Wrap on Local Gov't Items next week

With 3 Local Governments meeting next week, two of them (Quesnel & Williams Lake) have some noteworthy items coming before them:

Quesnel:

1) Quesnel Council will be receiving a report from Councillor Mike Cave on the Friday, July 8th meeting of Quesnel's Environmental Advisory Committee which you can read here.  An interesting comment in the minutes, though, from a member of this Committee who suggested that Quesnel was ahead in recycling, compared to Williams Lake and 100 Mile House.  I find that comment interesting, given Williams Lake is the only community to have curbside recycling.  100 Mile House doesn't presently have this option and Quesnel City Staff is looking into this as we speak, at the request of Quesnel Council

Williams Lake:

A number of items are coming before Williams Lake Council:

1) Mayor Cook will ask WL Council for permission to travel to Prince George on Monday, August 8th to discuss items relating to CCBAC (local Beetle Action Coalition).  Question though, why not pick up the phone or try webcasting?  Certainly cheaper than the cost for a hotel (if she stays in PG overnight) plus gas costs and it would be in keeping with the City's new OCP which calls for sustainable practices.  Finally - the report doesn't lay out the specific reason why she needs authorization to travel.  Perhaps it should - given that the public doesn't always attend Council Meetings but may read Council Agenda Items

2) 2nd Economic Quarter stats - see the report here but a couple of troubling indictors as Mayor Cook seeks re-election includes Business Licenses issued (1st Half of Year) in a downward trend from 2009 (66) to 2011 (47) and Bulding Permit Value (1st Half of Year) held steady in 2009 ($8,719,600) and 2010 ($8,977,000) but fell to $5,249,046 for 1st half of 2011 (Jan-June 2011)

3) Flouride in City's Water System - see the report from Committeee of the Whole with a work plan from the consultant (Commuication Solutions, Inc) here but a few things bother me and should bother the general public:

a) Recommendation #1, as outlined in the report/workplan, calls for Council to plan for a referendum but consider the possibility of asking for a Minister's Assent to repeal the flouride bylaw without a referendum this November.  I fundamentally think that the option of asking the Minister for permission to repeal this bylaw without a direct say from voters' this November is plain wrong and anti-democratic when it was the people of Williams Lake in 1969 who approved the-then flouride bylaw, as per provincial law which remains in place today which states:

Section 68 of the Community Charter:

A council must not fluoridate a water supply for the municipality unless it has adopted a bylaw for this and the bylaw has received the assent of the electors.

So, if a Municipal Council can not adopt a bylaw to place flouride in a muncipal water system without a referendum (assent of the electors) than no stretch of logic would say that this applies to repealing a flouride bylaw, which would be in keeping with both the spirit and intent of Section 68 of the Community Charter.  Besides - a referendum would cost nothing as it is a general election year

b) Recommendation #5 - Engage the Dental Community  Again - a local dentist has already spoken out, in favour of retaining flouride in the City's water system.  It would be best if the City provides a place to allow both sides of the debate to state their case to the public and to not get indirectly involved in the debate which is what will happen if Recommendation #5 is approved, in addition to the City's neutrality being strongly questioned

c) The workplan calls for "speaking points" for Mayor Cook and Councillors Tom Barr, Geoff Bourdon, Surinder Rathor, Laurie Walters and Sue Zacharias during the public engagement period, which also runs in the same period during this fall's civic vote.  It would be better if City Staff took the lead on this.  If not - the public would have real reason to question the City's neutrality in the flouride debate.  WL City Staff would have no interest except to allow the debate to occur and to ensure it is factually based. All Candidates, whether currently elected or who plan to run, should decide on their own, if they desire to get into the flouride debate (I wouldn't recommend they do).  The community should look at all the information and make a decision

3) Regulating Shipping Containers.  See the report/bylaw here but one of the things that came up at the public info meetings was the issue of regulating shipping containers in residential areas and the permitting process (30 day permit with 1 extension allowed, so shipping containers allowed on residential properties for 60 days but active building construction (building permit proof required), the shipping container can remain in place for 180 days - 6 months).  It will be interesting to see if the same people who spoke at the public info meetings show up for the public hearings which may occur as early as this September

4) Noise/Nuisance Bylaws (Apartment Buildings).  See the report here however the Bylaws are not likely to please apartment building owners, given Staff all but rejected their arguments, from my read of the Staff Report

5) Local Election Bylaw - this item is not on WL Council's Agenda and their next scheduled meeting is August 16th.  Section 39(1) of the Local Government Act (Act) says:

The (local election) bylaw must be adopted at least 8 weeks before the first day of the nomination period of the general local election

The first day for the nomination period, relating to the 2011 Civic General Election, is October 4th so 8 weeks or 2 months is August 4th however Victoria reports that local governments have until August 8th to comply with Section 39(1) of the Act.  I am seeking clarification from Cindy Bouchard - the City of Williams Lake's Manager of Legislative Services/Chief Election Officer for the 2011 Civic Election.  If she advises me that WL Council will consider the issue of a local election bylaw beyond August 8th then I will be writing the Minister of Community Services (Hon. Ida Chong) requesting an investigation into the actions of both Williams Lake City Staff and WL City Council.  Ignorance of the law is no defence.  The deadline, as per Section 39(1) of the Act is "black and white" and applies to everyone

For your information - the deadline to adopt an local election bylaw in 2008 was August 4th and Scott Nelson's Council had the City of WL's Local General Election Bylaw adopted on July 22nd, 2008

6) Finally - WL Council will consider a report that will see Council asking to meet with BC Premier Christy Clark, Minister of Community Services Ida Chong and Minister of Public Safety (Solicitor-General) Shirley Bond.  Meeting with Bond is fairly obvious (crime/RCMP issues) and is as meeting with Premier Clark, but I'm curious as to why WL Council wants to sit down with Minister Chong but is reasonable to assume that they want to discuss the recently failed 'Towns for Tomorrow' grant relating to the move of the Station House Gallery.  This Council should let 'sleeping dogs lie' and allow the next Council to decide if moving the Station House Gallery is a priority for them and under what condition(s)