Three qathet Regional District service reviews will be sent back to staff for further clarification. The reviews include the regional district’s social planning service review, the Malaspina Volunteer Fire Department review, and the subregional recreation review.
At the April 29 regional board meeting, Electoral Area E director Andrew Fall, who facilitated the three meetings, which created recommendations, said the question came up about how do they get moved forward?
“They are on our agenda here,” said Fall. “Within those are recommendations from those planning review groups to the board, but only the board can act on them. What I would suggest, if the members of each group are interested, is that it would be appropriate to refer each one to staff for a report on how to move forward on those recommendations, unless someone else has another idea of how to turn those service review group recommendations into actions.”
He said, for example, with the social planning review, it could be referred to staff, which could digest it and bring forward proper recommendations related to what was agreed upon at those meetings.
Electoral Area C director and board chair Clay Brander said if someone involved in the review wanted to make a motion to proceed, they could do so. Electoral Area A director Jason Lennox said he was prepared to make a motion. He said the committee feels like it can’t move forward without some answers.
“That way, we can get our work done,” said Lennox. “My motion would be to the effect that there be a staff report to answer the questions that the social planning review has listed from the March 17, 2025 meeting.”
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said if the matter is sent to staff for a report, it is going to create additional costs to the social planning service.
“Some of the questions can easily be answered by a verbal report,” said Gisborne. “The social planning service is a very simple situation that we have in front of us and I’m wondering if we need a full, written report. How long is that going to take?”
Fall said if some of the answers to the questions are so short that a verbal response would be doable, the staff report would be short. He said if the questions require more extensive staff research and background, then that is what would be needed.
“It’s either very short, which wouldn’t cost much for a staff report, or, it’s more expensive, and there will be time and cost involved,” said Fall. “I don’t see any other way forward. As the facilitator of the group, if we don’t have answers to the questions, then I don’t see how the service review group would make conclusions.
“Whenever the staff review might happen, the service review group would have a basis for making recommendations on what to do with the service.”
Brander said he agreed with Fall that a report is necessary, and that the board can’t move forward without one.
Chief administrative officer Al Radke said the board could leave the matter with staff, and that staff would try to complete the report within six months, based on workload.
The motion to send the matter to staff for a report was carried.
The regional board also passed motions to get reports from staff on the Malaspina Volunteer Fire Department and subregional recreation service reviews.
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