1) New Event Hosting Grant Policy
At its meeting Tuesday night, Williams Lake City Council approved a new Event Hosting Grant Policy geared specifically toward generating economic activity from event tourism.
Event tourism is a multi-billion dollar business and one of the fastest growing areas of the global tourism industry. In Canada, event tourism is currently a two billion dollar enterprise and is the fastest growing tourism industry segment.
“There is a very obvious symbiotic relationship between economic development and event tourism, and communities across B.C. are now recognizing this potential and are integrating strategies for event tourism into their economic development and tourism plans,” says Mayor Kerry Cook.
Event Hosting Grants are the basis by which communities provide incentive for non-profits and local organizations to focus on event hosting. Events that encourage tourism to the community have economic spin offs that directly benefit local businesses. Hotels, restaurants, caterers, security companies, campgrounds, insurance companies, event rental companies, taxi services, signage and print companies all benefit directly from initiatives that support event hosting initiatives.
There are three types of grants proposed within the Event Hosting Grant: Event Development, Event Growth, and Event Travel. “Each of these three types of grants has been designed to achieve a very specific objective,” says Kim Emsley-Leik, Events & Marketing Coordinator. “Event development grants encourage the design and development of new events, event growth grants encourage event organizers to increase the number of participants, and event travel
grants subsidize travel costs of event participants. All of these initiatives bring dollars into the community.”
The City of Williams Lake currently provides free assistance to those local non-profits that are organizing events that encourage out-of-town visitors and promote overnight stays. Relevant Event Hosting materials have been compiled and these are currently available on
www.activewilliamslake.com under the “Planning an Event” section.
For more information on the Event Hosting Grant and affiliated services please contact:
Kim Emsley-Leik
Events & Marketing Coordinator
City of Williams Lake
Ph: 250-392-1771
Email:
kemsley-leik@williamslake.ca
2) City of WL accepting Security Alarm Registrations
In response to requests from residents, the City of Williams Lake will begin to accept registrations for monitored alarms immediately.
Invoices for the registration fee will be sent in September and October. The fee is $15 for residential alarm systems and $25 for commercial and other alarm systems.
“Residents have clearly indicated that the bylaw to address false alarms is important to them, and that they want to help the registration process move forward quickly,” says Mayor Kerry Cook. “In response, we will now accept early registration for monitored alarms, and the deadline to register remains the same -
October 30.”
All monitored alarm holders in the City are reminded that they are required to register their alarms with the City of Williams Lake. Registration can be done in person at City Hall, 450 Mart Street. Alarm holders are asked to pick up a registration form from
Development Services at City Hall and fill it out completely. Required information includes: Name Phone number Address Alarm company name Type of alarm (intrusion, panic, silent, holdup) Keyholder (who will respond when an alarm is triggered).
After October 30,
an automatic $100 fee will be charged for the RCMP or Fire Department to respond to a non-registered alarm.
Fees for excessive false alarms start at $150 and will be applied after three false alarms in a 365-day period. It is important to note that emergency service providers will continue to respond to all alarms, regardless of how many false alarms have been reported at an address.
Statistics show false alarms in the city cost the RCMP and Williams Lake Fire Department in excess of $140,000 a year in total.
For more information please contact:
Geoff Goodall
The City of Williams Lake
Ph: 250 392-1766
Email:
ggoodall@williamslake.ca
3) Crime Stats continue to fall
Statistics presented during Tuesday’s City Council meeting show crime continues to fall in Williams Lake. Williams Lake RCMP detachment commander Staff Sergeant Warren Brown presented council with crime statistics from the first half of 2011.
Compared to the same period in 2010, Theft of auto over $5,000 is down from 8 to 4, or 50%. This is down from 28 in 2008, or an 86% drop. Theft of auto under $5,000 is down from 17 to 2, or 88%. This is down from 32 in 2008, or an 84% drop. Theft of truck over $5,000 is down from 10 to 2, or 80%. This is down 62 in 2008, or a 97% drop. Theft of truck under $5,000 is down from 16 to 3, or 81%. This is down from 27 in 2008, or an 89% drop. Break & Enter of Business is down from 24 to 11, or 54%. This is down from 35 in 2008, or a 69% drop. False alarms are down from 391 to 313, or 20%. This is down from 396 in 2008, or a 21% drop. Calls for service are down from 4,490 to 4,091, or 9%. This is down from 5,481 in 2008, or a 25% drop.
Robberies have increased from 7 to 10 (43%) over 2010, but are down from 13 in 2008, and Break & Enter to residences have increased from 37 to 43 (16%) from 2010, but are down from 87 in 2008. Crime in the city has dropped in every quarter for more two years, with property crime seeing the most dramatic reductions. 2008 is an appropriate benchmark, as crime statistics for that year were reflective of crime rates for the prior 10 years.
“I am not aware of a detachment that’s had that marked a decline in crime stats,” Staff Sergeant Brown says. “Williams Lake now ranks 24th in the province for property crime – typically we were in the top three.”
Williams Lake’s dramatic reduction in crime was outlined in a front page story in the Vancouver Province on Jan. 23, 2011. Brown noted that calls for service in Williams Lake are still higher than the provincial average, that the Williams Lake detachment is still second in the province for highest case burden, and that Williams Lake still leads the province in crimes against persons.
“There is clearly more work to be done, but we’re pleased that the hard work by the RCMP and the volunteers that assist them is resulting in such a dramatic and consistent reduction in crime,” says Mayor Kerry Cook. “Council remains committed to working to reduce crime even further to keep our community safe and attractive to visitors and those looking to relocate here.”
Late last year, council adopted a bylaw to make it easier for the City to remove graffiti on private property. It adopted a bylaw to help reduce the number of false alarms in the city, which diverts RCMP resources away from other priorities, and adopted a victim impact statement to be presented at sentencings for drug offences.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Council agreed to send a letter in support of continued funding for the Cariboo Region Marijuana Community Consultation (CRIME) task force, which has dismantled 30 grow ops in its first three months; and 18 in the Williams Lake detachment area.
For more information please contact:
Brian Carruthers
The City of Williams Lake
Ph: 250 392-1763
Email:
bcarruthers@williamslake.ca
4) City of WL moves forward on economic development initiatives
At its meeting Tuesday evening, Williams Lake City Council approved two initiatives to strengthen economic development in the community.
Council approved the Williams Lake Assessment and Business Expansion and Attraction Strategy, which identifies how to position the City of Williams Lake for diversification and growth of the City’s business sectors through the expansion of existing industry and service activities and the attraction of new business entities and investment to the community. Among the strategies recommended in the report are:
Improving the Industrial Business Climate;
Growing the Economic Importance of the Government Sector;
Supporting the Development of Business Related Assets and Participating in Regional Marketing Initiatives;
Supporting Revitalization and Investment in the Downtown.
Other highlights of the report include:
• Research and analysis that builds on the previous Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition work and other City research to better understand the Williams Lake market area and the linkages the city’s businesses have to the regional economy;
• Identification of specific business targets that would provide a means to expand the local tax base and sustainability of the city economy;
• Identification of a shortlist of industry and business that match to the services available or that could reasonably be developed in the city.
“This report is an important tool to focus our economic development efforts where they will have the greatest effect,” says Mayor Kerry Cook. “A targeted approach will yield the results we want to see – increased industrial investment and a more diversified economy.”
Council also gave three readings to a bylaw to establish an Industrial Revitalization Tax Exemption Program. The program provides three classes of tax exemption for industrial properties in the north end of Williams Lake and at the Williams Lake Regional Airport.
Eligibility and the level of tax exemption under the program is based on a score calculated from the level of capital investment (70% of score), number of jobs created (20% of score), and green building practice utilized (10%). Tax savings are offered through three classes of five year declining exemption terms; with higher scoring developments receiving higher tax exemptions. The City will realize new tax revenues from each property participating in the program in the second year of their exemption term.
“Increased revenue from additional industrial investment may help us reduce tax rates for all properties in the industrial rate class, which is something this council has promised to address,” says Mayor Cook. “We’re pleased to have these new economic development tools, and we will continue to foster a positive, attractive atmosphere for business development in Williams Lake – reducing crime, improving infrastructure, and being fiscally responsible.”
For more information please contact:
Alan Madrigga
The City of Williams Lake
Ph: 250 392-1764
Email:
amadrigga@williamslake.ca
