Mayors report on UBCM: As I write this report, it still seems surreal that on route to UBCM, I was told of the passing of our Fire Chief, Ken McClure. He was deeply loved and respected by all who knew him. Ken worked tirelessly on behalf of our community. Passion for emergency services radiated out of his very being and was matched only by his expertise. He influenced change at the provincial level that benefited Golden as well as every community with road rescue services throughout the province. Ken loved to drop by my office to tell me stories. He had just returned from a training exercise involving railway emergencies and he was excited to share the impact of this experience. Golden is a better place because of him. He will be missed but never forgotten. I and a few members of council attended the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) AGM. It is an opportunity of elected officials to connect with peers, attend training workshops, meet with provincial ministries, and debate resolutions. These gatherings serve to highlight our commonalities and unite our voices as we strive for the betterment of the communities we have been elected to serve. I stand by the value of UBCM and the importance of participating in continuing education and opportunities to shape provincial policy. Local governments first submit resolutions on various matters of concern to the regional associations with the purpose of garnering support and then on to UBCM. By the time all of the issues make it to the floor of the UBCM, there can be over a hundred of resolutions for debate. I am a long standing board member of our regional association (AKBLG) and currently serve as the organization’s president. I ran and was elected on a platform to reduce the number of resolutions and keep them exceedingly focussed on local government issues within our control. While at UBCM, I was critical in the media of some of the submitted resolutions and the lack of focus on local government issues. I have continued to champion the need to target our limited resources in order to effectively influence provincial policy. UBCM provides the opportunity to meet with provincial ministers and staff. Our council had several meetings including one with Coralee Oakes, Minister of Community, Sport, and Cultural Services, regarding the implementation of the Regional District Task Force Recommendations which included strategies to address the challenges between municipal and regional government structures. We explained to the Minister that we live in a region where in the electoral area population exceeds that of its sole proximal municipality and provider of mutually beneficial services. Our two jurisdictions currently enjoy several recreational services and amenities within the Town of Golden that are clearly regional in nature; yet are funded and managed solely by the municipality. This situation continues to challenge our limited capital and operating capacities. Our recent direction set with the Area A director and the CSRD regarding pool operations is an excellent step on the right path. Other meetings included: -Resort Municipalities Collaborative meeting with Minister Bond and Minister Yamamoto to highlight and emphasize the benefits of the RMI program to our communities. -Interior Health to underscore the importance of maintaining services in small rural communities as well as the value of the Helipad in its current location. -Ministry of Transportation to stress the significance of continuing to four-lane the TCH including the Kicking Horse Pass, the replacement of the Hwy 95 bridge, and the success of the Golden Pathway extension and the need for future pedestrian linkage with the highway. -Ministry of Justice and Attorney General to express our appreciation to EMBC for working closely with Chief Ken McClure on the Road Rescue equipment. -Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources to thank them for the Wildfire Protection Initiative. More importantly, we met to discuss our aversion to being the Diking Authority in a financial onerous and heavily restrictive regulatory environment. Golden had two resolutions which passed on the floor: 1) Local Road Eligibility Under the New Building Canada Fund, 2) Province as Diking Authority. Overall it was another full and demanding UBCM. Please do not hesitate to give me a call if you are curious and have questions. It was however, overshadowed by the loss of our Fire Chief. My sincere condolences go out to Gaetene, Ken’s family, friends, and colleagues. I personally will miss him. Good bye Chief.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 23:45:37 +0000
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