Mayor's Message: November

From meetings in Victoria and Ottawa to events and activities around Sechelt, the last couple of months have been very busy.

From Victoria…

In late October, I drove to Victoria for meetings with four Provincial Government Ministers, MLA Nicholas Simons and the CEO of BC Ferries. Mayor Ron Woznow of Powell River joined for part of the trip and Councillors Adam Shepherd, Donna Bell and Darren Inkster attended meetings on Monday.

On the agenda – our Ferries woes, our dire short-term water supply situation, the need for a real highway and more. We focused on presenting practical, workable Solutions and expressed interest in hearing about other Solutions they might have. We encouraged the Province to work with us in taking decisive action, including requesting that they streamline their procedures and reduce red tape and delays.

The meetings were constructive and the Ministers appreciated that we came with Solutions, rather than complaints. At the same time, it seems they need more encouragement to get into action. To that end, I am returning to Victoria in December for further meetings on these and other important topics.  

My vision includes Sechelt taking the lead in implementing affordable and practical Solutions. Whether such are the Solutions I’ve outlined or ones that are even better, getting into action on them now will address our challenges while providing a road map for other municipalities to follow.

View the Solutions papers here: https://shorturl.at/hkuAH

To Ottawa…

As BC’s representative on the federal Green Municipal Fund (GMF) Council, I travelled to Ottawa in September for our quarterly meeting. GMF funds local sustainability projects that help municipalities adopt climate solutions faster to become net-zero communities. The Council is a dynamic group of municipal elected officials, federal agency representatives and industry leaders. While we meet monthly, this was my first in-person meeting, so I had the opportunity to get to know these great people better.

Being in Ottawa also gave me the opportunity to meet with our MP Patrick Weiler and some of his caucus colleagues as well as other elected officials.

Our next in-person GMF meetings are later this month and MP Weiler and I are planning to meet with appropriate federal officials to move forward on complex topics such as derelict vessels, immigration processing, ferry route staffing requirements and more. I welcome hearing your suggestions of topics to be raised at the federal level.

And back to Sechelt for the Festival of Lights…

I’m returning from Ottawa on the morning of Saturday, December 2^nd – to join everyone for the beginning of the Holiday Season in Sechelt!

I hope you’ll make plans to join us for carols and to Light the Lights at our historic Rockwood Lodge, then along Cowrie Street for the Festival of Lights Parade.

Remembrance

I was honoured to again represent Sechelt in the Remembrance Day ceremonies. It is so important that we remember those who gave and continue to give so much for us. This year was particularly special as it was the last time the ceremonies will start and finish at the Legion’s current location on Wharf Avenue. After 50 years, the Legion is moving to a new location on Inlet Avenue next year!

Finally, on a somber note, I have discovered in the last month that four of my friends are dealing with serious health issues. It’s a reminder to be kind to and take care of each other.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be sharing my next trip to Victoria and Ottawa with you in December. For now, stay safe.