City of WL wins "Gold Star" at 2011 NCLGA AGM in Prince Rupert, BC

The City of Williams Lake won a gold award for a resolution calling for the British Columbia and federal governments to amalgamate their environmental review processes for major resource projects at the North Central Local Government Association (NCLGA) Annual General Meeting last week in Prince Rupert. The resolution was named the best crafted resolution at the NCLGA AGM.

“Congratulations to our Chief Administrative Officer Brian Carruthers, who wrote the resolution,” says Mayor Kerry Cook. “There is an opportunity to address the environmental and First Nations concerns through a more streamlined process.”

A second resolution, an attempt to address an inequity in how Police Based Victim Services funding is allocated by the province, was also endorsed by the NCGLA, which represents municipalities in the northern half of the province. Both resolutions are now forwarded to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM), which will debate resolutions at its convention this September.

The text of the resolutions is as follows:

FEDERAL/PROVINCIAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCESSES

WHEREAS British Columbia and Canada have differing legislative responsibilities and utilize separate environmental assessment processes to support their respective roles in approving major resource developments;

AND WHEREAS the use of separate environmental assessment processes results in a fragmented and disconnected evaluation of impacts and places an excessive burden on development proponents;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the NCLGA encourage British Columbia and Canada to amalgamate their environmental impact assessment processes for major resource developments.

POLICE BASED VICTIM SERVICES FUNDING

WHEREAS Police Based Victim Services programs are funded by the Solicitor General Ministry on a per capita basis for individual RCMP detachments;

AND WHEREAS a per capita funding formula does not accurately reflect the demand for victim services, resulting in the potential for inadequate funding for some detachments;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the NCLGA support the establishment of a Police Based Victim Services funding formula that is based

For more information - contact Brian Carruthers at 250-392-1763 or bcarruthers@williamslake.ca