Cathy McLeod, Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, gave a presentation to the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) board of directors at their regular meeting in Williams Lake, Friday, Oct. 14.
McLeod is a member of the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs and is the Official Opposition Critic for Indigenous Affairs.
She highlighted her first year as an Opposition MP and some topics of interest including Bill C-14 assisted dying legislation, carbon pricing, infrastructure spending and Indigenous reconciliation commitments.
Members of the board brought local issues to her attention and asked questions around Aboriginal title decisions, Aboriginal government and rape culture in Canada. McLeod presented the board with a flag celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary next year.
The Cariboo Regional District board also dealt with the following items during the board meeting.
Capital Funding Allocated to Health Projects:
In response to a request from Northern Health, the Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District (CCRHD) Board allocated capital funding towards three projects for the Quesnel area. The Board approved a total of $131,040 towards the replacement of both elevators in the dining area of the Dunrovin Park Lodge. The second project regarding the installation of two new standby generators in the G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital received $483,200. Thirdly, the CCRHD allocated $105,934 for a Community Health Record Project which will implement a single Electronic Medical Record for patients to support the workflow for primary and community care.
CCRHD Supports Northern Physiotherapy Program:
The Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District board will be writing a letter to the Minister of Advanced Education urging him to fund a full academic physiotherapy program at the University of Northern B.C. to help address the shortage of physiotherapists in the northern areas of our province.
This letter supports the efforts of the Physiotherapists for Northern Communities (PNC) organization and the CRD’s resolution on this topic at UBCM in 2015. According to the PNC, there is a significant shortage of physiotherapists in Northern B.C. where 86 registered physiotherapists serve a regional population of 350,000 (1 per 4,069 per capita) compared with 3,251 physiotherapists serving a population of 4,251,000 in the remainder of B.C. (1 per 1,307).
CRD Board Meetings Move to Thursdays in 2017:
The CRD advises that Board meetings in 2017 will take place on Thursdays and Committee of the Whole (C.O.W.) Meetings will be held on Wednesdays. A complete list of 2017 Board and C.O.W. meeting dates and times will soon be posted to our website at cariboord.ca/news/events.
Ducks Unlimited Plans to Invest in the 108 Greenbelt:
Ducks Unlimited advised the board of its plan to upgrade the water management structures at the 108 Greenbelt and adjacent private properties to encourage wildlife habitat. In support of these intentions, the CRD Board renewed its operating agreement with Ducks Unlimited in order to provide the organization with the security it needs to execute this investment.
The original operating agreement has been in place since 1991; this renewed agreement will be for a 30-year term and bears no cost to the regional district.
CRD Acknowledged for Climate Change Efforts:
The CRD board received a letter of congratulations from the joint Provincial-Union of British Columbia Municipalities Green Communities Committee for successful efforts to measure and reduce corporate greenhouse gas emissions for the 2015 reporting year.
As a result, the CRD has been named a 2015 Climate Action Community and awarded Level 2 Recognition in the Climate Action Recognition Program. To learn more about this program, visit toolkit.bc.ca.
Rural Dividend Financial Requirements Changed:
Following the CRD’s board meeting held on June 30 the board of directors sent a letter to the Honourable Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, urging him to relax the requirements for audited financial statements for Rural Dividend Fund applications. In response, the Board received a letter this month from the Executive Director of Rural Development advising that changes to the program criteria concerning audited financial statements has been incorporated for the second intake of applications.
Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Funding Approved:
Based on the recommendation of the Central Cariboo Joint Committee, the CRD approved 10 fee-for-service agreements for a total of $76,000 annually.
These three year agreements are funded through the CRD’s Central Cariboo Arts and Culture function through Electoral Areas D, E and F and the City of Williams Lake. The agreements are administered by the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society (CCACS).
A full news release is online at cariboord.ca.
The CRD board also renewed a three-year services agreement with the CCACS and City of Williams Lake for Performances in the Park. A total of $15,000 will be paid annually to the society for coordinating the Performances in the Park events.
Next Meetings:
Committee of the Whole – Nov. 3, 2016
CRD Board Meeting – Nov. 4, 2016