Tag Archives: Julie Colborne

Politics

Making room for Cortes, Quadra and other rural areas within the SRD

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The Strathcona Regional District’s rural Directors often feel they do not have much input in Board decisions. The topic came up at the May 10 meeting, when the Board passed a resolution that staff prepare a report on methods to increase public consultation for regional services.’ A second resolution calls for a policy to have the Municipal Services Committee refer new services to the Electoral Areas Services Committee (EASC) for public consultation prior to a feasibility study.

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Politics

SRD applying for authority to suspend normal voting procedures during emergencies

The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is applying to have its name added to the list of Regional Districts that can make special votes on urgent matters. 

This provincial regulation states that the SRD must make reasonable attempts in writing, by phone or electronic means to ‘ensure that each Director entitled to vote has the opportunity to do so.’ There is no need for a quorum.  When necessary, resolutions and bylaws can be passed even if only the Chairperson and one other Director are voting. The results of this vote are to be reported at the next Board meeting.

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Indigenous Nations, Politics

Why Tla’amin will not be in the SRD’s territorial acknowledgement (yet) 

The Strathcona Regional District recognizes ten First Nations as communities within their boundaries, but the Tla’amin are not one of them. This topic arose during last month’s First Nation’s Committee Meeting and again when the committee met on February 22.  Most of the Tla’amin lands are within qathet Regional District, but they have a shared history with the Klahoose in southern Cortes Island and were given a large parcel of Mansons Landing by treaty. However Klahoose is one of the nations recognized by the SRD and Cortes Island is within their traditional boundaries. Azalea Milwood, the First Nations Liaison, explained, “I don’t believe, at this point, we should add the Tla’amin Nation, due to not knowing how the Klahoose Nation feels about that.”

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Politics

SRD Board: How can electoral areas opt out of services?

There has been friction between some of the Strathcona Regional Districts rural areas and municipalities in the past. This was thought to have ended with the new board, but there have been a couple of recent occasions when the electoral areas felt their wishes were being overridden. In both cases, this pertained to research rather than policy.  Electoral Areas A and D were not allowed to withdraw from the feasibility studies for a proposed transit system from Campbell River to the West Coast of Vancouver Island. None of the Electoral Areas were interested in having their Fire Departments come under the administration of a proposed Fire Chief for the SRD.  

Thus at the Board’s Feb 2 meeting, Regional Director Gerald Whalley of Area A announced, “The electoral areas have come to the unanimous conclusion that we are being unfairly treated by the Board. Therefore, I move that the Board convene an open mediated service review as soon as possible. And if I have a second for this motion, I will speak to it .”  

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Community, Housing

SRD applying for $150,000 poverty reduction planning grant

The high cost of housing is one of the most visible symptoms. Close to a third of the households on Cortes Island and a quarter of those on Quadra pay more than they can afford for rent or mortgages. The most visible segment of Campbell River’s house challenged population are the 130 people who do not own or rent a home, but 2021 census data shows another 3,450 residents are ‘spending 30% or more of income on shelter costs.’

According to Stats Canada, the nation’s median hourly wage was 36 cents lower in 2021 than 2020, but costs are rising. The average family of four is expected to pay $1,000 more for groceries this year.  In a recent nationwide Angus Reid poll, 45% of the respondents said they are worse off this year than at the same time last year. 

The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is applying for a $150,000 Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) grant to develop a plan for reducing poverty throughout the District.

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