By Andrea Arnold
Prior to calling the Jan 10 Valemount council meeting to order, Mayor Owen Torgerson took a moment to thank and recognize Suzanne Bloodoff Director of Finance and Silvio Gislimberti, Economic Development Officer for their 20 years of service.
Both Councillor Hugo Mulyk and Councillor Hollie Blanchette attended via Zoom.
Mayor Torgerson called the Valemount Jan 10 council meeting to order.
Appointments
Council approved the appointment of Councillor Mulyk to Tourism Valemount
Council approved the continued appointment of Mayor Torgerson to the Northern Medical Programs Trust
Accessible BC Act
Council received the report. This is different from the Rick Hansen Foundation visit that occurred a few years ago, but information gathered by one can help address issues brought forward for the other. In April of 2022 the Accessible British Columbia Regulation was passed and this regulation identified organizations that are required to meet the obligations of the Act. Local governments are a prescribed organization. Staff are working on what this means for the Village of Valemount and what will need to be done, but at this time, Council is not being asked to take action.
Prescribed organizations are required to establish a committee that will assist in identifying barriers and advising how to remove and prevent barriers while interacting with the organization. The committee will need to be made up of persons with disabilities or those who support persons with disabilities and at least one indigenous person. The organization will need to prepare an accessibility plan and provide a way for members of the public to provide feedback.
Climate Solutions Internship
Council approved staff to submit an application for the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions Internship January 2023 intake.Council also directed staff to work with the principal investigator to craft contract language for an intern should the application be successful that satisfies both parties.
Meeting schedule changes
Council moved to schedule a meeting for September 12, 2023 and to cancel the meeting on September 26 to accommodate attendance to the UBCM conference.
Fire Hall Property Use Agreement
Council approved the Village of Valemount entering into an agreement with the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George regarding the use of the Valemount and District Volunteer Fire Hall property located at 1380 5th Avenue in Valemount for a term of five years.
ReDi Grants Committee Appointments
Council appointed Sheri Gee and Eugene Jamin to the CBT ReDi Grants Adjudication Committee for a two-year term. There are two vacancies on the committee and applications are being accepted.
Bylaw Enforcement
December 2022 – The Bylaw officer reported seven contraventions. One animal protection violation, one good neighbour bylaw, one noise bylaw, one traffic/parking bylaw, two zoning and one “other.” The year-end breakdown is as follows: 11 animal protection violations, 27 business license bylaws, 11 good neighbour bylaws, one noise bylaw, one open air burning bylaw, 11 solid waste disposal, four traffic/parking bylaws, 25 zoning bylaws, 2 wood burning appliance bylaws and 3 other violations, for a total of 96.
Building Inspection Report
Estimated Construction Values for November (none for December)
Building Permits: $12,000
This total reflects 2 new sundecks for 2 new manufactured homes.
Permit Fees Collected
November (none in December) Building Permits: $260.00
Permits Issued
November (none for December) Building Permits: 2
New permit numbers are typically low at this time of year
Staff training
Council approved the amendment of Village of Valemount Staff Training Policy No. 25. The amended bylaw will allow for additional funded retesting for staff at the discretion of the CAO for all staff. The Village of Valemount will cover the costs associated with travel to and from courses in line with the travel policy for Public Works Employees and hourly office employees. If travel meets qualifications, OT will be calculated. The opportunity to keep Public Works certification up to date is required, and will not be reasonably withheld.
Animal Control
Council approved the amendment of the Village of Valemount Animal Control Policy No. 80. The amendments change the policy definitions and language to more accurately assign animal control duties between Public Works and Bylaw Enforcement. If there is no Bylaw Enforcement Officer, the duties set out for the “Animal Control Officer” will be performed by the person designated by the Public Works Superintendent. Public Works staff will receive compensation or over‐time pay for animal control services conducted after hours. The Animal Control Officer will be required to carry the “on‐call phone”, and will receive on-call pay. Public Works staff will not be paid for attending the Pound during their regular hours or during assigned weekend morning rounds.
Freedom of information
Council gave the Village of Valemount Freedom of Information Bylaw No. 868, 2023 1st, 2nd and 3rd reading. The bylaw will: update the designations of the “Head” and “Coordinator” of the public body, with respect to FOI requests, remove sections of the bylaw that are redundant, as they are addressed in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act; and remove the fees from the FOI Bylaw, so that they may be incorporated into the Fees and Charges Bylaw.
Fees and charges
Council gave the Village of Valemount Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 869, 2023 1st, 2nd and 3rd reading. The new bylaw would bring the original bylaw and all amendments together under one new bylaw. It would also remove the fees from the Freedom of Information bylaw, adjust them to reflect current fees and incorporate them into the Village Fees and Charges Bylaw. Councillor Pete Pearson requested information from staff as to how the information is gathered and broken down to help explain the rate structure.
Notice of Motion
Counc. Blanchette requested a motion to have council look over and review the in-camera (zoom) bylaw. The motion will come back to council at a future meeting.
Logan Lake
Mayor Togerson also reported that communication between Valemount Emergency Services and the District of Logan Lake has been initiated and is ongoing. This was in response to a request made by Councillor Blanchette in 2022.
In-Camera
Following reports from each member of Council, and an opportunity for public comment, the Council moved to an in-camera meeting for consideration of three items per Section 90 (1) of the Community Charter to discuss matters related to: (a) personal information about an identifiable individual who holds or is being considered for a position as an officer, employee or agent of the municipality or another position appointed by the municipality, and (k) negotiations and relation discussions respecting the proposed provision of a municipal service that are at their preliminary stages and that, in the view of the council, could reasonably be expected to harm the interest of the municipality if they were held in public.
