By Ian Cobb

e-KNOW

The provincial government is going to be asked by the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) to not allow Jumbo Glacier Mountain Resort Municipality (JGMRM) to have a seat at the regional board table (voting or non-voting) until its mayor and council are democratically elected by a local population.

District of Invermere Mayor and RDEK board of director Gerry Taft April 8 forwarded a motion for a letter to be drafted asking the province to change the letters patent for the JGMRM to strike the January 2017 timeline for a voting seat on the RDEK and to further restrict or prevent JGMRM from having a seat, voting or non-voting, on the RDEK board until such time as they are a democratically elected council representing a permanent population.

The RDEK will also encourage the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development to develop and communicate a sunset clause or winding-up-provision for JGMRM if a permanent population, large enough for local government elections, is not achieved within a reasonable number of years.

Following the Thursday evening committee meetings, Taft asked to have an amendment added to his motion supporting Jumbo Glacier Mountain Resort Municipality’s recent request to amend Section 8 (2) (A) of the RDEK Letters Patent ordered on Nov. 19, 2012 (Order in Council 760) by changing January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2020 and reminding the ministry of the board’s 2009 resolution. The amendment also encourages the province “to consider tying a voting Jumbo Glacier Mountain Resort Municipality seat on the RDEK board not only to time constraints but also to a base minimum amount of permanent population and assessed value.”

The board passed both the motion and amendment. Voting against the amendment and motion were City of Fernie Mayor Mary Giuliano, City of Cranbrook director Tom Shypitka, District of Elkford Mayor Dean McKerracher and District of Sparwood alternate director Lois Halko.

Regional board chair, Electoral Area C Director Rob Gay pointed out the motion is only a request of the province. “We are just suggesting these are factors to consider,” he said.

Taft said his motion is “a compromise,” noting he still does not think JGMRM deserves any kind of vote without residents, even if the assessment is higher.

“The ultimate reality is the province has the full say in this. They didn’t listen to us in ’09,” he said.

Taft provided a backgrounder in his motion/report to the regional board.

“In September of 2009, shortly after the RDEK narrowly supported the concept of the Jumbo Valley getting municipal status (as an area with no population and an initially an appointed council), the RDEK board unanimously endorsed a resolution asking the province not to give any potential Jumbo resort municipality a seat on the RDEK until such time as there was a population large enough for elections.

“When the province created the letters patent for Jumbo Glacier Mountain Resort Municipality (JGMRM), they did not exactly follow the wishes of the RDEK. They indicated that JGMRM would not have a vote at the RDEK until such time as January 1, 2017, or reaching a taxable assessment of $30 million. Technically, they currently have a non-voting seat, which Mayor Greg Deck has reached a protocol with the RDEK that JGMRM will not attend a meeting unless something directly effects them,” Taft noted in the background portion of his report.

“Because of the wording in the letters patent, if nothing is done to change them, JGMRM will have to attend meetings, and have to vote, after January 1, 2017.

In my opinion I don’t think anyone intended to have a provincially appointed person representing a town with no residents, and a total assessed value of less than $400,000, voting on issues facing the entire East Kootenay.

“By forwarding this resolution we are reminding the province about something that may have been forgotten, and hopefully giving them an opportunity and enough time to make amendments and changes before January 1, 2017.

“The rational for the JGMRM was to undertake planning and zoning work to get things established so that there would be a properly planned community by the time residents arrived. Having a town with no or few residents and an appointed council has occurred several times in B.C.’s history with resource towns, like Tumbler Ridge or Elkford. However, in these examples, within two years there was a population large enough to have elections and function as a normal community. It seems reasonable to ask the province to set a deadline for the JGMRM to have a population large enough to hold elections. It seems unreasonable to have an appointed council and no residents in a municipal structure for an extend number of years or decades.”

The following is Taft’s original motion (without the amendment noted above).

Resolution:

WHEREAS The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) unanimously endorsed a resolution in September of 2009 asking that if a resort municipality was created for the Jumbo Valley, that such a municipality not be given a seat on the RDEK board until such time as they had a population sufficient to elect a governing council;

AND WHEREAS The letters patent creating the Jumbo Glacier Mountain Resort Municipality (JGMRM) allow them a seat on the RDEK, and would allow full voting powers by January 1st 2017;

AND WHEREAS JGMRM has a total assessed value of $393,300, there are no structures, no residents, and the municipality and resort development seems to be on hold pending legal decisions, and it is unlikely a permanent population or sizeable assessed value will be achieved anytime soon;

AND WHEREAS It is contrary to the intention of regional districts to have municipal directors who are not elected and not accountable to residents, and who are appointed by the Province, voting on regional matters;

AND WHEREAS The JGMRM Council has passed a resolution asking that the letters patent be amended to change the timing of their voting seat at the RDEK from January 2017 to January 2020, and although this is an improvement from the current January 2017 timeline, the RDEK does not feel this goes far enough to address the issue;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED The province be requested to change the letters patent for the JGMRM to strike the January 2017 timeline for a voting seat on the RDEK and to further restrict or prevent JGMRM from having a seat, voting or non-voting, on the RDEK board until such time as they are a democratically elected council representing a permanent population;

AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED The RDEK encourage the province to develop and communicate a sunset clause or winding up provision for JGMRM if a permanent population, large enough for local government elections, is not achieved within a reasonable number of years.

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