Adjustments for the alternative approval process and wolf-dog regulations will be topics of debate as Vancouver Island elected representatives gather in Nanaimo this weekend.
The Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities, a collective of Vancouver Island governments, including regional districts, will hold its annual general meeting from Friday to Sunday, April 11 to 13 in the Harbour City. Delegates will propose resolutions addressing matters of local importance.
The City of Nanaimo will bring forward a motion asking the B.C. government to change the provincial community charter to "expand the criteria for the type of infrastructure and capital projects that utilize borrowing without the requirement of electoral approval, to better assist local governments in securing adequate funding for projects that are necessary for the delivery of municipal services."
Other parts of the country have processes affording local governments the ability to take out a long-term loan for capital projects without the need for the green light from the electorate, the city said in correspondence with AVICC, and "approval at the provincial level is still required, as is a range of other checks-and-balances to ensure proper oversight." A number of Nanaimo AAPs related to a city public works yard have failed recently.
Among items the Regional District of Nanaimo will bring forward, resolutions related to tiny homes and recreational vehicles and hybrid wolf-dogs.
With the need for more housing, there has been interest expressed for using RVs and tiny homes as "permanent dwellings," the RDN said in its correspondence, however they are not intended as such.
In terms of hybrid wolf-dogs, the RDN wants to request the B.C. government amend the controlled alien species regulation, or wildlife act, to make breeding and raising mixed wolf-dogs illegal. Citing information from the SPCA, the RDN said that when such animals are abandoned, "it poses a risk to public safety … and is challenging to capture by local government animal control officers, who lack expertise to deal with [them]."
Resolutions will be forwarded to the Union of B.C. Municipalities, representing governments across the province, for its conference in Victoria in September.
The AVICC is comprised of 55 members and in addition to regional districts and municipalities, also represents First Nations and trust areas.
Ben Geselbracht, Nanaimo city councillor, is currently president of AVICC.
– files from Michael Briones, Parksville Qualicum Beach News
