Saturday, April 30, 2022

MLA's Week: April 25-28, 2022



British Columbia's MLA's were back in the Legislature after their two week Easter Break, the chamber got back to business with the introduction or updates on a number of pieces of legislation. 

Among some of the items of note, some welcome news for the province's fire fighters, with a change to WCB regulations to add a number of cancers to the list of coverage 


A report delivered to the Legislature this week put the focus on policing in the province, with the Legislature committee providing for a range of recommendations, including the return to a provincial police force to take over policing from the RCMP.


As well, the future of representation for the Northwest made for a topic of interest for residents, with the Electoral Boundaries Commission holding sessions this past week



As for more on the recent week of work from the House, the four days unfolded as follows:

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On the week, Ms Rice was not mentioned  in the record for the week in the  Legislature from  April 25-28.

The MLA spent last week on a tour of Haida Gwaii, chronicling her travels through her Social media page.

For much of this past week was in Prince Rupert, and as the week evolved, the week long shutdown of service of the BC Ferry Northern Adventure tended to occupy much of her time as travellers and constituents contacted her office to express their dissatisfaction at the situation.


The North Coast MLA is also a member of the Following committees:




Ms. Rice serves as the Government's Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness

The North Coast MLA also addressed a range of themes through her Social Media Stream.

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For our readers from the Terrace-Kitimat region, Skeena MLA Ellis Ross  was the most active of the three regional MLA's this week,  mentioned six times in the record for the week in the Legislature from April 25-28.

Of note for the Skeena MLA this week was the work of Mr. Ross in discussion of the Wildlife Act, speaking to the topic on three occasions on Monday and Tuesday:


Tuesday morning the Skeena MLA also made note in the Legislature of the success of the AltaGas terminal in Prince Rupert.


Thursday morning  Mr. Ross shared some personal news with the MLA's noting the passing of and paying tribute to his Father in Law  Glen Henry


The busy week for the Skeena MLA wrapped up on Thursday evening, as Ross spoke to themes related to the second reading of the Labour Relations Code Amendment Act.


Mr. Ross serves as the Liberal critic on LNG and Energy.

The Skeena MLA is also a member of the Following committees:



The Skeena MLA also addressed a range of themes  featured as part of the MLA's social media work.


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For our readers from the Bulkley Valley area, Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen  was mentioned twice   in the record for the week in the  Legislature from April 25-28. 


The Stikine MLA and Minster of Municipal Affairs also participated in a Committee session on Wednesday afternoon, on  Estimates for  the Ministry. The dialogue of the day featuring frequent mentions of a number of communities of the Northwest and Haida Gwaii.

Mr. Cullen was also busy over last weekend, as he hosted a number of regional officials with the Northwest BC Regional Benefits Alliance, to discuss progress for funding options for the member communities.



Mr. Cullen serves as the Government's Minister of Municipal Affairs

The Stikine MLA also had comments on a range of themes through his Social Media stream this week

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There is more background on all three Regional MLA's available from our MLA's Week Archive,  as well as our constituency archives below:






MLA's return to the Legislature on Monday morning May 2nd at 10AM

MLA's also participate in a number of Committee sessions scheduled through the week.

A larger overview of provincial issues can be found on our Political portal D'Arcy McGee 

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Friday, April 29, 2022

Victoria Viewpoints: Thursday/Friday, April 28-29, 2022




Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Provincial scene for  Tuesday/Wednesday, April 28-29, 2022


Coronavirus response in BC




Globe and Mail




CBC







Vancouver Sun 




Victoria Times-Colonist 




Victoria News




Global



Georgia Straight

The Tyee



Miscellaneous

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Ottawa Observations: Thursday/Friday, April 28-29, 2022



Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Federal scene for Thursday/Friday, April 28 & 29, 2022


Ukraine/Russia War





The Global Coronavirus (COVID-19)




CBC






Toronto/Vancouver Star





Toronto Sun





National Post





Macleans                           


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Global          





Miscellaneous            





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Council calls Special Regular Meeting for Monday, with Financial Plan and Property Tax bylaws the focus



Prince Rupert City Council is putting their recent discussion on the 2022 Financial Plan and Property Tax Bylaw to fast forward, with a Special City Council Session called to provide First, Second and Third Readings for the two Budget related bylaws.

The details of the Special Regular Meeting to take place on Monday at 5 PM were posted to the City website earlier today.


As we outlined on Thursday, as part of their review on Monday evening, the council members accepted the recommendation from Chief Financial Officer Corrine Bomben of a 3.63 per cent tax hike for 2022.  That after a wide ranging discussion of the city's financials and how the current council has approached financial management this past year.

However, those who missed Monday's Council streamcast, may not have opportunity to review those taking points and discussion themes prior to the Monday session. 

So far as of this afternoon, the video archive for that Monday evening session, has yet to be delivered to the City's Council Meeting Archive on YouTube.

Update: The City has updated their Video archive, adding the Monday Council session to their YouTube selection as of late Friday afternoon.

Ms. Bomben's presentation on the Budget opened up the evening's work, while the Budget Discussion and focus on Legacy Inc and Watson Island  can be reviewed below starting at the forty five  minute mark.

The details related to the Property tax bylaw and Five Year financial plan can be reviewed here.


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BC Budget planning consultation to start in late May, registration period opens next week


The month of May will bring the first steps for the BC Government and as part of the preparation of their financial plan and provincial budget process.  

The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services which will offer advice to the government is preparing to consult with the public on what they believe should be the focus for the Minister of Finance.

A nudge towards participation in the consultation was offered up by North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice earlier this week.

As part of that process the Committee will be holding a number of public hearings across the province, with the destinations and schedule still to be released. Towards those public sessions, the Committee offers up the following guidelines:

The Committee will be holding several meetings to hear from individuals and organizations from across the province. Request a presentation time by completing the following form by 3:00p.m. (Pacific) on Friday, May 6. 

Presenters are asked to focus on three recommendations within their presentation. Download the submission form to help you prepare your presentation. Please note, due to the overwhelming interest the Committee receives, it may not be possible to accommodate all requests. 

If your request is not accepted, you will still be able to provide your written comments by completing the submission form through the Committee's consultation portal.

That consultation portal has yet to open

To keep up to date on the path forward for the Committee and their public engagement plans follow their work from their website, or the BC Legislature social media fields of Twitter and Facebook. 

Once underway the consultation process will help to guide the Committee with our feedback and their recommendations for the Government to be compiled as part of report to the Legislative Assembly which will be released by November 15th.

For more notes on the Legislature see our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.

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Renoviction/Rental Bylaw gains fourth and final reading from Prince Rupert council


For a few moments on Monday evening, it appeared that Prince Rupert City Council was heading into the direction of having to reverse some of its work on the theme of Renoviction and Rental Housing concerns, that as Councillor Barry Cunningham called attention to a few concerns he had with what had become the final draft of the city's proposed bylaw on rental housing.

That consensus of two weeks ago came after a lengthy period of consideration by Council and staff that dates back to September of 2021, when they first began their work towards protection for renters, that after some high profile renovations and notes on some housing conditions in the city.

Monday night Councillor Cunningham once again expressed  some frustration that as he viewed it, the council had gone backwards from where they were a few weeks ago, with some of the language of the bylaw making for his concern over protection for the most vulnerable residents of the city.

"We've gone backwards on this, it was first, we we're going to exempt single family dwellings unit  now it has gone it does not apply to single family dwelling units, two family dwelling units or secondary suites if any of these units. 

You could have a duplex, and the way this read, they could have three or four suites in the duplex to make a five plex and its still exempt, I think it's almost deceiving, deceptive wording here. Simply because people living in these suites are the most vulnerable people and yes they're going to be covered by a complaint driven system, but I'd rather see a number on this of ... two family dwelling and / or three units something like that.

You're leaving this wide open and the most vulnerable people are the people who are going to be affected the most. You're not going to complain about sub par housing  right now in this town, because if you complain and your landlord says I'm going to renovate and kick you out you're not protected and then on top it you've got not place to find.

And this is the vulnerable people, the lower income people things like that, so I'd rather see a specific number on that exemption, rather than leave it wide open"

As part of the follow up back and forth with Council members, most that participated tended to suggest that there was a level of protection that they had been seeking for those at the most risk for renovictions or in less than adequate housing situations.

City Manager Rob Buchan provided some background on the new bylaw proposal, as well as to note of an accompanying bylaw to be considered on the night to try to clarify any confusion on the topic.

"I would note that this has changed to include duplexes as per council's decision of last week, so the exemption is an exemption from being part of a licensing program, so section ten excludes single family dwellings with suites or duplexes with suites if council approves that to be exempt from the licensing part. 

Part four of the bylaw pertains to property management those aren't exempted at all, so this is only from the licensing part.

The practical application of this bylaw once council and if council adopts the omnibus bylaw that is on the Agenda would be a four units, that would be the practical application of this ... this is quite specific it says single family dwellings or two family dwelling and basically any ancillary units that are within them"

The City Manager also offered up a solution to the concerns raised by Councillor Cunningham on the evening.

"I would just note for Council's consideration, that if Council proceeds with adopting the bylaw as it's currently written, that does not prevent, preclude council from watching how its administred and watching  the implication of how its administered and making changes if necessary. 

To add more protections, or to take away some of the regulations depending on how effective it is. 

So this is a step forward, I think in many ways and you know if there is concern about  how effective it is, Council could also pass a resolution two say please bring back a review after a year to see how well its working, to see if there's any tweaks that need to occur, that's an option for Council to consider"

Towards additional concerns from Mr. Cunningham that landlords could start renovating and add more suites than originally allowed, the City Manager offered up guidance that that would be a violation and something subject to enforcement.

"I understand that would be an issue, but it's not an issue that is directly impacted by this. If somebody puts in a fifth unit, that would be a violation of the zoning bylaw and if we were to find out about it then we could act on it for bylaw enforcement ... I think its a separate issue that can be managed effectively separately" 

Councillor Mirau seemed to gauge the sense of Council that for the most part they had addressed many of the concerns that launched their process last fall, with Mr. Miaru noting how he believed that they had reached a consensus earlier this month.

"I felt like we're rehashing the debate from third reading, I thought we reached a good compromise, so all I'd really want to add is I think perfection in this case, or searching for perfection is the enemy of the good.  And I think this is a good first step and if we do need a friendly amendment for a review after twelve months, I don' know if I was a mover or a seconder but I'm happy to ... so let's add that provision to do a review after twelve months and if there's any changes, any unforeseen consequences anything we want to add or subtract we can do so at that time"

As the discussion came to and Council provided its approval of the Bylaw with the addition of the plan for a review of the bylaw in one year's time. 

The full report for Council on the bylaw can be reviewed from the Monday Agenda starting on page 38.

The City has yet to provide the video archive of their April 25th Council session to its You Tube archive page, once they have done so, we will provide the video to go along with the above commentary from the Council members.

Update:  The City added the Video of the Monday Council session to their You Tube archive late Friday afternoon.

The Renoviction and Omnibus bylaw discussion can be reviewed below starting at the one hour fourteen minute mark.




More notes on the rest of the Monday session can be reviewed from our Council timeline.

As noted by the City Manager, Council also considered on Monday was a second bylaw which covered a range of topics from rental housing options to commercial themes and other miscellaneous themes. 

That bylaw which does answer some of the concerns of the city's work on rental licensing regulations gained a first reading on Monday, the city plans an engagement process related to it for the public in the weeks ahead, as well they announced plans on Monday to hold a Public hearing on those proposed amendments.

You can review that document from the Monday agenda starting on page 55.

The culmination of Council's work on the Renoviction/Renal Bylaw can also be reviewed from the City website here, included in their information review is a summary of their work and a link to the full bylaw.

More notes on Housing in Prince Rupert can be explored from our Archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

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Return for British Columbia Provincial Police Force among many recommendations from BC Policing report


Prince Rupert may be in the process of building a new detachment for the RCMP in the community, but if the Province of British Columbia acts on a report delivered Thursday, the Federal force may not be in place at the corner of McBride and Third Avenue East for long.

The BC Government introduced the findings of a Legislature Committee into policing on Thursday, the document a wide ranging review of policing in the province and one which came with ten recommendations for action by this government and those that may come in the future.

The initial focus for the review came out a lack of trust in policing by many areas of British Columbia society a theme noted in a statement on Thursday by Mike Farnworth, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General 

“The recommendations from the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act echo our government’s belief that everyone deserves equal treatment by the police.  

This has not always been the case for many Indigenous, Black and other people of colour. Public trust requires that the delivery of police services is fair, equitable and responsive to all British Columbians. 

The committee’s recommendations to reform B.C.’s Police Act are based on extensive analysis and input and reflect today’s challenges, including addressing systemic racism, mental health, and harm reduction. 

We will review the report’s findings on the roles and responsibilities of police, the effectiveness and efficiencies of policing practices, the level of public trust, and how to deliver exceptional services to all British Columbians while being understanding and responsive to the needs of Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities. 

We have already begun reaching out to partners to discuss how we will review the report’s recommendations and, starting in late summer, we will be discussing the recommendations with Indigenous partners, community advocacy organizations, health and mental-health groups, police leadership, agencies and police oversight bodies in order to meet the new vision for the Police Act as envisioned by the committee."


However, of the ten key recommendations of the document, the one which has captured the most attention since the release was the call by the committee to bring back the British Columbia Provincial Police. 

A law enforcement agency which had existed for over 90 years and last served the province up to the 1950's before it was dissolved on August 15, 1950, with the province then turning over the bulk of its law enforcement outside of selected cities to the RCMP.

It's been that model of contract policing that has been in place since and is what currently is in place in communities across the Northwest including Prince Rupert.

To the future of policing for communities like Prince Rupert and others the future as the committee views it would be better served by a return to a British Columbia Provincial Police model with an expanded focus on community safety and accountability.


click above to enlarge

Among some of the elements of the document, the full report provides an overview towards addressing concerns of Indigenous communities, measures towards dealing with mental health and addictions and a proper funding model for communities when it comes to the financial burden of providing for policing services.


No timelines are established towards many of the elements, in particular the recommendation of a shift to the provincial police force option, so the discussion on that element and many others will be part of the Legislature debate for the months and more likely years to come.

So in short, don't anticipate a transition/eviction  notice for the local RCMP detachment anytime soon, the prospect of change to a provincial force is one that will no doubt require much further discussion and exploration of a range of elements such as cost and disruption to communities.

More notes on the work in the Legislature can be explored from our archive page here.

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MLA Ellis Ross pays tribute to Father In Law Glen Henry upon his passing with Legislature statement

Skeena MLA Ellis Ross speaking in the Legislature

Skeena MLA Ellis Ross shared some personal news with the members of the BC Legislature on Thursday, making note of the passing of his father in law Glen Henry in Kitimat earlier the day.

Hemaaas, Musmagilth, Gukaloot. 

Early this morning my wife lost her father. My children lost their grandfather. My grandchildren lost their great-grandfather. It's suspected it was due to heart problems, but he was definitely battling dementia, which is a cruel condition for victims as well as their family and friends. 

Dementia has been described as a long goodbye. 

Glen Henry was born November 16, 1945, and passed away April 28, 2022, at 12:30 a.m. in Kitimat General Hospital. Rest in peace, Glen Henry.

The MLA's comments for the Legislature can be reviewed in the video below, which he shared through his Facebook page yesterday.

As word has been shared of the passing, the MLA's social media page has been receiving messages of sympathy for Mrs.  Ross and Mr. Ross and his family.



More notes on the work of the MLA in Victoria can be reviewed from our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.

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Members of Resource Benefits Alliance hope for progress on funding agreement with province by UBCM this fall

Stikine MLA and Municipal affairs minister Nathan Cullen
speaking to NWBCRBA delegates at a weekend session
(From MLA Cullen's Facebook page) 

A quest for a sustainable funding agreement with the provincial government for communities across Northwest BC gained a bit of momentum over last weekend as representatives of the Northwest BC Resource Benefits Alliance met with Municipal Affairs Minister Nathan Cullen in Terrace.

The Alliance which was formed in 2014 has been seeking a sustainable funding agreement with the province that ensures more of the revenue generated from the northwest, remains in the region. 

As the NWBCRBA explains it a funding agreement will allow local governments to better encourage economic development in the northwest and ensure that development creates good local jobs and sustainable, livable communities. 

Mr. Cullen made note of the gathering through his social media feed on Sunday.


The Municipal Affairs minister also provided a more expansive statement of the gathering as part of the release of information from the weekend gathering.

“People in every corner of the province deserve access to the critical services we all rely on – and that includes communities across the northwest. Having represented this region for nearly two decades, I’m aware of the challenges faced by many communities in our region and am committed to working with our local government partners in the RBA to develop a new MOU that lays out the path forward for how we can better work together to support the region.” – Nathan Cullen, Minister of Municipal Affairs and MLA for Stikine

Prince Rupert representatives have not had much to say about the NWBCRBA session in Terrace, with Councillor Cunningham the only one to make note of the event briefly, speaking of the session as part of the Civic budget discussion at Monday's Council session, the Councillor noted mainly of his impression of the information that had been shared between communities.

"When you sit down like we did with the RBA meeting on the weekend and listen to the woes of other towns and that, we're actually in pretty good shape, its' been well taken care of over the years"

The Alliance members noted that Minister Cullen had committed to working a path forward with them as part of a process oriented Memorandum of Understanding which is anticipated to be signed at the UBCM convention in Whistler this September.

The full statement from both Mr. Cullen and the members of the RBA can be explored here.

This weekend's gathering is the first note of interest relayed by the Alliance in over a year, you can review some of the themes of the past from our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.

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