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For earlier materials see Table of Contents

 

October 19th

SQCRD mtg

 

 

 

Interesting weather pattern – Windy past 12 hours but front still offshore (red dashed line to right+ OPC above) – note shift wind directions from SW to West which visualizes passing of the front

 

Compare ‘fronts’ with satellite imagery where ‘front’ is the clear area behind the clouds – west of QCIs

 

 

Interesting meeting --- Herb Pond’s last one as not running next term

Highlight of the evening was a Village of QC proposal and fund request for the ‘Haida Gwaii Higher Education Society’ --- idea in short is to bring university courses to the Islands during the ‘off season’ – Partnering at first with SFU --- but everyone at the meeting agreed that the concept was excellent and perhaps even transformative --- maybe along lines of this Federal program: Community-University Research Alliances

 

 

But first the Minutes etc

The SQCRD has broken into more regional sub meetings --- thus at left --- and the reports included --- 2 items emerge for me – 1) $$ being spent on Oona River and 2) Brushing along Highway 16 on QCIs ---

The latter seems to have generated disgust from several jurisdictions as O’Brien Road & Bridge apparently cutting trees but leaving debris where it falls – thus creating both an eyesore and safety considerations:
                ‘It looks horrid!’

Oona River rakes in the (public) money

--- as many of the grants are ‘matching’ this suggests some problems – as I understood it the next 4 years of ‘gas tax $ will go to Oona River projects ----- Is gas tax proportional to population – all 20 of them?

Projects

 
  • Infrastructure—2.7M$ for water and sewer of which 1.7M$ sought from feds
  • 50T request from NTI for upgrading Community Hall; Coast Sustainability already committed 73T$ pending matching funds – with present projected costs to be 200T$

 

 

 

Then the reports

Good news from recycling depot (given in interim financial statements) has generated $221,539 in revenue from sales recycled material etc – Board so happy voted to send out a couple boxes donuts and congrats letter --- Herb Pond noted in passing that Cruise ship recyclables certainly played a role in increased volumes

 

Board also commented on the high quality for the (new) QCI Rec co-ordinator reports

 

 

Looking for Grant $ seems to be the main theme

Item 11.1 is 23T$ (from phase2 funding)  which was dispersed as 10T$ to Oona River Community hall upgrade – 10T$ for Archives PR Centennial book and $3,623 for QC Art Route brochure etc

11.2 The 200T$ for Oona River

 

 

 

E-Waste

How to get the stuff off Island?

If try to send as ‘recycling material then it is labelled ‘dangerous goods and requires special shipping packaging etc – One person noted the irony that it comes over ‘new’ by Canadian Post – but once someone actually uses it – then it becomes dangerous goods 

 

 

More ironies:

To purchase locally caught halibut in Masset, the fish first has to be sent off island to be processed and then sent back –thanks to the same people (CFIA) that brought you the Listeria outbreak –

Contrast with treatment of large companies: ‘Just send us the forms every few months’

 

Sustainability viewed at the regional level

Des Nobles had this press release on ICLEI World Congress 2009 - Connecting leaders—to which he added the concept of treating regionally green house gas reduction and sustainability – along the lines of Regional Recycling – one suggested approach could be marketing local foods from marine fish to garden produce

 

 

Other items not dealt with here:

 

  • A long discussion about trying to get Northern Allowance again for QCIs due to remoteness etc
  • Discussion about policy for QCI dump fees – especially reduced fees for ‘hardship’ cases
  • And a bylaw had to be passed to actually authorize collection of Sandspit Water fees (

Pond got a laugh out of that – you mean other people overlook details like that? (Presumably referring to hiring of Tanalee)

 

Biofuel – or ‘don’t call it a pulp mill’

Oona River director wants to revitalize the forest industry by seeking Federal grant $ to explore turning Watson Island pulp mill facility into ‘biofuel facility’

Apparently most the paper work, discussion going through NC PMIC – which is heir to the local LRMP process (see my earlier for links) – and for which Oona River rep speaks for SQCRD region

 

 

 

Ironies

Closing Impression

Almost all the meeting concerned Grant $$$– either applying for, or granting, or providing support for --- In fact SQCRD has hired someone to do nothing else other than apply for grants

Former CEO Janet Beil would find that ironic as she prided herself upon ability to find grant monies before she was fired (or is that ‘let go’)

 

Another irony is that much of the grant money directed towards tourism (on Oona River & QCIs specifically)

I would guess that tourism will sink like the Titanic if a recession is truly just around the economic corner

 

 

One Key Concept

‘unwilling purchaser’ 

Watson Island and the City Taxes

I asked Pond what the implications of the Tax Sale of former Pulp Mill

 

He replied the case is similar to any residential house – if the back taxes are not paid within one year then the property legally goes to the City of PR

But one key ingredient has been missed in public discussion — since the city will be an ‘unwilling purchaser’ --- all the environmental liabilities will be cancelled

Created by LG on 19/10/2008

Last updated on Sunday, October 19, 2008