http://cranbrook.ca/our-city/mayor-and-council/city-council-meeting
Prior to the Council meeting special recognition was given to Terry Miller for his recent Eric Hamber Award for theatre.
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| Mayor Stetski congratulates Terry Miller for his award and presents recognition from the City. |
Delegation
The quarterly RCMP report was given and can be read at:
https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=4111
Bylaws
6.2
Prior to the Council meeting, a public hearing was held with regard to this issue. Notice of this Bylaw has been given. There was one presenter to this hearing, a neighbour of the C3 zoning currently housing a daycare, at the intersection of 11th St and 11th Av. While this parcel of C3 zoning is already zoned for food and beverage sales, serious concerns were raised should this become a reality.
From our understanding this proposed bylaw which has passed two readings, makes a blanket list of trade possibilities available to all C3 zoned areas in the city. While some of these areas have been zoned for specific purposes in the past it is proposed that any of the uses listed below would now be possible. There are 11 of these areas in town , most of which already support small business of some kind.
Third reading of this bylaw was tabled for consideration of amendments.
Comment
For this observer, when Cranbrook is trying to revitalise its downtown core, this bylaw is a little baffling. Food and beverage outlets close to schools have also been known to problematic in the past and maybe more input from the public and affected neighbourhoods is required.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: .. At the July 14th Council meeting, the proposed amendment was given first and second reading, referred to the Advisory Planning Commission for comment and sent to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure for approval. Notice was sent to adjacent owners/occupiers for properties affected by the amendment and the notice was published in the local paper.
The Bylaw was approved by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. The Advisory
Planning Commission recommended approval of the Bylaw. One general inquiry with respect to the proposed amendment from an affected property owner was received. Four general inquiries from adjacent property owners were received, one of which identified concerns (Baker Mtn Rd.).
The proposed amendment has been drafted in response to a request from the City's Economic Development Officer (EDO). It was suggested to planning staff that the existing C-3, Neighbourhood Commercial Zone was too restrictive and, from a business standpoint, opportunities to expand the permissible uses should be considered.
The proposed uses to be added to the C-3 zone include: drug and health supplement store; shoe,
apparel/clothing store; food and beverage store; gift, novelty and souvenir store; photography
studio/store; book store; hobby/craft store and music store. In order to keep the new uses
compatible with the character of neighbourhood commercial, staff is proposing a new regulation to
limit the gross floor area of retail trade businesses to 200. m2. This proposed size is consistent with the size limit established in the definition of "neighbourhood convenience store", which is currently a permissible use in the zone.
The proposed uses were considered in relation to their compatibility with the intent and character of neighbourhood commercial zoning and were also compared to the downtown commercial zoning. This was done to determine whether any of the uses could negatively impact downtown business by encouraging outmigration from downtown. While there could be a possibility that businesses would move out of the downtown, currently the limited number of available C-3 parcels in the City should reduce this potential. There are approximately eleven (11) C-3 parcels scattered throughout the City, including one owned by the City.
6.5 Orchard Heights Reserve Fund
To obtain Council approval to establish a reserve fund, as per Section 188 of the Community Charter, for monies received from the settlement of the Orchard Heights litigation to be used for future repair, removal and replacement of failed infrastructure.
Three Readings - carried.
New Business
8.1 Notice of Motion from Mayor Stetski
City of Cranbrook Urban Agriculture Strategy
Whereas over the last couple of years the City of Cranbrook has received a number of requests and expressions of interest in conducting various forms of urban agricultural activities within the City, and currently, the City does not have a specific strategy or policy with respect to urban agriculture,
And Whereas an Urban Agriculture Strategy could:
• Provide guidelines, actions and policies with respect to urban agriculture;
• Promote sustainability and food security;
• Support economic initiatives for the agricultural sector;
• Provide support when seeking funding opportunities for agricultural related projects.
Therefore in consideration of the potential benefits of an Urban Agricultural Strategy,
Be It Resolved that Council adds the development of an Urban Agricultural Strategy to the list of
priority projects for consideration in the City's 2015 Corporate Workplan and budget
discussions.
Carried
8.2
Notice of Motion from Councillor Davis
Whereas, Cranbrook is situated in the southeast corner of British Columbia,
And Whereas, this southeast corner of British Columbia abuts the southwest
corner of Alberta, the Northwest corner of Montana, the Northern border of Idaho and the Northeast corner of Washington,
And Whereas these five areas represent jurisdictions with all different systems of governance, and this leads to many barriers to economic and social intercourse,
Therefore Be It Resolved, that the City of Cranbrook initiate steps to encourage the social and economic unification of these five (5) neighboring jurisdictions.
Submitted by: Councillor Angus Davis, 14 July 2014
Carried but with elimination of the word unification and the use of cooperation instead.
8.3
Notice of Motion from Councillor Warner
Whereas in 2013 there were 128 work-related deaths in B.C and hundreds more injured on the job resulting in millions in lost income to workers and their families and millions more in costs to industry, business and
government.
And whereas WorkSafe BC administrator Gordon Macatee said WorkSafe BC investigators failed to prosecute those potentially responsible for two deadly sawmill blasts that resulted in the deaths of four workers and 22 injuries at the Babine Forest Products' sawmill in Bums Lake, BC and
the Lakeland Sawmill in Prince George in 2012.
And whereas police and prosecutors are not utilizing special amendments to the Criminal Code of Canada to hold corporate executives and directors criminally accountable for worker deaths and injuries that were written into the Code after the We stray Mine disaster in 1992 that killed 26 miners.
And whereas close to one thousand workers are killed on the job in
Canada every year. And whereas as an elected body resolutions passed by this Council influence public policy in Canada at all levels of government be it municipal, provincial or federal.
Therefore be it resolved that this Council support a United
Steelworkers campaign to ensure Crown attorneys and police are educated, trained and directed to apply the Westray amendments in all cases where workers are killed or injured on the job and there is a reasonable suspicion that criminal negligence was involved or laws broken. One more worker
killed on the job is one too many.
Carried by Mayor Stetski, Councillors Warner, Whetham and Cross with the caveat that the motion be submitted to Worksafe BC first. Councillors Davis and Scott were opposed to the motion.
8.7 Social Media Policy
It was announced that the City of Cranbrook will soon have a Facebook Page for the purpose of conveying emergency information.
8.9 Appointments of David Humphrey and Jim Cameron to the Well and Heritage, Heritage subcommittee.
8.14
Council was pleased to see this new development by Canadian Tire going ahead.
RECOMMENDATION BY: Staff
That Council require the developer to extend the watermain and sidewalk along Theater Road adjacent to the northwest corner of the property on their side of the street and relocate a stormwater catch basin as a condition of issuance of a building permit;
And furthermore that Council require traffic light signalization be installed at the intersection of McPhee
Road and Theatre Road as a condition of issuance of a building permit and authorize the developer to
claim the traffic light installation as a DCC credit for their share of the cost of the signalization;
And furthermore that Council authorize the use of up to $150,000 from the General Operating Fund
Accumulated Surplus to fund the City's portion of the signalization of the intersection.
Carried
10.1 Administration Update
Can be read in full with attachments at:
12.5 Correspondence
Letters covered topics such as traffic calming on Innes Avenue, funding request for start up of Gifts that Give Hope, Worst Roads Survey and Stop signs.
begins at:
https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=4137
finishes at:
https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=4166 with a letter against Urban Chicken keeping.
Thanks for attending what appears to have been a long and at times complex meeting, then taking the time to summarize main points. Much appreciated!!
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