While resident Pat Martin has thanked City of Powell River Council for supporting an initiative for required audited statements for municipally owned corporations, she has stated that council has not gone far enough.
In a letter to city council reviewed at the May 4 committee of the whole meeting, Martin stated she had asked for three legislative amendments to address gaps in current laws identified through the city’s involvement with PRSC Limited Partnership, which was struck to oversee development of surplus mill lands.
In addition to the audits, Martin requested new legislation be drafted that includes a mandatory requirement for transparency and accountability to be written into cities’ public/private partnerships. She also requested that the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act be amended to include cities’ public/private partnerships.
“The City of Powell River’s experience with public/private partnerships underscores the need for change in the laws,” stated Martin. “The existing legislation allows public/private partnerships to be nontransparent and to lack accountability to taxpayers.
“City council, you have an opportunity to help the entire province by promoting the two legislative amendments I’m suggesting. In the interests of transparency and accountability to the taxpaying public, will you use the PRSC experience to lobby for needed legislative change?”
Motion addresses concerns, says councillor
Councillor Maggie Hathaway said councillor Cindy Elliott had brought forward a motion for the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) that addresses some of Martin’s concerns.
“That’s the best body at our disposal to carry the suggestion for legislated changes,” said Hathaway. “It can go from AVICC to the UBCM (Union of British Columbia Municipalities) and then to the provincial government if they all pass. Then, you have the whole province onboard. I don’t think this council needs to lobby the provincial government individually. We’re doing it the best route possible.
“I would suggest to Ms. Martin that she’s perfectly free to lobby the provincial government. She makes some good points so she should write to the minister of finance. That would help support our motion we’re taking to AVICC.”
Elliott said Martin acknowledges in her correspondence that the city is moving forward with the motion to the AVICC for the request for legislative amendments to include mandatory audits and she is thankful for that.
“[Martin’s] suggestion that we should also be asking for legislative changes to require certain terms within public/private partnership agreements was addressed a little bit by the [former] minister [of municipal affairs] when council had a chat with her last fall,” said Elliott. “I believe they would not be in favour of that at the provincial level, so I’m wanting to focus on asking for mandatory audits. I’ve also explained that to Ms. Martin privately.
“The issue around the Freedom of Information Act is also one I am not prepared to tackle at this moment but I would like to say I’m in favour of a councillor making sure if we do have public/private partnership agreements, that we set out terms for transparency. As a council entering into those types of agreements, we can be supportive of that idea, and I think it’s a good one.”
Hathaway said when PRSC was established, the city sought legal council and city council was advised to keep the partnership at arm’s length.
“We were advised not to have anything to do with it and hence our behaviour,” said Hathaway. “It was on the advice of our legal council. We followed it.”
Council voted to receive the correspondence from Martin.
