As things turned out, they still managed to be clear of City Hall within half an hour, with few questions to ask of reports from city staff as they moved forward with the selection of a bid for the Airport Ferry refit, as well as the announcement of a work camp residence destined for Watson Island in support of the Pembina Pipelines LPG terminal project.
Along the way the council members also received a report from the City's CFO outlining the August financial variance report.
The main theme of the night however was related to the city's first steps towards a cannabis policy for retail sales, with Council also announcing a public information forum set for Coast Mountain College on November 13th to seek the comments of the public on how to move forward with their plans.
The Council session came to an end with a number of themes explored by Councillors Cunningham, Randhawa and Thorkelson.
Some background on the work of Council on the evening and the various Agenda elements for the October 9th Council session can be reviewed here.
Council also met in a closed session earlier in the day at 5PM, with council closing the doors to the public citing the following elements of the Community Charter.
90.1 (c) labour relations or other employee relations; and (k) negotiations and related discussions respecting the proposed provision of a municipal service that at their preliminary stages and that, in the view of the council, could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality if they were held in public.
Further information from our overview and placement in the video archive can be found below, with the permanent record of the minutes added as they are posted to the city website.
In attendance Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Mayor Lee Brain -- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Present
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson -- Present (participated by phone)
Councillor Nelson Kinney passed away on March 24th
Video Archive for October 9, 2018
(0:00 -- 1:00 ) Regular City Council Session for October 9, 2018 -- Mayor Brain reviewed the list of minutes and agenda items to be noted by Council members, including one late addition a report from the City Planner related to a workers camp for the Pembina LPG project at Watson Island, with Council then approving the Agenda.
( 1:00 -- 2:00 ) Report from Paul Venditelli -- Mr. Venditelli outlined the three options available to the city for the refit program for the Digby Island Ferry, along with his recommendation to award the contract to Point Hope Maritime in Victoria, which delivered the lowest bid for the work.
With no follow up questions for the Transportation Manager, Council members voted to accept his recommendation, awarding the contract to Point Hope Maritime.
( 2:00 -- 3:00 ) Report from the Chief Financial Officer - re: August Variance Report -- Ms. Bomben provided background on the August financials, noting that all operating utility revenues and expenses were on track for this time of year and within budget. Of note for this report were the additional un-budgeted building permits revenues received from Pembina Pipelines and Metlakatla Development Corporation, which increased revenue in the operating fund by 635,000 dollars making for higher revenue than this time last year. Capital projects are ongoing and costs will continue to come in and be reported monthly.
Council had no questions for the CFO, and accepted the report.
( 3:00 - 6:30 ) Report from City Planner Zeno Krekic -- Report on proposed work camp for Pembina Propane Terminal at Watson Island -- Mr. Krekic provided a short overview of the proposed development of a work camp by Horizon North to house workers of the Pembina LPG Terminal project set for Watson Island. The camp which will be located just off of Skeena Drive on the Watson site will be totally self contained, including water, power and sewer services.
Mr. Krekic noted that while external referrals to provincial agencies had not delivered responses in time for his report, but that indications to staff are that positive responses are imminent.
As the location of the project is substantially removed away from the city built area proper, there are no concerns related to form or shape.
As for questions, Councillor Cunningham noted that with 150 beds planned for the housing project, whether the 75 parking spots indicated would be enough.
Mr Krekic noted that he was addressing the issue in the form of a boarding house and noted that a majority of those working at the site would be flying in and bussed into the facility as opposed to driving their own vehicles.
Councillor Randhawa asked if a traffic study would be required for the site and he was advised that would not be a requirement as part of the housing unit proposal, with those volumes to be addressed through an access permit.
Council then voted to carry the motion.
( 6:30 - 23:00 ) Report from City Planner Zeno Krekic on Zoning requirements for any Cannabis retail operations in the City of Prince Rupert -- Mr. Krekic outlined the scope of the bylaw provisions which include a call for a public information session at Coast Mountain College on November 13th from 5:30 to 7 PM.
With cannabis about to be legalized by the Federal government on October 17th, Mr. Krekic reviewed some of the procedures that the Federal and Provincial governments will be following once that date arrives, including the need for referral to Local government for any retail sales applications to the provincial agency, with the local government required to provide a positive recommendation to the provincial government.
The bulk of his report on the night would be that of the city's approach to land use and how it affects retail sales in the community, he noted that processing and cultivation requests could be considered at a later date.
When it comes to the local zoning option, the suggested location for any retail sales operations will be confined to the downtown core and Cow Bay, with requirements of 75 metres spacing between any retail shops.
Cannabis shops will not be allowed in any of the other commercial areas of the city.
We previewed the report for Council on Tuesday, the full report from the City Planner is available from page thirteen of the Agenda.
The Mayor observed that Tuesday was just the start of the process, and how a lot of the proposed regulations are subject to change following public feedback and review, reinforcing that the first opportunity for that feedback would come on November 13th at the college.
He noted that the city would be putting more information and a video out through their social media options and the city website over the course of the next few days.
Mr. Brain also observed that in addition to the opportunity to comment at the forum, that the city could also consider an online survey process to be used to compile public engagement.
When it came to questions, Councillor Thorkelson inquired about the prospect of marijuana cafes and other social activity options for the community.
Mr Krekic observed that a this point in time all that is legal will be to sell, and that you can't smoke on sit, included in the regulations limiting consumption to a private premises, with smoking lounges still deemed to be illegal. Though he noted that could change over the next few years.
Council Mirau asked about a procedural area as to what a positive recommendation would be, with the City Planner explaining that would be a separate policy item, as well as with the business licence process that will be required, with hopes to have those elements clarified by the time of the Public Information session.
Councillor Cunningham picked up on the theme of the Business licence process and asked what elements such as security items that will be required as part of the approval process that the city will use.
Mr. Krekic outlined how some of those concerns still need to be clarified with provincial officials, again noting that he hopes to have more information on those issues at the time of the public meeting.
Councillor Randhawa suggested that in a quest for as much consultation as possible that the city provide commentary feedback forms at public locations such as the Civic Centre and the Library.
The Mayor noted that was some of his thinking on how the City should go forward to seek out more comment from the public, stressing the need for the community to take part in the process to give Council an idea as to what they want to see in any bylaw and policy changes.
( 23:30 - 27:00 ) Reports and Comments from Council members
Councillor Cunningham offered up a shout out towards a resident of the City who took on the task of cleaning up some property around the Golf Course that he described as a bit of an eyesore.
He also took note of the 95 anniversary of business for Ashley Furniture, calling that longevity an amazing thing for a small community.
His final thought was related to the Rushbrook Trail and some issues that have come up with the Seal Cove end of the trail and parking difficulties at the boatyard end of the trail. To alleviate some of the problems over the winter, Mr. Cunningham called for a relaxation of parking fees for the Rushbrook Area for the winter months, with free parking to be put in place from November to April so that they can enjoy the trail and encourage the use of it.
He observed that this will give the city time to put in place signs at the Seal Cove end to direct trail users to proper parking areas away from the active industrial area.
Councillor Thorkelson made note that Tuesday marked her second to last council meeting and how it had been an honour to have been on council and to ask that members remember that Council isn't all about business and that it's about people too, adding that she had confidence that Council members would remember that.
Mr. Brain noted that Council would have more to say about her time of service with City Council at the November 22nd council session.
With no other comments offered up for the final portion of the evening, Council then voted to adjourn the meeting.
You can access the City Council Review for September 17 here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to local media coverage, can also be found.
As always, our Council Timeline is only a reflection of our observations from the Council session of the night. Be sure to consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to their website for further review.
Official Minutes of the Regular Council Session from October 9, 2018 (not available yet)
In addition to the city's official minutes, the City's Video archive provides a helpful record of the events from each public council session.
Council members next meet on Monday, October, 22, 2018. That session will be the final public session for the current city council membership, with the Councillors elected on October 20th to take office at the first meeting of November.
Cross posted from the North Coast Review
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