Terrace City Council briefs from the meeting on September 24, 2018. Some of the key discussions are summarized below:
Proposals for Co-op property
Council approved a request for proposals for the 2.78 acre lot along Kenney Street and on property on Keith Avenue, both owned by the city.
This follows the withdrawal of the sales agreement made with Superior Lodging for a new hotel on Kenney St. While an appraisal price for the property has not been released, the city expects the positive financial investment decision of the LNG Canada project in Kitimat could have an upward influence on the sale price.
The closing date for proposals is 4 p.m. on Nov. 30.
Cannabis bylaws passed
City council has moved forward with three bylaw changes ahead of cannabis legalization Oct. 17.
Changes to the zoning bylaw would allow storefront retail cannabis stores in most commercial downtown areas, 300-metres away from school properties and 100-metres away from similar businesses. A $500 annual business licensing fee was also set for prospective storefronts. The ticketing bylaw also passed, with a $200 fine set for offenders.
Amendments to the parks and public places bylaw passed for a third reading, and will ban the smoking and vaping of cannabis, tobacco or any other substance in outdoor public spaces. This includes any substance that can be vaporized or release smoke into the air. An increase from 3-metres to 6-metre setback distance from transit shelters, bus stops and other transportation spots was also set.
Water system moves forward
The City of Terrace will apply for a sponsored Crown grant to acquire a small parcel of land within the Northwest Regional Airport lands, including Skeena Industrial Development Park (SIDP), for the well site and pump house for the new municipal water system. The system is being designed by Allnorth in partnership with Taisheng International.
The city will also apply for several nominal rent tenures for crown lands to establish road access from Hwy37 to the proposed site, and to build the main pipeline from the well site to the new water treatment facility in the upper bench area.
The water system will provide treatable potable water to the SIDP on both sides of the highway and will have excess capacity to service the airport, which has operated for years on a well-water system and reservoir.
Spike in medical calls
The fire department saw a 68 per cent increase in calls since 2016 with 226 medical aid and first responder calls made over the second quarter. Fire chief John Klie said there seems to be an increase in these type of calls every quarter. The number of fire-related calls actually decreased from 61 in 2017 to 53 calls this year. Overall, the department saw an 8 per cent increase in calls from last year.
Gitwinksihlkw project letter of support
Council issued a letter of support for the Nisga’a Village of Gitwinksihlkw Main Street Experience project. The project includes the development of a cafe called the Welcome House, the Sasaak’ Hill Trails and a river walk.
Gitwinksihlkw has also engaged with underemployed youth on a skills training program where they will be working on the trails as a way of teaching workplace readiness skills. The Cranberry Connector was also included in these proposals.
This is the Nisga’a Village’s third attempt at obtaining funding for the project from the BC Rural Dividend fund, and the project needed the letter for the last piece in their application. The total estimated value of the project is $660,000.
brittany@terracestandard.com
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