COUNCIL REALLOCATES COVID SAFE RESTART GRANT FUNDS
Council unanimously supported a decision to reallocate remaining funds from the COVID Safe Restart Grant for the following uses:
- To provide 50% Business License Fee Relief in 2022 (estimated at $80,000).
- To provide up to 20 hardship grants for non-profit organizations serving the Williams Lake community in the amount of $1,250 each, totalling $25,000.
- Remodel the Kiwanis Park tennis court to provide pickleball courts, using funds allocated from the COVID restart grant in the amount of approximately $53,000.
- Add the remaining $4,414 from COVID Community Events allocation to the City's Pandemic Fund.
Applications for the hardship grants will be posted online once they are open at www.williamslake.ca.
REGULAR COUNCL MEETINGS ESTABLISHED FOR 2022
Council voted in favour of its regular meeting calendar for 2022. Under the schedule, regular council meetings will be held every second Tuesday, except for in September when just one meeting will be held.
COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS ANDDESIGNATIONS
Council designated the monthly Acting Mayor schedule as follows for 2021/22.
- December: Coun. Ivan Bonnell
- January: Coun. Marnie Brenner
- February: Coun. Scott Nelson
- March: Coun. Jason Ryll
- April: Coun. Craig Smith
- May: Coun. Sheila Boehm
- June: Coun. Ivan Bonnell
- July: Coun. Marnie Brenner
- August: Coun. Scott Nelson
- September: Coun. Jason Ryll
- October: Coun. Craig Smith
- November; To Be Determined
The purpose of the designations is for councillors to serve on a rotating basis in place of the Mayor when he is absent.
Council also made several appointments for 2022 to committees, standing committees and ad hoc/select committees.
These include: community services, public works, Indigenous relations and reconciliation, general governance, executive committee and finance, as well as appointments to the CRD, Northern Development Initiative Trust and MIABC.
WRESTLING DAY PROCLAIMED IN WILLIAMS LAKE
Williams Lake's unique, civic holiday observed annually on January2 has been approved by Council. Since 1959, Wrestling Day has been celebrated in Williams Lake. Only for a brief stint in the 1970s was the holiday discontinued by the mayor of the day.
COUNCIL TO REQUEST MEETING ON FUTURE OF POPLAR GLADE SITE
Council approved the request for a meeting by Coun. Scott Nelson with Williams Lake First Nation and School District 27 regarding the Poplar Glade School site for redevelopment. Last month, Council directed City staff to provide a further report on how to proceed with plans to create a housing development on City-owned property at Kinsmen Park, adjacent to the proposed Poplar Glade site.
BOAT STORAGE DEVELOPMENTPERMIT APPROVED
Council approved a development permit application for an outdoor boat storage addition to a property located at 1010 Mackenzie Avenue North, owned by Christoffersen Ltd./CBRE Ltd. (Ministry of Citizens' Services).
WARMING SHELTER PLANAPPROVED
Council endorsed the Emergency Cold Weather Action Plan, submitted by the Canadian Mental Health Association, which establishes the temporary opening of a warming shelter from December 2021 to March 31, 2022, located at the Hamilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue South, and allocated $20,000 from the City's UBCM Strengthening Communities Fund allotment to support the project.
WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL
Council authorized the 2021 Annual Winter Lights Festival and tree lighting, hosted by the Downtown BIA, and reflected on the success of this year's event, held on Saturday, December 4.Council also discussed the possibility of working with the BIA in the future to collaborate on a wider-spread holiday 'light up' of the city.
CITY WEIGHS INSURANCE OPTIONS
Council approved an emergency extension to 2022 with HUB International to allow more time to weigh insurance options moving forward into next year.