Eldred Valley run-of-the-river
At its regular monthly meeting held Thursday, May 26, Powell River Regional District board voted to inform the provincial government that it did not support four applications that would allow Alterra Power Corporation to investigate the expansion of run-of-the-river independent power projects in the Eldred Valley. The regional district planning committee heard community concerns from rock climbers and other outdoor recreational users and from Western Forest Products about the impact the transmission lines have on local forest tenures. Alterra has plans to build a powerhouse on top of the location of the Colin Arthur Dionne Memorial Climbers’ Campground, a registered recreation site in the valley.
Padgett Road widening
The regional district board voted to go ahead with continuing to widen Padgett Road. The new phase of the project will add 868 metres of widened road between Daisy and Verkerk roads. To continue the project, $85,000 from the community-works fund and federal gas tax money will be used. More than 330 metres of road has been widened so far. An additional $4,250 from the parks non-statutory reserve will be used to pay for the five per cent capital administration cost.
Comox communications station
The regional district board agreed to send a letter to federal transport minster Marc Garneau, the Canadian Coast Guard union and Select Committee on Transportation in Ottawa to express its concerns with the recent closure of the Canadian Coast Guard’s Comox Marine Communications and Traffic Services station. A copy of that letter will also be sent to North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney. The station closed as part of the former Conservative government’s plan to upgrade and consolidate marine communication services.
Support for Fort McMurray
The regional district board agreed to donate $1,000 to the Alberta Fire Appeal through Canadian Red Cross to assist those affected by the ongoing wildfire in Fort McMurray. The board also endorsed a promotion of a local awareness campaign to promote regional wildfire safety.
Financial Assistance
The regional district board voted to approve $2,000 for International Choral Kathaumixw for its choir of the world totem pole project and $1,200 for the Lasqueti Yacht Club.
