City Council Timeline: Monday, October 5, 2020

 

Prince Rupert City Council in public session Monday night

Fresh from the Virtual UBCM convention and their online gatherings Prince Rupert City Council rolled out a number of high profile announcements for the Monday evening Council Session.

All of the council members, with the exception of Councillor Blair Mirau were in Chambers on the night; with Mr. Mirau once again participating by phone, an option that he has made use of a number of times over the last six months

Among some of the themes on the night, were a string of reports that relayed news on a new detachment for the RCMP, contract awards for the landfill site expansion plans and towards accounting services, as well as some expanding Child care plans for the city.

The quest for Grant funding for the waterfront CN Building, some proclamations for local organizations and some Financial themes also provided for the to do list on the evening.

Mayor Lee Brain also offered up a wide ranging Community update towards the end of the evening, retracing many of the steps that Council has taken over the last six years and offering another glimpse as what to may be ahead for 2021.

Some background on the work of Council on the evening and the various Regular Agenda elements for the October 5th Council session can be explored here. 

Council also hosted a Closed Session earlier in the evening (their eleventh such closed session of the year), the details as to why they required the doors to be closed for the 5PM meeting can be reviewed here.  

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 Monday, October 5, 2020

Mayor Lee Brain -- Present 
Councillor Nick Adey --  Present  
Councillor Barry Cunningham --  Present 
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present  (by phone)
Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven --  Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present 
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa --   Present 

Video Archive for October 5, 2020

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Regular Council Session

( 00:30 --1:30 )   Regular City Council Session for Monday, September 14, 2020  -- Mayor Brain called the Regular Council Session to order, with Council adopting minutes of previous meetings and the agenda and revisions for the night, with the Mayor making two late additions to the Agenda. 

( 1:30 --2:25 )   Application for Development Variance Permit for a property on Atlin Avenue  -- Council heard some background on how Council will review the application and all others in the future, noting that Applicants information will now be removed in accordance with Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy. Towards the request Council carried the motion.

( 1:30 --3:30 )   Report from the City's Chief Financial Officer delivering the August Financial Variance Report -- Ms. Bomben noted that due to efforts from city departments that they believe that the city will be able to maintain a balanced budget and no amendments for the various departments will be recommended. She observed how the record breaking August rainfall had an impact on Capital projects and reviews are underway to determine which projects may be rolled over into 2021. 

( 3:30 -- 11:00 )   Report from the City's Chief Financial Officer relaying the decision to award a contract for auditing services -- The CFO outlined that while there were two other bidders for the contract, the review group had decided to continue with the services of Carlyle Sheppard. In a reply to Councillor Adey, Ms. Bomben observing that despite lower bids, potential travel costs by the two Prince George based applicants was one factor that they considered, as well as their familiarity with the City's financial systems having been the city's auditor for a number of years.

Councillor Mirau used the opportunity to inquire if there was a standardized procedure in place when it comes to recommendations for bid requests, she noted that this was the first time in her memory that the auditor services made use of a contract bid process. Mr. Mirau followed up with comments to suggest that Council should be looking to standardizing the process moving forward.

Councillor Randhawa followed up with comments related to the proposed bid process asking how the City approaches its request for submissions.

( 11:00 --17:00 )   Report from the City's Director of Operations related to the successful contract award for the Landfill site -- Richard Pucci outlined what the project will require, noting that six applicants put in a bid for the work to be done, with the city staff then taking the two lowest compliant bids and deciding to recommend CT Northern Contractors Alliance for the 6 million plus contract. In Questions, Councillor Randhawa inquired as to if the successful company would use local people, Mr. Pucci noted that they are a large local employer in the community. 

Councillor Cunningham asked who the other successful bidder was, he was advised that it was Adventure Paving, with the city choosing CT Northern Contractors Alliance owing to the potential cost savings available. Councillor Mirau asked for some clarification on the potential savings. Mr. Pucci noted that those savings could come from the sale of rock from the excavation site, Mr.  Mirau also praised the work of staff when it comes to negotiating RFP's. Councillor Cunningham asked who would be monitoring the dispersal of the rock. 

Mr. Pucci advised that a third party management company would be brought in for that element. The Mayor took advantage of the opportunity to praise city staff on their work and noted how the City was taking care of their large infrastructure problems one at a time and getting it done through the hard work of staff.

( 17:00 --18:30 )   Request for Letter of Support  for Trinity House -- Mayor Brain outlined the theme of the letter which would be lend support for Trinity House's quest for funding for additional beds for the facility on 11th Avenue East, noting of the work that they do in town and that he fully supports their efforts.

(18:30 -- 22:00 ) Report from the City's Manager of Transportation related an application for a funding grant towards the CN Heritage building on the waterfront  -- Corporate Administrator Rosa Miller delivered Mr. Venditelli's report, noting how the city would be applying for a COVID related Federal grant opportunity, which offers funding towards infrastructure work. The city will be applying for the funding for its plans for the CN Heritage site. The Mayor observed how the City is looking to access the funding to try to get as much extra dollars in for the waterfront plans recalling some of their past efforts towards accessing funding for their work which they hope to see underway in 2021. Councillor Randhawa asked if the city required any matching funds, the Mayor advised that no matching funds were required. Councillor Adey asked about potential future use for the building and if there is a process to explore additional targets for this kind of funding application.

Mayor Brain noted that the design work is still underway for the Heritage building and could offer no further guidance on what other targets that staff may have looked at when it comes to funding. 

Mr. Brain then outlined some of the city's ambitions for the waterfront site as things move forward. He then thanked staff for being on top of the Grant Applications that are available and noted that there are many other opportunities available.

( 22:00 -- 22:30 ) Proclamation Request from the Prince Rupert Fire/Rescue Department on Fire Safety Week  -- Mayor Brain outlined the theme of the proclamation which would recognize October 4-10 as Fire Safety Week in the City.  Council carried the motion.

( 22:30 -- 23:00 ) Proclamation Request from the Prince Rupert Rotary Club related to World Polio Day  -- Mayor Brain outlined the background to the Rotary request to declare Saturday, October 24th as World Polio Day, council carried the motion.

( 23:30 -- 28:00 ) Report from the City's Corporate Administrator related to the BC Child Care Spaces Fund  Application -- Corporate Administrator Rosa Miller delivered the update for Council making note of the City's recent Child Care study and how the city could make use of available funding for the creation of Child Care Spaces and renovations in the Recreation Centre complex to lease that space to a Child Care operator. With the city to cover the cost of any cost over runs above and beyond the project funding. Ms. Miller noted that the with 100 percent funding for project, she suggested any cost over runs would be minimal at most.

The Mayor noted how Child Care space creation is 100 percent needed in the community, providing some anecdotal notes on how the City has heard that people have turned down jobs in the city as they can't find adequate child care spaces.

Councillor Cunningham made note of some recent provincial announcements on funding for child care and wondered why Prince Rupert was not on those lists despite the need in the community, reprising some of the Mayors comments on how people have turned down jobs and potential moves to Prince Rupert and how that will impact on attracting professional people to the city.

The Mayor said he did not know why the city was left out of the funding, and noted that the City has done its part, with the past child care assessment and the application they are exploring on the night, adding that the city is not looking to get into child care but is applying on behalf of somebody else. He also noted that it is a conversation for Council to have with the MLA as it's a provincial responsibility, observing how the city is going to partner as best it can and just get it done as they do.

Councillor Mirau observed as to the deficit in child care spaces in the community and asked how many the Civic Centre plan would open up, Ms. Miller replied that would be determined depending on who applies to provide the service at the facility and what their licence would call for. The Councillor then enquired as to how much space the Child Care space would take up, but Ms. Miller did not have that information available for review.

Councillor Adey followed up by speaking to the same report that Councillor Cunningham had referenced and the need for child care space in the community, as for the proposal of using the Civic Centre space he noted it was something Council should move forward on and if it gets the city closer to solving the problems that it has it would be a positive thing.

Council then carried the motion.

( 28:00 -- 30:00 )   Report from the City's Director of Operations related to the Edward and Albert Avenue Road Closures  -- Richard Pucci outlined some background to the proposed road closure plan, noting the city had only received one viewing of the documents and received no comments to date related to the road closure proposal. For questions, Councillor Cunningham asked about whether those in the area currently with access to the roads, will continue to have back lane access to them. Mr. Pucci noted that the map the Councillor was referencing was incorrect and that a modified map with the proper access could be provided.

Council moved the process towards road closure forward.

( 30:00 -- 38:00 )   Report from the City's Chief Financial Officer regarding the 2020 Five Year Financial Plan Bylaw Amendment  -- Ms. Bomben CFO outlined some of the key themes for the amendment, those being the ongoing commitment of funding towards removal of the remaining Moresby Park Fuel tank replacement program. The additional funding of over one million dollars will come from the allocation of the use of surplus funds, including those from the Northern Capital and Planning grant reserve.

The CFO also advised that City Staff have secured a new location for the replacement RCMP detachment in Prince Rupert. She advised that the city plans to build a new facility at the Jehovah Witnesses land on Third Avenue East and McBride acquiring that land for the purpose, with the Jehovah Witnesses congregation to purchase City land at 9th  Avenue West and McBride. 

As for cost, Ms. Bomben outlined that the Budget amendment requires 2 million dollars which includes land acquisition and legal costs, engineering and geo technical costs and architectural design work. The funding for this part of the project comes from the proceeds of land sales of 225,000 dollars and use of 1.775 million from the northern capital and planning reserves.

The final amendment for review was to address themes towards Phase three of the city's water plans with funds required to be transferred to the respective reserves. 

Ms. Bomben noted that there is no impact on any of the amendments towards taxation and that after notice to the amendments was posted on the City's Notice Board at City Hall and through its website, that no comments were submitted by the public.

Councillor Niesh led of the discussion, highlighting the city's work on finally dealing with the situation and coming to a resolution to replace the building, offering his approval for the selected location.

Councillor Adey asked about the old RCMP location and what may happen to that site, Ms. Bomben noted that at the time the city did not have any idea what to do with the land noting that all four corners at the intersection of Sixth and McBride are designated for public use.

Councillor Mirau added his praise for the work of Staff, noting how there were few indications of any COVID related declines and how the city was on a path to balance at fiscal year end, he then inquired about revenue expectations for the Civic Centre Arena.

Towards that question, the CFO outlined some of the savings of the summer which offset some of the lost revenues to date, she noted their forecast is that the city's financials still come out to a balance.

Mayor Brain returned to the RCMP station issue and congratulated the city's team for its work and to add downtown revitalization as part of the project, as for the financials the mayor noted some of his past conversations with other communities and how the City of Prince Rupert is faring well and thanks to the hard work of Staff getting things done.

City Manager Robert Long also spoke to the work of CFO Bomben and her efforts on the RCMP replacement issue, noting the difficulty and complications that the file presented to her and how she navigated the challenges to find the right spot for the new detachment.

Council then voted to carry the Financial Plan Amendments.

( 38:00 -- 39:00 )   Report from the City's Chief Financial Officer regarding Fourth and Final reading for the Woodworth Dam and Landfill Site Loan Authorization bylaws  -- Council voted to carry the motion forward.

( 39:00 -- 48:00 )   Motion from Previous Council session related to the use of containers in Light Industrial areas -- Councillor Wade Niesh reiterated his previous concerns over how the city enforces bylaw measures when it comes towards the use of containers in the light industrial areas, asking for city staff to compile a report on the issue before any further enforcement is conducted, so they can include an enforceable bylaw in the new upcoming Official Community Plan. 

Councillor Cunningham observed how there is need for clarification of the issue and that it needs to be done properly and may require rezoning of some areas in the future. He also noted that if property owners maintain their property well that's fine, but the city should go after those who don't observe the rules and not punish everyone for the action of just one person.

Councillor Skelton-Morven noted that some of these challenges will be addressed in the new Official Community Plan.

Councillor Mirau posed a procedural question asking to the purpose of the motion, observing how the new OCP process should incorporate containers as they look to regulate the situation in the city.

Councillor Niesh did reinforce that any enforcement be held off until the bylaw is back on the books for discussion, a recommendation which Councillor Mirau did not feel should take place.

Mr. Niesh then reversed some of his approach, expressing his approval for the motion to seek out a report, while not changing the enforcement process.

After some further conversation from the Mayor and Councillor Cunningham, council moved forward towards generating a report on the topic. With the Mayor noting that the Corporate Administrator has already spoken to the property owners in question to address some  of the issues.

( 48:00 -- 1:13:00 )  Reports, Comments and Inquiries from City Council Members.

Mayor Brain delivered a lengthy overview of some of City Council's achievements over the seven months, reviewing the city's work on the Hays 2.0 vision, the Watson Island files, the ongoing infrastructure issues and how the City Council has stuck to its priorities and is now at a place where they have accomplished a lot as a community.

On Watson island the Mayor observed how the old mill was torn down, the chemicals removed and a new industrial proponent set to begin operations in 2021, adding  how he views Watson Island as going 'fantastically well' for the community.

He followed that up with an update on the city's water infrastructure planning and the timeline towards the many projects towards it, he also spoke to the recent problems with the water supply which currently comes from the back up supply of Shawatlans Lake.  He observed how some of those issues should go away as the city transits back to its main supply of Woodworth Lake once the dam construction is completed. As for the third and final phase of the water projects he did not have a timeline on the water treatment plans, suggesting that more information will be coming by the end of this year.

He also reviewed some of the past advice that the city has issued towards water to the homes and the need for the flushing of lines in individual homes in the city.

Next on his list was the City's work on the RCMP replacement once again offering his congratulations to city staff for their work on the resolution of the fifteen year old issue.

He also spoke to the ongoing work towards the land fill site and some of the other infrastructure themes related to waste collection.

Turning to the city's work on the Official Community Plan, the Mayor used the analogy of building a new foundation for a house, the public isn't seeing new painted walls, new furniture and such as council has been busy fixing their financial and infrastructure challenges.

He pointed towards future plans for new downtown development, trails, recreation and such, using the plans for the RCMP station as part of that redevelopment of that area, as well as to some of the plans ahead for waterfront development.

On housing needs in the community, the Mayor observed as to some un-announced housing projects in the works and how he hopes to have some details in a report to the community by sometime this fall, observing as to how the city continues to work on the housing process with many more units to come to community.

He also observed on the city's plans towards a downtown clean up program and an incentive program for downtown development, reviewing the city's plans to host an event in October for out of town developers to come look at the community and to spark the interest in building in the city.

Towards the city's work on the OCP process and the meetings the Mayor has held with a number of groups, Mr. Brain noted how he had never seen such a level of support for the city's plans, with no issues reported by the Mayor, he highlighted how 2021 will deliver a whole new development environment in Prince Rupert, stating that it's the most excited that he has been for the community in a really long time.

Part of his narrative was to explain how all of these elements have been done without tax increases and the lowering of taxes last year, noting that that it has been no easy feat to accomplish as much as they have to date, calling it a testament to Council's will to stick to the priorities and hit their timelines.

He also hailed what he called the team development approach and how that has built relationships with provincial and federal officials.

He wrapped up his themes for the night by  once again making note of the hard work of Council with hopes towards an update for the community later in the fall.

Councillor Cunningham also praised the work of City Staff, noting that they don't always get the recognition that is due to them. 

Councillor Adey offered up some thoughts on how the city has handled the pandemic times and also praised the work of city staff and how they should get the credit for it.

Councillor Skelton-Morven echoed many of the themes covered by the previous speakers. observing how he believes that Prince Rupert has the best city staff in the country and how Prince Rupert is changing the game and paving the way for other municipalities in Canada towards a different model in approach towards an enterprising process towards civic issues .

Councillor Randhawa also paid tribute to the work of staff and then made an inquiry about the prospect of increasing the volume of flights out of the Prince Rupert airport, the City's Financial Officer observed that Air Canada has yet to indicate that they have any plans to change their current schedule of operations to Prince Rupert, which currently has a reduced level of flights  during the week and featuring one flight a day.

Councillor Adey provided the wrap to the night with a review of some of his observations from the Virtual UBCM sessions of September, making note of some of the challenges of the long distance approach. 

He did note that the city did save some money on travel expenses and allowed for a more leisurely approach towards which sessions the councillors could choose to participate in, offering up comparisons between the virtual conference and the more traditional in person event.

Mr. Adey also observed that with a provincial election called at the start of the convention, many of the opportunities to meet with or hear from provincial officials disappeared, though he did make note of the keynote address from Margaret Atwood and some of the themes  on community engagement that she explored in her presentation.  

He also relayed some of his thoughts on how municipalities will move forward through COVID and beyond it and what changes that may bring  to the community. 

As for how future UBCM sessions may move forward he suggested some kind of hybrid version of in person and virtual version in the future. 

Councillor Skelton-Morven offered some thoughts to the topic as well, noting how he had attended the Federation of Canadian Municipalities with Mr. Long and his takeaway from those travels was that relationship building is important for local government and how that relationship building requires showing up and making yourself available to follow up on topics.

Council then adjourned their Regular Council session and moved back to a Closed Session to continue their discussions on topics that were introduced at the 5PM meeting.

You can access our archive on Monday night's City Council session 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 5, 2020 (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 October 26th.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.