City of Powell River Council is establishing a working group with the Powell River Community Forest board.
At the March 6 city council meeting, councillor Cindy Elliott made a motion that council form a working group with mayor Ron Woznow and herself to liaise with the community forest board and form recommendations to council.
“I’m of the belief that we need to improve our communications and working relationship with the community forest,” said Elliott. “It’s an excellent way to start to create a small working group of council to initiate those discussions. There is, at this point, a lot of angst for some decisions being made with the budget. There’s a lot of things that the city would like to discuss with the community forest.
“It is, in my opinion, a better way to make decisions once we’ve had conversations. I want to support that through being part of this working group.”
Elliott said she conferred with Woznow, who was amenable to the suggestion, so she was putting the motion forward so the conversations could be conducted with the full support of council.
Woznow said the initiative was a result of conversations he had with community forest board chair Greg Hemphill, and Hemphill thought two representatives from each organization would be appropriate.
“We can bring back items of significance, and council and his board as a whole can meet,” added Woznow.
Councillor Jim Palm said he appreciated Elliott bringing the matter forward because nothing gets resolved without great communication and dialogue.
“That’s how you get to consensus,” said Palm. “I’ve been here for a number of years, since the community forest presented its first cheque to city council that resulted in a new track for our community back in 2008. Ever since, it has made my heart beam every time that community group has come forward.
“I believe I have a good working relationship with all the board and I would like to suggest an amendment to the motion. I would also like to be added to the meetings with the community forest board.”
Elliott said a working group with three on it would work fine. Woznow said it is not a decision-making group, it is simply facilitating a process to ensure any items that both parties want to discuss in detail are brought back to their respective bodies.
Councillor Trina Isakson said having two members from each organization is the best route, given there are different views on council on possible ways to proceed.
“I support having the mayor and councillor Elliott, and my preference would be to keep it at that.”
Councillor George Doubt said he respected the community forest board and what is needed is a group of people to get together and talk face-to-face and then come back with recommendations.
“I don’t see a problem with adding a third person,” said Doubt. “We could have three from the community forest as well. Councillor Palm is well familiar with the community forest, so I am going to support this amendment.”
Councillor Rob Southcott said he was also in support of the addition of Palm, having heard Palm state many times his support for both groups getting together.
Council voted to support the amendment to include Palm.
Doubt said discussions are about how to adjust, and how adaptation might be required for the community forest bylaw and the relationship between the community forest and the city going forward.
“I want to make sure this working group is going to be like every other working group, where council creates terms of reference for the group,” said Doubt. “I would hope to see terms of reference for the working group to come back to council for approval very soon so the work can get underway.”
Woznow said in his discussions with the chair of the community forest, the concept of the working group involves facilitating the two groups coming together as quickly as possible.
The motion to form the working group with the mayor and two councillors passed unanimously.
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