This year’s meetings with the premier and senior ministers in conjunction with the annual Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) convention in September will take a different shape.
Because of COVID-19, the annual assembly will be held in a virtual and abbreviated format.
At the City of Powell River Council meeting on July 16, chief administrative officer Russell Brewer outlined a listing of proposed ministerial meetings in conjunction with the convention.
“This year is a little bit different,” said Brewer. “The meetings with the premier and ministers will be held via conference call the week prior to UBCM. The deadline for requesting those meetings is August 4, hence the urgency of bringing them before council.”
Brewer said some advocacy issues identified over the past year were identified in his report to council.
The first request is for a meeting with the premier regarding Catalyst Paper Corporation.
The second is for two issues to be covered in a meeting with the minister of municipal affairs and housing. The first is to discuss partial removal of what is referred to as section 21 lands. These lands are referred to in the Powell River Incorporation Act. The section 21 lands were those owned by Catalyst, but a significant portion of these lands are now owned by the city and Tla’amin Nation.
The intention is to modify the description of the mill-site area to a revised set of boundaries drawn up for the city, so those lands no longer owned nor used by the mill are excluded from the area.
A second meeting topic for discussion with the minister is audits of municipally owned corporations and public/private partnerships.
Another meeting suggestion is with the attorney general, for greenhouse gas tracking through odometer readings for ICBC.
A meeting with the minister of forests, lands, natural resource operations and rural development will be requested to discuss the resource-recovery centre (RRC) to deal with the region’s solid waste. Brewer said there is still some work to be done on covenants on the property on which the RRC will be situated.
“Requests will be made of staff in that ministry to help adjust the covenants and the uses that are allowed there,” said Brewer.
The final ministerial meeting the city wants to request is with the minister of transportation and infrastructure regarding Highway 101. Brewer said a couple of issues could be discussed at that meeting, such as patios and parklets and some jurisdictional questions.
Councillor George Doubt said regarding the meeting pertaining to audits of municipally owned corporations, he knows that councillor Cindy Elliott has indicated she plans on bringing a motion about that to council, but it hasn’t been before council yet for discussion.
“My understanding is these meetings (with ministers) are about communicating council’s position when council has one,” said Doubt.
Brewer said there is no harm in making a meeting request, which can always be declined later on.
“I’m just saying that because I don’t want anyone to get the impression that the chief administrative officer has made a decision on what the city’s position should be,” said Doubt.
Brewer said Doubt was quite right in that there was no resolution council has taken on the matter.
“Sometimes these ministerial meetings could just be about seeking clarification on what’s required and what’s not required, and bringing that information back,” said Brewer.
Mayor Dave Formosa said he expects Elliott would take the lead in that meeting and have a conversation with the minister to ask whatever questions she wants to ask regarding audits.
Elliott said it was her intention to have a fulsome discussion with council around the prospect of a resolution. Because of timing issues, a resolution would probably go forward to the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities next spring, she said.
“What we would be doing is raising to the minister’s attention the idea that increasing standards around public and private partnerships, particularly with requirements for auditing and reporting on an annual basis, could go a long way to help all parties involved with maintaining public confidence,” said Elliott. “As I became aware of this issue, I have absolute confidence that everybody involved has done what was best for the city and I don’t think there is an issue there.
“I do think the board of PRSC and PRWDC could have been served better with some requirements for audits so they wouldn’t be tempted to save money by foregoing an audit. I understand the pressures to save money when you are looking at taxpayers’ dollars but, at the same time, public confidence is best served by those standards around that so we’re not tempted to cut those corners.”
Formosa said council does not formally have a position but it can definitely have a conversation with the minister.
Council voted to confirm the listing of proposed 2020 ministerial meetings as submitted.
