WL Council Bus - Nov 27th

For those in Williams Lake - your Williams Lake City Council, in Committee of the Whole (informal body & doesn't have decision-making authority), will consider the following at their Tuesday meeting:

a) Airport Fee Bylaw Amendment - read here.  Staff note though that our increased airport fees will still be lower compared to comparable sized airports throughout BC including Quesnel, Prince George and Smithers

b) 2013 Fee for Service Contracts.  read here.  The proposed Fee for Service Contracts are:

Organization	2013 Proposed Fee for Service Amount
NOOPA	$15,000
WL Stampede Queens’ Committee	$5,000
Big Brothers and Big Sisters – WL	$15,000
CC Hospice Care Society	$16,900
Scout Island Nature Centre	$12,500
Social Planning Council	$5,000
Youth for Christ	$5,000
WL Stampede Association	$25,000
CC Conservation Society (Water)	$38,600
CC Conservation Society (Solid Waste)	$24,500
Tourism Discovery Centre	$155,000
Community Policing Committee	$15,000
Grand Total for ’13 Fee for Service Requests	$332,500.00 (before Council approved increases/decreases)

Personally - I'd still like to see Scout Island Nature Island get full and sustainable funding, either from the City directly (given it is a park in my view) or from the Cariboo Regional District's Central Cariboo Recreation Service as it could be easily argued that Scout Island acts as a place of recreation (walking/swimming)

c) City of WL responds to Cariboo RD proposed Solid Waste Management Plan -- read here.  Note that Joe Engelberts (City's Manager of Water/Waste) proposes a "Steering Commitee" of 2 Cariboo RD Directors, 2 City of WL City Councillors and CRD/City of WL Staff to monitor implementation of the Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP).  In discussing this with Cariboo RD Area 'D' Deb Bischoff, she agrees with me that it should be the full Cariboo Regional District Board itself that monitors the implementation of the SWMP, given all players are there (elected officials and CRD Staff) and the muncipal directors around that table need time to consult with their municipal councils, then the Board, I'm certain, will give them the time required to consult and return to the Board with any input required from that muncipality

Finally - at the October 30th Committee of the Whole meeting, Mayor Cook informed Williams Lake City Council that "Roundtable" period where a member of Council can report on their activities would return, under the following conditions:

• To inform the rest of Council and the public on items or activities that don't appear on
the agenda;
• Notification on upcoming public events;
• Not to be used as a venue to ask political questions of Council or Staff;
• Not to be intense or accusatory;
• One way communication only;
• On a voluntary basis only;
• No motions allowed.

I personally agree with all bullets above except #6.  As Roundtable is still part of the official Agenda under the City's Procedure Bylaw, it is mandatory except where Council waives the holding of "Roundtable" by motion passed at each and every meeting it wishes to do so unless it was clarified in the Procedure Bylaw that Roundtable by Mayor/Council may occur at the discretion of the Mayor/Acting Mayor, as the case may be.  Otherwise, the rest of the bullets make sense and is proper, as far as the full intent/purpose of Roundtable Comments by Mayor/Council

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Municipal Councillor collects pay while working in the Caribbean

Yesterday, Daphne Bramham of the Vancouver Sun reported on how Central Saanich District Councillor Terry Siklenka was given a six-month paid leave from his Council duties while working in Georgetown, Grand Cayman after Councillor Siklenka requested a leave for "personal reasons"

Under the Community Charter - a member of a municipal council or regional district board (electoral area directors) may be disqualified from office if he/she misses four (4) consecutive meetings of a municipal council/regional district board or 60 consecutive days from the last meeting unless he/she is sick, injured  or has leave of the council/board

Read her column here

Question:

Should a member of a municipal council or an Electoral Area Director receive a "paid personal leave" in order to work elsewhere, especially as long as 6 months??  Personal leave from Council/Board duties should be for mental health issues or personal bereavement issues but certainly not for work related issues, especially as long as 6 months.  In that case - you should have thought about that before running

I'm interested in hearing all thoughts on this matter

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Cariboo RD Rural Fringe Fire Service approved

Editor's Note -- with the approval of the Cariboo Regional District Contracted (WL Fire Department) Fire Protection Service, the next step will be to arrive at a contract with the City of Williams Lake for rural fire protection for residents in certain parts of CRD Electoral Areas D, E, F and this is where the real fireworks could start between City of WL Councillor Ivan Bonnell and his CRD Central Directors' counterparts in Directors Sorley, Kemp and CRD Area 'D' Alternate Director Bill Carruthers, especially as we get towards the end of the year (Dec 31st, 2012)

Courtesy of the Cariboo Regional District:

The preliminary results for the Williams Lake Fringe Fire Protection Area Referendum to determine if affected residents wish to continue having their fire protection services provided by the City of Williams Lake Fire Department are as follows:

Yes – 978
No – 30

Official results will be announced early next week

BC Libs trending up in new Angus-Reid Poll

Trend of past Angus-Reid polls - via CBC-BC

Editor's Note -- read more here

In a newly released online poll by Angus-Reid where 800 BC'ers were surveyed, the results were:

BC NDP -- 47% support (down from 50% support in May 2012)
BC Liberals -- 29% support (up from July 8/2010 and March - August 2012)
BC Conservatives -- 12% support (down from 22% support in July 2012)
BC Greens -- 9% support

For BC Liberals - it is the right type of trend but clearly we have lots of work to do but polls have shown us to be behind the BC NDP in the run-up to an election only to have BC NDP/BC Liberals within a few points of the parties at the start of the election as British Columbians get to know Adrian Dix and his party policies

BC Conservatives drop in the polls is not surprising, given some of the negative press since their AGM in September

What I'll be looking for, in future polls, is if this is a fluke in data or a trend that is confirmed by other polls.

But I would remiss if I didn't remind my blog readers that pollsters in Alberta had the Wildrose Party having a significant lead over the Alberta Tories only to have the Alberta PC's winning the last Alberta election

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Dr. Graham Kelsey to receive QE II Diamond Jubilee Medal

From Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society's Facebook page:

We are very excited to share the news that our very own Dr. Graham Kelsey (CCACS President from 2012-2012, and currently Past President) has been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his outstanding community service. MLA Bob Simpson will present him with this prestigious honour at the Big Lake Community Hall, 4056 Lakeview Drive in Big Lake, at 2 pm on December 2, 2012. Please join us for afternoon tea and a “Roast and Toast” in celebration of Graham’s lifelong achievements, not only in the Big Lake community, but also in the broader field of education, non-profits, and the arts in our region and province.

If you are unable to attend, but would like to send a tribute, please e-mail it to Joan Sorley at joan.sorley@getnetgo.ca, and she will ensure it is shared.

My congrats to Dr. Kelsey for receiving this award.  I agree that it is well-deserved

Opponents of WL Community Forest step up their fight

In a almost year long battle between the City of Williams Lake and Big Lake residents/Cariboo Regional District Area F Director Joan Sorley over a proposed Community Forest in the Big Lake area - the Big Lake Community Association has now called on BC's Forest Minister Steve Thomson to adjudicate the fight between Big Lake and the City of Williams Lake or to hand the dispute over to a 3rd party for resolution

Former BC Minister of Forests and Big Lake area resident David Zirnhelt told the Rush/Wolf:

“we’ve been trying for a year to negotiate some sense of involvement, some kind of ownership, some kind of control, some kind of meaningful say and they have not even been willing to consult about the boundaries of the blocks and our role in decision making other than a minor advisory capacity and a few dollars coming out of the potential profits of this.”

Zirnhelt says they were left little choice but to request BC’s Forests Minister defer the application and direct his staff to facilitate the creation of a revised proposal.

Read more here

As a result - the group wrote to the Minister of Forests on Nov 7th and Joan Sorley (Cariboo RD Area 'F' Director) on Nov 18th both asking Steve Thomson to refer the matter to his staff for mediation or to a 3rd Party for mediation/resolution.  The City of Williams Lake refused to comment on the story by the Rush/Wolf.  Read the Nov 7th/18th letters here

As a City of Williams Lake resident -- I'm deeply disappointed/troubled that the City is hell-bent on starting and picking a fight with rural residents of Big Lake, Horsefly and Miocene over a Community Forest license which was intended to benefit all communities affected and not pitting one community vs another.  My guess would be that Minister Thomson and his staff won't be touching this until after the May 2013 Election in order to help the BC Liberals' candidate in Cariboo-North, Coralee Oakes, have a sporting chance at election and also to ensure that this matter doesn't come up with Steve Thomson is trying for re-election in his home riding of Kelowna-Mission

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Innovative youth mining apprenticeship pilot

Courtesy of the Province of BC:

Secondary students in the Cariboo are now able to undertake a secondary school apprenticeship at the Mount Polley Mine through a pilot program, announced Minister of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas Rich Coleman.

The project, which is endorsed by the BC Mining HR Task Force and School District # 27 Cariboo Chilcotin is hoping to address the issues of an aging workforce and related skill shortages. The BC Mining HR Taskforce is encouraged by the initiation of innovative recruitment and training plans for young people in high-school, career-preparation programs and stresses that these programs are more important than ever.

The program started in June 2012 and will be completed in June 2013. An agreement was reached with Mount Polley Mine and, as a result, students and their trade area were identified from the district’s programs. Several mining-related trades and their students were available for the pilot and entered into employment with the mine.

The goal of this training model is to ensure the successful outcome for both student and employer. With its completion and success, the training model can be used by other mining companies and school districts in other regions of British Columbia.

The BC Mining HR Task Force’s interim report on the project is available at: www.acareerinminingbc.ca/educators

Rich Coleman - BC's Minister of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas says:

“The skills shortage in mining is a challenge for industry today. This program will help to solve these shortages in a very innovative manner by working directly with our schools. Mining can provide an excellent opportunity for all British Columbians who want to contribute to their communities and be a part of B.C.’s historical mining industry and its bright future.”

Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett said:

“This is a great example of a collaborative effort by industry working with educators to create a pathway for our youth to become aware of, and enter the trades at, an early stage if they so choose.”

Tim Fisch, General Manager of Mount Polley also commented saying:

“Mount Polley Mining Corporation is pleased to participate in this innovative program, which will provide the youth in our region the skills necessary to take advantage of high-paying job opportunities in our industry immediately upon completion of their secondary education.”

“The program affords safe, practical training under the guidance of qualified industry professionals and allows our company to fill the void of job vacancies while insuring our communities are strengthened through local hiring’s.”

“The program would not be possible without the co-operation of industry, the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas and School District #27, and we would like to thank all the participants, particularly Mr Gordon Amour, for their hard work and efforts in this successful initiative.”

Finally, Gord Amour, chair of the Education and Training Committee, Mining HR Taskforce said:

“Mount Polley Mines has been the greatest of industry partners that we work with and that assists us on a number of skilled trades related projects year after year. The district would not be able to offer the career information and opportunities in the mining industry without their strong support for education.”

SD #27 gets 16 new School Buses

Courtesy of the Province of BC:

B.C. school buses travel over 33 million kilometres each year, the equivalent of 43 round trips to the moon.

As part of its annual fleet renewal program, government is providing $14 million for 37 school districts around the province to purchase a total of 125 new buses.

Once again this year, the Ministry of Education has negotiated bulk pricing agreements with school bus vendors. Bulk pricing was introduced by government for the first time last year and resulted in savings of 10 to 15 per cent. Previously, school districts negotiated bus pricing individually. Contractors, Independent schools and First Nations schools also are able to take advantage of the bulk pricing agreements.

B.C. student transportation services cost more than $90 million annually. Approximately 1,200 buses are owned and operated by school districts, and another 600 school buses are operated by contractors. Buses are regularly replaced when they reach certain milestones in years or kilometres driven.

Don McRae, BC's Minister of Education says:

“Renewing our fleet of buses helps to keep students safe and lower our carbon emissions. By pooling our purchasing power across school districts, we can negotiate better prices and direct those savings into classrooms.”

The Cariboo-Chilcotin School District #27 will be receiving 16 new School Buses at a total cost of $1,710,242 which makes it the largest investment, by School District, out of the total $14 million that the province is spending to replace 125 buses throughout BC

Bob Simpson on his Town Hall mtg last Sat

Courtesy from Bob Simpson, Ind. MLA for Cariboo-North:

Bob Simpson, Independent MLA for Cariboo North, hosted a town hall in 150 Mile House on Saturday, November 17th, to discuss critical local and provincial issues, including Highway 97 construction delays and economic challenges in the region.

Residents and local business owners shared their concerns regarding the significant delay in completing the Cariboo Connector project at 150 Mile House. A Ministry of Transportation representative provided an overview of the Cariboo Connector project and answered questions from town hall participants.

“While the upgrades to Highway 97 provide safer intersections at 150 Mile House, the delay in completing the project resulted in disruptions for local merchants,” said Simpson. “Residents are concerned about the bidding process for these types of projects, and I’ll be following up with the Minister responsible to identify how we can improve this process to ensure the timely completion of announced projects and so taxpayers can see the maximum return on their investment.”

A primary issue for 150 Mile House residents is cellular and broadband internet access, and Simpson has committed to establishing a forum on this issue.

“We’re going to invite local stakeholders, communications companies, and representatives from Network BC so we can sit down and talk about opportunities for expanding connectivity in the Cariboo,” said Simpson.

Simpson also provided an update on his work preparing for the spring session of the Legislature, and he discussed economic development in the region, including challenges facing the local forest industry and opportunities for expanding mining activity in the Cariboo.

Kim Herdman on WL Council's plan on speeding on 3rd Ave by Marie Sharpe Elem.

Yesterday afternoon, I received a copy of a letter that 3rd Avenue resident Kim Herdman fired off to Williams Lake City Council after Council, at their Tuesday meeting, decided to consult with residents' around placement of speed reader signs for 3rd Avenue (near Marie Sharpe Elementary) and Foster Way

In the letter, Ms. Herdman expresses "deep disappointment" that Council is refusing action, even though she in a previous letter cited examples where Council should have taken action on speeding on both 3rd Avenue and Foster Way.  She also noted that two RCMP officers' signed the Foster Way petition

She also notes NO ONE from WL City Hall (Staff/Council) has yet to contact her on this item.

That led me to contact Councillor Rathor after I received this letter and ask him to contact Ms. Herdman immediately and discuss with her the issue and possible solutions.  Councillor Rathor has informed me that he has now contacted her and will be have a coffee with her next week

Finally - having been in the area of 3rd Avenue at 3:00pm where the traffic issues seem to be the worst, I can confirm Ms. Herdman's concerns and agree with her call for action.  Also - RCMP Inspector Warren Brown didn't share Ms. Herdman sense of urgency as he told WL Council at its' Nov 6th meeting.  Perhaps this letter will see Council telling Inspector Brown at their meeting with him Tuesday that speeding on 3rd Avenue by Marie Sharpe should be an active priority... as Council, through the City of WL Mayor, does have the power....

See Ms. Herdman's letter in full below:

Voters take very active interest in CRD Rural Fringe Fire Protection Vote

Courtesy of the Cariboo Regional District:

Editor's Note - More on this here

Over 500 Cariboo Regional District (CRD) residents took advantage of the advance polls for the Williams Lake Fringe Fire Protection Referendum which were held on Wednesday, Nov. 14 and Monday, Nov. 19.

General Voting Day will take place this Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. The polling station will be located in the CRD’s Board Room, Suite D, 180 North Third Avenue in Williams Lake. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Residents who have not yet voted, and are eligible to participate in this referendum, are strongly encouraged to exercise their right to vote. Resident electors will be required to produce two pieces of identification at the time of voting (at least one with your signature). The identification must prove both your physical residential address and your identity.

A resident elector is someone who lives in the proposed service area and:

• Is 18 years of age or older on general voting day;
• Is a Canadian citizen;
• Has lived in BC for at least the last 6 months;
• Has lived in the proposed service area for at least the last 30 days; and
• Is not disqualified by law from voting.

Non-resident property electors must produce two pieces of identification (at least one with a signature) to prove identity. If you are a non-resident property owner, to ensure that you will be able to vote, please contact the Chief Election Officer or Deputy Chief Election Officer as there may be documentation requirements that need to be met prior to voting day. A non-resident property elector is someone who owns property in the proposed service area, but does not live there.

Further information about the referendum is posted on the CRD website at cariboord.bc.ca. Referendum details are also available by contacting the CRD’s Chief Election Officer or Deputy Chief Election Officer at 250-392-3351 or toll free at 1-800-665-1636.

Donna Barnett is the BC Liberal Candidate for Cariboo-Chilcotin

Donna Barnett talks with BC Liberal Party members

In a foregone conclusion -- BC Liberal Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett was acclaimed as the BC Liberal Party candidate for Cariboo-Chilcotin.  MLA Barnett joked that maybe there might have been a 'nay' or two at the meeting tonight or even a candidate race to face...

Ms. Barnett reminded all present (roughly 30 people) that while she has done a lot of good work for the riding including getting DriveABLE to Williams Lake and working on the wolf issue for ranchers, BC Liberals will have a big uphill battle to fight and that supporters of BC Liberals will have to fight to remain in power, one riding at a time

She also appealed for everyone to get involved as her campaign team will need the help

As I said on Twitter -- I'm looking forward to the BC Liberal "Team Cariboo-Chilcotin" being elected in Coralee Oakes in Cariboo-North and Donna Barnett in Cariboo-Chilcotin

In Cariboo-Chilcotin -- all of the candidates that voters will be hearing from between April 13-May 14 (in my opinion) are now in place, being:

Donna Barnett - BC Liberals
Charlie Wyse - BC NDP
Gary Young - Independent

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Abbotsford-South BC Lib Riding Assoc resigns enmasse

In a shocking and rare move -- the entire Board of Directors for the BC Liberal Riding Association for Abbotsford South has resigned enmasse to protest the acclamation of Darryl Plecas as the candidate for Abbotsford-South for the BC Liberals in the 2013 BC General Election.  Read a letter from the former BC Liberals Abbotsford South Riding Association President Stephan Evans here and more on this story here

As someone who joined the BC Liberals in 2004 and then joined the then Cariboo-South, now Cariboo-Chilcotin Riding Association, and being involved in two candidate selection processes, the interpretation of the candidate selection process of the BC Liberal Party by the Abbotsford-South Riding Association is the incorrect one.  What occurs is called the "Green Light Process".

There are things the Riding Association must have in place before a Candidate Selection Meeting may formally occur BUT at no time does the Riding Association get directly involved in the candidate selection process as far as whether or not candidate(s) are acceptable to the BC Liberal Party and the Party Leader.  There is a separate Committee for this and that Committee acts independent of the local Riding Association

In that regard - I'm very disappointed that my fellow Party members' in Abbotsford-South chose the action they did.  The BC Liberal Party has done and will continue to do its' due diligence to ensure that candidates running for election under the BC Liberal Party are properly vetted.  I can only suspect the internal BC Liberal Party Committee that reviews applications for candidacy in a provincial riding, like Abbotsford-South, in the case of Mo Gill, had a good reason to reject his candidacy

SBF

WL Council Highlights - Nov 20th mtg

Present: Acting Mayor L.T. Walters and Councillors Bonnell, Hughes, Rathor and Zacharias

Absent: Mayor K. Cook and Councillor G. Bourdon

Staff Present: G. Goodall - Acting CAO, C. Bouchard - Manager of Legislative Services, P. Higgins - Director of Finance, K. MacInnis - Communications Coordinator, T. Chung - IT Manager, A. Burrill - Manager of Social Development

Meeting called to order at 6:00pm
Amended Mins from Nov 6th adopted and Agenda, as amended (4 Late Items), was adopted

Delegations:

1) Janine North, CEO of the North Development Initiative Trust, appeared before Council to discuss Increased Funding Opportunities for Community Grants and New Programs From NDIT

2) Irene Willsie of the Violence Prevention Committee appeared before Council to discuss the Purple Ribbon Campaign

3) Arvind Saraswat and Doug Hill of the Airshed Quality Roundtable Committee appeared before Council to give an update on the Williams Lake Airshed

Business:

1) (Late Item) Council recognized December 6th as a Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Mayor and Council and the community were encouraged to attend the Violence Awareness and Prevention Committee's luncheon at the Senior's Centre on December 6, 2012 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM.

2) Council received for information the accounts payable computer cheque listings for the periods ending November 8 and 15, 2012

3) Council ratified an email poll authorizing the raising of the national Metis flag in honour of Louis Riel on November 16, 2012

4) Council awarded the Insurance Broker services contract to HUB International at a cost of $15,000 annually for a three (3) year term, with an option to extend an additional two (2) years.

5) Council will advise the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch it has no objection to the application for a temporary change to extend the closing time at Chances Signal Point Gaming to 12:30 AM on December 26, 27 and 30, 2012 and to 2:00 AM on News Year's Eve, December 31, 2012.

Councillor Danica Hughes was opposed

6) Council recinded 1st Reading of Bylaws #2163/2164 (1912 Renner Rd - Richard Crowell)

7) Council approved the sale of eight (8) recycling bins to Rollins Machinery for the price of $500 each

8) Council awarded the purchase of a 2013 Cab & Chassis to Lake City Ford for the tendered price of $58,579, excluding HST

9) Council awarded the purchase of a 2013 Half Ton Pickup to Cariboo GM for the tendered price of $35,431 for the pickup truck and $4,980 for the propane fuel system for a total of $40,411, excluding HST

10) Council endorsed the placement of speed reader boards in the areas of Third Avenue & Comer Street and Foster Way and Staff be directed to consult with the residents of both neighbourhood regarding specific locations for each unit

11) Council received the completed Housing Needs and Demand Study for information

12) Council adopted Water Conservation Amendment Bylaw No. 2159, 2012

13) Council received for information a Spanish Mountain Gold Ltd. news release dated November 15, 2012 titled "Spanish Mountain Announces Positive Preliminary Economic Assessment on Spanish Mountain Project"

14) Council referred to the City of WL 2013 Budget discussions a letter from Beth Holden regarding concerns around traffic and pedestrian safety at the intersection of Mackenzie Avenue and Oliver Street

15) Council received a letter from the Canadian Mental Health Association Cariboo-Chilcotin dated November 9, 2012 regarding their application for a Community Gaming Grant through Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch for their multicultural program and funding of an outreach advocacy/mentor position and agreed to provide a letter of support for their application

16) Council proclaimed November as Adoption Awareness Month in the City of Williams Lake

17) (Late Item) Council awarded the Energy Plant Outfall Pipe Replacement drilling contract to Directional Mining and Drilling Ltd. for a cost of $161,020, excluding HST, and the civil works contract to Quality Excavating for a total cost of $37,600, excluding HST

18) (Late Item) Council ratified an email poll authorizing a letter of support to the Williams Lake Rugby Football Club for their grant application to the Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund (CIIF) program through Western Economic Diversification Canada

19) (Late Item) At the request of Councillor SPS Rathor, Council will set up a meeting in the near future with Inspector Warren Brown (Detachment Commander - WL RCMP) to expediously work to get provincial/federal funding store for the prolific offender program which the Province of BC terminated recently due to provincial budget requirements in light of concerns over machetes used in Boitanio Park and other areas in the City of Williams Lake.  Read more on this story here

20) Council received the Nov 20th "Council Information Package" as follows:

• October 22, 2012 - BC Ideas Information from Parliamentary Secretary for Non-Profit Partnerships;
• November 2012 - Good Food Box Christmas 2012 Sponsorship Order Form;
• November 2012 - Nature Trust of BC re Fall Newsletter and New CEO;
• November 2012 - Cariboo Regional District Library November to December Events Calendar;
• November 2012 - Williams Lake Fringe Fire Protection Referendum Information from CRD;
• November 16, 2012 - CRD Board Highlights.

Meeting adjourned at 7:40pm

A Yr Ago Today (Part 2)...

Like I reviewed in 2009 after the 2008 civic local elections - it was a year today (Nov 19th, 2011) that the civic voters in Wells, Quesnel, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, School District #27/28 and voters' in Electoral Areas E, H, J and L of the Cariboo Regional District voted in the 2011-14 local governments

And in that year, you have in-fighting continuing on Quesnel Council, a dog park in Williams Lake that was not asked for by the 'general public' in Williams Lake and School District #27 threatening to shut down 3 schools in Williams Lake (Glendale, Kwaleen and Wildwood) and 1 elementary school (Forest Grove) and 1 secondary school (100 Mile Jr Secondary) in 100 Mile House and parents fighting back...

Let's review by individual local government their performance so far:

Wells - One phrase: "Steady as she goes"

Quesnel - As I personally feared, Quesnel Mayor Mary Sjostrom is still fighting off baseless charges from Quesnel Councillor Sushil Thapar and local resident Pat Morton and since then, Councillor Thapar has earned himself a 3rd Censure motion and was prohibited from attending this year's 2012 Union of BC Muncipalities Conference in Victoria which saw Thapar's supporters protest that move.  What's the next year hold -- tough to say but one thing's for sure, I don't see Thapar backing down... Meanwhile, new Councillors Coleman, Brisco and Elliot have been doing good work so far.  Councillor Scott Elliot seems to be enjoying his role very much to date and I believe Quesnel residents are impressed with his performance to date.  Elliot also used Facebook in the first year to keep his residents' up to date including at UBCM

Williams Lake - 5 of the 7 positions were re-taken by incumbents Kerry Cook, Surinderpal Rathor, Laurie Walters, Geoff Bourdon and Sue Zacharias with Ivan Bonnell being returned to Council after his defeat as Mayor in 2002 and his time as Councillor in the 80's and Danica Hughes going into WL Council Chambers as a first term Councillor.  The first term has seen things like a dog park being implemented (and local residents' being annoyed at this move), the resignation of Brian Carruthers as Chief Administrator of the City, in-fighting on Council over the future of rural fire protection to rural fringe residents' of Cariboo RD Areas D, E, and F with the final result known this Saturday at 8pm and Councillors Rathor/Bonnell insisting Council keep tax hikes to 0 or as close to 0 as you can come and local business like Fields, Sportmart amd Shoe Warehouse shutting down for good and others (Dollarama, Jean Warehouse, Bell Store and Windsor Plywood) moving to the Walmart site and WL Council seemingly being unable to do anything about it and residents' that I've interacted with are beginning to become concerned.  In the next year, we'll see Zellers shut down, federal consideration of the 'New Prosperity' mine and a provincial election in May of 2013.  Finally - I expect WL Council to continue to be split on the budget between Rathor/Bonnell who want to keep costs low while the rest say tax hikes are here to stay to maintain the status quo or improve City of WL services/infrastructure

100 Mile House - Like Wells, 'Steady as she goes'

School District #28 - Steady as she goes...

School District #27 - As I predicted would have to happen, Will Van Osch (Zone 1) became School District #27 Chair, Patti Baker stepped down as Zone 3 Trustee, a new Superintendent in Mark Thiessen after the retirement of Diane Wright and the Board proposing this past September, the "Initial Options" report and the massive public opposition to it and whether the majority of this 'green' School Board will ignore public opposition in January 2013 and proceed to shut down the recommended 3 schools in Williams Lake and 2 in 100 Mile House.  My regrettable suspicion is 'yes', given the $900,000 structural deficit that exists.  I also agree with some parents that 'bean-counters' came up with this Plan and stating that this is necessary for the financial stability of SD #27 and the Board will say - if our Staff say that this is what we must do then I guess we better take their advice as they are our experts

Cariboo Regional District - Byron Kemp has hit his stride since left the Board table in 2005 as the Area 'E' Director.  Roger William/Margo Wagner (Area 'J'/Area 'H') have gently learned their role since their election a year ago which included Director William attempting to get the Board to express 'no confidence' in New Prosperity which didn't occur and you had Al Richmond (Area 'G') returned as Board Chair for a 4th consecutive term and Richmond is still 'young' enough to break Area 'A' Ted Armstrong's record of (I believe) 8 consecutive terms as Cariboo Regional District Chairman.  Meanwhile - Area 'D' Director Deb Bischoff has continued to raise concerns about the tax load that many taxpayers' bear in her Electoral Area and I expect her to continue to raise their concerns in 2013.  As well, the Regional Hospital Board (same composition as the Cariboo RD Board with TNRD Area 'E' Director Sally Watson) is looking at the possibility of moving health-care operations of Williams Lake/100 Mile House from Interior Health to Northern Health and those discussions are on-going as a result of 15 beds not opening up at Fisher Place when Interior Health previously said that they would.  Expect this fight to continue with political lobbying over the Cariboo Memorial Hospital 2nd Floor upgrades to continue as well

Otherwise, I fully expect a "steady as she goes" around the Board table

Conclusion - other than a few personal "tiffs" in local communities, it seems everyone is finding their stride and 2013 will be busy with local matters and provincial matters that affect our local communities.  Please stay tuned to your local government and don't be afraid to tell your local elected officials (Regional District Director, Councillor, Mayor or School Board Trustee) when they are doing something wrong or even when they are doing something right.  I'll sure they will appreciate all the input -- good or bad!

SBF

Quesnel Affordable Housing Mtg on Nov 26th

ourQuesnel meeting on Affordable Housing

Cariboo RD Area 'B' Newsletter - Nov 2012

Area 'B' Newsletter - Nov 2012

In this month's newsletter from Cariboo RD Area 'B' Director Heloise Dixon-Warren:

* New "Area B News" Bulletin Boards to be installed at Bouchie Lake Hall and Parkland Community Centre for the Area 'B' Director's use

* Planning for Rural Communities within Area 'B'

* Community Meeting on Wednesday, Nov 28th at 7pm at the Bouchie Lake Hall.  Purpose of meeting is to build a solid community volunteer base

Bob Simpson hosts Town Hall mtg at 150 Mile...

Bob Simpson, MLA for Cariboo-North

Yesterday, about 18 people of the 150 Mile area came out to 150 Mile Elementary to meet with Cariboo-North (Ind) MLA Bob Simpson to discuss local and provincial issues

Todd Hubner (Cariboo District Transportation Manager, Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure)  was on the "hot seat" for nearly 1 hour discussing mostly the 150 Mile road upgrades as to why it was "overbuilt", how the primary contractor for the project was selected and issuance of general complaints relating to local businesses being impacted.  One light moment where Cariboo RD Area 'F' Director Joan Sorley asked for a streetlight at the intersection where Likely and Horsefly Roads split off and Mr. Hubner informed Director Sorley that it was up to the Cariboo Regional District and not the Ministry of Transportation to get a streetlight installed in that location.  Watch for further action on this file in the near future and I believe it would a good move as, unless you know the contour of the road at night, you'll miss the turnoff to Likely as that area is pitch black at night

Other issues that came up included:

a) Dispute over the WL Community Forest between Big Lake and City of Williams Lake -- MLA Simpson informed those assembled that the City has so far offered a 5% Grant in Aid to Big Lake, the money would most likely come from the community forest revenue.  MLA Simpson committed to talking with the Minister of Forests about this as the Community Forest license has officially been contested.  I suspect that this topic will be shelved until after the next BC general election as I would think Ministers do not want "hot potatoes" being blown up in their faces during the election, especially during the battle for Cariboo-North between MLA Simpson and one of his candidates, Coralee Oakes of the BC Liberal Party.  I am profoundly disappointed at the City's response & actions on this file so far.  I don't understand why the City is dragging their heals on this.  Certainly, there is plenty of other areas the City could look at and still come out a winner...

b) Internet access issues - primarily in bulk of Cariboo RD Area 'F' area (Horsefly-Likely - Big Lake).  MLA Simpson has offered to arrange a meeting with local residents' to discuss the challenges/opportunities around Internet connectivity in rural parts of Cariboo-North, specifically Horsefly/Likely/Big Lake

c) MLA Simpson to set up Mining Awareness meetings in Quesnel/Williams Lake in February of 2013

d) Re-building of sawmill in Burns Lake and how that may impact what goes in province-wide including the whole issue around appurtenancy relative to local communities in BC

e) Progress report on regulating gas prices through the BC Utilities Commission

f) Social programs and how the BC Budget will be balanced by cutting of these programs.  I do agree with MLA Simpson that maybe we should look at the tax credits for Oil/Gas and either discontinue them entirely, given the billions they make or in the alternative, put a time on the tax credit to be used or it disappears for that fiscal year

g) Democratic Agenda to be put forward by the Ind. MLA's of BC -- MLA Simpson (Cariboo-North, MLA Huntingdon (Delta-South) and MLA Van Dongen (Abbotsford-South).  The Agenda is to include no corporate/union donations, formation of Parliamentary Committees (rather than the Sessional Committees we have in BC's Legislature).  The idea would be to have the BC NDP/BC Liberals sign off on the plan for execution in the 40th Parliament of British Columbia.  One thought that MLA Simpson didn't say and I'd like to see is that all bills be given equal weight in the BC Legislature (private/government) as to allow MLA's, on Private Members' Bills, to express their own view on them and not subject to government control  This idea already works well in the Federal House of Commons

This was a good meeting and good discussion by those who attended :)

Brad McRae defends North Van noise bylaw

In a case of "freedom of expression" - a singer in North Vancouver is protesting over a noise bylaw which prohibits use of a amplifier in a public space without getting an appropriate permit.  The whole issue is now in BC Supreme Court

Brad McRae (North Van Bylaw Manager and former City of WL Senior Bylaw Officer) defends the bylaw and says the whole issue is about the amplifier and not about playing in a public place

Courts have previously held that it is reasonable in a "free and democratic society" that limits are placed upon a freedom of expression or more candidly - the rights of the public to peace and good government trumps the rights' of one's right to a complete/unfettered freedom of expression...

Excellent job by Brad McRae explaining the issue here :)

City of WL looks for Seniors Bylaw Officer and CAO

As a result of Williams Lake City Council's decision to spend $17,000 on a headhunting firm in its' search for a new Chief Administrative Officer, the City is looking for the following individual:

Working closely with Mayor and Council, you will have overall responsibility for managing the constantly changing and increasingly complex day-to-day affairs of the community. You will provide the leadership skills required to lead a staff of dedicated team professionals and play a key role with council in planning and executing a strategic vision that meets both current and future needs of the City.

Your background includes strong academic credentials and several years in a senior role within municipal administration, ideally coupled with an accomplished work history of private sector management. You fully understand the challenges facing progressive, modern day communities, and have a track record of demonstrating your capabilities as a senior executive. You are a take charge, visionary strategic thinker with impeccable human resources and labour relations skills and a communicator with sound political judgement. You are recognized as a catalyst for positive change within the workplace. Although not a job perquisite, an understanding of First Nations relations will be considered an asset.

The deadline to apply is December 10th at 4:30pm. More details here

For myself - I'd like to see more then the 28 days to reply.  I would think you get a wider range of candidates if the window to respond is more like 60 days... just my own thoughts

Meanwhile - the City will now have its' third Senior Bylaw Officer in the past few years.  You can read what the City is looking in a Senior Bylaw Officer here.  Deadline to respond is Nov 21 at 4:30pm.  Again - I'd like to see a bigger window that the 6 days to respond.  At least, it might give you more candidates to choose from...