Quesnel Council Highlights - Jan 31st mtg

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

2018 Firefighter Games

Cody Dillabough, Fire Chief, and Devon Rusk, Fire Prevention Officer, both of the Barlow Creek Volunteer Fire Department (BCVFD), highlighted that the BCVFD will be hosting the 2018 Firefighter Games in Quesnel on July 6–8, 2018.  These Games will draw firefighter teams from across the province to compete in two days of fun and challenging firefighters games to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Canada. For a sneak peak of what to expect as a spectator at these Games, please visit ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47lBJKh-Als.

Quesnel Housing & Community Profile – Northern BC Housing Study

Marlene Morris, Co-Director of the Community Development Institute at the University of Northern British Columbia, presented highlights of the Northern BC Housing Study:  Housing Solutions for Changing Communities on behalf of BC Housing.  Council heard “legacies of the past (The Long Boom:  1950 – 1980; The 1980’s Crisis; and Post 2000)” and how these historical events affect the current housing inventory in Quesnel.  Also highlighted was the “Northern BC Housing Study Findings” that includes data around population, households, housing stock, and housing market trends in Quesnel.  To better understand local key trends/opportunities/challenges influencing housing demand and supply, the study compared 10 communities in the north:  100 Mile House, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Kitimat, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Quesnel, Smithers, Terrace and Williams Lake. 

New Public Safety and Police Committee

Responding to one of the key recommendations “to form an oversight body to look at policing agreements and policing costs”, contained in the Policing Audit completed by the Auditor General for Local Government, Council included in its 2017 Strategic Plan to “Develop a Policing Committee of Council with mechanisms to allow public involvement; this may also include community input into all emergency services lead by the City”.  Appointments have been made to the new “Pubic Safety and Police Committee” that is a Council Standing Committee.  One of the first tasks of this Committee will be to draft a Terms of Reference and to review the Quesnel’s Municipal Policing Unit Agreement.  The first meeting is scheduled to take place February 2017. 

Grant Applications 

Council passed resolutions to enable the following grant applications to be submitted by City Staff:

• Trail Development Projects - Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition

• Update the 2007 Quesnel & Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan - Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition AND the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative

• North Cariboo Specific Fibre Utilization Analysis - Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition

• Professional and Skilled Trades Recruitment and Relocation – Northern Development Initiative Trust

• Quesnel and District Museum Renovations - British Columbia / Canada 150

Local Government Elected Officials - Federal/Provincial Elections

Council heard a summary of legislative and other corporate considerations that do not require a local government elected official to step down from their seat on municipal council should they enter into a federal/provincial election campaign and/or become successful in their bid for the MP/MLA seat.    

Quesnel Traffic Study and Highway 97 Safety Improvements 

The Quesnel Transportation Study that was conducted in 2015/2016 by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) that was to assist with making Highway 97 safety improvements in Quesnel appears to have stalled.  Council passed a resolution strongly encouraging MOTI to present a full public reporting of the results of MOTI’s Traffic Flow Analysis at an open public Quesnel City Council meeting; create a MOTI Technical Team to work with Quesnel City staff to assist the City with its major capital project planning that interfaces with Highway 97; and requests the Provincial government to take immediate steps to improve Highway 97 safety conditions in the City of Quesnel limits.  Please visit the Home Page of quesnel.ca for full details.   

Next Meetings

- February 7^th at 7 pm - Regular Council

- February 14^th at 5:30 pm – North Cariboo Joint Planning Committee