Steve's Jan 2015 Meeting Calendar/Expenses Submitted

During the month of Jan 2015 -- as the CRD Area 'D' Director, I attended the following meetings:

* Jan 7th Special CC Joint Committee Meeting
* Jan 9th - Observed swearing-in of new Area 'D' Alternate Director (P. Webstad)
* Jan 14th - Presented "Award of Appreciation" to local paramedic Megan Ferguson, along with Wildwood VFD Fire Chief Randy Worsley, for her assistance with the Wildwood VFD First Responders

* Jan 22nd - In-Camera Treaty Advisory Committee Mtg
* Jan 23rd - CCRHD/CRD Board Meetings
* Jan 28th - CC Rural Caucus and Joint Committee meetings
* Jan 29th - CRD Central Cariboo Budget Consultation Meeting

As for expenses submitted during the month of January 2015 (these have not yet been approved):

* Reimburse difference to switch car insurance from "Personal" to "Business" class - $56.00
* Jan 23rd CRD Board Meeting -- $185.00
* Jan 28th CC Rural Caucus Meeting - $75.00
* Jan 28th CC Joint Committee Meeting - $75.00

~SF

Quesnel Council meets Monday

On Monday, Quesnel Council will hold its usual Regular Meeting at 7pm in Quesnel Council Chambers.

On the Agenda:

* 4th Quarter - 2014 Report
* Report out from Jan 26th In-Camera meeting
* Various reports from Internal/External Committees and CRD Board Meetings
* Report from Clr Brisco re: Goldfish in Dragon Lake
* 2014 Road Rehabilitation/Overlay Paving Overview
* Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP)
* Proposed MOU's with the Cariboo RD
* First Annual Quesnel Pride Walk Update

View the full Agenda here

In other community news:

The Cariboo Regional District will hold its' final Budget Consultation meeting on Saturday from 1-3pm at the Quesnel Library (1st floor - 410 Kinchant St)

District of Wells Council will hold a Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, Feb 3rd at 7pm in Wells Council Chambers (4243 Sanders Avenue).

The 1st Annual WL Winter Carnival will be held Saturday and Sunday.  More details here

Finally - locally elected officials from the North Central Local Government Association region (District of 100 Mile House to the BC/Yukon border) will be attending the Local Gov't Leadership Academy "Elected Officials Seminar" from Wed Feb 4th to Friday Feb 6th in Prince George to learn on the various facets of local government.  I myself have registered for the seminar and I'm very much looking forward to expanding my knowledge of local government.

View the seminar Agenda here.  Upon my return, I will file a report on my activities at this seminar here and on my "Area D Director" Facebook page for the constituents of Area 'D' of the Cariboo RD

~SF

Quesnel Winter Carnival - Feb 7th

Joint Release of the Cariboo RD/City of Quesnel:

The Winter Carnival will be ready to go on Saturday, Feb. 7 from noon to 5:30 p.m. with more fun and activities for everyone! This community event is hosted by the Cariboo Regional District and the City of Quesnel with the support of many of our local sponsors. A sincere thank you to those sponsors for their support who include A & W Restaurants, Baker Creek Enhancement Society, Fortis BC, Global BC personal Jay Durant, Integris Credit Union, McDonald’s Restaurants, Quesnel and District Arts Council, Save-on-Foods, Shaw, Spectra Energy, Telus, and West Fraser.

A special thank you to the City’s Public Works Department, the Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department and their volunteers for the numerous hours spent on preparing the West Fraser Timber Park for the carnival.

There will be more family fun, more prizes and more fireworks! New this year is a Seniors’ Warming Tent sponsored by Telus and manned by the Lions Club. Seniors can drop in for a hot cocoa and a game of checkers. Lots of opportunities to try cross country skiing, snow shoeing, sledding, pond skating, and back this year is geo caching! You are invited to bring your own equipment or are welcome to borrow ours.  The crazy toque is back by popular demand and we will supply the toque, courtesy of Telus.

Everyone is invited to enjoy free hot and cold beverages and popular snacks. Visit with some of our local mascots, Billy Barker, the Root Beer Bear, the RCMP Safety Bear or the Carnival Clown. Be sure to bring your camera.

Pick up your free tickets at the gate from the Miss Quesnel Royalty and Scotiabank folks when you come into the park and drop your tickets off in any one of the eight prize draw barrels around the carnival site. The grand prize this year is a fabulous dinner for eight from Savalas! The day ends with a fireworks display you won't want to miss.

Bundle up, bring your travel mug and we'll see you on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the West Fraser Timber Park for our annual Winter Carnival. This is how Quesnel celebrates winter; in true Cariboo style!

For more information, call 250-992-8200, or check out the Quesnel Winter Carnival page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/quesnelwintercarnival

BC Gov't responds to Mt Polley Ind. Review Panel Report

Courtesy of the BC Government:

Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett has announced that government will act immediately on key recommendations of the independent panel that investigated the Mount Polley tailings storage facility (TSF) failure and launch a code review to consider the other recommendations.

The Chief Inspector of Mines will require all operating mines with TSF dams to provide a letter by June 30, 2015, to confirm whether foundation materials similar to those at Mount Polley exist below any of their dams. If those materials are present, the letters must also confirm whether sufficient investigations and testing were completed to properly understand the strength and location of those materials and that the dams were designed to account for those conditions.

The Province will also move to implement a new requirement that all operating mines with TSFs in British Columbia establish Independent Tailings Dam Review Boards. These boards will support improved engineering practices by providing third-party advice on the design, construction, operation and closure of TSFs. Some mines in B.C. already have similar boards in place.

Lastly, the Province will initiate a code review to determine how to best implement the panel’s remaining recommendations, including the adoption of best available practices and technologies.

These actions respond to the panel’s report which determined that the strength and location of a layer of clay underneath the dam was not taken into account in its original design. As a result, this layer became overstressed, causing the portion of the dam on top of that layer to collapse.

Today, the Province also released the inspections and third-party reviews of TSFs at other permitted mines in British Columbia, ordered by the Chief Inspector of Mines following the failure at Mount Polley. The inspections and reviews have not identified any immediate safety concerns and are available online at: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/topic.page?id=9F8D3F4D2F264F7FA278B528D2F08432

The Province is investing in improved information systems so that this information can routinely be made public going forward.

The inspections included site investigations, interviews with TSF operators and reviews of instrumentation and monitoring data. In addition to submitting inspection reports and third-party reviews, companies also submitted a letter of commitment to the Chief Inspector outlining how they plan to implement any recommended work.

Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines and Responsible for Core Review stated:

“I am relieved to know the cause of the failure at Mount Polley and want to thank the panel for their important work. Now we can devote all of our energy to taking a leadership role in Canada and internationally to learn from this and ensure it never happens again.”

Final Rpt of Mt Polley Ind. Review Panel released

Courtesy of the Mt Polley Ind. Review Panel:

The Mount Polley Independent Expert Engineering Investigation and Review Panel (the Panel) today delivered a Final Report on its investigation into the cause of the failure of the tailings storage facility at the Mount Polley Mine on August 4, 2014. The report was delivered to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the T’exelc First Nation (Williams Lake Indian Band) and the Xat’sull First Nation (Soda Creek Indian Band). The report also contains recommendations on actions that can be taken to ensure a similar failure does not occur at other mine sites in B.C.

The Panel concluded that evidence indicates the breach was the result of a failure in the foundation of the embankment, a failure that occurred in a glaciolacustrine (GLU) layer of the embankment’s foundation.

According to the Panel’s report: “The Panel concluded that the dominant contribution to the failure resides in the design. The design did not take into account the complexity of the sub-glacial and pre-glacial geological environment associated with the perimeter embankment foundation. As a result, foundation investigations and associated site characterization failed to identify a continuous GLU layer in the vicinity of the breach and to recognize that it was susceptible to undrained failure when subject to the stresses associated with the embankment.”

The report also indicated that the failure was triggered by construction of the downstream rockfill zone at a steep slope. The Panel concluded that had the downstream slope been flattened failure would have been avoided.  The slope was in the process of being flattened to meet its ultimate design criteria at the time of the accident.

In its report, the Panel also concludes that there was no evidence that the failure was due to human intervention or overtopping of the perimeter embankments and that piping and cracking, which is often the cause of the failure of earth dams, was not the cause of the breach.

In regard to regulatory oversight, the Panel found that inspections of the tailings storage facility would not have prevented failure.  Regulatory staff are well qualified to perform their responsibilities and they performed as expected.

In delivering the Final Report to the government, T’exelc First Nation (Williams Lake Indian Band), and Xat’sull First Nation (Soda Creek Indian Band), the Panel fulfills its mandate as laid out in its terms of reference.  The Report is authored by a review panel of three distinguished geotechnical experts and draws its conclusions and recommendations from an extensive investigation undertaken between August 2014 and January 2015. The investigation and review entailed independent engineering field investigations, data compilation, laboratory testing and analyses. It also involved the inspection of related documents in the files of the Mine, its consultants, and the Ministry of Energy and Mines. The Review Panel also solicited relevant information through a public call for submissions and conducted a number of personal interviews.

The Panel examined the historical risk profile of other tailings dams in B.C. and concluded that to avoid risk in the future requires the adoption of Best Applicable Practices (BAP) and the migration to Best Available Technology (BAT). Examples of Best Available Practices call for improvements of corporate design responsibilities, and adoption of independent tailings dam review boards. Examples of Best Available Technology include filtered, unsaturated, compacted tailings and a reduction in the use of water covers in a closure setting.

The Panel made seven recommendations to improve practice and reduce the potential for future failures. Recognizing that the path to zero failures involves a combination of best available technology (BAT) and best applicable practices (BAP), the Panel recommends the following:

1. To implement BAT using a phased approach:
   • For existing tailings impoundments. Rely on best practices for the remaining active life.
   • For new tailings facilities. BAT should be actively encouraged for new tailings facilities at existing and proposed mines.
   • For closure.  BAT principles should be applied to closure of active impoundments so that they are progressively removed from the inventory by attrition. 
2. To improve corporate governance:
   Corporations proposing to operate a tailings storage facility (TSF) should be required to be a member of the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) or be obliged to commit to an equivalent program for tailings management, including the audit function.
3. To expand corporate design commitments:
   Future permit applications for a new TSF should be based on a bankable feasibility that would have considered all technical, environmental, social and economic aspects of the project in sufficient detail to support an investment decision, which might have an accuracy of +/- 10-15%. More explicitly it should contain the following:
   • A detailed evaluation of all potential failure modes and a management scheme for all residual risk
   • Detailed cost/benefit analyses of BAT tailings and closure options so that economic effects can be understood, recognizing that the results of the cost/benefit analyses should not supersede BAT safety considerations
   • A detailed declaration of Quantitative Performance Objectives (QPOs).
4. To enhance validation of safety and regulation of all phases of a TSF:
   Increase utilization of Independent Tailings Review Boards.
5. To strengthen current regulatory operations:
   • Utilize the recent inspections of TSFs in the Province to ascertain whether they may be at risk due to the following potential failure modes and take appropriate actions
     • Filter adequacy 
     • Water balance adequacy
     • Undrained shear failure of silt and clay foundations
   • Utilize the concept of Quantitative Performance Objectives to improve regulator evaluation of ongoing facilities.
6. To improve professional practice:
   Encourage the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC) to develop guidelines that would lead to improved site characterization for tailings dams with respect to the geological, geomorphological, hydrogeological and possibly seismotectonic characteristics.
7. To improve dam safety guidelines:
   Recognizing the limitations of the current Canadian Dam Association (CDA) guidelines incorporated as a statutory requirement, develop improved guidelines that are tailored to the conditions encountered with TSFs in British Columbia and that emphasize protecting public safety.

In presenting its Final Report, Panel Chair Norbert Morgenstern said on behalf of the Panel, “We have been acutely aware of our responsibilities in conducting this investigation. We set out to be thorough, focusing on the technical issues, and to report our findings in an open, transparent and timely manner.”

Final report can be viewed here

Media briefing video can be viewed here

Video of Aug 4th Tailings Breach (helicopter overview) can be viewed here

Finance Committee Mtg (WL Council) - Jan 29th

Present  - Councillor Nelson (Chair) and Councillors Smith/Ryll

Council members present: Mayor Cobb; Councillors Walters, Zacharias and Bonnell

Staff: D. Garceau - City Manager; G. Paynton - Director of Community Services

Public: 8

Media: 2 (Got News Network and WL Tribune)

Meeting called to order at 6pm

Meeting Agenda approved

Resolved - That it be recommended to Council:

1) That Council Stipend be frozen for next 2 budget years (2015/2016)
2) That Senior Staff pay be frozen for 2015

Presentation of Community Services Budget Item - Mural Program in downtown Williams Lake. Video was played

Review of Capital Items - Community Services
Discussion ensued thereon...

The Chair called for public input - Discussion about BIA Mural Program; Printing of Budget Items; Budget Process

Meeting adjourned at 6:57pm

CRD CC Budget Mtg - 5pm Session

Present - CRD Chair A. Richmond and Directors S. Forseth, B. Kemp, J. Sorley; W. Cobb

Staff - J. Bell - CAO; S. Burich - Mgr of Communications; S. Reid - CFO; A. Jeffery - Mgr of Procurement; K. Erickson - Mgr of Finance

Public: 3
Media: 1 (WL Tribune)

Session called to order at 5pm

The CAO introduced elected officials and Staff present

The CAO then played a Powerpoint Presentation

Questions:

* Do outside grants count at 11% of the entire CRD Budget?
* Break-down of percentage (7.1%) between Quesnel/WL (Improved Services)?
* Look at re-structuring at CRD
* Look at renewing/even expanding Rural Fringe Fire Protection area..
* Look at less direct award and more tendered contracts...
* Look at direct/true cost to run CC Recreation Complex
* Look at user fees for CC Recreation -- actual cost

Session concluded at 5:45pm

Williams Lake Fire Department Now 100% NFPA 1001 Qualified

Courtesy of the City of Williams Lake:

All firefighters at the Williams Lake Fire Department have now reached full professional qualification, a distinction held by only a few departments in British Columbia.

Each member of the department – the chief, a deputy chief, two assistant chiefs, three captains, three lieutenants, and 32 paid on-call firefighters – has been certified to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1001 Standard for Professional Firefighter Qualification.

The NFPA 1001 standard is the requirement to become an accredited firefighter in North America. To achieve the certification, firefighters must complete 10 education modules that include both theoretical and practical work.

“For several years, our department has been working to become a fully professionally-qualified fire department,” says City of Williams Lake Director of Protective Services and Fire Chief Des Webster. “This is a monumental achievement for any department, but especially for a paid on-call department like ours.

“This was no easy task: to achieve this required countless hours of additional training which included many hours for these men and women to be away from family and work, on top of their regular training and emergency response. I am very proud of each and every one of these firefighters, and I am extremely proud to be the Fire Chief to such a wonderful and dedicated group of individuals. Thank you also to all of the employers whose co-operation allows their workers to attend emergency calls. Without them there would be no department.”

“Williams Lake is very fortunate to have a fire department that is so dedicated to providing the best service possible to the citizens of Williams Lake,” says Williams Lake Mayor Walt Cobb. “The next time you see one of your firefighters, let them know how much they are appreciated for what they do for this community.”

Next Steps charted for Pool Renovations

Courtesy of the Cariboo Regional District:

Following a successful public information process, the November 15, 2014 referendum to enable the Cariboo Regional District to borrow up to $10 million for the Sam Ketcham Pool Upgrade passed with a support level of 68 per cent.

The Sam Ketcham Pool, located in the West Fraser Aquatic Centre at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex will undergo an extensive renovation upgrade over the next two years. The next step in the project will focus on the procurement of the necessary consultants for development of detailed designs. The drafting of the procurement documents is in progress, as is the collection of all existing background reports and materials.

A Sam Ketcham Pool Project Working Group has been formed and the Terms of Reference have been established. This group will guide the detailed design and construction process, including procuring and working with architectural, engineering and other consultants as required; and engage key stakeholder groups and the public as appropriate throughout the project.

“After working on the preliminary steps that led to the 2014 successful referendum, the Central Joint Committee and Working Group is keen to get this project underway,” stated Central Cariboo Joint Committee Co-Chair, Director Joan Sorley. “This project is long overdue and I am sure the end result will be an aquatic facility which will greatly improve recreation opportunities and could potentially encourage families to relocate to the Central Cariboo.”

“We are pleased the project is moving forward and we look forward to the day we get shovels in the ground,” stated Central Cariboo Joint Committee Co-Chair, Mayor Walt Cobb. “Although much of the work over the next year is behind the scenes, it is essential to ensuring we get the quality product that our community deserves.”

A preliminary high level timeline for the project is as follows:

2015

January

Establishment of the Project Working Group

February and March

Initiate procurement for i) architectural design services, ii) development of the traffic flow and parking plan, iii) Project Management services.

April and May

Award of service contracts for the above components at the scheduled joint committee meeting(s), with endorsement to follow by the Regional District Board.

May to November

Development of schematic, detailed design and construction drawings.

2016

January

Request for Qualifications process to short list general contractors

February and March

Tender process for construction

April

Sixteen to twenty month construction process begins.

2017

October – estimated date of construction completion.

To support the project, the Regional District and the City continue to pursue funding from other sources and have applied to the Northern Development Initiative Trust for $650,000 and the Federal Gas Tax Strategic Priorities Fund administered by the Union of BC Municipalities for $4 million. If the applications are successful, it will reduce the amount of funding the Regional District must borrow for the project and save local taxpayers those financing costs. It is expected that the success of these applications will be known later this year.

A Facebook page dedicated to helping provide information to residents and an opportunity for residents to ask questions can be found at facebook.com/SamKetchamPool. A Twitter feed can also be found at @SKPProject. Project updates will also be posted on the Cariboo Regional District website at cariboord.ca and on the City of Williams Lake site at williamslake.ca.

Quesnel Council cuts Travel/Discretionary Spending

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

In an effort to help address a 2015 revenue shortfall and to avoid raising taxes by 4.1% just to maintain programs and services at 2014 levels, Quesnel City Council cut its own travel budget by 34% and made significant cuts to its discretionary spending. These cuts, along with Council’s previous decision to roll back its pre-election pay increase, are part of $600,000 in operational savings that Council’s Financial Sustainability Committee recommended in the City’s 2015 operating budget this week.

“I’m excited about the high level of direct involvement Councillors had in the creation of the budget this year and I’m pleased to be part of a team that wanted to take a leadership role in finding the cost savings we needed to maintain 2014 service levels without increasing property taxes for general revenue,” Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson stated.

The almost $600,000 revenue shortfall for 2015 is a result of the loss of industrial taxation from the Canfor mill closure and the reassessment of a West Fraser asset, inflationary pressures, and some minor supplemental expenses approved by Council. Senior management at City Hall has also agreed to a wage freeze in 2015 in order to help find the operational savings needed to maintain 2014 service levels without layoffs or staff cuts.

“In order to cover the 2015 revenue shortfall and to immediately address the City’s long standing annual infrastructure deficit of $2 million/year Council would have had to raise taxes by over 19% this year alone,” said Mayor Simpson. “Instead, by finding $600,000 in operating savings and by automatically applying any annual budget surplus to the capital reserve account Council believes it can address the City’s infrastructure deficit with a 5% tax increase for infrastructure only this year and next year.”

The $675,000 raised through a 5% tax increase would be transferred to the City’s Capital Reinvestment Reserve which can only be used for the repair and replacement of roads and sidewalks. The proposed 5% tax increase represents an increase of $34.56 for the average house in Quesnel or $20.81/$100,000 in assessed value.

“Quesnel is a vibrant and resilient community. As its elected leaders, Council is focused on ensuring the financial sustainability of the City and maintaining its infrastructure in order to ensure that Quesnel will continue to attract and retain residents, businesses and investment through this transition period,” said Mayor Simpson.

CC Joint Committee - Jan 28th mtg

Present from City of WL: Mayor W. Cobb (Co-Chair) and Councillors Bonnell, Nelson, Ryll, Smith, Walters and Zacharias

Present from Cariboo RD:  Directors J. Sorley (Co-Chair), S. Forseth, B. Kemp; B. Anderson

Meeting chaired by Co-Chair Director J. Sorley

Staff:

Lori Schick - Deputy Corporate Officer, CRD
Geoff Paynton - Director of Community Services, City of WL
Darron Campbell - Mgr of Community Services, CRD
Janis Bell - CAO, CRD

Meeting called to order at 5:05pm
Meeting Agenda approved/Jan 7th CC Joint Committee meeting minutes adopted

Business:

1) Cariboo Foundation Hospital Trust - Williams Lake Craft Beer Festival

Discussion ensued thereon

Resolved - That the letter from Adele Hamilton, on behalf of the Cariboo Foundation Hospital Trust, dated December 4, 2014, requesting the waiving of charges related to the rental of the Gibraltar room to host the first Williams Lake Craft Beer Festival on February 21, 2015, be received and they be advised as to why their request can not be approved

2) Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society - Fourth Quarter 2014 Report

Discussion ensued thereon

Resolved - That the report be received

3) NDIT Grant Application - Sam Ketcham Pool Upgrade Project

The Mgr of Community Services reviewed the item with the Committee
Discussion ensued thereon

Resolved - That the email from Dean McKinley, Northern Development Initiative Trust, regarding the NDIT grant application for the Sam Ketcham Pool Upgrade Project, be received.

4) City of Williams Lake - BC Mountain Bike Tourism Association 2015 Symposium

The Director of Community Services presented her report to the Committee
Discussion ensued thereon

Resolved - That it be recommended to the CRD Board:

That the report submitted by Darrell Garceau, Chief Administrative Officer, and prepared by Beth Holden, Events & Marketing Coordinator, City of Williams Lake, dated January 19, 2015, regarding the BC Mountain Bike Tourism Association 2015 Symposium, be received. Further, that the award to Williams Lake to host this event be endorsed and that the Central Cariboo Recreation budget be amended to include a contribution of up to $4,000 for the event

5) Staff position: Outdoor Recreation Support

The Manager of Community Services reviewed his report with the Committee
Discussion ensued thereon

Resolved - That the agenda item summary from Darron Campbell, Manager of Community Services regarding the Central Cariboo Recreation and Leisure Services 2015 Business Plan Goal regarding support for outdoor recreation groups and facilities, be received and the 2015 Business Plan Goal #2 within the CC Leisure/Recreation Function be supported without hiring a staff person.  Approved by the following vote:

Affirmative - Directors Sorley, Kemp, Forseth; Mayor Cobb, Councillors Bonnell, Ryll, Smith, Walters and Zacharias

Negative - Councillor S. Nelson

6) Pool Upgrade Project - Working Group Meeting Notes – January 22, 2015

The Mgr of Community Services reported to the Committee on this item

Resolved - That the Working Group meeting notes of Jan 22nd be received

Discussion items:

a) Terms of Reference for CC Joint Committee
b) Fundraising Committee - Sam Ketchum Pool Upgrade Project

Action Page was deferred until the next meeting

The Committee adjourned at 7:05pm

CC Rural Caucus Mtg - Jan 28th

Present - Directors S. Forseth, B. Kemp, J. Sorley; B. Anderson

Staff:

A. Johnston - Corporate Officer
L. Schick - Deputy Corporate Officer

Meeting called to order at 3pm by the Corporate Officer

The Corporate Officer called for nominations of Chair of the Central Cariboo Rural Directors' Caucus for 2015

Director Sorley nominated Director Forseth.  Director Forseth accepted his nomination.  No further nomination received.  Director Forseth declared Chair of the CC Rural Caucus for 2015

The Corporate Officer then called for nominations for the position of Co-Chair of the Central Cariboo Joint Committee for 2015.  Director Forseth nominated Director Sorley.  Director Sorley accepted her nomination.  No further nominations received.  Director Sorley declared Co-Chair of the CC Joint Committee for 2015

Director Forseth assumed the Chair

Agenda was approved
CC Rural Caucus meeting minutes of Oct 16th, 2014 adopted

Delegations:

1) Elcy LePage from Interior Roads appeared before the Committee to discuss winter road maintenance

A Question/Answer period ensued

Chair Forseth, on behalf of the Committee, thanked Ms. LePage for her time/information

Business:

1) 2015 Meeting Schedule for CC Rural Caucus

Discussion ensued thereon

Resolved - That the meeting schedule for 2015 be endorsed

2) Appointment to External Community Committees

Discussion ensued thereon

Resolved - That the following appointments are made

Director Forseth - WL/District Chamber of Commerce
Director Kemp - Air Quality Roundtable
Director Sorley - Liaison to CC Arts/Culture Society

3) Review of 2015 Grants for Assistance

Discussion ensued thereon

Resolved - That the summary of 2015 CC Grants for Assistance spreadsheet be received.  Further, that the Gavin Lake Forest Education Society 2015 Grant for Assistance be amended as follows:

Area D - $1,400.00
Area E - $400.00
Area F - $2,200.00

4) Action Page

Discussion ensued thereon

Resolved - Action Page received

The Committee discussed the idea of meeting with School District #27 Trustees from Zones 4,5,6.  Item tabled

The Committee adjourned at 4:23pm

WL Council Highlights - Jan 27th mtg

Present - Mayor W. Cobb; Councillors I. Bonnell, S. Nelson, J. Ryll, C. Smith, L. Walters and S. Zacharias

Staff:

D. Garceau - City Manager
C. Bouchard - Corporate Officer/Mgr of Legislative Services
M. Stewart - Director of Finance

Meeting called to order at 6:03pm

Meeting Agenda approved/Council Jan 13th meeting minutes approved

Resolved - That recognition be given at every Council meeting that the meeting is occurring on Shuswap Nation territory

Delegation:

Melissa Newberry from Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Williams Lake appeared before Council to discuss their activities

A Question/Answer period ensued

Mayor Cobb, on behalf of Council, thanked Ms. Newberry for her time/information

Business:

1) Council received for information the accounts payable computer cheque listings for the periods ending January 13, 15 and 16, 2015

2) Council approved the Heritage House Lease Renewal Agreement with the Canadian Mental Health Association for the lands legally described as Remainder Lot 2, District Lot 71, Cariboo District, Plan 19711 for a further five-year term effective January 15, 2015 to January 14, 2020, pursuant to the renewal option contained in the original Lease Agreement

3) Council ratified an email poll authorizing Councillor Walters' attendance at the 'Celebrating Natural Resources Dinner' at the start of the BC Natural Resources Forum on January 20, 2015 in Prince George, BC, at a cost of $69

4) Council gave 1st/2nd Reading to Bylaw 2225, 2015 (664 Oliver St) and directed a Public Hearing be set for Feb 24th at 7pm in Council Chambers

5) At the request of Councillor Bonnell, Council supported an extension of the daylight hours of access to Scout Island for vehicular traffic to have greater opportunity for recreational activities on Williams Lake, and the gate continue to be locked during the nighttime hours and that the City Manager be requested to meet with the Williams Lake Field Naturalists to mitigate any operational or security matters that may arise as a result of this action. Approved by the following vote:

Affirmative - Mayor Cobb; Councillors Bonnell, Nelson, Ryll, Smith and Zacharias
Negative - Councillor L. Walters

Delegation, cont:

Marg Evans, Exec. Dir. with the Cariboo-Chilcotin Conservation Society appeared before Council to discuss the services of Water/Waste Wise programs from the Society

A Question/Answer period ensued

Mayor Cobb, on behalf of Council, thanked Ms. Evans for her time/information

Business, cont:

Councillor S. Nelson declared a perceived conflict of interest and left Council Chambers at 6:48pm

6) Council ratified one Council-in-Committee recommendation as follows:

Council approve entering into 2-year Fee for Service Agreements with the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society for the Water Wise and Waste Wise programs, in the amounts of $38,600 and $24,500 per year, respectively

Councillor S. Nelson returned to Council Chambers at 6:51pm

7) Council received a letter from the Williams Lake Stampeders Hockey Club in regards to the February 2015 Playoffs and gave approval for Special Occasion Liquor Licenses on February 7, 8, 21 and 22, 2015 at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex, pursuant to City Policy and subject to RCMP approval

8) Council received a letter from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Cariboo Chilcotin Branch regarding their 3rd Annual Ride Don't Hide fundraising event on Sunday, June 21, 2015 on the Williams Lake River Valley Trail be received and the community was encouraged to participate

9) Council received a letter from Interior Health in regards to a letter from the local Seniors' Advisory Council re: redevelopment planning study underway at the Cariboo Memorial Hospital

Resolved - That a letter be forwarded to Health Minister Terry Lake stating that Council supports the Final Concept Plan for Cariboo Memorial Hospital (CMH) and request he give urgent consideration to the Final Concept Plan for CMH upon him receiving said Plan

10) Late Item - Council proclaimed Feb 1-7 as "Turn down the Heat" Week in the City of Williams Lake

11) Council received the "Council Information Package" as follows:

• January 5, 2015 - MLA Barnett re New Year Greeting;
• January 8, 2015 - Communities in Bloom re 2015 Participation Options;
• January 15, 2015 - Performances in the Park 2015 Call for Performers.

Council Members gave oral reports on their activities in the City

Meeting adjourned at 7:06pm and after a 5 min recess, Council went into an In-Camera meeting under Sections 90(1 b + g -- municipal award + potential/actual litigation) of the Community Charter

$$$ for Mining Sector Support

Courtesy of the BC Government:

Funding in Budget 2015 will establish a Major Mines Permitting Office to improve the co-ordination of major mine permits across government, add staff to conduct more inspections and permit reviews, and maintain improved turnaround times for notice of work permits, Premier Christy Clark announced today.

“Up to 10 new mines are expected to proceed in the next few years and this new funding will make sure we are ready to support these projects and ensure the safety of this important industry as it continues to grow,” said Premier Christy Clark. “B.C.’s mineral exploration and mining industry is a great comeback story and today we have a significant opportunity to create thousands of jobs by opening new mines and expanding existing ones.”

Government has used contingency funding since 2011 to significantly increase geotechnical staff and inspections and improve permit turnaround times. The funding announced today will make these improvements permanent and create additional capacity to support the major mines permitting process.

The base budget of the ministry will be increased by about $6 million, a portion of which will go towards making current contingency funding permanent. Also, new permit fees for mines in B.C. are expected to raise an additional $3 million per year. The new fees will not be charged to exploration companies.

“Since 2011, we’ve made significant improvements to increase geotechnical inspections, hire additional staff and reduce the turnaround time for notice of work permits,” said Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines. “This investment will ensure we continue to improve our processes and support mining in British Columbia.”

“We welcome today’s announcement,” said Marcia Smith, senior vice president, Sustainability and External Affairs of Teck Resources Limited. “This increased funding will further strengthen B.C. permitting processes and help to support sustainable mining, job creation and economic growth in mining communities across the province.”

Premier Clark also announced that government will extend the $10-million mining flow-through share tax credit program to the end of 2015 to support investment in mining exploration. The credit helps junior exploration companies continue to make important resource discoveries by providing an incentive that can be used to raise additional investment revenue.

“Today’s announcement of the Major Mines Permitting Office demonstrates that the government continues to take steps each year to improve the permitting process for the industry,” said Gavin C. Dirom, president and CEO of the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia. “And we appreciate that permitting fees will not be applied to exploration activities because such activities do not generate revenue. We are also very pleased to see the continuation of the flow-through share program for 2015, which will encourage more companies to explore for minerals in the province.”

“MABC welcomes the announcement of additional permanent funding for the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the creation of the Major Minds Permitting Office, said Karina Briño, president & CEO of the Mining Association of BC. “B.C.’s competitive advantage as a mining jurisdiction and the creation of jobs across the province are dependent on an effective mine permitting process. We look forward to continuing to work with government on the implementation of the new service delivery model.”

To further encourage exploration in B.C., Premier Clark also committed to extending the Province’s New Mine Allowance to 2020. The tax credit combines with other mineral tax provisions to support new mines and major expansions by allowing them to deduct 133% cent of their capital costs.

Exploration expenditures in British Columbia for 2014 are estimated to total $338 million. In 2013, exploration spending in B.C. represented over 21% of all exploration in Canada. This is a substantial increase from 2001 when the province accounted for just six per cent of Canada’s exploration expenditures.

Since June 2011, five new mines have opened in British Columbia, creating over 1,300 new jobs, and seven major mine expansions have been approved. British Columbia’s mining industry employs 30,000 workers with an average annual salary of $114,000, a significant increase from 2001 when 14,700 workers were employed at an average annual salary of $81,000.

COW Session (2015 Operation Budget) - Quesnel Council

Present - Mayor Simpson (Chair); Councillors Brisco, Coleman, Elliot, Paull, Roodenburg, Thapar

Staff:

Byron Johnson - City Manager
Gina Albers - Deputy Corporate Administrator
Ken Coombs - Director of Public Works/Engineering
Kari Bolton - Director of Finance/Corporate Services
Jeff Norburn - Director of Community Services
Carol Anderson - Communications Supervisor

Meeting called to order at 7pm

A moment of silence was held to pay silent tribute to RCMP Const. David Wynn who died in the line of duty in St. Albert, Alberta

Business:

The Chair reviewed the recommendations of the Finance Sustainability/Audit Committee (FSAC) from their Jan 7th/20th meetings

General discussion ensued...

The Director of Finance/Corporate Services reviewed the draft 2015 Operations Budget
General Discussion ensued...

Resolved - That the Spring Clean Up budget line be removed as recommended by FSAC

Resolved - That the WildSafe BC supplemental budget request remain in the draft 2015 Operational Budget.  Approved by the following vote:

Affirmative - Mayor Simpson; Councillors Brisco, Coleman, Elliot, Roodenburg, and Thapar

Negative - Councillor R. Paull

Resolved - That the $15,000 for the website redesign remain in the budget, subject to the approved Communications Work Plan by way of recommendation from the Executive Committee to Council

Resolved - That it be recommended to Council:

Staff be directed to continue moving forward with the Budget as presented and
recommended by the Financial Sustainability and Audit Committee including:

a. The proposed cuts to the benchmark budget
b. The supplementals of $31,500
c. The increase to the Capital Reinvestment Reserve of $675,000 (5%)

The Chair called for public input -- 1 member of the public addressed the Committee concerning Recreation Facility spending. It was noted this is primarily done through the North Cariboo Joint Committee (Quesnel Council + CRD Directors for Areas A, B, C and I)

Meeting concluded at 8:29pm

CRD Area 'B' Community Mtg - Jan 25th from 1-3pm

Later today from 1-3pm at the Bouchie Lake Community Hall -- Cariboo Regional District Area 'B' Director Jerry Bruce will be hosting a community meeting to introduce himself to Area 'B' residents and to discuss topics of recreation, street lighting, and other issues/concerns

I will be attending this meeting myself to observe/watch and possibly look to holding the same community meetings in Area 'D' later this year

~SF

2014 Population #'s hold steady

From Williams Lake Tribune:

Cities and towns in the Cariboo Region experienced a slight population increase or remained the same in 2014.

According to BC Stats population estimates, the 2014 population of the Cariboo Regional District was 63,111, a .4 per cent increase from 2013's 62,885.

Williams Lake's population increased by .5 percent in 2014 to 11,003 from 10,943 in 2013, although in 2011 the population was at 11,164.

100 Mile House saw a .3 per cent increase, going from 1,884 in 2013 to 1,889 in 2014 and Quesnel's population increased by .1 per cent with 9,806 people in 2014, up from 9,801 in 2013.

While the Cariboo's unincorporated area saw the population increase by .4 per cent, climbing to 40,179 in 2014 from 40.023 in 2013, the community of Wells's 2013 population of 234 remained intact in 2014.

Among municipalities with populations fewer than 5,000 people, Sun Peaks Mountain reported the highest growth rate — 4.9 per cent — from 2013 to 2014. That percentage translates into 21 additional people.

"A population estimate is a measure of the current or historical population," BC Stats noted on its website. "These estimates are consistent in aggregate with the Statistics Canada produced annual (July 1) provincial level totals."

Local Gov't Mtgs - Wk of Jan 26-30

A number of local governments are meeting next week as follows:

Quesnel - Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, Jan 26th at 7pm in Quesnel Council Chambers (2nd Floor - 410 Kinchant St).  Discussions on the proposed 2015 Operational Budget.

View the full Agenda here

Williams Lake - Regular Council Meeting on Tuesday, Jan 27th at 6pm in WL Council Chambers (450 Mart St).  On the Agenda:

* Access to Scout Island
* Receive letter from Interior Health re: WL Seniors' Advisory Council concerns on Cariboo Memorial Hospital redevelopment

View the full Agenda here

School District #27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin) - Regular Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Jan 27th at 6:30pm.  View the full Agenda here

Cariboo Regional District:

On Wednesday, Jan 28th - the following meetings are occurring:

3pm -- Central Cariboo Rural Directors' Caucus.  On the Agenda:

* Election of Chair for 2015
* 2 Delegations -- RCMP/Interior Roads

* 2015 Meeting Schedule
* Appointments to External Committees
* Complete Review of Grants for Assistance applications for 2015

View the full Agenda here

5pm - Central Cariboo/City of WL Joint Committee.  On the Agenda:

* Request from Cariboo Hospital Trust re: Waive Fees for Gibraltar Room for Craft Beer Festival
* City of Williams Lake - BC Mountain Bike Tourism Association 2015 Symposium
* CC Arts/Culture Society - 4th Quarter 2014 Report
* NDIT Grant Application - Sam Ketcham Pool Upgrade Project
* Central Cariboo Recreation and Leisure Services - 2014 Business Plan Goal for Outdoor Recreation Support
* Pool Upgrade Project - Working Group Meeting Notes – January 22, 2015
* Discussion Items: Terms of Reference for Joint Committee/Fundraising Committee for Sam Ketchum Pool project

View the full Agenda here

CRD Board Mtg Highlights - Jan 23rd

Present: Chair A. Richmond; Directors Armstrong, Bruce, Massier, Forseth, Kemp, Sorley, Wagner, Cash, William, Anderson, Coakley, Sharpe, Simpson, Cobb, and Campsall

Staff:

J. Bell - CAO

A. Johnston - Corporate Officer

S. Reid - CFO

S. Burich - Mgr of Communications

K. Moores - Mgr of Development Services

Meeting called to order at 9:45am
Meeting agenda approved/CRD Board Minutes of Dec 12th, 2014 approved

Business:

Planning Bylaws:

1) Bylaw 4942 (Area E) was given 1st/2nd Reading

2) Bylaw 4931 (Area I) was given 3rd Reading by the following Stakeholder-Weighted (EA Directors' only) vote:

Affirmative - Chair Richmond; Directors Armstrong, Massier, Kemp, Coakley, Wagner, William

Negative - Directors Forseth, Anderson, Bruce, Sorley, Cash

3) Bylaws 4741/4742 (Area G) were adopted

Planning/Bylaw Enforcement/Building Inspection

1) The Board agreed to appoint Brent Rutherford, Graham Leslie, Jim Gibson, Elizabeth Hunter, George Atamanenko and Phyllis Webstad for another two year term ending December 31, 2016 on the Heritage Steering Committee and a letter of appreciation be forwarded to Barry Sales for his participation on the Committee

2) The Board directed staff to prepare the proposed amendments to Cariboo Regional District Advisory Planning Commission Bylaw No. 4714

Meeting recessed at 10:50am
Meeting resumed at 11:01am

3) The Board received a report of the Manager of Development Services (K.Moores) concerning a rejected request to use the SPCA to deal with dangerous dogs as defined under the Livestock Act in Kersley (Area 'A') and request information on whether or not SPCA pick up dogs in the City of Quesnel

4) The Board received Building Stats reports for November 2014

Environmental Services:

1) The Board received the Proposed Water/Sewer Projects report

2) The Board received the Rural Refuse Inspection Site report

3) The Board agreed to submit a grant application to the Small Communities Fund for two thirds funding for the provision of water and sewer services in the Mountview area. If the grant award is successful, a referendum be held within 6 months to establish a local service, authorize the borrowing of funds to complete the project, as well as establishment of a user fee bylaw to cover the annual operating and asset replacement costs

4) The Board agreed to submit grant application to the Small Communities Fund for two thirds funding, recognizing that $800,000 of Community Works funds have already been committed, for the 108 Mile water treatment plant. If the grant is successful, a referendum be held within 6 months of the award date to authorize the borrowing of funds to complete the project and associated asset replacement costs for the water treatment plant

5) Late Item - The Board received a report from the Env. Services Mgr regarding request from Spectra Energy to comment on their integrated Pest Management Plan

Community Services:

1) The Board agreed to submit NDIT Grant applications as follows:

a) Cedar Point Park -- boat launch/dock and shower house
b) Sign on Highway 97 near Dunkley Lumber, north of Quesnel, to advertise back route from Likely to Barkerville
c) 3 Mountain Bike Trails on Fox Mountain
d) Community Building with office space & industrial kitchen on the Likely Community Hall site

2) The Board agreed to approve Community Works Funding for a potable water system at the Likely Community Hall

3) The Board agreed to provide a letter of support for the Likely Chamber of Commerce for their application to the NDIT's Business Facade Improvement Program

Protective Services:

1) The Board received a letter from E-Comm 911 recognizing the new partnership between a number of Regional Districts (CRD, RRFFG, etc) and E-Comm 911

2) The Board received a report of the Mgr of Protective Services concerning the 2014 Annual Fire Chiefs' Workshop

Meeting recessed at 11:53am
Meeting resumed at 12:45pm

The Board then held an In-Camera (closed to the public) Meeting as per Section 90(1f, g and i) of the Community Charter at 12:46pm

Board resumed its' public meeting at 1:08pm

3) The Board received a report of the Mgr of Protective Services concerning birthday cards for Protective Service volunteers and directed Staff to look at cost of volunteer recognition pins and distribution/signature of certificates

4) The Board received a report of the Mgr of Protective Services concerning the Tsilhqot’in Community Emergency Preparedness: Building Relationships Meeting held on Jan 12/2015

Communications:

1) The Board received a report of the Mgr of Communications concerning sponsorship opportunities at the forthcoming NCLGA AGM in Prince George, BC from May 6-8, 2015

Finance:

1) The Board ratified the Dec 2014 Cheque Register in the amount of $2,510,451.99
2) The Board received a report of the CFO concerning Group Insurance for Elected Officials

3) Late Item - The Board agreed to increase the Canada Winter Games budget from $12,600 to $20,000 by the following vote:

Affirmative - Chair A. Richmond; Directors Armstrong, Bruce, Massier, Kemp, Sorley, Wagner, Cash, William, Anderson, Coakley, Sharpe, Cobb and Campsall - 14

Negative - Director S. Forseth - 1

Administration:

1) The Board received the results of Special Voting confirming Director A. Richmond as the CRD rep. on the CC Beetle Action Coalition until Dec 31st, 2014

2) The Board received a report of the Corporate Officer concerning 2015 NCLGA Resolutions

3) The Board received a letter from the District of Hudson's Hope concerning a 1 year moratorium for Site C.

4) The Board agreed to forward a letter of support to the Quesnel Skyfest Society to help the Society secure funds for the 2015 Skyfest event and referred the letter to the North Cariboo Rural Directors' Caucus

5) The Board received the Consent Calendar as of Jan 23rd

6) The Board received 1 item from UBCM/NCLGA affairs concerning Metro Vancouver's Bylaw 280 being rejected by the Minister of the Environment (Hon. M. Polak)

7) The Board received the Level 1 Corporate Priorities Report

8) The Board received 5 responses to Board Letters from Min. of Transportation and Forests re: 2014 UBCM, Federal Department of Industry re: 3500 Mhz Spectrum Consultation, Thank you letter from Village of Lac-Megantic and Ministry of Transportation re: Invasive Plants funding

9) Late Item - The Board received a report of the Corporate Officer regarding the Area 'J' Alternate Director

10) Late Item - At the request of the Board Chair, the date of the Feb 2015 Board meeting was changed to Wed Feb 18th, 2015

Reports from Committees or Commissions:

1) The Board received the minutes of the Dec 10th, 2014 meeting of the Anahim Lake Airport Commission and approved two recommendations from that meeting

2) The Board received the minutes of the meetings of the North Cariboo Rural Directors' Caucus held on December 12th/19th, 2014 and approved recommendations from the Dec 19th meeting concerning 2015 Grants for Assistance

3) The Board received the minutes of the Dec 16th, 2014 North Cariboo Joint Committee and approved 2 recommendations from that meeting

4) The Board received the minutes of the Jan 7th meeting of the Central Cariboo Joint Committee meeting and approved 5 recommendations from that meeting including 2015 Grant for Assistance to Mt Timothy, Canada Day celebrations put on by the City of WL and 3 recommendations concerning the Sam Ketchum Pool Renovations Project

5) The Board received the minutes of the Jan 13th meeting of the North Cariboo Rural Directors' Caucus and approved two recommendations from that meeting (Improved Access to Nechako Basin & timing of Agenda Items to the Rural Caucus)

6) The Board endorsed a recommendation of the North Cariboo Rural Directors' Caucus concerning External Committee Appointments for 2015

Invitations:

1) Late Item - The Board received a letter from Williams Lake Mayor W. Cobb re: 1st Winter Carnival in Williams Lake on Jan 31st and Feb 1st, 2015

Corporate Bylaws:

1) The Board gave 1st, 2nd and 3rd Reading to CRD Bylaws #4944/4945 (Areas G/H)

Directors' Requests:

1) Director B. Coakley (Area L) - Board received a letter from the Watch Lake-North Green Lake Ind. VFD regarding collection of fire dues from area residents and asked Staff to report back on this matter

2) Director B. Anderson (Area K) - Board agreed to authorize a letter of support in regards to a plan to reduce the wolf population in BC as requested from the Big Creek Livestock Association

3) Director J. Bruce (Area B) - Board agreed to authorize up to $500 from the Area B Director Initiative Fund for two local meetings to discuss local gov't issues with the Area B Director

4) Board authorized External Committee appointments as follows:

Municipal Finance Authority
Director Al Richmond
Alternate - Director Margo Wagner

Fraser Basin Council
Director John Massier
Alternate - Director Steve Forseth

Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Committee
Director Robin Sharpe
Alternate - Director Joan Sorley

Northern Development Initiative Trust Regional Advisory Committee
Director Margo Wagner
Director Dylan Cash

5) Director S. Forseth (Area D) - Board agreed to request Staff to report back on feasibility of webcasting meetings at the March 5th Finance/Budget Committee meeting

6) Director S. Forseth (Area D) - Board received an information item concerning application for RD appointment to the RCMP Contract Management Committee

Roundtable session held where Directors' reported on affairs in Electoral Areas or Municipalities

At Request of Director Armstrong - letter of thanks to be forwarded to Ms. Charlotte Kurta for her services on the Area 'A' Advisory Planning Commission

CCRHD Board Mtg - Jan 23rd

Present: Chair J. Massier; Directors Armstrong, Bruce, Forseth, Kemp, Sorley, Richmond, Wagner, Cash, William, Anderson, Coakley, Sharpe, Simpson, Cobb, and Campsall

Staff:

J. Bell - CAO

A. Johnston - Corporate Officer

S. Reid - CFO

S. Burich - Mgr of Communications

K. Moores - Mgr of Development Services

The CAO called the meeting to order at 9:31am & called for nomination of Chair of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Regional Hospital District (CCRHD) for 2015

Director Campsall nominated Director Massier for Chair of the CCRHD Board in 2015.  He accepted his nomination.  No further nominations received

Director J. Massier was declared acclaimed as Chair of the CCRHD Board for 2015

The CAO then called for nominations of Vice-Chair of the CCRHD Board for 2015

Director Wagner nominated for Vice-Chair.  She accepted her nomination.  No further nominations received

Director M. Wagner was declared acclaimed as Vice-Chair of the CCRHD Board for 2015

Meeting recessed at 9:32am
Meeting resumed at 9:33am

Meeting agenda approved / Dec 12th, 2014 CCRHD Board meeting minutes approved

Business:

1) Hospital Calendar received

2) Board received a press release from Northern Health regarding Awards 42 IMAGINE Legacy Grants 

3) Board received a letter from Northern Health regarding the meeting between CCRHD/Northern Health at the 2014 UBCM Convention

4) Board received a letter from MLA Donna Barnett regarding oncology services in 100 Mile House

5) Board approved the following capital requests from Interior Health and directed Staff to bring the necessary capital expenditure bylaws forward to the CCRHD's Feb 18th meeting:

 Secure Room at Cariboo Memorial Hospital, Williams Lake
 Security System/Door Locking in Maternity Unit at Cariboo Memorial Hospital, Williams Lake
 Telephone System Upgrade at Cariboo Memorial Hospital, Williams Lake
 Radiographic Fluoroscopic System for Cariboo Memorial Hospital, Williams Lake
 General Radiographic System at 100 Mile House General Hospital, 100 Mile House

6) Late Item - Board received a letter from Interior Health in regards to the Rural Healthy Communities Education Grant

The Chair reviewed last year's CCRHD Board activities in 2014

Meeting adjourned at 9:47am

CRHD Board Highlights - Jan 23rd mtg

Present: Chair J. Massier; Directors Armstrong, Bruce, Forseth, Kemp, Sorley, Richmond, Wagner, Cash, William, Anderson, Coakley, Sharpe, Simpson, Cobb, and Campsall

Staff:

J. Bell - CAO

A. Johnston - Corporate Officer

S. Reid - CFO

S. Burich - Mgr of Communications

K. Moores - Mgr of Development Services

The CAO called the meeting to order at 9:30am & called for nomination of Chair of the Cariboo Regional Hospital District (CRHD) for 2015

Director Campsall nominated Director Massier for Chair of the CRHD Board in 2015.  He accepted his nomation.  No further nominations received

Director J. Massier was declared acclaimed as Chair of the CRHD Board for 2015

The CAO then called for nominations of Vice-Chair of the CRHD Board for 2015

Director Sorley nominated Director Wagner.  She accepted her nomination.  No further nominations received

Director M. Wagner was declared acclaimed as Vice-Chair of the CRHD Board for 2015

Meeting recessed at 9:31am
Meeting resumed at 9:32am

Meeting agenda approved / Dec 12th, 2014 CRHD Board meeting minutes approved

Meeting adjourned at 9:33am

Gibraltar Mine expansion undergoes study

The ?Esdilagh or Alexandria First Nation Band is launching a study to review the environmental, health and cultural impacts of the Gibraltar Mine expansion and provide recommendations for Taseko and the BC Government

The study is being funded by way of grants from the Vancouver Foundation and the Canadian Institute for Health Information

Chief Bernie Elkins Mack said that existing studies of the copper-molybdenum mine near Williams Lake, B.C., are not rigorous enough, yet the mine was approved for an expansion that doubled its output

Taseko Mines disputes this by saying the company has been trying to meet with the ?Esdilagh to incorporate the nation's questions into the study, but the band has repeatedly refused

Read more here

Treaty Advisory Committee Mtg - Jan 22nd

Present: Chair T. Armstrong; Directors Bruce, Massier, Forseth, Kemp, Sorley, Richmond, Wagner, Anderson, Coakley, Sharpe, Campsall and Alternate Director I. Bonnell (Williams Lake)

Staff:

J. Bell - CAO

Meeting called to order at 5:30pm

Meeting Agenda approved & Treaty Advisory Committee minutes of the Sept 12th, 2014 meeting approved

The Committee then convened an In-Camera (closed to the public) session as per Section 90(2b) of the Community Charter (information held in confidence between local government or a third party & federal or provincial governments or both)

The Committee resumed and adjourned its' meeting at 7:59pm

Director Cash appointed to Interim Ec Dev Board

Courtesy of the Cariboo Regional District:

The North Cariboo Rural Directors Caucus announced today that they have unanimously agreed that Electoral Area I Director Dylan Cash will represent the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) on the interim Quesnel Community Economic Development Corporation Board for 2015.

The CRD annually contributes funding to the City of Quesnel for the provision of economic development and has allocated $23,000 within the 2015 budget. This amount, and the contribution agreement, will be reviewed at the end of this year.

Quesnel Council Highlights - Jan 19th mtg

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

Budget decision principles

Council has referred a recommendation to the Policy and Bylaw Committee to establish a policy which addresses all budget submissions and financial requests. The recommendation suggests that these (submissions and requests) be referred to the Financial Sustainability and Audit Committee (FSAC) for analysis and that Council will make financial decisions based on a recommendation from the Financial Sustainability and Audit Committee.

Council would like to ensure that it makes budget-impacting decisions in a timely and informed manner and have sufficient and timely briefing materials so it can always make spending decisions within the context of the whole budget.

The FSAC has an approved Terms of Reference, which makes it the point for all budget submissions from the public. FSAC is also the Council Standing Committee that will have the most up-to-date budget information and the most comprehensive understanding of all the internal and external pressures on Council’s annual and five-year budget. These Terms of Reference also require it to make budget recommendations to Council that comply with Council’s budget policies and procedures.

Under this practice Council would remain the final decision-maker on all spending decisions, as FSAC would bring back to Council a recommendation only on every submission referred to it.

Economic grants for 2015

Council approved an application for $50,000 to Northern Development Initiative Trust for the Economic Development Capacity Building Grant for the projects listed below with the funding flowing through to Quesnel Community and Economic Development Corporation (QCEDC). Council further approved the application for $8,000 to Northern Development Initiative Trust for the Grant Writing Support Grant of $8,000 with the funding flowing through to Quesnel Community and Economic Development Corporation.

Economic Development Capacity Building Grant for 50,000 is to increase the economic development capacity of municipalities and regional districts within the region. Eligible costs include incremental salaries, incremental operational costs, consulting or contractor fees and collaborative projects with other municipalities, regional districts or First Nations Bands.

Grant Writing Support for $8,000 is to assist municipalities, regional districts, and First Nations bands to build grant writing capacity and expertise that leads to direct funding for projects in the region. The Grant Writer is required to apply for a minimum of $200,000 to support community projects.

QCEDC continues to work with the non-profit and business community to support grant funds coming into Quesnel to support community activities and needs.

Council believes an in-house economic development function will more directly align with its strategic plan and budget constraints. The QCEDC will be wound down by December 31, 2015. The Board has been replaced by an interim Board of Directors for the remainder of this year.

Get ready for Skyfest 2015

Quesnel Skyfest Society gave a presentation to Council regarding the 2015 celebrations scheduled this year on August 1 and 2. The Society indicated that Quesnel will be introduced on the world’s stage through the Discovery Channel. The Airshow Series premiers on Monday, January 26 at 7 p.m. and will run for 13 weeks every Monday at 7 p.m. It is suggested that Quesnel will be featured in the third episode airing Monday, February 9.

Council approved sending a letter of support for the Quesnel Skyfest Society Grant Application for $15,000 to the Northern Development Initiative Trust under the Community Halls and Recreation Facilities Program.

Council further approved the Society’s intent to apply for funding from various sources to enable the purchase of special assets for a total of approximately $71,000 in an effort to enhance public safety and spectator experience at the airshow.

Council directed the remaining requests to the Financial Sustainability and Audit Committee for consideration and recommendation to Council.

The Ride Across Canada event

Council approved providing administrative and technical support to the Communities for Veterans Foundation - Ride Across Canada as well as $500.00 from Council Projects. Horseback riders will journey across Canada from Victoria, B.C. on April 11, 2015 to Saint John’s, Newfoundland with the focus being to gather Canadian Veterans’ stories to raise awareness and provide education regarding the issue of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome of Canadian Veterans.

Other News

Council supported the request from the Quesnel Multiple Sclerosis Self-Help Group to use the River Walk for an MS walk on May 9 from 1 to 4 p.m. The walk will begin and end at Ceal Tingley Park.

Proclamations

MAY - Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month

NEXT MEETINGS: (all meetings held in Quesnel Council Chambers)

Monday Jan. 26 @ 7 p.m.
Committee of the Whole Session/Preliminary Operating Budget

Monday Feb. 2 @ 7 p.m.
Regular Meeting

Tuesday, Feb. 10 @ 5:30 p.m.

North Cariboo Joint Planning Committee Meeting

CRD Internal Committee Appts

This afternoon - Cariboo RD Chair Al Richmond informed me that I was appointed to the following Standing Committees of the CRD Board:

a) Finance/Audit
b) Policy
c) Library

I am pleased that my top picks for Committee appointments were given to me.  I'm looking forward to working on these Committees

The Internal Committee appointments are for 1 year...

Also, subject to Board ratification on Friday, I will be named as the CRD Alternate rep to the Fraser Basin Council...

~SF

Wrap on events at McLeese Lk Community Hall

From Rhonda Kolcun - McLeese Lake contributor to Williams Lake Tribune:

McLeese Lake Hall was once again the place to be in December when the Recreation Committee members organized the 16th Annual Christmas Pot Luck Dinner and Auction.

Several members of the community came out to support the Society, bringing appetizing food for the always highly anticipated supper.

You can never say enough about pot luck dinners. They are so delicious. Once again, there was a wide array of food to enjoy.

A huge thank you goes out to Kathy Suski, Cathy Carter, Jackie King and Dan Mousseau who cooked the turkeys and hams. After dinner, Samuel Culp entertained the crowd by playing the trumpet and then Colin Carter organized the playing of a cowboy video which ended with the true meaning of Christmas.

Next, the boys and girls where so excited to see the arrival of Santa who wanted to know if they had all been good throughout the year.

After the children received a small gift from Santa and were back in their seats, the fundraising auction started with Terry Fowler once again volunteering to be the auctioneer. He always does such an incredible job and we are happy to have adopted him into our McLeese Lake family.

With Terry’s help, more than $2,000 was raised with the funds going to renovations of the hall this spring and summer.

A very big thank you to all the volunteers who helped set up and clean up and thanks to the several businesses and residents who donated auction items. For that we are truly grateful.

Our annual supper and auction would not be the success it is without the generosity of the companies who donate items and the community members who bid on them.

The annual Winter Fun Day is being held on Saturday, Feb. 14 at the McLeese Lake Hall.

There will be food served, snowmobile runs, an ice fishing derby for coarse fish for kids age 12 and under and lots of visiting with fellow community members.

Come out and be a part of this fun day.

On Wednesday, March 4, we are pleased to welcome Saskia and Darrel Delaronde to our community, who have formed the musical group The Great Plains.

This concert will feature three different styles of music which includes blue grass, country and folk.

It sounds like it will be a great night of entertainment. Please watch the local venues for posters which will provide more information.

Also, mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 18 to attend the Annual General Meeting of the McLeese Lake Recreation Society at the local hall.

If you want to keep the events happening in McLeese Lake, we greatly encourage coming out and supporting the committee members in their quest to provide events for the residents.

They are always looking for new members to bring fresh new ideas on how to keep the hall open and provide different events to the community.  We’ll see you on March 18.

WL Council-in-Committee -- Jan 20th highlights

Present - Councillors I. Bonnell (Chair), S. Nelson, J. Ryll, C. Smith, and S. Zacharias

Absent - Mayor W. Cobb and Councillor L. Walters

Staff:

C. Bouchard - Corporate Officer/Mgr of Legislative Services
M. Stewart - Director of Finance

Meeting called to order at 6pm

Meeting agenda approved/mins of the Council-in-Committee meeting of Jan 6th, 2015 approved

Delegation:

Marg Evans (Education Coordinator/Executive Director) and Bill Lloyd (Chair) from the Cariboo-Chilcotin Conservation Society (CCCS) appeared before the Committee to discuss the Society's Fee-for-Service contracts in 2015 (Water/Waste Wise)

A Question and Answer period ensued

The Chair, on behalf of the Committee, thanked Ms. Evans and Mr. Lloyd for their time/information

Action Item - Invite CCCS to future Council meeting to present information on CCCS Water/Waste Wise programming on behalf of the City

Resolved - That the Committee recommend to Council:

The CCCS 2015-16 Fee for Service contracts for Water and Waste Wise programs be approved

The Committee adjourned at 6:26pm

Honouring former Quesnel Mayor/Councillor

From L-R: Councillor Laurey-Anne Roodenburg, Cariboo-North MLA Coralee Oakes,
former Quesnel Mayor/current CRD Area 'A' Alternate Director Mary Sjostrom
and Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson

From L-R: Quesnel Councillor Laurey-Anne Roodenburg, former Quesnel Councillor Mike Cave
and Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson

Quesnel Council Highlights - Jan 19th mtg

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

Past Council members honoured

Councillor Roodenburg, on behalf of City Council presented outgoing Mayor Mary Sjostrom and Councillor Mike Cave with a gift in appreciation for their years of service to the community. MLA Coralee Oakes also gave a speech honouring the two guests.

The first on the 2015 budget

Council’s Budget Principles Policy sets out direction for staff to prepare the budget. The Financial Sustainability and Audit Committee has recommended that staff prepare five scenarios for the budget.a

Sec. 165 of the Community Charter requires that the municipality must have a five-year financial plan adopted by bylaw before the annual property tax bylaw is adopted. This bylaw must set out the objectives and policies of the municipality as well as proposed expenditures, funding sources and transfer between funds. The total proposed expenditures must not exceed the funding sources and transfers.

Sec. 197 of the Community Charter requires Council to impose property taxes by bylaw before May 15th. The rates are set to raise the revenue outlined in the financial plan based on the assessments of the various property classes.

For a look at the full report, visit https://quesnel.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=55053. The next budget meeting is scheduled for January 26 to review the Operating Budget Package/Supplementals/Review of Legislative/Community Support/Fees for Service.

Council Procedure Bylaw adopted

Council gave final adoption to the Council Procedure Bylaw 1750 of 2015 which highlights the following changes to the Bylaw:

* In addition to the regular Public Posting Places, Public Meeting Notices, when practicable, will now be posted to the City’s website and social media sites;

* In an Election year, the first Council meeting will be held on the first Monday in November;

* Notice of the Annual Council Meeting Schedule will now be prepared on or before December 10th annually;

* Members of Council may now attend Council Meetings/Committee of the Whole Sessions via electronic means should up to two Council Member(s) otherwise be unable to attend. This does not apply to Special Closed Meetings;

* In addition to Question Period being regularly held at Regular Meetings of Council, Question Period will now be held at Committee of the Whole Sessions.

* Delegation groups must provide documentation the Wednesday prior to the Monday Council Meeting/Session;

* Conduct and debate during Council Meetings/Sessions has been adapted to be less formal, but a speaker must always be recognized by the presiding member before speaking.

Council’s Bylaws and Policies are available on the City’s website at www.quesnel.ca. Click on the Agendas/Minutes link at the right of the page and “search” for the bylaw or policy you are looking for.

The Ride Across Canada event

Council welcomed locals Paul and Terry Nichols to hear about their awareness campaign through Communities For Veterans Foundation. On April 11, the Nichols are leaving from Victoria on a horseback ride across Canada. They hope to shed some light on the trouble that military personnel have transitioning back to regular civilian life after their service. Working with veterans’ groups and riding clubs to coordinate a relay of Canadian Military Veterans they aim to change the face of Canadian Veterans. They plan to gather Veteran’s stories to encourage discussion of the challenges that our Veterans face and to leave a legacy that will last for generations with over 700 stories from Canadian Veterans. Council unanimously agreed to support the event by providing some administration and technical support.

A kick-off event is planned in Quesnel for March 28, 2015. For more details, visit their Facebook page The Ride Across Canada.

Other News

Council approved entering into a five-year agreement with Cariboo Pulp and Paper for continued secondary sewage treatment to December 31, 2019.

Council approved sending a letter to the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations in support of the District of Wells’ request to keep the Purden Lake Road Connector and Indian Creek Bridge open as a transportation route to Cariboo communities and tourism expansion. The BC Government had expressed their plans to decommission the Indian Creek Bridge.

Council also approved sending a letter to the BC Government in support of Hudson’s Hope request for a one year moratorium on the proposed Site C Dam Project. This would allow time to refer Site C to the BC Utilities Commission for an inquiry and public hearing into its economic effects, including potentially less costly alternatives.

Coast Mental Health Foundation is once again sponsoring the Courage to Come Back Awards, celebrating ordinary people who have demonstrated extra-ordinary courage in their recovery from illness, injury or adversity. Deadline for nominations is February 13, 2015. Visit couragetocomeback.ca for more information.

     

NEXT MEETINGS: (All meetings held in Quesnel Council Chambers)

Monday Jan. 19, 2015 @ 7 p.m.
Regular Meeting/Committee of the Whole Session

Monday Jan. 19, 2015 @ 7 p.m.
Committee of the Whole Session/Preliminary Operating Budget

NEXT North Cariboo Joint Planning Committee Meeting:
Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015 @ 5:30 p.m.