Editor's Note -- Weekly Quesnel City Council column, as written by Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson. He can be reached via email here
Last week, the Provincial Government enhanced their province-wide response to the COVID-19 pandemic by enabling and engaging local governments more deeply in key strategic areas.
First, they’ve enabled continuity of local governance by allowing Councils and Regional District Boards to meet electronically and expedite passing bylaws. This will allow Council and City staff to adhere to social distancing recommendations and enable us to expedite any bylaws needed to enhance our ability to deal with this pandemic.
Quesnel City Council will, for the duration of this pandemic, be using an App that will allow us to conduct our business electronically. The press will be able to watch the meeting live using the same meeting App Council will use and the meetings will be recorded and made available to the public the following day – unfortunately, the public will not be allowed to attend Council meetings during this state of emergency. However, Council agendas will still be posted in advance on the City’s website, along with all documentation presented at the meetings and minutes of the meetings. We are also able to post the video recording of the meeting to the City website the following day.
Second, the Province cancelled all local states of emergency that have been declared by local governments. I wholeheartedly agree with this move. Local states of emergency were confusing the public, with some Mayors claiming it enabled them to impose restrictions they neither had the legal right to impose nor the resources to enforce. We have all the powers we need under the provincial state of emergency and the provincial public health orders, so there was never a need to declare a local state of emergency.
All local governments are now required to establish a Level 1 Emergency Operations Centre (which the City of Quesnel had already established) in order to better coordinate our local activities with the Province. Over the next week, we’ll be engaging with our partners (Northern Health, BC Housing, School District, etc.) and other stakeholders in the community to ensure we are mounting a coordinated response locally and more able to address issues as they arise.
As part of the Provincial Government’s new emergency measures, local governments’ bylaw officers have been given new powers to enforce the Province’s public health orders and social distancing recommendations and social isolation requirements. Our bylaw officers have already been acting in this capacity and Quesnel’s residents and businesses are adhering to the new physical distancing regime and public health orders. There are only isolated situations of problematic behaviours in the community and these are being dealt with in a timely and effective manner by both the City’s bylaw officers and the RCMP.
Under the new coordinated response, the Province has also required local governments to assist them to determine alternate facilities that may be used to support the Province’s health response and for housing if needed. We’ve also been asked to start tracking and reporting food and other supply shortages, as the Province is going to start coordinating the provincial supply chain in an effort to ensure all communities are getting the essential food and other supplies they need for their residents.
The Province’s approach to this pandemic has been outstanding and last week’s deepening collaboration with local governments will definitely enhance our ability to coordinate our collective resources. The City of Quesnel will continue to actively engage with the Province as this situation evolves, taking advantage of any resources made available to us, and playing our role as a proactive partner with provincial government ministries and agencies.
No comments:
Post a Comment