Support letters
qathet Regional District’s board will consider a request from Telus for two letters of support.
At the August 12 committee of the whole meeting, directors voted to recommend that the board provide two letters, one to Telus for applying to the Connecting British Columbia Fund and one to Telus for applying to the Universal Broadband Fund. Telus wants to access the funding to improve connectivity in qathet Regional District.
Alternative process
The committee recommended that the regional board direct staff to research and write a report on implications and procedures for an alternative approval process for a community recreation centre service on Savary Island so that the board clearly understands what is involved.
The regional board had received a request from the Savary Island Community Centre Association to establish the service for a Savary community recreation centre and obtain approval for the loan authorization to purchase property. Chief administrative officer Al Radke said staff had the resources to carry out the request for a staff report.
Renew agreement
The regional board will consider endorsing renewal of the qathet regional fire departments’ emergency services agreement for another five-year term. Adoption would allow for efficient sharing of local fire department resources required for response to major fire department incidents throughout the regional district, including all rural areas, Tla’amin Nation, City of Powell River, and Gillies Bay and Van Anda improvement districts. There are eight fire services operating within the boundaries of the regional district. The current agreement was established in 2016 and replaced several older interdepartmental mutual aid agreements within the region.
Light issue
The committee recommended that the board support the procedure of leaving lights on through the nighttime hours at the regional district’s maintenance facility at 2815 McCausland Road. The committee also recommended that the board direct staff to contact the concerned neighbour and explain the regional district’s position and limitations. Residents from across the highway from the maintenance facility had expressed concern about the lights at the maintenance facility being on all night and disturbing enjoyment of their property.
Planning grant
qathet Regional District’s board will consider authorizing staff to submit an application to the rural transit solutions fund under the category of planning and design projects. Grants of up to $50,000 are available under the fund for planning projects. For the regional district, the intent would be to assess and/or develop a rural transit solution that is appropriate for the local community. According to a staff report, the grant would enable qRD to better understand from a financial aspect, and tax implications, what it would cost to operate and maintain an alternative public transportation system, such as on-demand bus service.
New shower
At the August 12 finance committee meeting, the committee recommended the board approve an amendment to the 2021 Savary Island fire protection service budget to allocate $25,200 of the COVID-19 safe restart grant funding toward installation of a shower.
Woodstove exchange
The finance committee recommended that the regional board direct staff to apply for funding from the woodstove exchange program for 2022 and that $10,250 be included in the 2021 solid waste management service budget for advertising, education and awareness, and rebate top-ups for the program.
