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Terrace council briefs: Sewer capacity, flags and Sm’algyax

Highlights from the Jan. 24, 2022 Terrace council meeting
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Audio equipment in Terrace city council chambers photographed Aug. 21, 2020. (Black Press Media file photo)

Terrace council’s second meeting of 2022 featured a full agenda and covered a variety of topics, from sewer capacity to putting Sm’algyax on city-owned property.

Highlights from the Jan. 24 meeting are below:

Presentations and letters of support

Ken Laggatt presented to council on behalf of St. John Ambulance’s Start Me Up BC campaign. The goal of the campaign is to install 1,000 publicly accessible automated external defibrillator (AED) in locations around the province. The AEDs come at a cost of $7,499 including a stand, alarm, monitoring, two-way calling, camera and other features so that they can be installed in a public place like a park and be accessible at all times. Council referred the issue to staff.

Snow Valley Nordic Ski Club’s Lisa Hanna asked for a letter of support for grant funding from council. She said that membership has tripled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and volunteers are finding it difficult to meet the needs of the 850 seasons pass holders and other guests, especially with people being discouraged from using the lodge due to the pandemic so the club plans to build two shelters on the trails for people to warm up. The project is costed at$20,000 for materials, and the intention is to use volunteer labour to build the structures. Council voted to write the letter of support.

Liz Smaha, executive director of Kermodei Tourism requested a letter of support for an application to the Pacific Economic Development Tourism Relief Fund for $249,000. Council voted to grant the letter. If successful, the grant will help Kermodei Tourism catch up digitally and sign operators up for digital supports.

Northwest Regional Airshow’s Steve Pereira sent a letter asking for the city to support a bid to the Royal Canadian Air Force to having the Snowbirds and CF-18 Demonstration Team fly over Terrace on July 20. Peireira also asked that the city approve the aircraft to fly 500 feet above the nearest obstacle. Council voted to write the letter of support, and staff will look into which body has the authority to issue permission.

Downtown Business Improvement Area Bylaw

Terrace council renewed the business improvement area (BIA) for downtown Terrace with a five year term and an annual levy of $110,000. A BIA for the downtown was first established in 2011; the most recent bylaw was enacted in 2017 and expired on Dec. 31, 2021. The goal of a BIA is to collect revenue to promote economic growth and enhancing activity in an area. Funds from the 2018 properties in the zone are collected by the city and transferred to the Terrace Downtown Improvement Area Society.

Sewer Capacity

Kevin Sousa, Terrace engineering manager, recommended to council that $64,000 be allocated from the sewer surplus to study the sanitary systems on Graham Ave.

Since the most recent study was done in 2016, there have been several new developments in Terrace, including two hotels, residential subdivisions and others that add wastewater to the sewer mains on Graham Ave. The 2016 study suggested that some pipes were deficient and upgrades would be needed.

The new study would be more accurate and include flow monitoring over the course of two months to capture the affect of different types of weather on the system’s capacity, which will inform what further improvements to the system will be required.

David Block, director of development services, said that it is important the project be undertaken in 2022, so that future development is not stalled due to downstream sewer capacity issues. Council voted to approve the study.

Flag policy

Terrace council altered its current flag flying policy to specify what days the city lowers its flag to half-mast, and clarify other aspects.

Some municipalities have a guest pole and will fly other flags when requested. The City of Terrace does not have a guest pole, so the policy has been updated to specify that the city does not take guest flag requests. Similarly, the city also makes it clear in the updated policy that it will not light city buildings in specific colours to promote causes or special events, because it does not have the staff or equipment to light buildings in different colours.

The city had its own internal procedures for half-masting, and under the new update those will be attached to the policy itself with the new additions of National Day of Victims of Terrorism on June 23, and Indigenous Veterans Day on Nov. 8.

Sm’algyax on signs

Coun. Sean Bujtas brought forward a motion to include Sm’algyax on the “Welcome to Terrace” sign, city hall and other public buildings.

“I don’t think it should be a race to get this stuff done but I do think that we should slowly be looking at these things and adding the language of the traditional people who’s land we sit on to the buildings of ours,” Bujtas said, adding that the “Welcome to Terrace” signs should be a priority.

Council voted for staff to look into its city-owned property signage policy.