Quesnel Community Forest – Conceptual Options
Mr. James Snetsinger, RPF, Senior Advisor from Industrial Forestry Service Ltd., provided a summary of three land base options that were explored for a potential Community Forest for the City of Quesnel. The three options proposed ranged from a 5 km to a 20 km radius surrounding the City. Council has a number of objectives for seeking a Community Forest, including managing and developing trail networks, improving the protection of the community from wildfire, and potentially realizing an incremental timber supply to feed our local mills. These objectives would be achievable with a higher level of community-based management of forestry activities in the community's interface.
Next steps involve the Mayor presenting the report findings to the Minister of Forests, and Council conducting meetings with other elected officials, First Nations, and forestry licensees/stakeholders to discuss potential governance models for a Community Forest. Ultimately, the City must await final decisions on the new annual allowable cut for the Quesnel timber supply area and the distribution of that cut to existing licensees, both are scheduled to occur by the end of 2016, before the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations can assign any potential timber volume to a new community forest for our community. The Mayor noted, however, that this is the first time since the mid-1990s that the City has developed a proposal which has gained support from local licensees provided the province can find incremental timber to include in a community forest tenure surrounding the City.
2015 General Surplus - Allocation
Council voted in favour of allocating the City’s $209,511 2015 Annual Surplus as follows:
$125,000 - Tax Stabilization Reserve
$71,975 - Future Tax Sale Purchases
$12,536 - Capital Reinvestment Reserve
For full details regarding the City’s 2015 Annual Surplus, please see the City’s Website at: quesnel.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/66410?preview=73357
2016 Annual Drinking Water Report
The City’s water infrastructure system is comprised of 6 operating groundwater wells, 8 reservoirs, 5 booster pump stations, 2 main Pressure Reducing Valve stations, approximately 100 km of water main and one independent groundwater well. Approximately 10,500 residents are serviced by this system. Approximately 2,618,910 cubic meters of water was used in 2015; that is a reduction of 332,129 cubic meters from 2014. The water is tested at its source and monitored in consultation with the Provincial Health Inspector and the Public Health Engineer with the Northern Health Authority and adheres to the British Columbia Drinking Water Regulations. Water samples are tested for bacteriological, chemical and physical contaminants. The City exceeds the minimum requirement of 13 samples per month, by sampling 16 individual sites bi-weekly and all reservoirs and wells are tested on a monthly basis. In 2015, 362 samples were tested for Ecoli and 362 tested for total coliforms. There were zero exceedences of Ecoli and four exceedences for total coliform. The results of subsequent re-testing at the site had no detect of coliform.
To see the full 40-page report and attached schedules, please visit the City’s website at: quesnel.ca/reports2016.html
New Water Production Well – Grant Application
Council approved staff to submit a grant application to the New Build Canada –Small Communities Fund to assist with funding a new water production well, estimated at $1,000,000, proposed to be located in the area of Sugarloaf Ball Park in West Quesnel. If the grant funding is successful, federal and provincial grant funds would cover up to 2/3 of the project with the City contributing 1/3.
Museum and Heritage Commission
As part of Council’s strategic direction to review all City committees, Council has determined that the Museum and Heritage Commission should be replaced with a Select Committee. A Heritage Forum was held on February 17, 2016 whereby heritage stakeholders generally agreed with this direction. A new Terms of Reference will be reviewed by all parties involved as this matter moves forward.
Bylaws
1793 – Secondary Suite/Coach Road South– Third Reading
1796 – Repeal Quesnel Museum and Heritage Commission
Bylaw – First, Second and Third Readings
Next Meetings
- 7:00 pm, Tuesday, March 29, 2016 – Regular Council Meeting
- 7:00 pm, Tuesday, April 5, 2016 – Regular Council Meeting
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