Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Final Report of Interlakes Governance Study Out!

At the Jan 15th, 2016 Cariboo Regional District (CRD) Board Meeting - a report on Governance Issues in the Interlakes Area (South Cariboo - southeast of 100 Mile House) prepared by Circle Solutions Inc and the lead author being George Abbott - the former Columbia Shuswap Regional District Board Chair and a former Provincial MLA representing the riding of Shuswap from 1996-2013.  From 2001-2013, he held a variety of provincial cabinet posts - was received by the CRD Board

Mr. Abbott was tasked by the CRD Board in mid-2015 to review the governance in the Interlakes area (South Cariboo region) and provide recommendations to the CRD Board.  The final report can be viewed here.  At its' January 15th, 2016 meeting, the CRD Board resolved the following:

That the agenda item summary from Janis Bell, Chief Administrative Officer, dated January 11th, 2016, with attached report entitled “A Review of Current Service Delivery Arrangements and Issues Related to Governance in the Interlakes Area of the Cariboo Regional District” prepared by Circle Square Solutions, be received. Further, that staff report back on how the recommendations could be implemented or fit into corporate priorities over the entire Cariboo Regional District.


The final recommendations from the report were:


Recommendation #1: That the CRD administration, in consultation with the Area L Director and local residents, attempt to identify an enhanced communication strategy.

Recommendation #2: That an incorporation study (for the Interlakes area) not be pursued at this time.

Recommendation #3: That the CRD be respectfully requested to give highest priority to an updating of the Interlakes Official Community Plan (OCP) in 2016.

Recommendation #4: That the CRD explore the potential opportunities for infrastructure funding to bring enhanced IT/ internet/broadband service into the Interlakes area, subject to consultations confirming local interest.

Recommendation #5: That the CRD welcome and await the advice of the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association with respect to an enhanced model of tourism funding, planning, development and promotion.

Recommendation #6: Tourism operators in the Interlakes should work with the local M.L.A. (Donna Barnett) to shape the provincial commitment to update the Tourism Accommodation
(Assessment Relief) Act in a way that works to reduce business tax levels in the Interlakes.

Recommendation #7: The CRD should carefully consider a review of cost sharing and cost recovery formulas to determine if there are ways to better align tax levels with
services received and ability to pay.

Recommendation #8: As part of the Official Community Plan update (or as a separate initiative) the CRD consider, in consultation with the community, whether a new or
expanded service for amenities like trails, lake accesses or the Bridge Lake ice caves could be developed both to benefit local residents and to act to draw tourism. If such
a service is created the CRD should advocate for grant funding towards its development.

Recommendation #9: The CRD should work with the Cariboo-Chilcotin Board of Education to explore creative ways to see if it is practical to maintain an operating
school in the Interlakes, including complementary community uses of the school building and associated cost-sharing.

Recommendation #10: The Official Community Plan update process referenced in recommendation #3 should be designed in a way that enables community residents to
work at reconciling differing visions for the future community, find points of common ground and provide ways of advancing those areas of commonality.

Recommendation #11: That, through a combination of local consultation and comparative analysis of practices and approaches in other jurisdictions, the CRD
assess the feasibility of expanded summer openings of landfill/recycling facilities in the Interlakes area.
CRD Area 'L' Director Brian Coakley was scheduled to meet with the Board of the Interlakes Economic Association last night (Feb 1st) to review the recommendations with them and determine next steps.  I expect that when this matter next returns to the CRD Board - we all will have a better sense of where the recommendations from the report will go

~SF

No comments: