The Dec. 6, District of Barriere council meeting started with a short public meeting for those interested in discussing the District of Barriere Fire Regulation Bylaw #55.
There was a brief presentation by District staff to explain some of the main points of the bylaw. As there were no comments from the public regarding the bylaw the meeting moved on to the regular agenda.
The second and third readings of Bylaw #55 were approved. The final reading will be at the next District of Barriere council meeting on Dec. 20.
The council heard a petition from Mr. Nathan Lane representing the Thompson Rivers University Students’ Union. He asked council to write a letter of support for their campaign to restore broad access to affordable post-secondary education; they are calling their campaign the “Drop Fees - education shouldn’t be a debt sentence”.
“Tuition fees at TRU have increased by 227 per cent over the last eight years,” Lane explained, “In 2001, it cost just over $1,000; in 2010 it costs just over $4,000.”
Other statistics included the fact that students in B.C. get 70 per cent less non-repayable financial aid than the national average.
Council approved the request to send a letter of support.
Two other bylaws had their first readings - the District of Barriere Amended Official Community Plan Bylaw #74, and the District of Barriere Zoning Amendment Bylaw #75. There will be a public hearing in the near future to allow for discussion on these two bylaws.
District staff reported that the District Office will be closed from Dec. 24 to 28, and Dec. 31 to Jan. 3, 2011.
The next council meeting will be held on Dec. 20 at 7 p.m.