Board rejects offer of parkland
At the Powell River Regional District Board meeting late January, the directors accepted a recommendation from the committee of the whole, to decline an offer from the ministry of forests, lands and natural resource operations to apply for a nominal rent tenure over district lots 7, 8 and 14 in the Texada Island Land District, located in the vicinity of Van Anda on Copper Queen Street.
Area D director Dave Murphy made the recommendation to the board. “We just don’t need this as a regional park area and we don’t want to finance it through our taxes.” Murphy said. “The old building is in a state of disrepair and would require a sizable investment to restore it. It’s just not something the board is willing to spend tax dollars on.”
Address data grant
The board has accepted a recommendation from the rural services committee to submit an AddressBC CivicSpatial Grant Program application to the Integrated Cadastral Information Society (ICIS). The grant, if successful, will support the submission of regional address data to ICIS and the development of a civic address, points-based layer. Members can contribute and use related spatial data from a single source which serves to streamline what previously was a confusing array of information coming from multiple sources. In rural areas, a layer-based, points address can locate the precise location of a property, building or access point saving time and resources. The service is also instrumental in the communication of address changes to users, for customer service delivery and for emergency services planning.
Ferry service response
Board chair Colin Palmer received a reply from BC Premier Christy Clark, on the subject of the proposed coastal ferry service cuts and issues of fiscal fairness. Clark referred him to minister of transportation and infrastructure Todd Stone. “Government needs to make sure that BC’s coastal ferry service is sustainable so the announced changes are in the interest of protecting basic service levels and are in keeping with the basic realities facing our taxpayers,” Clark wrote in her response.
Palmer pointed out the disparity between ferry service on the east coast compared to service on the west coast, noting that east coast ferries receive $400 million in annual subsidies, while ferry service on the west coast receives approximately $21 million.
Invasive species
A funding request from the Coastal Invasive Species Committee outlining what it interprets to be next steps for coordinated invasive plant management in the regional district was received by the board. Murphy advised that the correspondence from the committee, dated January 16 2014, be considered during upcoming budget deliberations. The committee is monitoring invasive plant species that have been discovered in Powell River and is devising a strategy to eradicate and/or manage the issue.
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