Welcome to Your Kamloops!

Long and Varied Council Day...

Started off today at a provincial government consultation on homeless issues. We were able to share some of our perspectives of homelessness in Kamloops, and learn about homelessness in other communities in the Interior. This consultation was sparked by the Premier's Task Force on Homelessness.

The past couple of Council meetings, we have spent quite a long time in the public submissions section of the agenda. This does not often take too much time, but we have had some fellow citizens who wish to present their thoughts on various issues that we were asked to deal with. One was a garage construction in Dallas - gentleman came to Council in the past weeks to ask to allow an exception so he could build a 2 story garage. A few neighbors told us they were opposed. Gentleman comes back to Council today, with a reduced height, to ask for a smaller exception. And we give it to him.

Then we heard from a lady who has a hobby kennel. She has been engaged in quite a dispute with her neighbors over the barking and general demeanour of her dogs. City staff have been involved trying to help solve the dispute, they facilitated mediation, they have set up the opportunity for the final appeal to Council. We finally denied her application for a license renewal after an hour of hearing about and discussing the situation.

We had delegations from the Kamloops downtown summer ambassadors (who told us visits from the US seem way down, while visits from Australia and Europe are strong), Miss Kamloops (who invited us to the pageant finale), and the City Race Relations and Communities in Blooms cmttee (who informed us of plans to build a sculpture fountain as a tribute to the cultural groups in Kamloops).

One thing that made me sad, although I voted in favour, was the approval of an application to demolish the North Hills Theatre and to replace it with 4 commercial units. A piece of Kamloops history is in its final weeks.

Electronic Waste Recycling Event

Got this email, yesterday afternoon, from City Public Works:

On Saturday June 24, the City of Kamloops and the TNRD are sponsoring an electronic waste recycling event in Kamloops.  Please bring all of your old computers, monitors, printers, laptops, any cell phones, PDA's, DVD's, VCR's, small fax machines and TV’s only as large as can be lifted by one person,... to the parking lot of Fountain Tire 690 Lansdowne Street between the hours of 9:00am and 3:30 pm. 

For further information, please contact the Solid Waste Division at 828-3461.

Kamloops Creates Wireless Internet Network...

;Lots to talk about over the next few days. Would like to get caught up on all my Council meeting recaps, for example. Lots more as well.

For today, its probably enough to express my great joy that the City of Kamloops is partnering with On Call Internet Services to provide a roaming wireless Internet service  in the city. What this will mean is that subscribers to this service will be able to get high speed  internet access almost anywhere in the city. Mobile workers (or simply anyone who likes freedom) rejoice!

Should Kamloops lobby for a Plastic Bag Tax?.

A few weeks ago, more than a couple (and less than several) Kamloops residents emailed me about a resolution passed by the District of North Vancouver Council.

The resolution called for the provincial and federal government to institute a tax on plastic bags. The idea behind the tax would be to encourage people to use alternatives or to reuse what they already have as  plastic bags tend to be quite detrimental to the environment. Plastic bags don't degrade all that well, increase our dependence on oil, hurt wildlife, and look pretty ugly blowing in the wind.

Alternatives to plastic bags include cloth bags and even overnight duffle type bags. Again, there is always the option to reuse plastic bags.

The downsides: another tax, a tax that some may find financially onerous, and what happens if the item you are purchasing is messy and doesn't already have package.

There may be other downsides that I have not thought of. Or you may think its a great idea.

And that is why I am asking you for your opinion on a plastic bag tax - should Kamloops lobby for one or not?

Six Months in - Life as a Member of Council...(Point Form Version)

Here is a rapid summary of an extended post I wrote below:

• Greatest Honour of My Life
• Key thing: love to hear from people and help them advance their concerns, ideas, projects. Consider it a key responsibility.

• Working on fullfilling various campaign pledges. Scroll down to "My Campaign Pledges" heading in extended post for more information.

• Interactions with Other Members of Council
  • Emphasis on consensus critical but also sometimes personally find it awkward to disagree (my own issue)
  • one of the smartest, most caring groups I have ever worked with

• Interesting Points along the Council Learning Curve
  • Every staff report comes with a recommendation
  • Must commit to open mind in public hearing
  • You can calm an angry constituent by asking for a face to face meeting
  • If you have a project, issue, or an idea you need or want to bring to Council, its best to prepare thoroughly and to try to get "buy in" from as many people as you can - before you come to Council

• Been amazing to see just how much happens in Kamloops. I have been honoured to be invited to so many different events and to meet such incredible people. I thought I knew a lot of people, being born and raised in Kamloops. But, I was just scratching the surface.

Taxi Cab Inspection Program

The City of Kamloops runs a taxi cab inspection program. I recently received this report which I thought I would put online. Both local taxi companies have been cooperating fully with the program. And I caution that this information will go out of date pretty quick. Still, you have a right to know how the taxi companies have been faring in the inspections:

2006 Taxi Inspection Report

Inspected Yellow Cabs
29 cabs inspected April 11 and 13 2006

Re-inspected Yellow Cabs
16 cabs were re-inspected for a variety of reasons ie:no smoking signs, locks not working, interior lights not working, etc

Yellow Cabs Taken off the Road
5 cars were taken off the road as a result of the inspections for a number of various reasons.

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Inspected Kami Cabs
22 vehicles inspected April 5, 2006

Re-inspected Kami Cabs
13 cars had to be re-inspected for a variety of reasons.

Kami Cabs Taken off the Road
No Kami Cabs were taken off the road

--------------------------------

Total Number of Vehicles Inspected for 2006
51 cabs inspected

Total number of Complains regarding both companies
Since April 13, 2006, we have received only one complaint.

Warnings Issued
Since April 13 2006, we have issued one verbal warning.

Note:
In dealing with both of these cab companies, they have been extremely compliant working with the City of Kamloops this past year and we look forward to working with them again this year.

2005 Taxi Inspection Report

Inspected Yellow Cabs
38 Vehicles inspected throughout the year

Re-inspected Yellow Cabs
18 cabs were reinspected for a variety of reasons, ie: no smoking signs, locks not workng, interior lights not working, etc.

Yellow Cabs Taken off the Road
7 Cars were taken off the road as a result of the inspections for a number of various reasons.

--------------------------------

Inspected Kami Cabs
28 Vehicles inspected throughout the year

Re-inspected Kami Cabs
6 Cars had to be re-inspected for a variety of reasons

Kami Cabs Taken off the Road
No Kami cabs were taken off the road

--------------------------------

Total Number of Vehicles Inspected for 2005
66 cabs inspected

Total number of Complains regarding both companies
For the year 2005, we have received approximately 20 complaints for various issues from smoking in the cars to the vehicles pushing blue and not being kept clean.

Warnings Issued
In 2005, no written warnings were issued we spoke to the drivers of the vehicles and to owners of both companies or their managers when we received a complaint. They were quick to deal with any complaints that wre addressed to them.

Note:
In dealing with both of these cab companies, they have been extremely compliant working with the City of Kamloops this past year and we look forward to working with them again this year

Six Months in - Life as a Member of Council...

People very often ask me "how is life as a City Councillor". I think this might be a good day to spend some time trying to summarize the experience and the work so far. Six months ago, yesterday, we were officially sworn in as the City of Kamloops Council 2005-2008.

I may have to add to this post over the next couple of days as other things come to mind, but I also want to be as concise as possible. This, however, may still be a longish post.

The Greatest Honour
First and foremost, being elected to your City Council has been the greatest honour of my lifetime. I still sometimes have trouble believing that I have the incredible opportunity to contribute at the highest level in our community. And, moreover, that I get to meet and work with many amazing people.

Love to hear from People
It has been especially wonderful to hear from people who have concerns and ideas. Helping people  even really angry people) get assistance from City Hall, I believe, is one of my most important roles. Thanks to those who have contacted me and to those who hold me accountable when I haven't got back to you as fast as I would have liked. I am trying to work towards a one day turnaround maximum for getting back to people. Sometimes that is difficult. I hope I have been of help to a lot of people.

Please do not hesitate to contact me anytime, if you think I can be of some help.

My Campaign Pledges
During the Election campaign, my 2 main print pieces were a hockey card and a resume. I also held a campaign kick off lunch. In my print pieces and at my kickoff, I made the following pledges:

1. To provide open, transparent, and approachable representation on City Council.
2. To take into account the interests of the entire community and looking at economic, social, environmental, and cultural implications before making a decision.
3. To encourage those who don't traditionally get involved in civic affairs to get involved.
4. To pledge to improve and/or manages any of my weaknesses that might lessen my effectiveness to work on your behalf.

The first 4 pledges were more about process - how I would represent you. I think I have made steps towards keeping all 4 pledges, especially #1 and #4.  I look forward to sharing with you some of initiatives around # 2 and #3 in the months ahead.

In addition to talking process, I also shared some more concrete ideas of initiatives I pledged to promote within City Hall:

1. Building Healthy Communities
   1. To promote the development of a training program in consensus building techniques for City Council, City Managers, and City Committees
   2. To encourage the formation and development of community associations.
   3. To promote a crime reduction strategy combines grassroots policing, poverty reduction, and addiction treatment resources.
   4. To value the contributions of youth.
2. Innovative Economic Development
   1. To support the efforts of new entrepreneurs
   2. To look at how we can take advantage of "Green" technologies
3. Sustainable Development
   1. To support the City of Kamloops curbside recycling initiative
   2. To support efforts to secure more alternative energy transit buses for Kamloops

Typing these pledges out again is a nice reminder to propose some focused initiatives around them. I have already started working a little on #1.2, #1.3, and #2.2.

Interactions with Other Members of Council
I love that this Council emphasizes consensus and respectful, healthy debates. It is a major faux pas to speak ill of another member of Council. And I think that is a good thing.

It is also a bit of a challenge. I find it difficult sometimes to disagree or offer an alternative viewpoint. This is very likely my own internal comfort level, because when I have offered other points of view, I generally never have a problem with other members of Council.

As a group, this is one of the smartest, most caring groups I have ever worked with.

Interesting Points along the Council Learning Curve

Every staff report comes with a recommendation: At a Council meeting, city staff present reports they have written on the various issues and items. In Kamloops, every staff report comes with a recommendation. This can be used as a starting point for Council debate. More often than not, in my view, staff don't list the possible downsides of the recommendation.

Must commit to open mind in public hearing:   A lot of development (building) related project go through a public hearing process. A public hearing is a quasi-judicial event and a member of Council must commit to keep an open mind. Any public comments that could be construed as being for or against a project makes the public hearing null and void.

You can calm an angry constituent by asking for a face to face meeting: As a group, City Council  gets quite a number of heated emails. It is quite amazing the extreme language people use. But, they must be angry and I don't ever want to minimize that. I often ask these people if they would like a face to face meeting. Once someone knows you are willing to listen, and figure out that members of Council are not faceless monsters but real human beings, it makes for many pleasant conversations.

If you have a project, issue, or an idea you need or want to bring to Council, its best to prepare thoroughly and to try to get "buy in" from as many people as you can: In this short six months, I have seen it time and again. People think that their project is a "no brainer" and/or just do the consultation required by law. But, time bombs can await such people. There will always be questions you may not have thought of. But, if you talk to as many people as you can, and research thoroughly, concerns can be addressed up front. When you are at the Council meeting or public hearing, its sometimes too late.

Out into the Community
I did not realize just how many invites Council receives to various events around town. I have tried to take full advantage of these invites to meet great people and learn about their various passions, interests, and groups. I thought, because I was born in Kamloops and have always been based here, that I knew a lot of people. I was kidding myself. I am totally inspired by the people in this community.

An Agonizing Vote on the Old Courthouse Purchase

I agonized over my vote on the purchase of the Old Courthouse.

Having participated in hours of meetings, having had tours of this wonderful building, having been approached by people asking about what was happening - I knew this was something many people in  Kamloops wanted us to look at carefully.

In the end, I was worried about the potential for construction and cost overruns that might present themselves in the renovation of the building. We are in a booming construction market and we all know prices are escalating rapidly. And with heritage buildings, we have had cost overrun surprises in the recent past - such as with the Old Cigar Factory building the city now owns across from city hall.

So, today, I found myself being given a thorn by armchair Mayor Mel Rothenburger for not supporting the purchase when we voted.

But, the way I voted is old news.  In case people are interested, and people have already asked me, I offered the above comments.

City Council, as a group, decided to purchase the old Courthouse. There are exciting plans to make it into a thriving centre of the arts in Kamloops. We have had the engineers and experts through the building more than once assessing the health of the structure and what renovations are needed.

I am now a supporter of Council's decision.

There is going to be a healthy and spirited debate about how the old Courthouse will now be run. At this point, I think its going to be very important, quite quickly, to put together a citizen led society to manage the building, much like what exists at St Andrews in the Square. That way, the building is not just a Big C City Building, but a true small c city building. I have also advocated doing a fundraising campaign in the community - to help spread the costs of the buildng, but also to give a broader feeling of ownership of what I am confident will be a great community resource.