns over the reduction in police staffing and other municipal requirements such as a fire rescue truck. The Mayor advised that it was still wide open as to what the city will decide to do as far as it's financial plan.

He followed up with a question on the Airport Loan requirements between the city and the airport authority and the nature of user fee increases required from the Loan.

Councillor Ashley explained the nature of the arrangement between the Airport and the City on the repayment process.

In a follow up to a question on the Airport Ferry, Councillor Thorkelson advised that the Airport Ferry costs have nothing to do with the loan situation. She further explained that the Loan would be a net sum  of zero for the city.

Councillor Cunningham advised that the city was considering many options, including raising the cost of transit on the airport ferry to help raise more revenue.

Councillor Kinney outlined that the Port is working with the city to try to resolve the PILT issue,

With no other members of the public coming forward, the Mayor brought an end to the public discussion phase of the Financial Plan process for the night.


(2:27:00--2:33 ) Report from the Fire Chief on the proposed purchase of a new Fire Rescue vehicle -- Fire Chief Dave McKenzie provided an overview of the requirement of a new Fire-Rescue van for his department. He outlined that the current rescue vehicle is already five years past is useful life time frame.

Councillor Garon asked as to the timeline of the current truck's usage and what federal requirements are in place regarding its use past its date.

Councillor Ashley spoke in favour of the purchase.

With that the recommendation to award the contract for replacement was adopted.

(2:33--2:35:00 ) Report from the City's Economic Development Officer regarding a letter of support for a Dry Dock proposal-- Mr. Long outlined the nature of the request for the letter of support.

Councillor Thorkelson had concerns over the nature of the request, advising that McLean's Shipyard had not been contacted regarding the request and that she believes it may be a case of supporting one business opportunity at the expense of another.

The motion was then tabled until City Staff contacted Mclean's shipyard to seek their comment on the issue.

(2:35:00-3:02:00 ) Report from the City's Financial Officer -- Council now considered the elements of the report from Ms. Bomben.

However, Councillor Ashley outlined some of her concerns over the prospect of potential tax increases and offered up the suggestion that the city increase the fares on the Airport ferry by fifteen dollars. She believes that with increased loads in the future as the economy improves that would help cover off the costs of operating the ferry. She outlined her concerns over the ongoing nature of the city subsidizing the operations of the ferry.

She also suggested that the city examine the prospect of service fees increases across the board by five percent. She suggested seeking election cost savings with the School District.

She also offered up the thought that the city not take their annual trip to Ketchikan this year.

The Councillor also introduced the theme of CityWest, suggesting that the city push for a bigger dividend, and if one cannot be delivered by the company that the city consider a cost benefit analysis on  CityWest and examine the pros and cons of the civic owned telecommunication company.

She also believes that the city should count the total amount of the PILT totals and that the city is getting closer in those discussions with the Port Authority.

She believes that with all of that considered the city could provide a budget with a zero per cent increase for this year.

The Mayor observed that CityWest has had its best year in the last three years a good year and that the City may wish to seek a higher dividend from the company, of around 350,000 to 400,000 dollars.

With Council to make a request of staff to approach CityWest on the nature of a better dividend.

He also observed on Councillor Ashley's suggestion of an increase on the ferry rates, observing that it may have the effect of driving people away from the Prince Rupert airport.

Councillor Garon asked a question of Councillor Ashley on the nature of her Ferry rate increase proposal, she then called on her past experience with the Airport and suggested that Council sit down with the Airport Society to learn more about the impact that the increase may have on their operations.

Mr. Long advised the Mayor that the city was short on time in considering their Financial planning.

Councillor Garon and Thorkelson spoke to the issue and advised that a meeting with the Airport Society would be of use to Council to better understand the impacts of any ferry rate increase. With Councillor Thorkelson also reminding Council that there will be an increase to air fares by way of the Airport Loan requirements.

She then took to the theme of service fees and that the public benefits from such things as the swimming pool and theatre. Adding to her points on the topic that without the ferry we wouldn't have an airport in the community.

The Mayor also offered up some thoughts on potential discussions with neighbouring communities on regionalization, whether it be the airport or police services.

Councillor Ashley offered up some counter points on the theme of the ferry rates and the competitive nature of the two airports in Prince Rupert and Terrace and how the City can balance its budget in a sustainable way.

Councillor Garon offered up some insight on the nature of the difference in pricing between Prince Rupert and Terrace based on some of the charges that Prince Rupert has in place at the moment.

Council then adopted the motion to meet with the Airport Society to discuss the issue further. With Councillors Ashley and Kinney voting against that motion, not wishing to be tied to a timeline with the airport.

Council then continued on with their Financial Plan discussions.  Councillor Thorkelson then asked what the actual surplus was last year if the city took out the unexpected payment from the Port.

She was advised that the city would have had to access 300,000 dollars from the surplus.

Councillor Ashley then suggested that the Council have a special meeting once they have determined the ferry rate issue with the Airport Society and any potential additional dividends from CityWest.

Councillor Thorkelson then asked if it would be possible to ballpark what kind of increases of 5 percent to fees and charges and what kind of revenues that would bring.

Councillor Ashley's motion for the Special Meeting after council meets with the Airport society was adpoted.

Correspondences for Action

(3:02:00--3:03:00 ) A letter from Michael McLaughlin seeking a letter of support for BC Ocean Boating Tourism for a grant from Northern Development Initiatives Trust. Mr. Long outlined the nature of the request.

Council voted to offer their support for the motion.

Following the vote Councillor Ashley asked for some clarification and then made a motion on the nature of policy for these motion of support requests. Councillor Thorkelson inquired as to the time requirements of staff and if a standardized city response was required.

After an explanation from the City Manager the motion was also withdrawn.

(3:03:00--3:04:00 ) Skeena River helicopters on a request to use McGuire field near the Civic Centre as part of a National Aboriginal Business Opportunities conference April 29th and 30th. Council discussed the request for a letter of support for that venture, subject to approval of the RCMP.

Council passed the motion.

Resolulions from Closed Meeting

(3:04:00 - 3:04:30) The Corporate Administrator outlined the list of names for those that will sit on the Prince Rupert Airport Authority Board and their term of office.


By-Laws

Council then moved on to By-Laws for consideration on the evening.

(3:04:30-3:05:00 ) Zoning Amendment Bylaw   --- Following the Public Meeting held prior to the council session, Council voted on the proposed development on Graham Avenue.  Councillor Ashley asked for guidance from council if they should table the motion until a report from City Engineering is provided to Council.

Councillor Garon said that she was satisfied with the report from staff from earlier in the night. Councillor Cunningham advised that anyone he talked with in regard to the proposal had concerns but had not expressed an opposition to the project

Council then passed the motion in favour of the Amendment to the zoning bylaw.

Report from the City Planner on the development permit application for the Graham Avenue development.

Council adopted the motion and granted the application.

City Managers Report

( 3:05:00 - 3:06:30 ) Mr. Long outlined an issue from the in camera session regarding the status of a number of publicly held property in the city's name. As requested by Council in a previous session, he advised that staff had now compiled a list of those properties, as well as some of the history of those properties and that anyone was interested in the topic they should contact staff on the issue.

Reports Questions and Inquiries from Members of Council

( 3:06:30-- 3:08:00 ) Councillor Cunningham reviewed his attendance at a community arts event recently and urged the city to continue to encourage those kinds of events in the community. His second point of concern was regarding a proposed commercial development and why it's taking so long to move the project forward.

Councillor Ashley inquired as to the fate of the Commercial Hotel and if there is a demolition schedule in place for that structure.

( 3:08:00--3:12:00  ) The Mayor's Report

The Mayor Attended a special meeting of the Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce and delivered an update on economic development in Prince Rupert and area.

He attended the Southeast Conference Mid-session Summit in Juneau, Alaska. He touched on some of the products from Alaska shipped through Prince Rupert as well as the transportation links between the city and Alaska.

The Mayor announced that Prince Rupert had been selected to host the 2015 Southeast Conference Annual General Meeting, which will take place in September of that year.

The Mayor advised that the Alaska marine Highway has announced that they have secured a fifty year lease with the Federal Government for the Alaska Marine Highway terminal in Prince Rupert and will start upgrades to the facility in 2015.

The Mayor met with a representative of CBC Radio British Columbia who advised that the CBC will be increasing their content and staffing levels from Prince Rupert and that they will assist in sponsoring and broadcasting community events.

He, along with Councillors Carlick-Pearson and Garon attended a luncheon hosted by the Board of Governors of Northwest Community College.

He attended the North Coast Art Exhibit of the Prince Rupert Community Arts Project workshops.

He also attended the graduation event of the North Coast Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs  program.

And with that, the lengthy Monday session of council came to an end.

You can access the City Council Review page for March 24th here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to media coverage of it can be found.

As always, consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to the website for further review.

Minutes Regular Council Session from March 24, 2014

Minutes of the Committee of the Whole Session for March 24, 2014