1) BC Hydro Statutory Rights-of-Way Approved
Council gave its support for the registration of two previously unregistered BC Hydro Rights-of-Way on city land. Once registered on title, the Rights-of-Way for the existing hydro transmission line over two parcels of city-owned land will formalize the agreement and use of the land by BC Hydro.
The Rights-of-Way cover the east side of the City’s Public Works Yards on Railway Avenue and the New Horizon’s Village land adjacent to it. The city will receive $158,000 for granting BC Hydro the Rights-of-Way. Council directed that once received, these funds be deposited into the Land Development Reserve Fund.
Prior to finalizing the registration of the Rights-of-Way, Council will post the requisite public notice that it intends to grant the use of the land to BC Hydro for compensation.
BC Hydro has in turn, given Trico Freedom approval in principle to use the Rights-of-Way for a secondary emergency vehicle access for its proposed Tamarack View housing development on Railway Avenue.
2) Sustainability Plan Funding Agreement Extended
Council approved a funding agreement amendment, extending the deadline for the completion of an Integrated Community Sustainability Plan Community Assessment to June 30, 2008.
Integrated Community Sustainability Planning (ICSP) is an initiative created by the Province that arose from the federal/provincial/UBCM federal gas tax agreement. The Initiative supports Provincial goals to address climate change and encourage the development of healthier, less costly and more sustainable communities in BC.
On January 14, 2008, the UBCM executed a funding agreement under the ICSP Initiative with the City of Fernie. The funding agreement provides 100% of the costs of the assessment to a maximum of $5000. The original project completion date was approved for March 31, 2008. A draft of the ICSP Assessment: Community Sustainability Scoping report has been received and will be presented to the community at an open house in the near future.
3) CUPE Local 2093 Collective Agreement Approved
At a Closed Meeting of City Council held March 10, 2008, City Council ratified a revised Collective Agreement between the City of Fernie and CUPE Local 2093, for a four year term from March 1, 2008 to, and including, February 29, 2012. The revised Collective Agreement was prepared and executed by the City and CUPE representatives.
The revised elements of the renewed collective agreement include:
• The elimination of language empowering the City to retire an employee at age 65 (to be consistent with recent changes to the BC Human Rights Code);
• An increase to ‘vision care’ benefits from $300 to $400;
• Increases to the lifetime maximum for orthodontic benefits from $1,500 to $2,000 in years 2008 and 2009 and to $3000 in the year 2010;
• A special adjustment to wages for Aquatic Attendants of $0.84/hour (harmonizes the wages paid to rink attendant/ticket takers and aquatic attendants)
• A 3% general increase to wages on March 1 in each of the years 2008 to 2011;
• A $0.25/hour special adjustment to wages at the Aquatic Centre (excluding Aquatic Attendants) effective on March 1, 2008 and 2009 (this adjustment is not compounded by the general wage increase); and
• Deletion of Letter of Understanding #7 (Grass Cutting and Solid Waste Collection) from the appendices to the Agreement.
The approved wage increases are well within current industry standards and those increases combined with the agreed to benefit increases have been provided for in the City’s Financial Plan.
The management bargaining team expressed their appreciation to the CUPE bargaining team for the cooperative manner in which collective bargaining was conducted and looks forward to continued good relations with CUPE employees and their executive members.
4) Carnivore Expert Presents Report to Council
Dr. John Weaver of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Canada presented the September, 2007 WCS Canada Report on Carnivores in the Southern Canadian Rockies. He explained that this region supports the most diverse, intact system of carnivores in North America.
The report presented research on habitat and population fragmentation of 6 of 17 carnivore species in the region – grizzly bear, lynx, badger, bobcat, wolf and wolverine. Dr. Weaver stated that the report provides critical information pertaining to the viability, security and connectivity of carnivore populations across the southern Canadian Rockies.
He explained that carnivores have different levels of resiliency to human disturbance and to conserve these animals we must maintain their habitat, provide security from excessive mortality and maintain regional connectivity with landscape linkages. Copies of the full report are available through the WCS Canada website: www.wcscanada.org