Approves resolution
City of Powell River Council will submit a resolution for consideration at the 2021 Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention regarding the addition of brain injury into the title of BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions.
At the June 17 council meeting, councillors approved the resolution, which requests that delegates of the UBCM convention request the provincial government to change the name of the ministry to BC Ministry of Brain Injury, Mental Health and Addictions with proper financial support. The resolution further states that the province works with grassroots organizations and the federal government to create a national strategy for acquired brain injury that is adequately funded for this national crisis.
The proposed resolution states there are currently more than 1.5 million Canadians living with an acquired brain injury and that 180,000 are in BC, with brain injury being the underlying cause of mental health, addictions and overdoses, incarceration, violence and suicide. The resolution states that 60 people in BC acquire a brain injury daily.
Submitting report
Councillors approved the city’s 2020 statement of financial information (SOFI), which is required under the Financial Information Act. The SOFI report requires such details as the total amount of remuneration paid to council members for the discharge of the duties of office, including expenses. There is also a management report, explaining roles and responsibilities of management, a schedule of employee remuneration and expenses, a schedule of suppliers of goods or services and the City of Powell River 2020 audited consolidated financial statements.
Plan updated
Council has adopted an updated strategic plan for 2021 to 2022. Councillor Rob Southcott said it is the highest-level plan city council has.
“It really defines the principles that drive everything else,” said Southcott. “It’s pretty crucial in my view. The components of it are a vision, mission, values, priorities and goals statement.
“The only thing we really changed, thanks to a review by our senior staff, was some of the work plan that comes out of those action items.”
Southcott said he is glad the strategic plan is reviewed because of two factors. Number one is accountability and number two is measurement, he added.
“We need to account for what we are doing,” said Southcott. “That’s very important to ourselves and to our electorate, and to the community. Measurement is the way we do this.”
