Lasqueti Islanders will be requesting a year-long delay before implementation of a 911 system on the island is considered.
A delegation of islanders will appear at the Powell River Regional District (PRRD) committee of the whole on Thursday, March 19, requesting postponement of any decision to establish the emergency service on Lasqueti.
Andrew Fall, an island representative, said there are five primary concerns from Lasqueti residents about “the flawed process.”
One concern is a lack of public consultation.
“The public was only notified about this process after third readings of the relevant bylaws, and a public meeting was held after approval of these bylaws by the provincial Inspector of Municipalities,” Fall said. “The PRRD is aware of proper process, as it was followed in 2012 when establishing the house numbering service on Texada, where public consultation was done before bylaws were even drafted.”
Fall said the public was not informed that the 911 service has “no option to withdraw,” according to provincial Regional District Service Withdrawal Regulation 398/2000. “Put simply: if the 911 service is adopted for Lasqueti and if the system doesn’t meet local needs, then Lasqueti has no option to withdraw at a later date,” Fall said.
Fall’s third contention is that the PRRD has virtually ignored public concern, he said.
The rushed process has also resulted in several missteps, according to Fall. He said the public was told that the chosen site for a 911 tower was Mt. Trematon, the highest point on Lasqueti Island. Mt. Trematon is a protected area under the Islands Trust Fund (ITF) and has a covenant that specifically forbids such a structure, he added.
Fall said that at the February 13 committee of the whole meeting, PRRD staff stated that a tower on Mt. Davies on Texada Island would provide better radio coverage of Lasqueti, and is on unencumbered Crown land.
“It now seems that this has caught Texada Island residents unaware, as this is a popular hiking location, and they likely want a public process that includes consultation before a tower is constructed.”
Until very recently, the rationale for changing to 911 was because Telus pagers will be discontinued at the end of March, Fall said.
“After the public outcry began, new claims were raised that the 911 service is needed because of the 2005 bylaw that established the Lasqueti Volunteer Fire Department,” he said. “Raising this issue as a reason to proceed with the 911 bylaws with no documentation is unfair to our fire department.”
