council information package november 20, 2019
TRANSCRIPT
COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKAGE
November 20, 2019 Page
Regional Council Calendar 3 COUNCIL CALENDAR
November 25, 2019 - December 1, 2019
Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) 4 - 5 THE CITY OF VICTORIA, CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
Re: Safer Drug Supply and Observed Inhalation Sites
November 12, 2019
Provincial Ministries 6 - 8 MINISTRY OF CITIZENS' SERVICES, OFFICE OF THE MINISTER
2019 grant-in-lieu of property tax payment
November 8, 2019
Trade Organizations 9 - 14 NRRM TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
October 9, 2019 Minutes
15 - 19 BRITISH COLUMBIA COMMUNITY FOREST ASSOCIATION
Submission to the Interior Forest Sector Renewal Engagement
October 10, 2019
Business and Industry 20 - 23 CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY, CORRESPONDENCE FROM
SEAN FINN
Transport Canada's Grade Crossings Regulations
Page 1 of 24
Page
October 25, 2019
Flowers and Condolences 24 FLOWERS AND SYMPATHIES WERE SENT TO THE GUSE
FAMILY
Page 2 of 24
1 2019-11-20 9:53 AMTracey Scrimshaw
SuMo TuWe Th Fr Sa1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 910 11 12 13 14 15 1617 18 19 20 21 22 2324 25 26 27 28 29 30
November 2019SuMo TuWe Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 25 26 27 2829 30 31
December 2019November 25, 2019 - December 1, 2019
November 256:30pm - 9:30pm Regional Council Meeting (Bear Pit)
November 27
November 2912:00pm - 1:00pm Special Regional Council Meeting - Resource Municipalities Coalition (Raven Room) - Leonora Kneller
November 26
November 2810:45am - 11:15am Visit from "Fire Chief for a Day" Children (Mayor FOSTER) (Mayor's Office) - Leonora Kneller
November 30
December 1
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BRITISHCOLUMBIA
November 8, 2019 Ref: 112229
His Worship Gary FosterMayor and Council, Regional Municipality ofNorthern Rockies53 l9 - 50th Avenue SouthFort Nelson BC V0C IRO
Dear Mayor Foster and Council:
I am pleased to advise you that on November 13, 2019, the Province will issue your municipality’s2019 grant-in-lieu of property tax payment by electronic funds transfer.
Based on the property identi?ed in the attached Grant Payment Details Report, your payment for 20l9is $23,769.50. This payment is for provincially owned properties in your community and is made inaccordancewith the Mzmicipa//1idAcl. lfyour payment has changed from last year, it is likely due to a
revised valuation by the BC Assessment Authority, a change in the property tax rates, or through changesin responsibility for real property between Ministries.
lfyou have any questions or concerns, please contact the Real Property Division at RPD./\[email protected].
Sincerely,
/lllaalmwlwm/iwxSelina RobinsonMinister
Attachment: Grant Payment Details Report
pc: Toni Pike, ChiefFinancial Officer, Regional Municipality ofNorthem RockiesScott Barry, Chief Administrative Officer, Regional Municipality ofNorthern Rockies
Ministry of Ofrce of the Minister Mailing Address: Location:Cjmcns‘ services PO Box 9068 Stn Prov Govt Room 236
Victoria BC V8W 9l€2 l’ar|inmcnt BuildingsPhone: 250 387-9699 Victoria BC V8V IX4Fax: 250 387-9722 wwxxxgov hc.ea/citzPage 6 of 24
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MINUTES OF THE NRRM TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Municipal Office, 5319 - 50th Ave S, Northern Rockies Fort Nelson, BC
5:30 PM Bear Pit, October 9, 2019
1
1. 2. 3. 4.
Call to Order Adoption of Agenda Adoption of Minutes New Business Goal Setting & Planning Session
Committee Members Todd Penney, Acting Chair & Regional Councilor Lorena Lopez Caracheo Monique Jacobs John Miller Clayton Mollica Bryce Pearson Hillary Roach Urs Schindknecht* Bev Vandersteen Tiffany Wood Christian Wood Louise Schindler *Attended remotely
Staff Present Krista Vandersteen, SCDC Jaylene MacIver, DRDP Valerie Caden-Baptiste, LGI
Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) Chair Penney called the meeting to order at 5:33 pm. TAC RESOLUTION That the agenda be adopted as presented.
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
TAC RESOLUTION That the minutes from the last meeting be approved.
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY Jaylene MacIver thanked TAC members for the invitation to facilitate a Planning and Goal Setting Meeting. Prior to the meeting, a survey was distributed to members of the TAC. People who did not have a chance to complete the survey were given the opportunity to contribute during the session. Jaylene MacIver highlighted that there were different strengths from different committee members, some enjoy strategy and goal setting while others were eager to get active and engaged in projects. Feedback from survey was shared:
Respondents wanted to gain focus and determine the direction and purpose for the committee,
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MINUTES OF THE NRRM TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Municipal Office, 5319 - 50th Ave S, Northern Rockies Fort Nelson, BC
5:30 PM Bear Pit, October 9, 2019
2
they wanted a better understanding of the big picture and
they wanted to develop goals, priorities, and timelines. Chair Todd Penney had sent the committee members a few questions via email to start brainstorming earlier in the day. Jaylene asked members what they had thought of in relation to those questions. There were a variety of ideas for developing tourism and for what the committee could focus on, including:
Leveraging tourists already travelling on the Alaska Highway;
Increasing awareness of the Regional Municipality;
Developing the tourism industry to improve the local economy
Beautification and downtown revitalization;
Event promotion, creating events and easy things to do in town;
Highlighting the area as a destination for outdoor tourism;
Changing perspectives both internally and externally;
Determine what needs should be addressed, finding opportunities, and bringing them to Regional Council for consideration;
Improving access to outdoor recreation sites; and
Improving communication/advertising early as people plan their trips
Committee members discussed the difference between tourism promotion in the NRRM as a whole and in Fort Nelson, specifically. Some committee members were primarily concerned with getting people to stop in Fort Nelson, and others that saw the value of increasing tourism across the whole region. Overall, it was determined that the committee needed to look at the whole region as a committee of Regional Council. Members explained that there is room for different projects within tourism. Jaylene MacIver shared information regarding the Terms of Reference (TOR). The TOR has defined the purpose of the committee and Council approved the TOR in principle, but left room for feedback for TAC. TAC has still not assigned a Co-Chair, which was a requirement in the TOR. It’s necessary to have a co-chair, not just for decisions, but as an opportunity for a chair from the public so there is joint responsibility/ownership. Once there are subcommittees/working groups, there can be chairs for smaller committees. TAC decided to move the selection of a co-chair to the end of the meeting. Some were unsure if it was necessary and were not ready to make a decision. TAC was asked for feedback/consideration of the 1-year term for committee members. Originally, Council envisioned a 1-year term but some members suggested a longer term since the committee is new and there is a lot of work to get established.
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MINUTES OF THE NRRM TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Municipal Office, 5319 - 50th Ave S, Northern Rockies Fort Nelson, BC
5:30 PM Bear Pit, October 9, 2019
3
TAC RESOLUTION JACOBS/MOLLICA that a request be made to Regional Council to have the term length extended to 2 years.
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Jaylene MacIver also shared information on tourism strategies that have already been developed for the NRRM. There are three strategies used currently, that are reflective of the current needs of the Regional Municipality and demonstrate how to invest and grow the tourism sector. The goals from the survey distributed to TAC are strongly aligned with the goals of the existing Tourism Strategic Plans. Strategic Plans are organized with a vision, pillars/guiding principles, goals/priorities and actions. Through the development of the Strategic Plans the purposes, visions and broad goals were established. The committee should be focusing on actions. The survey asked respondents to define tourism. There were a number of great definitions and ideas shared. The standard definition supported by Destination BC is that tourism means leaving home and going somewhere else. People are tourists whether they are travelling for businesses, pleasure or for anything else. Residents play a role in the tourism sector, for example when tourists stop in the grocery store and ask residents what to do. Committee members were also asked why they wanted to be a part of the committee. Committee members responded that:
They had industry experience
Had passion for the industry
Wanted to improve prosperity in the NRRM
Wanted to create experiences Jaylene MacIver shared information about tourism in the NRRM and the plans that guide it:
1. Regional Economic Strategy: demonstrates how to improve economy in a number of different sectors, including tourism.
2. NEBC Destination Development Strategy: a strategy for Northeast BC. It is an ambitious strategy, formed with input from over 300 stakeholders over 3 years. There is opportunity for goals to have funding from the province.
3. Community Tourism Foundations Plan 4. Northern Rockies Tourism Strategic Plan
Committee members asked about Interpretive Guide Training, which is a tourism experience where personal guides give interpretation of the landscape hand-in-hand so tourists can have a better understanding of history/better experience.
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MINUTES OF THE NRRM TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Municipal Office, 5319 - 50th Ave S, Northern Rockies Fort Nelson, BC
5:30 PM Bear Pit, October 9, 2019
4
Committee members asked about marketing. Marketing tourism experiences lies either with NRRM or private business, this is something the committee could explore. Marketing content from Destination BC has improved and committee members expressed they wanted to keep momentum going. Committee members expressed a desire to see presence from more government agencies, potentially at the meetings. Committee members shared that they would like to work with Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN). FNFN members has been invited to the meetings but have not been available. TAC meetings are public meetings allowing the public to observe the conversation and is currently set up by council resolution to accept any application. There is a minimum number of committee members but no maximum. The committee members discussed inviting individuals to the Facebook group. They decided to wait and could invite people to a future meeting first prior to being added to the Facebook Group. The committee engaged in goal setting activities. The ideas submitted through the survey were distributed and committee members were asked to sort them. Committee members took all the ideas, grouped them where appropriate and removed multiples. As committee members sorted ideas, they were asked to reflect on a few questions such as:
Is this something that is within Council’s control?
Is the project/idea clearly defined?
Does the project align with other values and policies?
Is it likely to be supported/approved by Regional Council? Committee members then went through the list of ideas and identified their individual top 10 priorities. Through voting, the collective top 5 were determined and then ranked by committee members. The top 5 priorities were:
1. Events & Activities: a. Create reliable listings for events & activities in town &
region that can be accessed easily by locals & visitors alike.
b. Build a visible digital sign with a listing of things to do in town and region.
c. Creation of an events database for the region. d. Single point of communications/marketing for all
regional events with key events advertised well in advance to allow for travel planning (12 mos+)
2. Marketing: a. Advertise & promote area. b. Improve web marketing for northern tourism. c. Market more effectively
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MINUTES OF THE NRRM TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Municipal Office, 5319 - 50th Ave S, Northern Rockies Fort Nelson, BC
5:30 PM Bear Pit, October 9, 2019
5
5. 6.
Next meeting date Adjournment
3. Asset list, analysis and partnership development: a. Create an asset list and do an analysis for opportunities
for partnership & to create community support. b. Transparent list of resources available to support
businesses and organizations in growing tourism. c. A plan with clear measurable outcomes to increase
capacity & resources for the industry. d. Take advantage of what we already have
4. Parks: a. Encourage BC Parks to establish clear, long-term
guidelines for tourism operations. b. Trails & Parks. c. Begin working with BC Parks on trails (hiking & biking)
& develop them 5. Winter attractions (wildlife viewing, outside ice skating,
showshoeing, cold weather, northern lights) Committee members were asked to reflect and consider how the committee will function moving forward.
How do you intend to engage with each other?
Will committee members tackle ideas all at once or divide into subcommittees?
How will new ideas be managed moving forward?
How will committee members hold each other accountable?
What are expectations for attendance
How will the committee set timelines?
How will the agenda be structured, for example should project updates be discussed at the beginning of meetings?
TAC RESOLUTION JACOBS/PEARSON that committee expectations are added to the next agenda.
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Following the goal setting the committee participated in an activity where they were asked to complete the sentence, “One year from now I would like to say that…”
Tourism is recognized as part of the economy of the NRRM
That TAC has had a measurable impact
That they have accomplished something The committee then discussed a co-chair. It was agreed that Bev Vandersteen be the co-chair. Next meeting is November 13, 2019. Meeting adjourned at 8:23.
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MINUTES OF THE NRRM TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Municipal Office, 5319 - 50th Ave S, Northern Rockies Fort Nelson, BC
5:30 PM Bear Pit, October 9, 2019
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CERTIFIED a true and correct copy of the October 9, 2019 Tourism Advisory Council minutes.
_______________________________ ___________________________________ Todd Penney, Chair Krista Vandersteen, SCDC
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BC Community Forest Association Submission to the Interior Forest Sector Renewal Engagement October 10, 2019
Introduction Forest policy was initially developed in British Columbia with the goal to support rural community
development and job creation throughout the province. But changes that began in the 1980s have
resulted in the sector contracting or disappearing in many rural communities. As the number of forest
companies declined and the remaining companies grew larger, the forest resource became
concentrated in the hands of a few large licences. Policy changes in the 2000s reduced the access to
wood for the added-value sector and further focused the industry on commodity production.
Continuation on this path will ensure that forestry will no longer be a major employer or economic
driver in many communities in the BC Interior.
Interior BC communities want to reverse this trend and many also understand that forest management
has taken on a new importance. Climate change and the risk of wildfire are growing threats for interior
communities. Many of the existing community forests are leaders in wildfire management and climate
change adaptation. However, the overall lack of effective and pro-active approaches to climate-based
forest management in BC is based on structural weaknesses in our forestry regime, most notably our
tenure system.
As stated in the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development’s
discussion paper on Interior Forest Sector Renewal, “Concentration of forest tenures in the hands of a
few large operators can be detrimental to supporting community resiliency and diversity in the Interior
forest sector.” Commodity based forest licence systems have caused interior communities and major
licensees to diverge.
Correcting this problem and transitioning the Interior forest sector to a path of helping communities
adapt to climate change while being a valued economic component in all interior communities means
taking bold steps with the long-term in mind. Two strategic principles are central to this transformation:
A. Forest tenure reform that significantly increases the number of participants on forest land base
and increased access to fibre for all wood processors; and,
B. Ensuring that the industry refocuses on added-value activities, so the fibre harvested is fully
processed with the right fibre going to the right facility.
It is imperative to take a fresh look at where our forest tenures are situated on the landbase and how
our tenure system can be re-designed to facilitate effective climate mitigation and adaptation. This new
paradigm requires forest management policies that restore ecosystem health and resilience, and
support ecosystem services critical to First Nations and local communities.
Overall, there is a compelling argument for a sustained all-inclusive approach to create a viable path
forward that leads to achieving well defined goals and objectives. Amending forest policy or undertaking
pilot projects to see what happens is not the solution. Only by having fibre available at the local level to
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innovate and diversify, will communities be able to participle in the attraction of new investment to
renew the forest sector. If the old paradigm continues, communities will become further removed from
the forest economy and overall the wealth contraction in the forest industry will continue as the
commodity-based system becomes more and more concentrated.
Forest Tenure and Fibre Supply BC’s Interior communities, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, are demanding more control over their
futures so they can diversify and become more resilient – both economically and in the face of a
changing climate. This means being able to link forest management and community development
objectives at the local level. If the provincial government is serious about rural development, we need to
consider a change in the balance of the tenure system.
In May 2018 the BCCFA proposed Prioritizing Community-Based Tenures for Wildfire Mitigation &
Rural Development to promote Community Forest Program expansion. The report outlines a vision that
would see more community-based tenures (community forest agreements and First Nations woodlands
licences) established in the 10 km zone around Indigenous and rural communities.1 This is a critical zone
for community wildfire protection as confirmed by many communities and forest professionals. The 10
km zone also includes areas where critical social values , ecosystem services and economic opportunities
intersect.
The boundaries of such a zone should be variable based on the risk, community size, fire behaviour and location in the province. Further, each new or expanded community forest must be economically viable and developed according to the established principles of the provincial community forest program, with priority given to communities where Indigenous partnerships and/or support exist, and or the threat of wildfire is high or extreme. Community forest partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities can be a
successful tool to promote reconciliation and to increase the amount of tenure held by First Nations.
Half of the operating CFAs are held by First Nations or are partnerships between Indigenous and non-
Indigenous communities. In addition to community forests where First Nations are owners or partners,
many community forest organizations include First Nations representation on their boards. In many
cases, First Nations are engaged in cooperative planning, share profits, have MOUs and employment
contracts, and work with community forest organizations in capacity building activities like training and
education.
A strategic shift in government policy and re-apportionment of AAC is key to achieving this pragmatic and important vision of increased community-based forest management. Recommendations:
1. Introduce legislation to enable a reapportionment of volume to community-based tenures that meet the objectives of the provincial government, Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. This includes a budget for the critical upfront investment for a take-back that will be necessary to support this legislation.
1 Aligns with COFI’s “ SMART FUTURE: A path forward for B.C.’s forest products industry” Recommendation #30: Increase
community forest agreements and First Nations woodlands licences in areas directly adjacent to communities, to allow
for greater local management, protect communities from wildfires, and provide fibre to local manufacturers.
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2. Actively support the development of more community forests that are partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. This includes identifying First Nations who may wish to discuss managing their volumes with existing CFA holders or communities currently seeking a CFA.2
3. Where independent licences are preferred, support collaboration between community forest agreement holders and First Nations tenure holders.
Climate Change and Forest Carbon Mitigating climate impacts and adapting to climate change must become a primary focus of the forest
sector. We are not doing enough. The climate challenge demands that we fundamentally re-think how
we manage our forests, and to what end.
Many of us live in fire-adapted ecosystems that have heavy and continuous fuel loads as a result of
decades of fire suppression. We cannot expect these ecosystems to continue to sequester and store
carbon indefinitely. We must recognize that there are some trade-offs and difficult decisions to make
regarding when and where storing or sequestering carbon should be a top priority, and when and where
wildfire risk reduction needs to be the top priority. We should thus be explicitly zoning our landbase
into priority areas for carbon, and priority areas for climate adaptation and fuel mitigation.
Climate change adaptation principles are still poorly integrated into operational forest management
decision-making. This is partly because more guidance and tools need to be developed at a local and
sub-regional level. Moreover, the lack of effective and pro-active approaches to climate-based forest
management is based on structural weaknesses in our forestry regime, most notably our tenure system.
A tenure system built around large volume-based tenures works at cross-purposes to climate action. It
is quite simply not the natural mandate of large volume-based licensees to manage forest fuels and
carbon or to make our communities more resilient. We need to take a fresh look at where our forest
tenures are situated on the landbase and how our tenure system can be re-designed to facilitate
effective climate mitigation and adaptation. Expansion of long-term area-based tenures is a pre-
condition to improved mitigation and adaptation action. The community forest tenure incents
investment in the landbase and mid-term timber supply, planning for the entire forest rotation with
social, economic, cultural and environmental values accounted for through the entire cycle. Last year
alone, community forests invested over $2.4 million of their own funds in intensive silviculture.3
Government can regulate requirements for climate mitigation and adaptation, but regulation will never
be as effective or as efficient as harnessing the innovation of motivated and empowered communities.
Community forests are uniquely positioned to deliver locally appropriate climate change mitigation
and adaptation solutions and need to be provided with the necessary scope and tools. We are already
doing the work. Through collaboration with local governments on wildfire planning and preparedness,
community forests have invested $12.2 million dollars to date in wildfire mitigation, with over $2 million
of that coming from their own revenues. Seventy-seven percent have collaborated with their local
governments on wildfire planning preparedness.
The fact is community forests already have a mandate to adapt and make communities more resilient.
Rural communities are on the front lines when local forests are threatened by droughts, by fires, or by
2 Aligns with the First Nations Forest Strategy (May 2019), Goal #4 regarding tenure reform. First Nations are seeking more involvement as managers and decision-makers regarding the use of forest lands and resources in their territories. 3 Community Forest Indicators 2019. http://bccfa.ca/bccfa-2019-community-forest-indicators-report/
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floods. Rural communities need support in adapting to climate change, including through enhanced
local control over forest management decision making.
Recommendations:
4. Establish explicit zoning of the landbase into priority areas for carbon, and priority areas for
climate adaptation and fuel mitigation.
5. Enhance local control over forest management decision making by increasing community forests in areas directly adjacent to communities.
6. Increase the financial support for community forests to invest in wildfire hazard reduction through mechanisms such as the Forest Enhancement Society of BC, while ensuring the funding programs are nominal in bureaucracy.
Manufacturing Capacity and Fibre Utilization Large primary forest companies are focused on harvesting the species and log types that best meet their
mill or market requirements. Community forests focus on marketing the full spectrum of species and
logs available on their land base to a range of customers. By delinking the fibre procurement from the
major commodity manufacturers, fibre would have an opportunity to find its best market and end use.
Already CFA holders consider all forest values and are always looking for ways to diversify their
operations, working to capture more value for the wood harvested.
Beyond the benefits that can be generated by increasing the landbase under community-based
management, we offer additional recommendations regarding manufacturing, fibre utilization and wood
products innovation, drawing on recommendations previously made by the Province of BC (2009), the
Southern Interior Beetle Action Coalition (SIBAC) (2013), and the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition
(2014).
How can rural and Indigenous communities continue to secure economic benefits from our forests in
the face of declining timber harvesting opportunities (i.e. AACs) and changing market demand?
It is not necessarily a requirement for business success that large wood manufacturers hold most or all
of their raw material supply under replaceable forest tenure. We have instances in BC of very successful,
large lumber producers that hold little replaceable forest tenure. Only by having fibre available at the
local level to innovate and diversify, will communities be able to participle in the attraction of new
investment to renew the forest sector.
Recommendations: 4
7. Establish a method and timeline for rebalancing the timber apportionment to diversify access.
8. Encourage continued expansion of open and competitive log markets, while providing access to
fibre to a range of users.
What role can policy and programs play to support manufacturing diversity?
Policy and programming will be critical to support manufacturing diversity. However, moving forward,
success will only come when there are connections between direct programming, tenure reform,
resourcing and external supports. This means a complete suite of tools working in coordination with
policy changes around tenure reform and with an added-value focus. The best programs not connected
4 Omineca Beetle Action Coalition. 2014. Making Forest Policy More Effective.
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to policy or resourcing will not lead to the desired outcomes and represents more of what has been
applied in the past.
Wood Products Innovation The entire mindset of how the province approaches the forest products we produce needs to change.
Wood products innovation will only be realized if we set the strategy at the highest level and link
together the programs, policies and tools that foster added-value to the full range of fibre accessed in
the BC Interior forest.
Recommendations:
9. Adopt a Value Chain Approach for the Province’s approach to the forest sector as outlined in
previous work by SIBAC.5
In addition, there are a range of steps that could specifically support an added-value manufacturing
strategy in conjunction with support of the range of forest values and opportunities including:
10. Reengage and foster new activities in the value-added sector, ensuring that value innovation
occurs from Lab to Market, supported by:
o Stimulating growth of local manufacturing capacity and build technical expertise
through active support for pilot production and next generation products;
o Improving information flow between research institutions, investors, manufactures and
communities;
o Continuing to improve hosting.6
Again, sustained long-term implementation and commitment to a results-based approach that is fully
funded and supported with strong policies is key to success.
Conclusion In conclusion, it is crucial that the Province focus on rebalancing the tenure system. The goals of
communities and First Nations no longer align with how the forest sector is being conducted in the BC
Interior. Moving forward, the rebalancing of the tenure system and re-invigorating the added-value
activities needs to be mindful of the necessity to:
• Increase community resiliency and economic development
• Improve wildfire mitigation and climate change adaptation
• Rebalance fibre basket to ensure local access throughout British Columbia
• Increase First Nations participation in the forest sector
• Ensure jobs are maintained and new jobs are created in rural communities, and
• Support diversified wood manufacturing through more open markets for fibre.
5 Southern Interior Beetle Action Coalition. 2013. Growing the BC Interior Value Added Wood Sector. Available at: http://www.sibacs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/SIBAC-Value-Added-Report-Summary-Report-Final-June-27-2013.pdf. Accessed September 17, 2019. 6 Province of BC. 2009. Generating More Value from Our Forests: A Vision and Action Plan for Further Manufacturing. Available at: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/forestry/generating-more-value/generating_more_value_from_our_forests.pdf. Accessed September 17, 2019.
Page 19 of 24
100
Corporate Services
Sean FinnExecutive Vice-PresidentCorporate Servicesand Chief Legal Officer
935 de La Gauchetiere Street West16"‘ FloorMontreal, Quebec H38 2M9CanadaT 514-399-8100F 514-399-4854
Services corporatifs
Vice-president exécutifServices corporatifs et chef de ladirection des Affaires juridiques
935, rue de La Gauchetiere Ouest16° étageMontréal (Québec) H3B 2M9CanadaT 514 399-8100Tc 514 399-4854
October 25, 2019
His Worship Gary FosterMayorNorthern Rockies Regional Municipality5319 - 50th Avenue South RECENEDPO Box 399 NOV15 mgFort Nelson BC VOC 1R0
Dear Mayor Foster:
Following the entering into force of Transport Canada's Grade CrossingsRegulations in November 2014, CN has been collaborating with Road Authoritiesand communities across our network as we all work to comply with the newrequirements aimed at improving grade crossing safety by the November 28,2021 deadline.
Safety is a shared responsibility and grade crossings present a very goodillustration of this reality. By enabling the coexistence of road and rail traffic,grade crossings facilitate the flow of persons and goods, supporting the lives ofCanadians and the economy. The Regulations recognize this shared responsibilityby directing Road Authorities and Railway Companies to share information andtake measures aimed at improving safety.
You may recall that the Regulations require Railway Companies and RoadAuthorities to share with each other specific information about public crossingsin order to determine the work needed to bring grade crossings in compliancewith the standards set by the Regulations. ln that respect, by the end ofNovember 2016, CN shared with your community a detailed list of crossings anda spreadsheet to facilitate the crossing information sharing.
CN has received the crossing information from the Northern Rockies RegionalMunicipality and we want to thank you for sharing this information with us.
Page 20 of 24
His Worship Gary FosterOctober 25, 2019 100Page 2 EN
Since the crossing information has been exchanged, CN proceeded with anevaluation to determine if the crossings are in compliance with the GradeCrossings Regulations. CN has identified certain items of potential concern andis proposing to meet with your representatives to provide details and discuss thepotential required work or any concerns identified by your public worksdepartment.
CN is committed to continue working with your community on crossing safety.To that end, our Public Works Officers are preparing to meet with the NorthernRockies Regional Municipality and will be contacting your public worksdepartment in order to discuss the results of your own evaluations and tocoordinate any required work so as to ensure that the crossings are compliantwith the Regulations by November 28, 2021.
Costs:Should any work at the crossings in your territory be required to ensurecompliance with the Regulations, the costs will be shared in accordance with theexisting orders from the Canadian Transportation Agency or its predecessors orAgreements in place governing each party's responsibility at those crossings.
Contacts:If you have any questions or concerns respecting CN's activities in yourcommunity, please do not hesitate to contact Joslyn Young at 604-582-3617 orby email at 'os|[email protected]
Yours sincerely,
W 3%Sean Finn
Encl.
cc: Mr. Scott Barry, Chief Administrative Officer
Page 21 of 24
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Page 23 of 24
Flowers and sympathies were sent on behalf of the
NRRM Regional Council & Staff to
Heather Guse & family for the loss of her father-in-law
Page 24 of 24