Editorial: Alternate Directors' at Cariboo RD Committees or Board Meetings

Editorial:

Last night in what was referred to as Alternate-Gate -- the North Cariboo Joint Committee whose membership is made up of the Quesnel Municipal Council and the Cariboo Regional District Directors for Areas A,B,C,I (Northern Directors) discussed the role of alternate Electoral Area Directors' at meetings like Joint Committee but that discussion could easily be extended to CCRHD/CRD Board Meetings - view the full breakdown of the meeting here

This topic was first raised this past February when Quesnel City Council resolved not to attend North Cariboo Joint Committee meetings if an alternate Electoral Area Director was present - read more here.  At the time - John Massier, who is both the Cariboo RD Area 'C' Director and the Cariboo RD Board Vice-Chair responded to Quesnel Council's resolution on alternate directors at North Cariboo Joint Committee - read more here

Up until very recent times (last 2 years) - the role of an Alternate Electoral Area Director has not being discussed publicly however with changing technology for rural elected officials to participate in meetings remotely - it is fair to debate the topic.  Provincial law for an alternate Electoral Area Director can be viewed here.  As well - the Union of BC Municipalities Executive has forwarded its' recommendation last June to the Hon. Selina Robinson -- BC's Minister of Municipal Affairs/Housing -- on the subject of alternate Electoral Area Directors', click here

Meanwhile - the Internal Affairs Committee of the Fraser Valley Regional District has been done some of its' own work, with respect of Alternate Directors, namely providing an email address to FVRD alternate Electoral Area Directors' to conduct local government work, when required and also access to Closed Meeting Agendas.

Alternate Director Email Report - click here
Alternate Director Closed Meeting Agenda Access - click here

As Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson has hinted at -- I think there is grounds that appointed alternate Electoral Area Directors' should get training by Cariboo Regional District Staff about role clarity, etc at the beginning of each term of local government ....  meanwhile, the point he raises about an individual who loses in a general election for a seat on a municipal council and then gets appointed as an alternate director in the local regional district -- unfortunately can not be reconciled with the current language of Section 201 of the Local Government Act.  Until the Act changes, it is clear about the role of an alternate director (as referenced above) at a Committee or Board Meeting of a Regional District and Mayor Simpson is correct to point out, that in recent times, use of Alternate Directors at Committee/Board Meetings of the Cariboo Regional District has never occurred in the South Cariboo and rarely in the Central Cariboo...

As Joint Committees' in the Cariboo Regional District are "creatures" of the Cariboo Regional District Board, via Board Policy -- I imagine that this conversation will, at some point, hit the Cariboo RD Regional Board table for resolution and/or direction...

The above noted editorial is my own opinion and not representative of my elected role on the Cariboo Regional District Board as Electoral Area 'D' Director

~SF