A highlight at the District of Barriere Council meeting on Dec. 19, was the announcement by Councillor Smith that on March 26, 2012, Doctor Ilke Marais will be coming to replace Dr. Barnard at the Barriere Medical Centre. Dr. Marais is coming from Africa, and she and her family will be residing in Barriere.
As per the agenda for the meeting the final adoption of the Cemetery Bylaw #83 was approved by Council.
Council also heard from District CAO Colleen Hannigan regarding several projects:
The roads assessment review should be ready for Council in January. Once that has been received Council can proceed with some strategic planning around the eventual takeover of the road maintenance program come September 2013.
The Leonie Lake Dam sluice gate was closed off about two weeks ago to give it a chance to recover some of its water level over the course of the winter. Council is still awaiting the final report from Watson Engineering on the status of the dam.
Yellowhead Community Services has informed Council that they have secured funding to continue the service of a transit bus to Kamloops for an additional three month period. They will be running the bus on Thursdays. Transit statistics for Barriere will be presented to Council in January.
The District now has five fire fighters who are qualified to be First Responders. There is a meeting set for Dec. 22, with the Provincial Director of First Responders Services, Randy Shaw; where he will be presenting the District with the start-up equipment for the service. A meeting will take place early in the New Year to discuss and draft policy around the exact operation of the service resulting in an amendment to the Fire Bylaw.
Council approved a recommendation by staff to extend the contract for backhoe services with Quality Contractors for an additional year.
Mayor Humphreys made the following proclamation: “Whereas Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are everyone’s concern, and we need to put our mind to taking action now, while there is still time; and whereas Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are degenerative brain disorders that most often occur in people over the age to 60 but can strike adults at any age; and whereas Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias affect more than 64,000 British Columbians; and whereas Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias take their toll on hundreds of thousands of families and caregivers; and whereas there is an urgent need to reduce the stigma that surrounds Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, so that the barriers in our communities can be removed and all British Columbians touched by these diseases can be diagnosed and treated; and where as presently, there is no known cure for these devastating illnesses; and whereas the Alzheimer Society of B.C. is dedicated to helping anyone concerned with or facing dementia have the confidence and skills to maintain quality of life, to ensuring that public policy and perceptions reflect the issues and reality, and to securing funding for support and research. Now, therefore, I, Bill Humphreys, Mayor of the District of Barriere, do hereby proclaim the month of January 2012 as Alzheimer Awareness Month and do urge all citizens of our community to become more aware and educated, concerning the far-reaching effects of this devastating disease.”
Council received a request by resident Mr. Cam Lofto to consider creating a Swimming Pool Construction and Safety Bylaw. Council members and staff will keep this request in consideration when working on the Zoning Bylaw draft.
Mayor Humphreys announced that the recent delegation of Chinese businessmen who toured Barriere, presented the District with the gift of a Chinese paper art book. This book will be available for viewing at the District office for any who wish to see it.
Councillor Sabyan requested that a new sign be placed at Fadear Park to replace the old one which had been taken down. This will be added to the 2012 budget.
When Mayor Humphreys asked if there were any comments or questions from the public, Barry Thorne asked whether or not residents could legally refuse to have the smart meters installed at their homes. Councillor Smith responded that, at the owners expense, Hydro can install it away from the house as opposed to directly on the house, but that otherwise, no, residents cannot refuse to have them installed.