Having so much fun, they want an extra year!

Of the many key developments that came out of last weeks UBCM meet and greet, one that has caught our attention was a call by municipal politicians to add a year to their elected term of office.

As it stands at the moment, in British Columbia municipal councils sit for a term of three years but with a narrow margin of victory, the recommendation has been made to extend that to a four year term.

Joe Trasolini, the mayor of Port Moody put forward the motion at last weeks convention, explaining that three years was just too short a period of time to bring forward the many things that busy municipal councillors would like to see done.

This years convention reversed the vote of last year, where the same resolution was defeated as the rural and smaller centre politicians expressed concerns about the ability to attract good candidates for office willing to tether themselves to city hall for four years.

While the resolution passed, it will still be up to the provincial government to decide whether to bring the issue to the Legislature and effect change, if B. C. decides to go ahead with the change that will leave only Alberta, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island as provinces with three year terms for municipal council.

The Vancouver Sun provided details on the potential change to elected terms as well as the approval of a resolution to increase the minimum wage in the province to ten dollars.

A little carrot for the potential voters, who perhaps will remember it come that fourth year of the term with an election on the horizon..

Municipal councils to ask for 4-year terms
Local governments want Victoria to change current 3-year terms
Fiona Anderson
Vancouver Sun
Friday, September 28, 2007

British Columbia municipalities have narrowly voted in favour of asking the province to hold municipal elections every four years instead of the current three.

A three-year term is too short to be productive, said Joe Trasolini, the mayor of Port Moody, which put forward the motion at the annual convention of the Union of B.C. Municipalities being held this week in Vancouver.

It takes the better part of one year to get a new council to jell and work as a team, Trasolini said in an interview. Then in the third year the focus is on the next election. So it's only during the second year that things can get done, he said.

"The way the system is, out of three years you get one productive year," Trasolini said.
And Trasolini said communities need the continuity that four years would provide.

Elected officials aren't bound by what the previous council has passed, so for major initiatives, that continuity is key to getting the job done, he said.

Much of the opposition voiced at the convention came from those in smaller and rural communities who worried they would have difficulty attracting people to run for council if the job required a four-year commitment. Given pay levels, most perform their elected duties on top of other full-time jobs.

At last year's UBCM convention, this group won the day as a virtually identical resolution was narrowly defeated.

It is now up to the province to decide whether the law will in fact be changed. Elsewhere in Canada, only Alberta, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward island do not have four-year terms.
"I think the province will look at the merits and will probably at least debate it," Trasolini said.
"After all, we are the ones dealing on a day-to-day basis with these issues. So it would make sense that they would listen to us."

The UBCM also voted Thursday in favour of calling on the province to raise the minimum wage to $10 after a speech by NDP leader Carole James supporting the increase.

"The premier took a $54,000 increase for himself this year," she said. "And I think it's past time that we gave B.C.'s lowest-paid workers the same consideration."

And if the minimum wage isn't increased now, when the provincial economy is booming, when will it be? James asked.

In other resolutions, the UBCM voted to:

Ask the province to require annual or twice-yearly inspections of all commercial trucks, depending on size.

Ask the province to specifically regulate the keeping and sale of exotic animals by including a list of exotic animals that are prohibited.

Ask the federal government to return to local governments one cent out of every six cents collected through the goods and services tax.

A resolution to ask the Ministry of the Environment to prohibit the use of patio heaters was defeated. More resolutions will be considered today, including whether the UBCM should ask the province to scrap its single business licence initiative and allow municipalities to remain in control of business licences within their jurisdictions.

Prince Rupert brings Gateway and transportation hopes to UBCM

Prince Rupert’s municipal battle group has headed to the front at the UBCM convention in Vancouver, the Mayor, his council and city staff members taking to the conference halls to sell the Prince Rupert way (and wishes) to the assembled brethren.

The one week convention allows municipal, provincial and the occasional federal politician to rub shoulders and share thoughts on how best to make use of those sneaky tax dollars that have a way of slipping away from time to time.

This year it appears will be a be a year of reinforcement for the Rupert troops, Mayor Herb Pond advised the Daily News that they mainly wish to follow up on some if the issues that they talked about at last years festival of policy and priorities. Among some of the Mayors talking points this week will be telecommunications, expanding the airport, housing and the always on the short list Tsimshian Access Project.

That once grand scheme for a towering suspension bridge across the inking Prince Rupert to the Digby Island airport has been scaled back a bit for now from its earlier design. Now the plan is for first a 70 million dollar road and ferry service between Digby Island and Port Simpson and Metlakatla, which the Mayor believes would solve a number of issues locally such as port issues and a potential housing crunch. Any plans for a bridge would require another 72 million and it would appear would be a debate for another day or perhaps for another election year.

The details on the transportation plan to be discussed at UBCM and other hopes and wishes were found in a front page story in Monday’s Daily News.

GATEWAY COORDINATOR MAY BE ANNOUNCED SOON: POND
Mayor, city staff and councilors have busy schedules at UBCM gathering
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Monday, September 24, 2007
Pages one and three

Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond said the city is hopeful that the province will soon appoint a northern gateway strategy coordinator to help communities in the Northwest develop the Asia Pacific Gateway.

City councilors and senior staff are heading off to meet with provincial and federal ministers at the annual Union of British Columbia Municipalities Convention (UBCM,) and Pond said he would like to hear the announcement of an appointment to the new position in the near future.

“Largely, we will be following up some of the issues we had been talking about last year where we have made some progress,” said Pond.

“The province is just in the final throws of appointing a northern gateway strategy coordinator to be located in Prince Rupert. That flowed from our conversation last year.”

At the 2006 UBCM convention, the city gave a presentation about the many challenges it faces in developing the infrastructure necessary to fully support the expansion of the Fairview Container Terminal.

These include issues such as telecommunications, expanding the airport and housing.

“All of those are things we want to do to make sure we support the port,” said Pond.

The Tsimshian Access Project is also high on the list of city priorities,” said Pond.

The proposed project is a $70 million plan to put a road and improved ferry service between Digby Island, Port Simpson and Metlakatla.

“If we have a good road and ferry access with Lax Kw’alaams, Metlakatla and the airport, it solves some of our port issues, it solves some of housing issues, it solves some of our labour issues all in one project,” said Pond.

In 2004, the three communities produced a study about the project.

The provincial highway standard road being proposed would have to be couple with some kind of crossing at Vern Passage and the total project cost is expected to be around $72 million. This is excluding the plan for a $60 million suspension bridge between Prince Rupert and Digby Island.

According to the study, all three communities run ferry services from Rupert to their respective destinations for an annual subsidy of $1.7 million.

However, the study shows that even with the economic benefits of the project – just based on the program savings, land transfers and the social benefits- the project is economically feasible because it will save the agencies involved $75 million in the long term. This is slightly more than the $72 million price tag expected for the Tsimshian Access Project proposal.

It's 10 AM, do you know where your Mayor and council are?

The annual gathering of municipal and provincial politicians is underway in Vancouver.

The UBCM convention, opened the doors at 8 am today, as delegates from across the province have invaded the big city to take part in five days of study and socializing.

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It's an ambitious little agenda that they have in place for the week long festival of politics, this years theme is the environment, with a number of workshops planned for the first day to ease the participants into the weighty topics of the week.

Today, participants will have tours of the Port of Vancouver, sit down to discuss the pine beetle and explore partnerships on climate change with First Nations communities across the province.

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There is always the popular trade show component to the gathering to take in, where "Exhibitors at the 2007 UBCM Convention will meet with over 2,000 BC local government decision makers face-to-face," a stop which we assume our local crew may just as well take a pass on, considering the latest revelations of financial shortfalls at city hall.

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There's not much use kicking some tires and taking a test drive, if you can't pay for the product we suppose. Though it must be tempting to wander the aisles and aisles of the latest gadgets and gizmos and dream of what you could have brought home as a souvenir other than the obligatory tee shirts and fridge magnets.

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While we can't be there in person, we can follow along at home, the entire convention program has been posted to the internet, so you too can immerse yourself in the joys of convention life, alas without the benefit of the social networking and happy hours...