It was a fairly short workload for City Council on Monday, a public session of municipal governance that took up just sixty minutes of their evening.
The October 28th gathering offered up the usual items found on the weekly agenda.
In addition to the public forum on the night, October 28th featured another "closed session" of Council, an event that seems of late to be a rather common development with each gathering of Council.
The timeline of all of the council the proceedings can be found in red below, tied in with the City Council video and audio feeds archived below.
Further information such as minutes and permanent placement in the audio and video archives can be found below as they are posted to the city Website.
In Attendance October 28, 2013
Mayor Jack Mussallem-- Present
Councillor Anna Ashley-- Present
Councillor Judy Carlick-Pearson-- Present
Councillor Gina Garon-- Present
Councillor Nelson Kinney-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson-- Present (participating by telephone)
Councillor Jennifer Rice-- Resigned her position on June 10th.
Video Archive for October 28, 2013
Audio Archive for October 28, 2013 (not available yet)
(0:00--1:30) Council moved on to it's regular agenda for the night. The Mayor beginning the session by outlining the usual procedural aspects of the adoption of the agenda and past minutes from September 30th, before carrying on with the agenda items for the evening. From that bit of housekeeping, Council moved right into Reports and Recommendations.
Reports and Recommendations
(1:00--5:00) Report from the Deputy Corporate Administrator on a Recommendation from Staff on a liquor licence application from Java Dot Cup-- Mr. Long reviewed the particulars of the recommendation that Council not provide comments or recommendations on this application. That was a suggestion that Councillor Thorkelson took exception to, outlining her thoughts on the process involved and how she believes the city should make its thoughts known on liquor licence issues. Councillor Ashley inquired of staff whether they had any concerns over the application in question.
The motion was passed, with Councillor Thorkelson offering her opposition.
(5:00--5:30) Report from the Deputy Corporate Administrator on the Curling Club lease -- Ms.Bomben outlined the terms of the lease provision with the Curling Club. The motion of approval was passed.
Correspondences for Action
(5:00:30--8:30) Request for a Proclamation from the Restorative Justice Division-- Council was asked to proclaim November 17-24th as Restorative Justice Week. Mr. Long outlined the particulars of the proclamation request. Councillor Carlick-Pearson spoke in favour of the motion. The motion was then adopted.
(8:30--10:00) Request for a Proclamation from the Prince Rupert Early Childhood Education Leadership team- seeking that Prince Rupert be declared a Child Friendly city. Councillor Kinney spoke in favour of the motion, Councillor Ashley questioned as to why it was appearing again, since Prince Rupert had already issued the proclamation in the past. However, she did second the motion, which was the adopted by Council.
Bylaws
(10:00--10:30) 2013 - 2015 Permissive Property Tax Bylaw Exemption Amendment 3315-2013 -- A recommendation that council adopt the Bylaw Exemption Amendment. It would provide the Museum of Northern British Columbia the 100 per cent exemption on the entire building, including the rental property.
(10:30--11:30 ) Mayor and Council Indemnity Bylaw 3316-2013 -- A recommendation that Council introduce and give three readings to the Bylaw. Councillor Ashley outlined the review of the bylaw, which freezes Council's wages for 2013.
The motion was then adopted.
(11:30--15:30) Report from the City Manager -- Mr. Long touched on a number of items of interest to council. He outlined the progress of the City initiatives files as well as the progress now underway for the City's Capital Budget and preparations for the 2014 Operational Budget. The Finance Dept will hold a public information meeting in February.
Paving for the year will be complete by October 31st, the seasonal banners have been taken down around the city and repairs have been made to vandalized bus shelters. Preparations are being made should sanding and salting of roads be required this year.
Final landscaping is underway on the 9th Avenue East project, preparations are underway for the fall and winter rainy season and the landfill development contracts have been awarded. Staff is working on a layout for a new section at the cemetery, as well a design for the Dam spillway has been awarded.
New projects for the winter include: Water line replacement for Seventh Avenue East and King Edward School area, fabrication for replacement of a portion of the railing at City Hall, Sewer line replacement at Brett Place. The Duncan Road Pump station has been ordered and carrier pipe is ready to be installed.
Engineering is conducting an ongoing review of development permits, staff is making preparations for airport ferry ramp upgrades, investigating vandalism at City Hall and at bus shelters and making plans to install more LED lighting at City hall park to discourage vandalism. And the city is working with Annunciation parish for the Annunciation land swap.
Development services business licence prep is to be deployed on November 1st.
Following the report, the Mayor asked if there were any questions for the City Manager from his report.
Councillor Ashley inquired as to the status of retaining walls on Graham Avenue and passed on information from the Westview public meeting that some residents had concerns on regarding those walls.
Councillor Garon inquired as to what the Annunciation Land swap was, she was advised that it involved a past agreement to exchange property for servicing between the city and the parish, with the city now working to bring the process to a conclusion.
Reports, Questions and Inquires from members of Council
(15:30--16:30) Councillor Kinney raised the issue of winter preparations for snow removal -- He inquired as to whether the city was giving some thought to plowing the snow to the middle of the road and removing it in the evening. Mr. Long advised that the request would be investigated advising as to what if any additional cost could be incurred from such procedures.
(16:30--36:00) Councillor Ashley raised a motion on the Westview development proposal -- Outlining that she believes that the City should stop the process of looking at that land for development. Seeking out further guidance from staff so as how to protect it from development in the future. The Mayor then offered his counsel on the issue. Advising that if they stop the process now, they may have only heard from one segment of the community on the issue of development there.
Mr. Long was then asked to offer his advice to the situation. He outlined that the process involved would be to determine where they would like to have further development. He would like to see further civic engagement on the issue, with council to determine which areas could best be developed.
The Mayor then asked for specific guidance on the Westview property, asking if Council could stop the process as it owns the property. Mr. Long advised as to the process regarding property rights, but in this case, the City is capable of saying that they are not going to move forward with this proposal.
Councillor Ashley then outlined her reasoning behind her motion, which was based on what council members heard from the public meeting earlier in the month. She recounted some of the points that the residents provided regarding the proposal and that she believes that council now had enough of a sense of what the public feels about the proposal to move to stop the proposed development.
The Mayor outlined his hesitations at stopping the proposed development at this stage, returning to his theme that there had not been a full consultation with all that may have something to contribute to the discussion.
He also inquired of council and staff what they would then have done with the lots that don't encroach on the green space in question. Mr. Long advised that they Council could divest themselves of those lots for development.
Councillor Carlick-Pearson, offered up her thoughts on the proposal of the transition house land area and echoed many of Councillor Ashley's concerns on the topic regarding the participation at the forum. She recounted her concerns over the loss of green space in the community and expressed her opposition in developing in the park area in question.
Councillor Garon spoke out against the development of the proposed condo project, but is in favour of developing the land in the old transition house section of the land in question.
Councillor Thorkelson asked for the motion to be read once again, she then offered her support to stop the development of the green space aspect of the land in question. And then added that she had a number of concerns, which she has expressed previously.
She then asked asked for a clarification on the legislation that ties up the CN properties that were given to the city. Stating that the city needs to be clear as to what that legislation means.
She also wants to be clear if the City can sell the land that the transition house was located, wondering if they did not fall under property for the public good. Advising that the city needs clarity on that issue as well.
She then suggested that when Mr. Krekic brings forward his report on the listing of all the property that the city owns around the city, that the city develop a plan that is more specific than the OCP, and where council wants to have things like condos and such for development.
She also suggested that the city needs to have a discussion on such things as social housing needs, public housing and all items of similar concern.
The Mayor advised that he believes that staff is looking into the issues between CN and that city land.
Councillor Garon asked that the motion be tabled, but that bid was turned down.
The main motion to stop this particular proposed development of the Atlin Avenue land was then voted on and adopted.
(36:00--39:00) Councillor Thorkelson then moved that the City set up a process to look at the inventory of lots in Prince Rupert. -- Asking for a list of those lots owned by the city and privately, so as to inform the public as to what kind of development that they want to see in the city. The Councillor outlined her thinking on the need for such an inventory and the process that she sees moving ahead on development issues for the city. Councillor Ashley seconded that motion, the Mayor then weighed in on the theme and expressed his concerns that the council was adding on more and more duties to a staff that doesn't have the resources available to perform all of these requests from council.
Councillor Thorkelson's motion was then voted on and approved by Council, with Councillor Garon opposed.
(39:00--40:00) Councillor Garon then returned to the Westview issue, asking if the city was still going to seek out clarification on the status of the land in question on Atlin, asking if they intend to seek out more details from the land registry. The Mayor advised that staff was still investigating that and it was something that they need to have clarified.
Reports, Questions and Inquiries
(40:00--48:00) Councillor Thorkelson had one other issue of note for council, regarding a liquor licence review currently under way by the province, which is asking for input on possible changes to liquor licensing regulations in British Columbia.
The review is set to close for comment on the 31st of October. She expressed her concern on the oversight of council on the issue, providing some background on statistics from the rest of the province. The Mayor then asked what she would like Council to do on the issue.
She then suggested that if at all possible, that someone on staff could make up a report on the city's concerns on the theme of liquor consumption and its disruptive nature to the community.
Her motion was that staff should write a short report by the 31st, to the relevant Ministry expressing council's concerns that liquor laws not be loosened to permit easier access for juveniles.
The motion was seconded by councillor Ashley, who then spoke to the topic.
She then suggested that Council members provide their thoughts by email to staff, who then could turn that into the letter requested by Councillor Thorkelson.
Councillor Garon then made a few observations on the topic, suggesting that they may be a little late in the process to submit a report. Suggesting that if councillors wanted, they could always approach the ministry in question on an individual basis.
With discussion complete, the motion to have staff draft a report to forward to the Ministry in question was voted down by council.
(48:00-49:00) The Mayor then relayed some background on a project from the information package, highlighting the Life Skills program being hosted by NWCC and the Friendship House. A program which features free tuition and offers a workshop on a number of themes on life skills for the community.
(49:00-60:00) The Mayor's Report
The Mayor outlined some of the meetings and gatherings that he attended in the last two weeks, among them; a meeting with the President and CEO of the Knowledge Network, he also attended the Chamber of Commerce meeting for October, which featured the announcement of the rising stars participants and their sponsors.
He reviewed the most recent statistics from Prince Rupert airport, advising that passenger traffic was up by 3.8 per cent from January to September.
He participated in a meeting with representatives of the BG Group regarding the development plans for their proposed LNG terminal at Ridley Island. In attendance with him were Councillors Ashley and Kinney. He advised that the representatives from BG plan to make a presentation after the by-election and if any councillors have any questions on the theme of LNG development, that they should forward them to BG for further discussion.
Councillor Ashley then inquired as to whether this process was something that members of the public could become involved with as well. The Mayor then advised that the public could email their questions to members of council, who could then present them to BG at the meeting.
The Mayor then outlined some background on a recent meeting with members of the trucking industry and the RCMP, where the heavy load truck issues in the city were discussed. With an emphasis on safety and the sharing of the roads. The trucking representatives would take the discussion points back to share with their drivers. Also in attendance at the meeting were Councillors Ashley, Garon and Kinney.
The Mayor attended the opening of the Coastal Business Resource Centre.
He and Councillor Garon met with representatives of the Sundance Canyon Building corporation, who are interested in sites for modular housing development opportunities in the community.
He participated in a gathering for the Prince Rupert Self Advocacy Group, as well as attended the graduation ceremonies for 14 students of the first cohort of the Northwest Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs program, in attendance with him were Councillor Carlick-Pearson, who is one of the mentors for the program.
He attended the Prince Rupert Marina Stakeholders meeting to review proposed marina designs and placement.
He also attended the Prince Rupert Airport Authority Board of Directors meeting, outlining some of the discussion points from that session. Reviewing how the airport is looking forward to much needed renovation work getting underway and has made application for needed repairs for the runway. He also outlined the variety of aircraft that the airport can currently accept, with anticipation of larger aircraft using the facility as growth in the community is experienced.
He attended an Open House in support of Foster Parenting in British Columbia.
He, Councillors Kinney and Ashley were in attendance at the Public Information session on the Airport Bylaw Authorization process, available to provide further information to members of the public on the topic.
He participated in a task force to seek governance changes to a Western Transportation Council Act.
The Mayor attended the first in a number of trade talks hosted by the Prince Rupert Port Authority and Quickload.
He attended the Prince Rupert Rotary Club Dinner meeting.
As well he and Councillor Thorkelson attended a BG Group meeting on a variety of aspects of LNG development and its impact on the region.
The Mayor attended the 2013 Ridley Terminals Northern Art Initiative exhibit held at the Museum of Northern British Columbia, it runs until the middle of November.
He also participated in the University of Northern British Columbia Northwest Regional Advisory Council Meeting, where the need for educational courses in specific occupations for the region was discussed and the topic of expanding the options closer to home was reviewed, with the possibility of the University expanding its presence in Terrace.
And with that final bit of discussion the Council session was brought to an end, with Council then adjourned to other items of discussion, which would be held in an in-camera session.
You can access the City Council Review page for October 28th here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including media coverage of it can be found.
As always, consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to the website for further review.
Minutes Regular Council Session from October 28, 2013
(5:00:30--8:30) Request for a Proclamation from the Restorative Justice Division-- Council was asked to proclaim November 17-24th as Restorative Justice Week. Mr. Long outlined the particulars of the proclamation request. Councillor Carlick-Pearson spoke in favour of the motion. The motion was then adopted.
(8:30--10:00) Request for a Proclamation from the Prince Rupert Early Childhood Education Leadership team- seeking that Prince Rupert be declared a Child Friendly city. Councillor Kinney spoke in favour of the motion, Councillor Ashley questioned as to why it was appearing again, since Prince Rupert had already issued the proclamation in the past. However, she did second the motion, which was the adopted by Council.
Bylaws
(10:00--10:30) 2013 - 2015 Permissive Property Tax Bylaw Exemption Amendment 3315-2013 -- A recommendation that council adopt the Bylaw Exemption Amendment. It would provide the Museum of Northern British Columbia the 100 per cent exemption on the entire building, including the rental property.
(10:30--11:30 ) Mayor and Council Indemnity Bylaw 3316-2013 -- A recommendation that Council introduce and give three readings to the Bylaw. Councillor Ashley outlined the review of the bylaw, which freezes Council's wages for 2013.
The motion was then adopted.
(11:30--15:30) Report from the City Manager -- Mr. Long touched on a number of items of interest to council. He outlined the progress of the City initiatives files as well as the progress now underway for the City's Capital Budget and preparations for the 2014 Operational Budget. The Finance Dept will hold a public information meeting in February.
Paving for the year will be complete by October 31st, the seasonal banners have been taken down around the city and repairs have been made to vandalized bus shelters. Preparations are being made should sanding and salting of roads be required this year.
Final landscaping is underway on the 9th Avenue East project, preparations are underway for the fall and winter rainy season and the landfill development contracts have been awarded. Staff is working on a layout for a new section at the cemetery, as well a design for the Dam spillway has been awarded.
New projects for the winter include: Water line replacement for Seventh Avenue East and King Edward School area, fabrication for replacement of a portion of the railing at City Hall, Sewer line replacement at Brett Place. The Duncan Road Pump station has been ordered and carrier pipe is ready to be installed.
Engineering is conducting an ongoing review of development permits, staff is making preparations for airport ferry ramp upgrades, investigating vandalism at City Hall and at bus shelters and making plans to install more LED lighting at City hall park to discourage vandalism. And the city is working with Annunciation parish for the Annunciation land swap.
Development services business licence prep is to be deployed on November 1st.
Following the report, the Mayor asked if there were any questions for the City Manager from his report.
Councillor Ashley inquired as to the status of retaining walls on Graham Avenue and passed on information from the Westview public meeting that some residents had concerns on regarding those walls.
Councillor Garon inquired as to what the Annunciation Land swap was, she was advised that it involved a past agreement to exchange property for servicing between the city and the parish, with the city now working to bring the process to a conclusion.
Reports, Questions and Inquires from members of Council
(15:30--16:30) Councillor Kinney raised the issue of winter preparations for snow removal -- He inquired as to whether the city was giving some thought to plowing the snow to the middle of the road and removing it in the evening. Mr. Long advised that the request would be investigated advising as to what if any additional cost could be incurred from such procedures.
(16:30--36:00) Councillor Ashley raised a motion on the Westview development proposal -- Outlining that she believes that the City should stop the process of looking at that land for development. Seeking out further guidance from staff so as how to protect it from development in the future. The Mayor then offered his counsel on the issue. Advising that if they stop the process now, they may have only heard from one segment of the community on the issue of development there.
Mr. Long was then asked to offer his advice to the situation. He outlined that the process involved would be to determine where they would like to have further development. He would like to see further civic engagement on the issue, with council to determine which areas could best be developed.
The Mayor then asked for specific guidance on the Westview property, asking if Council could stop the process as it owns the property. Mr. Long advised as to the process regarding property rights, but in this case, the City is capable of saying that they are not going to move forward with this proposal.
Councillor Ashley then outlined her reasoning behind her motion, which was based on what council members heard from the public meeting earlier in the month. She recounted some of the points that the residents provided regarding the proposal and that she believes that council now had enough of a sense of what the public feels about the proposal to move to stop the proposed development.
The Mayor outlined his hesitations at stopping the proposed development at this stage, returning to his theme that there had not been a full consultation with all that may have something to contribute to the discussion.
He also inquired of council and staff what they would then have done with the lots that don't encroach on the green space in question. Mr. Long advised that they Council could divest themselves of those lots for development.
Councillor Carlick-Pearson, offered up her thoughts on the proposal of the transition house land area and echoed many of Councillor Ashley's concerns on the topic regarding the participation at the forum. She recounted her concerns over the loss of green space in the community and expressed her opposition in developing in the park area in question.
Councillor Garon spoke out against the development of the proposed condo project, but is in favour of developing the land in the old transition house section of the land in question.
Councillor Thorkelson asked for the motion to be read once again, she then offered her support to stop the development of the green space aspect of the land in question. And then added that she had a number of concerns, which she has expressed previously.
She then asked asked for a clarification on the legislation that ties up the CN properties that were given to the city. Stating that the city needs to be clear as to what that legislation means.
She also wants to be clear if the City can sell the land that the transition house was located, wondering if they did not fall under property for the public good. Advising that the city needs clarity on that issue as well.
She then suggested that when Mr. Krekic brings forward his report on the listing of all the property that the city owns around the city, that the city develop a plan that is more specific than the OCP, and where council wants to have things like condos and such for development.
She also suggested that the city needs to have a discussion on such things as social housing needs, public housing and all items of similar concern.
The Mayor advised that he believes that staff is looking into the issues between CN and that city land.
Councillor Garon asked that the motion be tabled, but that bid was turned down.
The main motion to stop this particular proposed development of the Atlin Avenue land was then voted on and adopted.
(36:00--39:00) Councillor Thorkelson then moved that the City set up a process to look at the inventory of lots in Prince Rupert. -- Asking for a list of those lots owned by the city and privately, so as to inform the public as to what kind of development that they want to see in the city. The Councillor outlined her thinking on the need for such an inventory and the process that she sees moving ahead on development issues for the city. Councillor Ashley seconded that motion, the Mayor then weighed in on the theme and expressed his concerns that the council was adding on more and more duties to a staff that doesn't have the resources available to perform all of these requests from council.
Councillor Thorkelson's motion was then voted on and approved by Council, with Councillor Garon opposed.
(39:00--40:00) Councillor Garon then returned to the Westview issue, asking if the city was still going to seek out clarification on the status of the land in question on Atlin, asking if they intend to seek out more details from the land registry. The Mayor advised that staff was still investigating that and it was something that they need to have clarified.
Reports, Questions and Inquiries
(40:00--48:00) Councillor Thorkelson had one other issue of note for council, regarding a liquor licence review currently under way by the province, which is asking for input on possible changes to liquor licensing regulations in British Columbia.
The review is set to close for comment on the 31st of October. She expressed her concern on the oversight of council on the issue, providing some background on statistics from the rest of the province. The Mayor then asked what she would like Council to do on the issue.
She then suggested that if at all possible, that someone on staff could make up a report on the city's concerns on the theme of liquor consumption and its disruptive nature to the community.
Her motion was that staff should write a short report by the 31st, to the relevant Ministry expressing council's concerns that liquor laws not be loosened to permit easier access for juveniles.
The motion was seconded by councillor Ashley, who then spoke to the topic.
She then suggested that Council members provide their thoughts by email to staff, who then could turn that into the letter requested by Councillor Thorkelson.
Councillor Garon then made a few observations on the topic, suggesting that they may be a little late in the process to submit a report. Suggesting that if councillors wanted, they could always approach the ministry in question on an individual basis.
With discussion complete, the motion to have staff draft a report to forward to the Ministry in question was voted down by council.
(48:00-49:00) The Mayor then relayed some background on a project from the information package, highlighting the Life Skills program being hosted by NWCC and the Friendship House. A program which features free tuition and offers a workshop on a number of themes on life skills for the community.
(49:00-60:00) The Mayor's Report
The Mayor outlined some of the meetings and gatherings that he attended in the last two weeks, among them; a meeting with the President and CEO of the Knowledge Network, he also attended the Chamber of Commerce meeting for October, which featured the announcement of the rising stars participants and their sponsors.
He reviewed the most recent statistics from Prince Rupert airport, advising that passenger traffic was up by 3.8 per cent from January to September.
He participated in a meeting with representatives of the BG Group regarding the development plans for their proposed LNG terminal at Ridley Island. In attendance with him were Councillors Ashley and Kinney. He advised that the representatives from BG plan to make a presentation after the by-election and if any councillors have any questions on the theme of LNG development, that they should forward them to BG for further discussion.
Councillor Ashley then inquired as to whether this process was something that members of the public could become involved with as well. The Mayor then advised that the public could email their questions to members of council, who could then present them to BG at the meeting.
The Mayor then outlined some background on a recent meeting with members of the trucking industry and the RCMP, where the heavy load truck issues in the city were discussed. With an emphasis on safety and the sharing of the roads. The trucking representatives would take the discussion points back to share with their drivers. Also in attendance at the meeting were Councillors Ashley, Garon and Kinney.
The Mayor attended the opening of the Coastal Business Resource Centre.
He and Councillor Garon met with representatives of the Sundance Canyon Building corporation, who are interested in sites for modular housing development opportunities in the community.
He participated in a gathering for the Prince Rupert Self Advocacy Group, as well as attended the graduation ceremonies for 14 students of the first cohort of the Northwest Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs program, in attendance with him were Councillor Carlick-Pearson, who is one of the mentors for the program.
He attended the Prince Rupert Marina Stakeholders meeting to review proposed marina designs and placement.
He also attended the Prince Rupert Airport Authority Board of Directors meeting, outlining some of the discussion points from that session. Reviewing how the airport is looking forward to much needed renovation work getting underway and has made application for needed repairs for the runway. He also outlined the variety of aircraft that the airport can currently accept, with anticipation of larger aircraft using the facility as growth in the community is experienced.
He attended an Open House in support of Foster Parenting in British Columbia.
He, Councillors Kinney and Ashley were in attendance at the Public Information session on the Airport Bylaw Authorization process, available to provide further information to members of the public on the topic.
He participated in a task force to seek governance changes to a Western Transportation Council Act.
The Mayor attended the first in a number of trade talks hosted by the Prince Rupert Port Authority and Quickload.
He attended the Prince Rupert Rotary Club Dinner meeting.
As well he and Councillor Thorkelson attended a BG Group meeting on a variety of aspects of LNG development and its impact on the region.
The Mayor attended the 2013 Ridley Terminals Northern Art Initiative exhibit held at the Museum of Northern British Columbia, it runs until the middle of November.
He also participated in the University of Northern British Columbia Northwest Regional Advisory Council Meeting, where the need for educational courses in specific occupations for the region was discussed and the topic of expanding the options closer to home was reviewed, with the possibility of the University expanding its presence in Terrace.
And with that final bit of discussion the Council session was brought to an end, with Council then adjourned to other items of discussion, which would be held in an in-camera session.
You can access the City Council Review page for October 28th here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including media coverage of it can be found.
As always, consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to the website for further review.
Minutes Regular Council Session from October 28, 2013
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