Although expanded regional recreation was the only item on last week’s community forum agenda, sharing funding regionally for Powell River Recreation Complex dominated the discussion.
Representatives from Tla’amin Nation, Powell River Regional District and City of Powell River met at Powell River Town Centre Hotel on Wednesday, March 1, to discuss the 160 recommendations of the expanded regional recreation initiative study that was released last December.
With an annual budget of more than $4 million per year, mayor Dave Formosa said that the cost to operate the complex has become too heavy a burden for city taxpayers alone.
“The time for the city bearing the cost for something we all use has to come to an end,” he said. “If you [the regional district] go to referendum or have some accurate way of measuring the opinion of your people, that’s all we ask.”
C3 is a community forum that brings representatives from the three local governments together four times per year for meetings to discuss items of common concern. The forum is not a decision-making body, but takes recommendations back to the local governments.
Tla’amin hegus Clint Williams told those at the meeting that Tla’amin residents participate in the city’s services and he would support the idea of the first nation providing funding toward its share, so long as it was fair and equitable.
At the meeting, the local governments decided to form a small working group to examine how Tla’amin and the regional district’s electoral areas could participate in paying for the operation of the recreation complex.
City chief administrative officer Mac Fraser said the city is open to discuss which government will operate the facility. Formosa added that the city’s partnership with electoral areas and Tla’amin to fund Powell River Public Library has gone well.
Regional district taxpayers currently pay for a regional parks service, but that does not include funding for city recreation programs.
Regional district chair Patrick Brabazon told the 17 elected officials present at the meeting that it sounded like there was consensus for the creation of the working group with representation from each local government.
