Committee of the Whole (WL Council) Meeting Highlights - August 31st

Present:

Mayor Cook and Councillors Barr, Bourdon, Herbert, Rathor, Walters and Zacharias

Staff Present:

Brian Carruthers – Chief Administrator
Wendy Dalman – Corporate Services Clerk
Cindy Bouchard – Manager of Legislative Services
Annie McKitrick – Acting Manager of Social Development

Minutes of August 24th Special Committee of the Whole Meeting adopted

Delegations:

1) Audrey MacLise (Williams Lake & Area Seniors’ Advisory Council) appeared before the Committee to discuss use of the Cariboo Lodge Site

Discussion Points with the Committee:

• Read aloud the June 30th, 2010 Senior Advisory Council letter to Williams Lake Council - read their letter here
• Retirement Concepts (WL Seniors’ Village) has lowered their single unit rent
• Other facilities (apartments, etc) should look into lower their rents, make their facility more senior/accessibility friendly to adequately address their vacancy rates
• Prepared to do the background work if Council is prepared to support-in-principle the need to plan for adequate seniors’ housing options in Williams Lake

A Question & Answer period ensued
Mayor Cook, on behalf of the Committee, thanked Ms. MacLise for her presentation

Committee Action – Committee of the Whole asked Staff to prepare a housing options report, with as much info as possible, for the September 14th Committee of the Whole Meeting

2) Fred McMechan, Sue Hemphill and Katherine VanSpall (WL Field Naturalists) appeared before the Committee to discuss increased funding of the Scout Island Nature Centre

Discussion points with the Committee:

• Services provided to the community and visitors – nature trails, boat launch
• Less funding starting next year & Loss of Katimavik
• Request of $40,000 but hopeful that other grants and fundraising will come through. Noted that the Cariboo-Chilcotin Museum receives both City of WL/CRD financial support

A Question and Answer Period ensued
Mayor Cook, on behalf of the Committee, thanked Mr. McMechan, Ms. Hemphill and Ms. VanSpall for their presentation

Committee Action – Committee of the Whole recommends:

The funding request of the WL Field Naturalists be referred to the Central Cariboo Joint Committee for consideration

Business:

1) Stampede Association Lease Request

Councillor Rathor (Recreation Portfolio Chair) discussed his report with the Committee
Discussion ensued thereon

Committee Action – Committee of the Whole recommends:

Council support, in principle, the request of the Stampede Association to have the ball field in the middle of the Stampede Grounds incorporated into their existing Lease, pending submission of a plan for the area to be approved by Council; and further, that Council designate the former Men’s Fastball lease area as ‘Common Area’ within the Stampede Park and permit Stampede Park tenants to use the area as required for their events

2) Support for Retaining the Long-Form version of the Canadian Census

Councillor Hebert (Social Services Portfolio Chair) reviewed her report with the Committee
Discussion ensued thereon

Committee Action – Committee of the Whole recommends:

Council send a letter to FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities’) and to the Federal Government making portions of the long/short census mandatory; and further, this resolution be forwarded to all Union of British Columbia Municipalities member municipalities, all BC MP’s, the Prime Minister and the federal Minister responsible for the Census

Meeting adjourned and Council reconvened In-Camera (Section 90(1c) of the Community Charter – labour issues)