1) Liquor License Application Proceeds to Hearing
An application from the Raging Elk Hostel at 892 6th Avenue for a Liquor Primary Licence has received preliminary approval from the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCLB). The application process is now proceeding to the site and community assessment stage which is the stage for local government input. The applicant is seeking a liquor licence for 7-day per week service from 4:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. for a 62 seat lounge with an additional 50 seats on the outdoor patio.
Council authorized staff to advertise the opportunity for nearby land owners and the public to provide input to Council, prior to Council providing its input to the LCLB. A notice of the opportunity to provide input will be delivered to property owners and occupiers in the vicinity of the Hostel and will be published in the Free Press Newspaper.
Interested citizens will have the opportunity to provide their views to Council on the Liquor Primary Licence application in writing prior to the April 28, 2008 Regular Council Meeting and/or in-person at an informal public hearing to be held during the April 28, 2008, 7:00 p.m. Regular Council Meeting. Anyone wishing more information about the application can pick up an information package at City Hall or may contact the Director of Corporate Administration Services, Larry Randle at 423-2231 or by emailing larry.randle@fernie.ca for more information.
2) Zoning Bylaw Amendment Adopted
Council adopted Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 78, 2007 which changes the zoning of the property located at 1192 – 11th Avenue from R1 – Single Family to R2 – Duplex Residential. The Bylaw was given first and second reading on September 10, 2007. Based on concerns related to the scale and massing of the proposed duplex for the property raised at a Public Hearing on the matter held October 9, 2007, Council passed a resolution to withhold adopting the Bylaw pending registration of a restrictive covenant on the property title that would restrict the maximum parcel coverage for all structures to 35% and require a minimum front yard setback for the principal structure of 7.5 metres.
The terms of the proposed covenant were agreed to by the landowner and a covenant was registered on title in February, 2008. The covenant ensures that the R2 – Duplex Residential site will have the same site coverage and front yard setback as the R1 – Single Family zone.
3) Support Given to Evening Shuttle Service
Council received a request from the Fernie Evening Shuttle Committee for $2000 to keep the service running from March 14th to Saturday March 29, 2008. To date, the shuttle committee has successfully raised $23,345 from the business community with another $1,300 in pledged funding to come. Projected fare collection to the end of the season is from $4,700 to $5,000. The City of Fernie and Fernie Alpine Resort each contributed $5,000 earlier in up-front funding.
The group intends to seek a matching $2,000 from Fernie Alpine Resort to ensure shuttle service can continue until March 29th. While considering the request Mayor Macnair reiterated the fact that Council had earlier promised to consider additional funding of up to $5,000. Council was satisfied that only $2,000 was requested and agreed to provide that amount from last year’s surplus funds.
4) Revised Conservation Covenant Approved
In May, 2007 a 49 hectare parcel of land located south of Mt. Fernie Park Road and Anderson Road and west of Highway No. 3 was incorporated into the City of Fernie. During the process leading up to the boundary change a covenant was created to ensure that the development of the site would conform to the conservation principles expressed in the proponent’s (Belay Enterprises) Development Concept.
The covenant states that the land owner shall not subdivide the land unless they have a report prepared by an environmental consultant that identifies sensitive ecological features and functions including mitigation measures to reduce the impacts of development. More specifically, at subdivision the land owner will be required to permanently protect environmentally sensitive areas of the lands and retain a 30 metre tree buffer along Mt. Fernie Park Road and a tree buffer parallel to Highway #3 by way of another covenant. They will also have to maintain designated green spaces, prepare and implement a trail development plan and provide a water management plan that minimizes demand for potable water, minimizes wastewater and provides for the on-site management of storm water. Other subdivision conditions include provision to the City of a portion of the land at least one acre in size at 50% of its market value for affordable housing and a requirement that any building or structure on the land is sited, designed and constructed at least to the equivalent of the Silver Level of the Built Green Alberta Checklist developed by the Calgary Region Home Builders Association.
A review by staff indicated that the wording in the section of the covenant respecting sale of land to the City was unclear and that it needed to be changed. The land owner agreed to the minor changes which clarify that if a subdivision plan for the land is deposited, at the City’s request the land owner must agree to transfer of a portion of the land comprising not less than one acre for a purchase price of 50% of its market value. Council approved the changes and authorized staff to execute the document and to ensure that the covenant is registered on title of the property.
5) BCAS Hiring Initiative Opposed
Council received a letter from the BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) proposing an Elk Valley hiring initiative that would involve Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford. The letter acknowledges that the recruitment of Paramedics in the Elk Valley is a challenge and has resulted in ambulance shifts sometimes not being covered. It noted that barriers to new recruits include access to training, training costs and accessibility to the Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Board.
The BCAS claims that initiatives to address these types of problems have been taken in other areas of BC and have been successful. It suggests that a joint initiative between the three Elk Valley communities who would fund up to $18,000 in training in cooperation with the Columbia Basin Development Fund would help to solve the problem.
After reviewing the proposal Council resolved to send a letter to the BCAS and the Minister of Health stating it believes that the training of ambulance attendants is a BCAS responsibility and that the problem won’t be resolved unless issues related to employee retention in the Elk Valley are also addressed. Council will also ask the BCAS to examine other options for providing better ambulance service to the Elk Valley. The Councils of Sparwood and Elkford have already sent similar letters to BCAS.
6) City to Participate in “Earth Hour”
Council passed a resolution that the City of Fernie participate in Earth Hour 2008 and encourage residents and businesses to do the same. Earth Hour is a conservation initiative that brings together people from all over the world to show their support for action on climate change.
Earth Hour is coordinated by the World Wildlife Fund and was started in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Nearly 2.3 million Sydney residents and 2000 businesses turned off their lights for an hour, saving 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of removing 50,000 cars from the road for one hour. This year, Earth Hour has gone global and includes participation from cities around the world. BC Hydro has also joined in and is encouraging residents, businesses and community organizations to come together to make Earth Hour 2008 a success.
To sign-up for Earth Hour 2008, logon to www.wwf.ca/EarthHour and commit to turn off your lights on March 29th at 8pm.