All the Best in 2011

2010 was my first full year as the CAO for the City of Williams Lake and it was a very gratifying year in my career. What really stands out for me is the people I have the privilege of working with. The City of Williams Lake has a very dedicated and committed staff, whether it be the Works Yard, Complex, City Hall, Airport, RCMP or Fire hall. From my experience, our staff fulfill their roles with pride and do a great job for City residents. When I take stock of all it takes to keep our City operating, it always comes down to the people. They keep our Airport runway clear, watch our children as they swim and skate, fight fires, keep our water running, plow the streets, enforce our bylaws and handle the public's inquiries to name just a few.

In addition to leading a great group of staff, I have the opportunity of working with an equally committed City Council. It isn't my place as a CAO to offer my opinions or assessment of the decisions made by Council. However, I can speak to the respect and confidence that all of Council has shown our staff throughout the year and their collective fostering of a productive working relationship between Council and Administration. Due to the 'hands-on' nature of local government, it is not uncommon for the roles of the elected body and administration to become blurred. I believe the success of this past year has been a dedicated effort of all concerned to respect and support the respective roles of Council and staff.

I am very much looking forward to 2011 and all of the opportunities that are ahead of us. As with any year, the budget is a critical and delicate process for both staff and Council. At the end of the day, staff must present Council with the best information possible to allow them to make their financial decisions for the upcoming year.

Some key areas where I and my staff will be focusing in 2011 include the implementation of a service delivery review and resident household survey. Economic development will continue to be a high priority as we identify and pursue opportunities to diversify our tax base and support existing businesses and industry. Community Forest, District Heating, Airport land development and development of the mountain biking industry are some examples of initiatives we will pursue. Some changes people will see in 2011 include a much improved City web site and improved communication with residents. We will also be working to improve options for the public to pay their bills and taxes.

As 2011 marks the end of this current Council's term, City administration will be busy preparing for the municipal election in November. This is a major undertaking every three years and diligence in planning and preparation ensures a smooth process for the candidates and the electorate.

I very much enjoy my role as the CAO for the City of Williams Lake and I look forward to serving and supporting Council, staff and the community in the coming year.

Happy New Year to all!

Use of Social Media

A report to Committee of the Whole last week regarding the proposed use of social media by the City has sparked a few comments from citizens. Although the number of comments aren't significant, it does indicate that some members of the community have reservations about the City moving in this 'electronic' direction. Ironically, some of the comments were received by 'electronic' mail.



It is important to note that the City is not abandoning the traditional methods of communicating with constituents such as newspaper ads/articles, public meetings, newsletters, radio, etc. These are all important tools to reach various segments of our population. However, various levels of government, including municipalities are recognizing the importance of social media in reaching a segment of the population that we may not normally engage. And unlike many of our conventional methods of communication, social media provides an opportunity for timely feedback from citizens.



Personally, I am not a regular user of Facebook, Twitter or other electronic networking sites and have my own opinions with respect to the overall benefits of social media to society. With that said, I do understand that social media has become an integral part of our culture and we need to keep pace with our citizens and their communication preferences, thus my CAO blog.



The creation of a social media policy for the City ensures that as we embrace these relatively new forms of communication, that they are used effectively and appropriately.

CFIB Report - Municipal Spending Out Of Control

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business released a report this week that slams local governments for out of control spending. The CFIB uses a very simplistic formula that compares the increase in municipal spending between 2000 and 2008 with population and inflation growth over the same period and suggests that municipal spending increases should not exceed the population/inflationary increase.

The report ranks the City of Williams Lake as having the 4th highest per capita spending of the 25 BC municipalities with populations between 10,000 and 15,000 with $1656/capita. The report also shows an increase in operating expenditures of 43% in the 8 previous eight years compared to an 11% increase in population and inflation, concluding that there was excess spending in 2008 of $4.1 million.

The obvious problem with the CFIB report is that it only considers expenditures and does not factor in new or increased revenues that off-set increased expenditures. Some examples of new or increased revenues during this 8 year period include Gaming revenue, traffic fine revenue and Provincial grants for non-capital programs to name a few.

In addition, the report does not acknowledge the fact that many increases in operating expenditures are beyond the control of the municipal government. Some examples include policing costs (RCMP), regional solid waste (CRD) or the costs of complying with new or enhanced regulations.

The CFIB report suggests that if the City of Williams Lake had maintained operational expenditures in line with population and inflationary increases, expenditures in 2008 should have been $4.1 million less than they actually were. There is no disputing that operating expenses have increased substantially in the past eight years. However, to reduce the municipality's operating expenses by $4.1 million would result in profound impacts to services provided by the municipality. The City provides cores municipal services to its residents, very few of which are discretionary. For example, RCMP and fire protection alone cost a total of $4 million annually. Water and sewer services are essential, roads must be maintained, garbage must be picked up, our airport and transit provide mobility and parks, recreation and culture add to quality of life. To reduce or eliminate any of these, or other services the City provides I would argue would not bve acceptable to our residents.

The CFIB report does bring to light the fact that municipal spending has increased over the past eight years. However, far more analysis of revenues, local priorities, service demands and historic spending decisions are required in order to determine that a particular municipality's spending is "excessive".

Committees vs Portfolios

Traditionally in local government, Mayors assign specific roles to Councillors, outside of the Council and Committee of the Whole structures. These roles provide a Councillor(s) with responsibility for a particular function or group of functions within the municipality with the purpose of providing governance oversight.

I recently completed a research paper for a Local Government Administration course at Capilano University which examined the use of Portfolios vs Committees in BC municipalities. The most common form of Councillor assignment is through a Standing Committee. Under Section 141 of the Community Charter, the Mayor has the ability to establish Standing Committees "for matters the mayor considers would be better dealt with by committee and must appoint persons to those committees." A municipality commonly has 3 to 4 committees with 3 to 4 Councillors assigned to each committee. Committees are intended to examine or consider matters pertaining to their areas of responsibility and to make recommendations to either Committee of the Whole or Council. Committee meetings are scheduled, structured with agendas and minutes and open to the public.

In comparison, far fewer Mayors elect to use use the Portfolio system whereby individual Councillors are assigned to oversee specific departments or functions. Portfolios are similar to Committees by providing recommendations to Committee of the Whole or Council but are less structured and not generally open to the public.

Upon assessing the benefits and challenges associated with each structure, it was concluded that the Committee structure is more balanced with the involvement of three or four Councillors as opposed to a single Councillor and is more transparent with scheduled, open meetings.

The Mayor is currently contemplating a change from the current Portfolio system to a Committee structure in 2011. From an administrative perspective, Committees provide far more structure and reduce staff attendance at meetings from seven (Portfolios) to three (Committees). With a committee of three Councillors considering matters, recommendations can often go directly to Council rather than have to go to Committee of the Whole, reducing the time required for Council to make some decisions.

Prosperity Decision

I was certainly caught off guard today, as were many, when the Federal Environment Minister announced in the House of Commons that Prosperity Mine would not proceed, at least not as it has been proposed. It is disappointing for many in our community who were looking forward to the opportunities associated with the mine. As frustrating as the decision is to the project's supporters, we must keep in mind that life will go on and that we shouldn't let this decision rule our future. At the same time I received the e-mail announcing the Federal Cabinet's decision, I received a media release from Tolko announcing two recently signed agreements with China National Building Materials, the country’s number one lumber distributor, to supply more than 364 million board feet of lumber for China's growing construction needs. The province also announced last month that the Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Committee would receive $1 million per year for three years to support economic transition and development in the region. These are good stories that adds a degree of certainty for our local forest industry.

As a resident stated in a letter to the editor today, the City needs to establish a more focused strategy for economic development. I am pleased to say that we have been moving in this direction over the past few months. At the request of Council, our Economic Development Manager is increasing focus on specific business development initiatives such a potential District Heating project in the downtown core, a Community Forest application, assisting with the development of properties adjacent to Wal Mart and creating a development strategy for lands at the Airport. All of which will create new jobs, increase our tax base and expand opportunities for our existing businesses and industry.

Today, the Mayor confirmed the City's support for Taseko Mines as they consider the future of the Prosperity project and there is optimism that acceptable solutions can be found to allow the mine to proceed. In the meantime, the City will agressively pursue and support new economic opportunities to help ensure a strong stable future for our community.

Welcome to Ken Macinnis

I am very much looking forward to November 1st as it will be the first day of work for Ken Macinnis as the City's new Communications Coordinator. Communications is an integral function within the City and I look forward to having Ken join our team and take on his new duties. Communications is not something you can do off the corner of the desk, at least if you want to do it effectively. Up until this week, the role has been share amongst a number of the staff with me producing a majority of the media releases.

The wildfires in August really drove home how important it is to have dedicated personnel looking after planning, producing and/or delivering communications. When issues are affecting our residents, whether it be a disaster or a new City service, people want timely and accurate information. From the City's perspective, we want to proactively inform residents of issues or occurrences so as to avoid rumours, speculation and misinformation.

By having a dedicated Communications Coordinator, it is my expectation that our residents will become better informed of happenings within the City. Communications will be timely and informative utilizing a range of electronic and non-electronic media. Stay tuned as I'm sure you'll notice the difference.

Williams Lake Leading the Way

I am currently enrolled in the Local Government Administration Program through Capilano University in North Vancouver and every month, I join 24 other municipal employees from across BC for a weekend of classroom study. During the course, we benefit from guest lecturers, review literature, partake in group exercises and submit two formal research papers. However, one of the most beneficial aspects of the course is the exchange of information between the class participants who work in a range of local governments from villages to large lower mainland cities.

When the class discusses how our various municipalities deal with specific issues or challenges, it becomes very obvious how progressive the City of Williams Lake is on a number of fronts. One would assume that Metro Vancouver and other large municipalities would be on the leading edge and in many cases they are. However, I have become pleasantly aware over the last two months that the City of Williams Lake is remarkably advanced in how we administer, plan for and deliver our services. There are always functions we can improve on or issues where we could take different approaches but is is gratifying to know that as much as there is room to learn, there are many areas we can be proud of and provide leadership for other local governments.

Paving, Paving Everywhere

2010 has seen the most paving we've seen in a very long time and the newly paved roads are certainly a treat to drive on. The condition of our roads is consistently a high priority for our residents and in response, the City began the development of a Pavement Management Plan in 2010 to identify and prioritize roads that require reconstruction. This plan is intended to provide direction for staff and Council when preparing future Capital budgets.

In 2010, the City was fortunate to have the Province and Federal Government approve the use of surplus funds from the Mackenzie Avenue project for other paving priorities in the City, including the reconstruction of Cameron Street which was previously approved in the 2010 budget. As a result, the City was able to repave a number of high priority streets including portions of Oliver Street, 4th Avenue, Western Avenue, Comer Street, Boundary Street and Third Avenue.

Although the pavement management plan had not been fully completed, it was able to assist staff and Council by identifying streets that should be considered for repaving this year. The final pavement management plan will be presented to Council for approval in November.

The City appreciates the patience of motorists during the paving activity as there were many times when traffic was disrupted and rerouted. Due to the late approval of additional paving funds, the contractor had a very challenging timeline and thanks to unseasonably warm and dry weather in October, they were able to complete the works before winter descends upon us.

Community Arts Council Debt Settlement

I don't usually comment on specific Council decisions. However, Council's recent resolution to accept a Baby Grand piano from the Community Arts Council, in lieu of an outstanding debt owed to the City has caused a fair bit of discussion in the community. I thought it would be appropriate to highlight some points that people may not have considered or been aware of in relation to Council's decision.

The debt owed to the City was for outstanding lease fees for their occupancy of the Heritage House wing of Cariboo Lodge. This space was provided to the CAC as an interim measure after they had been evicted from their previous home when the City acquired Skyline School for the new Firehall. Fees for use of Heritage House were based on their annual cost of operating the Skyline facility. In the meantime, the City had provided some assurance to the CAC that the old Firehall would be available to them once it was vacated by the Fire Department and renovated.

During their occupation of Heritage House, the CAC experienced some significant financial challenges that prevented them from paying their rent to the City for the better part of a year, totalling $9163.

The City had been working with the CAC for over a year to determine a method for the CAC to satisfy their debt, in spite of their limited funding sources and financial situation. The proposal to "sell" the piano to the City in lieu of their debt was examined by staff and recommended to Council with consideration of the non-profit nature of the organization which has been historically supported by the City (and CRD) through Grants in Aide. The alternative of having the CAC sell the piano to a third party and pay the City with the proceeds was not preferable as the Complex (and its users) would then lose the benefit of a Baby Grand piano, which has served many performances, events, memorial services, etc. in the Gibraltar Room over the years. At the end of the day, the City now owns a piano worth well more than the debt owed to the City and the CAC has satisfied their debt and can move forward with a clean slate. More importantly, the community continues to benefit from the piano.

It should be noted that City Councils often come to unique arrangements with non-profits due to the fact that non-profits are just that and are generally involved in providing valuable service to the community or a sector of the community. If Council was not prepared to be flexible with the CAC, their ability to provide services to the community would certainly have been compromised which would in some ways contradict Council's Strategic Goal of supporting Arts and Culture by "Developing and Implementing and Arts and Culture Plan".

Where Has the CAO Been?

I find myself again apologizing for my lack of posts recently. Between some vacation time, a Local Government Administration program at Capilano University and Union of BC Municipalities Convention, September has flown by. I have certainly had a fair share of comments about my Blog delinquency. So now time catch up on a number of initiatives that may be of interest:

CN Rail Ties - As of this past weekend, the contractor was doing some very final clean-up with all of the chips removed. Finally! In a meeting with CN Rail last week, they admitted to the error in choosing this site as a grinding and storage facility in the core of our City. The future of the site is in the hands of the owner, BC Properties. With respect to contaminated soils, this falls under the Environmental Management Act which requires a Site Profile and possible Site Investigation should the owner transfer the property or apply for a rezoning, development or development variance permit or change in use. Given the site's past history as a rail works and storage yard, there will undoubtedly be some degree of contamination.

Road Paving Program - Thanks to a suggestion and support of Community and Rural Development Minister Ben Stewart and MLA Donna Barnett late this summer, the City applied to the Federal/Provincial Infrastructure Program to utilize the surplus funds from our Mackenzie Avenue grant for other paving priorities in the City. After a rather lengthy approval process, we received approval Monday last week which has resulted in the rather hasty implementation of the expanded paving program this week. At the end of the day, the City will benefit from approximately $1 million in paving at a cost of approximately $300,000 to City taxpayers. Pretty good value. The City utilized our recently developed 'Pavement Management Plan' to priortize the streets to be paved.

Infrastructure Improvements at the Complex - Regualr users of the Complex may have noticed a number of improvements that have been completed in recent months. Some are more obvious than others, including new sidewalks, lighting in the pool, informational video monitors in the lobbies, arena washrooms, etc. Behind the scenes, the pool has a renewed de-humidification system and new high efficiency boilers. Still to be completed is a new entrance for the arenas with automated doors similar to the main entry. Not only will these improvements contriubute to increased energy efficiency in the building but will make the building more user friendly and modern.

2010 Union of BC Municipalities Convention - I joined a majority of Council in Whsitler at the UBCM Convention last week. As usual, it was a very busy week with many meetings with Ministers and other agencies and numerous education and information sessions. Highlights include obtaining approval from CN Rail to use their road between the rail line and the lake east of RC Cotton for the KidSport Classic in 2011, consideration by the RCMP for a Urban First Nations policing unit, pledge of $1 million per year for three years for the CC Beetle Action Coalition by the Premier and recognition for the City's FCM Sustainibility Award. Although a significant committment of time, I always leave UBCM with a sense of confidence in what we are doing as a community and new information we can use to make our community and administration even better.

Lessons Learned from 2010 Fires

This summer saw unprecedented wildfire activity in the region, particularly in the Chilcotin where dry conditions coupled with hectares of dead pine fueled fires in almost every corner of the Plateau. What was concerning about this year's fires wasn't so much the sizes or numbers but the widespread threats to homes, ranches and populated areas and the resulting evacuations. The City of Williams Lake was not immune from the threat of interface fire as the Meldrum Complex burned toward the Fraser River in mid August. Given the conditions and weather forecasts at the time, the City and CRD, in consultation with the Ministry of Forests initiated Evacuation Alerts and Orders over areas between the City and the Fraser. The concern was that predicted winds could throw the fire over the Fraser, creating a potentially dangerous situation for greater Williams Lake property owners and residents. Fortunately the predicted conditions did not materialize and the fires remained west of the Fraser. What did materialize however was an incredible learning experience for the the City and partner agencies as we implemented the City's Emergency Plan and began preparing for worst case scenarios.

The City joined the CRD's Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) as all emergency response agencies were already present in the EOC and communication lines were well established. As the possibility of a City evacuation increased, the City established our own EOC at the new Fire Hall in order to concentrate on evacuation planning and response, involving the RCMP, Ministry of Transportation and Interior Health. The City maintained a presence in the CRD EOC, ensuring communication and coordination between the two EOCs.

Although the City's emergency plan contemplates mass evacuation and provides a framework for initiating such an endeavour, there were a number of logistical details that had to be worked out, particularly regarding the evacuation of vulnerable, disabled and elderly. With the appropriate agencies at the table, we were able to develop a detailed multi-agency evacuation plan that will ensure an effective and orderly evacuation should it be required in the future.

Interface fires are becoming the norm throughout the Province with global warming and dying forests. Williams Lake is surrounded by forest, much of it under attack from Mountian Pine Beetle and and an increasing presence of Fir Beetle. It is only a matter of time until there is a fire at our doorstep that will require the evacuation of portions of, or all of the greater Williams Lake area. Thanks to this recent 'close call', I am extremely confident that we have suffient plans and emergency response structures in place to effectively and safely evacuate our residents should the need arise.

Taking Advantage of Summer at Work

With many of our staff on holidays, not just at the City but in other agencies we deal with, the summer months provide an excellent opportunity for those still at work to get caught up. On a regular, day to day basis, the information flow and workload in City Hall can seem relentless. Incoming correspondence from countless sources, e-mails, reporting requirements, Council meeting agendas and minutes, reports to Council and the list goes on. The work is challenging and the days go extremely fast. However, the pace often doesn't allow us to keep up with the less critical, but equally important functions such as keeping files in order, planning for future initiatives, connecting informally with staff and other things that tend to take a back seat when we are busy.

It is important that the CAO and senior staff have an opportunity to get their heads 'out of the trench' and dedicate time to anticipating the future, evaluating what we are doing, how we are doing it and if there are better ways to do it. Too often we do things the same old way, not because it's the best way but because change takes time and effort. More often we are forced to make a reactive change when something goes wrong. However, it is preferable that we make changes 'proactively' so that we have time to think the issues through and implement change effectively. The summer months give us the opportunity to do just that.

Stampede A Huge Success

Another Williams Lake Stampede has come and gone and from all accounts, it was a great success. The weather cooperated for a majority of the weekend, especially Saturday for the Parade. The downtown was a buzz with activity Saturday and hats go off to the WLBIA for a great job organizing Street Party. The Rodeo ran without a hitch as usual with good crowds for all the performances. My only concern was the number of particpants in the Mountain Race as it seemed a little too many to be safe (or as safe as the Mountain Race can be).

The RCMP reported a relatively quiet Stampede Weekend with very few serious incidents. They had a good presence in the community which sets a tone for how folks behave. Our Stampede is certainly becoming more and more a true family event.

I had a little different perspective this year as I spent two mornings slinging bacon and hash browns at the Rotary Breakfast. It was fun to see all the comings and goings and to experience breakfast from the other side of the grill.

Now it's time to put away the cowboy boots and hat and enjoy the rest of summer!

Preparing for Prosperity

I must apologise for my delinquency in maintaining my blog these last two months. May was extremely hectic as I was out of town attending conferences three of the four weeks in May. It seemed that June was spent getting caught up from being away and getting our Annual Report prepared. I am looking forward to the summer months when things quiet down and I have time to get prepared for the 2011 budget process which begins in September.

Both City Council and staff are anxiously awaiting the report of the Federal Panel Review for Prosperity Mine. The final decision for the mine will have a significant impact on our municipality, whether it be positive or negative.

If the Federal Cabinet approves the mine, we will experience a level of growth and activity not recently experienced. Our challenge will be managing growth as opposed to encouraging growth. We will have a role to play in assisting our business community in being able to take advantage of the numerous opportunities associated with the mine. We will also have a significant demand for residential and commercial development which we must be in a position to respond to in a timely and coordinated fashion. As the CAO, I continue to develop organizational contingency plans in anticipation of the mine moving forward and the ICSP process will provide us to tools to ensure our growth is managed in a sustainable manner.

In the unfortunate event that the mine experiences challenges in moving forward, we will need to adjust our Economic Development strategy to address a potential decrease in economic confidence. Economic diversity will become even more important as we will be forced to rely less on the resource sector for our economic fuel.

Community Corner Grand Opening

April 30 was an exciting day for those of us involved with the Community Corner project. Looking back to the beginning, I can distinctly recall sitting in the Mayor's office with some senior staff of Petro Canada back in 2007. We had asked to meet with them to discuss the City's concerns with the state of the old Petro Can service station which was being leased by an automotive repair business. Old cars and trucks, pieces of machinery and parts littered the site, creating an eyesore on one of the most prolific properties in the downtown core. Petro Can acknowledged our concerns and agreed to find a more suitable tenant for the property.

At about the same time, discussions were being had with both Communities in Bloom and the Food Policy Council with respect to possible uses of the site. One concept was to acquire the land and demolish the building to create a park and green space in the downtown. The other suggestion was to utilize the building for a unique cooperative between the Food Policy Council, Business Improvement Area and Community Policing, all of whom were considering new office space.

The City favoured the partnership concept and approached Petro Can with a proposal to lease the facility with a fee equivalent to their annual municipal property tax which is approximately $5500. With some renderings of proposed facade improvements and a unique community partnership, Petro Can was happy to accept the proposal in 2008. The Partnership successfully applied to the City and CRD for a $10,000 Grant in Aide and began and aggressive donation drive to secure the resources required to renovate the vacant service station. Petro Can assisted by removing the automotive hoists, leaving the Partnership with the challenge of transforming the dirty, greasy service bays and office space into a functional, inviting establishment to serve three diverse groups.

Community Corner is an excellent example of local government working with community groups in pooling our resources and efforts for the benefit of the entire community and I am proud to have played a role with this dedicated group of volunteers.

New Positions at the City of Williams Lake

The 2010 Budget includes funding for a number of new positions and I thought it important to provide some information as to why these positions are necessary at this time:


Fire Department Administrative Assistant - This position has been 'on the books' for a number of years and the main reasons it hasn't been filled was lack of office space in the old Fire Hall. There is a considerable amount of record keeping, data entry, reports and other administrative requirements within the Fire Department and currently the Fire Chief, Fire Inspector and Safety Officer look after all the administrative duties. This simply is not cost effective and reduces the capacity of these postions to perform thier core functions such as safety inspections.

There is also the need in the new Fire Hall to have a receptionist who can staff the Hall when the Officers are out on fire calls or other duties.

Events/Marketing Coordinator - This half-time position is an extension of Economic Development and Recreation Services and is intended to provide more capacity to encourage and facilitate events in the community such as conferences, tournaments and sporting events. These types of events result in significant spending in the community with minimal investment. Often potential event organizers do not have the capacity to apply for conferences or tournaments or connect with other supporting resources in the community. This position will develop resources to assist event organizers and will work with the Chamber of Commerce and other groups to encourage and support such events.

Planning Technician - This eight-month position is intended to assist the Development Services department with completion of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan and the Official Community Plan processes currently underway. These two initiatives require a signifcant amount of work on the part of our Development Services staff which reduces their capacity to keep up with the day to day planning and development functions. This new position will provide short-term capacity until such time as the ICSP and OCP processes are complete.

CN Rail Ties/Chips Update

On Tuesday, April 6th, the City issued a BC Fire Code Order to CN Rail to remove the rail ties and chips stored next to the Station House Gallery. Under the Order, CN Rail has 30 days to comply and have 7 days to appeal the order. It has also been confrimed that BC Rail Properties has cancelled CN Rail's lease, effective in June 30. I have had numerous inquiries as to what CN Rail plans to do with the chips but we have had no communication with CN Rail and the City is not aware of what arrangements are being made.

City Addresses Environmental Concerns

A number of residents and groups have been expressing their disapproval with CN Rail storing and chipping their surplus creosote rail ties behind Station House Gallery and subsequent burning of the chips in the Capital Power co-generation facility. Environmental and health concerns include:

• impacts of creosote soaked chips stored in the downtown core
• contaminated smoke from smouldering chips piles at Capital Power Plant
• emissions from the burning of creosote chips in the Capital Power Plant

CN Rail has been off-loading, storing and chipping rail ties at this site for a number of years on land leased from BC Rail Properties, with the chips transported to Capital Power for incineration . In recent weeks and months, the volume of both ties and chips has grown exponentially, to the point where piles now cover the entire surface of the site. Upon speaking with Capital Power, the co-generation plant has accumulated a significant inventory of chips due to a projected reduction in sawmill production which didn't completely materialize and an increase of chips from other sources in order to compensate for the projected decline in sawmill volumes. At the same time, it appears that CN began increasing their volume of rail ties coming into Williams Lake for disposal. Unfortunately Capital Power was unable to accommodate a corresponding increase in volume from CN Rail.

In response to growing complaints from the community, Capital Power discontinued accepting rail tie chips from CN Rail last week. This in spite of the fact that their emissions permit from the Ministry of Environment allows for the combustion of rail ties. The City investigated the storage of ties and chips below Oliver Street and identified non-compliance with the BC Fire Code resulting from storage of wood products in proximity to forest and grass.

The City has been in communication with CN Rail and BC Rail Properties on the matter and as a result, BC Rail is in the process of cancelling CN Rail's lease. CN Rail advises they are planning to relocate their operation with no indication of where or when. In the meantime, the City is pursuing an order from the Fire Commissioner's office to address the improper storage or wood materials.

The City will be monitoring the situation closely in the coming weeks to ensure the chips and ties are removed as soon as possible to prevent the risk of fire and associated health and environmental impacts.

March a Busy Month

My apologies for not keeping my blog up to date this past month. March has been extremely busy, particularly with the final steps of the 2010 budget process. There has also been a lot of activity associated with preparing for the Prosperity Federal Panel Review hearings, a number of new or amended bylaws and continued efforts with the ICSP and OCP proecesses. With the budget almost complete, I hope to get back to more regular blogging.

Richmond O-Zone a Great Success

With the 2010 Olympic Games wrapping up, it is hard to believe that an event that has been in the planning stages for the better part of a decade has come and gone. The national spirit and pride generated by the Games was unparalleled and will be ingrained in the hearts and minds of Canadians and our visitors for the rest of their lives.

So what did the 2010 Games do for Williams Lake and the Cariboo? Are we as a community and a region better off as a result of these Games? Those questions were and will be debated by those with differing views. But what can't be debated is the spirit and excitement of the Olympic Torch relay as it passed through the City and exposure we received at BC Street at the Richmond O-Zone. I feel very fortunate to have been involved with both events and share in the excitement of the organizers and participants.

BC Street put Williams Lake and the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast on the map during the Games. In the two days I worked at BC Street, I was absolutely amazed at the numbers of people who visited our pavilion and the genuine interest they showed in our region. People from all over the world surged through our displays, anxious to sign the 'tree' and sample some Birch Syrup, Beef Jerky and Pepperoni and learn more about our region. It would be impossible to duplicate the international exposure we received over the 17 days of the event. Credit has to be given to the staff at the CRD who spearheaded the initiative and all of the staff and elected folks who stood for many long hours greeting visitors and being ambassadors of our great region.

In my view, our City and region did very well by the Olympic Games and we will reap the rewards for years to come.

Economic Development 2010 Work Plan

The Economic Development Department has recently drafted their 2010 Work Plan and staff are in the process of informing and obtaining input from a number of business related organizations including the Chamber of Commerce, Business Improvement Area and Construction Association.

The Work Plan contains 6 key goal areas focused on achieving the strategic priorities of Council and ensuring the City is in a strong position to attract new business/industry and support the success of existing business sector.

The key goal areas include, in no particular order:
1. Completing and Implementing an Industry Attraction Strategy
2. Ensuring the City is Investment Ready
3. Assisting Skilled/Professional Worker Attraction and Retention
4. Determining Twin City Related Economic Development Opportunities in China
5. Identifying and Determining Land Development Opportunities in the City
6. Supporting Taseko Prosperity Mine Process

The Economic Development Department works closely with the Central Cariboo Economic Development Corporation and each have a role to play in supporting economic development in and around Williams Lake. One important project that the Corporation will become involved in is the application process for a Community Forest Licence, the intent being that any revenues generated by the Community Forest Licence would be used to further economic development.

With the current lull in the forest industry and the proposed Taseko Prosperity Mine project, it is critical that the City be positioned to take full advantage of any and all opportunities.

Community Arts Centre

Residents may have noticed a lot of activity at the old Fire Hall in recent weeks. Sprucelee Contracting was awarded the contract for completing renovations necessary for the building to become a new Arts Centre and work is well underway. The existing overhead doors have been replaced with fixed walls that are designed to look like garage doors from the outside of the building. Once new plumbing is installed in the garage bays, new partition walls will be constructed to establish four separate studio spaces as well as a new accessible washroom and storage facilities. A wheel chair lift will be installed to provide access to the upper floor of the building and a new heating and cooling system will be installed. Budget permitting, the building will also receive new paint, flooring, entrance doors and newly paved parking areas.



A majority of the funding for this project is being provided by the Towns for Tomorrow program with a total budget of $200,000. Once the renovations are complete in March, the building will provide a new home for the Spinners and Weavers, Potters, Artists Group as well as common space for use by other artists and artisan groups. This facility will add to the vibrancy of the downtown core with it's adjacency to the Museum, Library, Seniors Centre and Recreation Complex.

Departments to Move Within City Hall

In an attempt to improve efficiencies and customer service in City Hall, a number functions will be moving locations within the building. The most significant change will see Building Inspection, Bylaw Services, Business Licencing and Engineering moving down to the main floor adjacent to the front reception desk. Economic Development will subsequently move to the second floor as will the Manager of Social Development

The new configurations will place a majority of our customer service functions on the main floor in close proximity to one another, resulting in more convenient access to services and a reduced need for public to travel to the second floor of City Hall. The changes will also place Economic Development and Social Development adjacent to the Planning function, supporting enhanced collaboration and communication. Corporate Administration including Human Resources, the Mayor and Chief Administrator's offices will remain unchanged. Some minor renovations are currently underway with the actual relocations to take place in late January or early February. Budget permitting, a new board room will also be constructed on the second floor to replace the existing meeting room on the main floor.

I trust that our clients and staff will find the new space configurations to be more convenient and efficient.

Looking Back and Looking Forward

As we move into a new year, I like to start by looking back over the previous 12 months. A lot was accomplished in Williams Lake in 2009, not only by the City but by a developers, businesses and organizations. Some highlights include, but are not limited to:
· New Fire Hall
· Wal Mart
· Signal Point Townhouse Development
· Crime Rate Significantly Reduced
· Timber Wolves Hockey Club re-established
· Kiwanis Park Disabled Playground
· Courthouse Square Improvements
· Retirement Concepts Expansion
· Stampede Grounds Announcer’s Booth
· Community Corner (old Petro Can station on Oliver St.)

As I look forward into 2010, it should be another productive year for our community. The Taseko Mine project should move further through the assessment process and continued economic recovery should help bolster the forest industry. The City will continue to pursue a Community Forest Licence and other economic development initiatives such as resolving access issues to allow Phase II of the Prosperity Ridge development. Thanks to a number of Federal and Provincial grants, we will rehabilitate Mackenzie Avenue, renovate the old Fire Hall to become a new Arts Facility, upgrade the water heating system at the Sam Ketcham pool and conduct an assessment of our aquifer. We will also work with the CRD to take advantage of the 2010 Olympic Games with an exhibit at the Richmond O-Zone, celebrate and promote our Forest Capital of Canada designation and implement a new Arts and Culture service. A new Official Community Plan will be completed as will our Integrated Community Sustainability Plan and Parks, Trails and Outdoor Recreation Master Plan, providing Council and the community with some good direction into the new decade.

I am expecting that the 2010 municipal budget will be somewhat of a challenge. The community continues to express their desire for amenities and services such as water and sewer to Woodland Drive, an indoor soccer facility, new skateboard park, increased policing and even more recycling opportunities to name a few. There is also the need to enhance our water production infrastructure, upgrade our storm sewer outfalls, repair our City streets and become Carbon Neutral.

Council is aware of the financial challenges currently faced by residents, business and industry so balancing increasing service demands and costs with a limited capacity for taxation increase will require some creativity on the part of City staff in developing next year’s budget. We are embarking on an improved budget process whereby the community has more information and opportunities for feedback at earlier stages in the process rather at the eleventh hour. When difficult budget decisions are required, it is beneficial to provide as much information and have as much input as possible.

Despite the challenges we face, the City will continue to provide amenities and services to the best of our ability and strive to find ways to improve efficiencies and reduce costs.