Council knows best!

There will be no public meetings held in Prince Rupert to hear what local citizens wish to see done with the 2.5 million dollar Northern Development Initiative Trust funds. Council has apparently decided that the money will go to create economic development and generate funds, but are rather short on details at the moment. Floating ideas such as a cold storage facility or hydro generation, the city wants to be a clearing house for projects that will generate a financial return to the community.

While other cities and town across the Northwest held public meetings regarding the fund, Rupert chose to go in camera for the discussions and no further ideas for public consultation are planned. It was a situation that did not sit too well with the local MLA, Gary Coons, who on September 13th called for public consultation on the monies available.

The Mayor posed and then answered his own question in the Daily News, when he suggested that cities that called for public requests have received many tine projects to investigate, which will be a time consuming process. Calling it “a road that we don’t want to go down,” he said that the plan they are following will “give the city its best bang for the buck.”

Only Councillor Joy Thorkelson stated that she was uncomfortable with the decision of council to not go to the public, suggesting that the community should have been consulted on whether this was the way to go.

We guess she was the only one on council that took the time to read the press release from the Province earlier this week proclaiming this week as “right to know week”

MEETING OVER $2.5 MILLION FUND NIXED
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Pages One and Three

Despite the protest of one council member and the North Coast MLA, the city of Prince Rupert will not be holding any public meetings to hear what people want to see done with $2.5 million Northern Development Initiative Trust funds.

While all of council supported a strategy that will see the money put to work to create economic development and generate funds, Coun. Joy Thorkelson said the city should at least let the public have a chance to have a say about the funds.

“What I do have a problem with is we haven’t asked the community whether they think this is the way to go. There may be some real objection, maybe the community strongly feels that we need to take that money divide it up and move forward with doing some kind of projects immediately because that’s what other communities have done with that money,” she said.

“I don’t think we should as for requests for proposals, but I don’t think it would hurt to have a meeting where we invite the public to come and say how they want this money to be spent.”

The $2.5 million is the city’s portion of the $20 million northwest trust fund set up by the province out of the proceeds of the lease of B. C. Rail to CN.

Thorkelson’s comments echoed earlier remarks from North Coast MLA Gary Coons, who had taken phone calls from constituents who were upset about a private meeting the city held with staff from the Northern Development Initiative Trust earlier this month.

”Everybody’s been talking about it in the back rooms, but nobody has been talking about it publicly,” said Thorkelson. “I don think we have not had a real public discussion about the NDI money. This would be the first discussion we are having … and we should open that discussion to beyond here.”

However, no one else on council would support a public meeting.

“My understanding is, we need to get to work on this right away. In terms of Coun. Thorkelson’s concerns about community involvement… hopefully, people will be hearing about tings in this part of the council agenda and we will get feedback if people aren’t happy as we go along,” said Coun. Sheila Gordon-Payne.

Councillors discussed at length how they would like staff to come up with projects that will employ some people and at the same time, generate a financial return. That money could then be re-invested in other projects that would create a financial return and be reinvested again. Projects that were mentioned by council included hydro power generation and cold storage for fishermen.

None of the council members wanted to see the fund eaten away with small projects that wouldn’t have a long-term impact or return on investment.

“I don’t think this is an opportunity for us to win favour, I think this is really an opportunity for us to put that money to work. Them, I think people in general will applaud what we’ve done,” said Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond.

He said the way the trust is structured puts the city in the position of being the clearing house for project applications for the city’s share.

Other cities have made general requests for proposals, and then received many tiny proposals that city staff have to vet and then monitor, he said.

“The fundamental question is “Do you want to go down that road and with the resources we currently have?” and I would say ‘no’. What we want to do is be strategic with the money and get the best bang for our buck,” he said.

Coun. Kathy Bedard said she felt the money should benefit the city as whole, not individual groups within the city.

“My intent of that money has always been that we would put it to work to create economic activity that we can build something in the community that will give us a return. I am assuming that’ what that motion means,” said Coun. Ken Cote.

“We are going to take that money and put it to work as soon as possible.”