Last August the government released a white paper on local government elections reform that is being guided through the legislative process in Victoria by the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. Minister Coralee Oakes recently wrote to councils across the province asking for their input.
She explained the intent is to develop and introduce expense limits legislation in time for the next local elections after 2014.
Mayor Randy Kappes dealt with three questions asked in the letter during the Village of Midway council meeting on Jan. 20.
“In your community, do you think the cost of campaigning is a deterrent to people considering running for office?” Kappes had a one-word reply, “No.”
He didn’t have any response to the second question, “What are the most significant cost pressures in local campaigns?”
The third question, “Are campaign finance issues different in small communities than in large communities, and if so, in what ways?” was answered in the affirmative, adding that because there are usually no expenses in running for office in a small community the paperwork required by Elections BC is more of a deterrent than the financing. “One size does not fit all,” he said.
Comments from the public are also invited until Jan. 31, 2014. More information can be found online at localgovelectionreform.gov.bc.ca
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The village snowplowing policy has been amended to place Thomet Road as a higher priority because the hill is a school bus route. It is now third—immediately behind the village parking lot, which would be needed to be cleared in case of a callout for ambulance, fire or highway rescue.
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Three readings were given to the procedure bylaw, which governs how council meetings are run. The changes will see two new opportunities for those in the gallery to ask questions during a meeting— near the beginning of the meeting right after delegations/presentations and again after mayor and council have given their own reports.
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B.C. Emergency Health Services has sent a letter asking local governments to declare their level of interest in first responder services.
This comes on the heels of a Nov. 12, 2013 letter from BCEHS president Michael MacDougall outlining the rationale and process used to update the Resource Allocation Plan (RAP) for ambulances and first responders. Council had asked for further consultation in response to the November letter and a teleconference call is being set up for early February. “When they are talking about first responders, they are talking about fire departments,” cautioned Councillor Marguerite Rotvold.
“But they are not aware that not all fire departments are first responders,” added Kappes. “I know the fire chiefs’ association is in discussion with these guys and we are going to have our teleconference with them to make it clear that we are not doing that and we don’t intend to.”
“Our fire department has no first responders and they are not responding,” said Rotvold.
When Rotvold asked the first responder classification of West Boundary Highway Rescue, the mayor said they are not first responders. “They have taken some first responder training just to shore up their abilities. But they are not a first responder,” Kappes said. “It looks to me like this is all downloading of ambulance under the guise of something else.”
Councillor Gary Schierbeck suggested that ways be found to better utilize the current ambulance facility, such as making Midway a transfer station.
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Village administrator Penny Feist will attend a zone meeting of fire chiefs in Creston on Jan. 24. All municipal CAOs in the zone have been asked to attend. She said that liability lawyer Pam Jefcoat and Michael Currie, director of Fire Underwriters Survey, will both be presenting information that is of importance.
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Council voted approval of a $300 grant to the scholarship and bursary society.
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Rotvold reported that the committee in charge of the Kettle River Watershed Management study has voted to extend coordinator Graham Watt’s contract to the end of December so that he can do some follow up and to offer him a three-year contract that will see him providing services at four-tenths of a full-time position. Watt’s current contract was slated to expire at the end of June.