qathet Regional District directors recently struck down a motion to have staff develop terms of reference for the establishment of a regional water advisory committee.
At the regional district’s committee of the whole meeting on Thursday, December 12, Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne introduced a motion that the committee recommend that the regional board directs staff to bring back terms of reference for establishment of a regional water advisory committee.
Gisborne said there has been a lot of discussion at the regional district about water. He said the purpose of the proposed committee is to discuss all of the different options for providing safe, potable drinking water throughout the region.
“It’s to establish a committee to explore what are all of the options,” said Gisborne.
Area A director and board chair Patrick Brabazon said this would require another report by staff and more time to write it. He added that if an advisory committee is established, it has to be staffed, which creates additional workload. He said he would be voting no on the initiative.
“The regional district staff have enough to do,” said Brabazon. “Writing this report, which I expect will probably end up in the dustbin anyway, is a waste of time.”
Gisborne said he did not think it was too much extra workload to establish a water advisory committee.
He said he would like to amend his motion to read that the committee recommend the board establish a regional water advisory committee.
Brabazon said it didn’t change the essence of his objection, which is more reports and more workload.
Gisborne said the purpose of his amended motion was that the board establish a regional water advisory committee, which could come up with its own terms of reference.
“Good Lord,” said Brabazon.
Gisborne said if Brabazon had some constructive criticism, he would appreciate it.
“If you would simply like to vote down everything that I do, I don’t find that constructive, director Brabazon,” said Gisborne.
City director George Doubt said he has been experiencing some personal frustration as he tries to read through all of the reports.
“I’m against this resolution because I don’t think at this present time there is work for this committee being proposed,” said Doubt. “We have a water study we are planning to deal with that will provide guidance to a small area of the regional district and move them hopefully towards having a reliable, potable water system. I don’t think we need another committee to address something that is not an immediate problem that isn’t being addressed otherwise.”
The committee defeated the motion to establish a regional water advisory committee.
