What's Happening

Thursday January 10th

Rockies Film Series
'Searching for Sugar Man'
7:00pm Columbia Theatre



Cranbrook and District Arts Council 
'Nude Art'
Exhibit ongoing
Reception tonight 7:00pm - 9:00pm
http://www.theartscouncil.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/CranbrookArtsCouncil

Friday January 11th


BDO Game Night
Western Financial PlaceTime: 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm 
Call 250-426-4285

Thursday January 17th

You Should Write That

Family History/memoirs Writing Course

Jan 17th through Feb 7th

$120 for members

Register now at Cranbrook and District Arts Council

250-426-4223

Friday January 18th

Fort Steele Theatre Camp

to register

250-420-7154

The Chamber and the NDP Dilemma

A Chamber of Commerce executive who wants to run for the New Democrats in the B.C. election next May has been told she will lose her job if she wins the party nomination in the riding of Chilliwack.

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/its-the-bc-ndp-or-your-job-candidate-told/article7072328/?service=mobile

The dilemma of open partisanship for Chambers of Commerce is certainly not new as we found out recently in Cranbrook when our local Chamber did not host a business audience to hear Adrian Dix, Leader of the Opposition.  The question of whether local government should fund openly partisan organisations such as a Chamber will not go away and increasingly other decisions of some Chambers of Commerce are also being questioned.  It would seem times are changing and considering many Chambers in the Province may be working with a different government after May, one would think it might be in their best interest to show interest in forging relationships with those people they may possibly need to work with in the future.

Hollywood Legend Ed Asner Has Caused a Stir Over This Animated Short

To see source:
http://www.moveon.org/share/72e232/hollywood-legend-ed-asner-has-outraged-republicans?rc=share-359a08

Red Sky in the Morning

Shepherd's warning!  The weather certainly took a turn today.

Sunrise, Jan 7th  (Stewart Wilson photo) 

Enviable Situation in Sweden

Sweden runs out of garbage, forced to import from Norway

by Matt Hickman

Sweden, birthplace of the Smörgåsbord, Eric Northman, and the world’s preferred solar-powered purveyor of flat-pack home furnishings, is in a bit of a pickle: the squeaky clean Scandinavian nation of more than 9.5 million has run out of garbage. The landfills have been tapped dry; the rubbish reserves depleted. And although this may seem like a positive — even enviable — predicament for a country to be facing, Sweden has been forced to import trash from neighboring countries, namely Norway. Yep, Sweden is so trash-strapped that officials are shipping it in — 80,000 tons of refuse annually, to be exact — from elsewhere.

You see, Swedes are big on recycling. So big in fact that only 4 percent of all waste generated in the country is landfilled.

Good for them! However, the population's remarkably pertinacious recycling habits are also a bit of a problem given that the country relies on waste to heat and to provide electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes through a longstanding waste-to-energy incineration program. So with citizens simply not generating enough burnable waste to power the incinerators, the country has been forced to look elsewhere for fuel. Says Catarina Ostlund, a senior advisor for the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency: “We have more capacity than the production of waste in Sweden and that is usable for incineration.”

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/recycling/blogs/sweden-runs-out-of-garbage-forced-to-import-from-norway

Post Notes for the Council Meeting of January 7th 2013

Mayor Stetski and Councillor Warner absent.  Councillor Cross chaired the meeting as acting Mayor.

Delegations

5.1 Interior Health to introduce the Healthy Communities Initiative
Kerri Wall, Healthy Communities Coordinator for the area presented the promoting Healthy Communities Initiative.  The focus of this initiative is to assist in the taking care of wellness as a opposed to taking care of illness.  She cited some initiatives that the city has already taken - Rotary Way and Rails to Trails but suggested the City and Interior Health liaise more frequently to coordinate and promote ways to assist, where they can in such issues as poverty reduction, child care etc.  It was suggested a meeting with the Health and Wellness Committee be held.

5.2 RDEK regarding the Proposed Home Based Business Regulations which were proposed to the City.
Karen Macleod from the RDEK gave a detailed outline of the proposed changes to the Business Regulations for the Rural District.  This draft can be read at: https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=2724
Councillor Whetham asked how such issues as noise from a sawmill for example might be handled and Andrew McLeod Manager of Planning and Development for the RDEK stated there other bylaw regulations with regard to noise.

7.1 Administration Updates
The full report can be read at:
https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=2725
Engineering - Lot Drainage Requirements. At present the City of Cranbrook has no prohibitions against the piping of storm water to the street

Library Services - The library has added 11 historical photographs to its permanent display.
                           - Computer Basics Course for Seniors being offered starting Feb. 1
                           - Pre-school and Primary Story times resume on Wed. Jan 9th

Correspondence
9.1 Local Economy Summit being held Feb. 13-14 in Vancouver
https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=2726

9.2 National Health and Fitness Day

9.3 Request for comment on the Coal Licence Application regarding potential impacts or concerns
https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=2728
There was some discussion concerning the potential accumulation of selenium in waterways.  Councillors Scott and Pallesen did not feel a letter need be sent.  An individual letter of enquiry may be sent by the Mayor or individual Councillors.

9.4 Chamber of Commerce regarding the proposed Sign By-law
https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=2729

9.5 David Wilks, MP encourages nominations for the PM's Volunteer Awards
https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=2730

9.6 School District 5 letter regarding review of traffic and parking issues

9.7 Request for speed bumps of a deterrent in the back alley beside 15th Ave. near Baker High School
https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=2732

9.8 Heart and Stroke Foundation Person to Person Campaign
https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=2733


10.1 Business Arising

Notice of Motion from Councillor Angus Davis - requesting that an inventory be taken of all vacant facilities downtown in order to determine a plan to inject some enthusiasm for investment and location in the Downtown area of Cranbrook.
Motion carried.

12.1 New Business

Proposed Resolution for the AKBLG ( Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments)Annual General Meeting submitted by Councillor Sharon Cross.
- Reintroduce Farm Gate Sales in the province in order that we might better support our agricultural community.
-Request that the Province of BC amend the Police Act to allow another level of policing service for municipalities in order for them to be able to control costs similar to the legislated Peace Officer Act that is in place in the Province of Alberta

Both Resolutions were approved to go forward.

12.2  A liquor license application for the newly proposed 'Black Dog Brew House' ( formally Heidi's)was approved

13.1 ByLaws

Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 3762,2013
First and second readings carried.  This amendment clarified existing zoning regulations.  A Public Hearing will be held January 21st.

Advance Council Notes - January 7th

Delegations

5.1 Interior Health to introduce the Healthy Communities Initiative
5.2 RDEK regarding the Proposed Home Based Business Regulations which were proposed to the City.

7.1 Administration Updates

Engineering - Lot Drainage Requirements. At present the City of Cranbrook has no prohibitions against the piping of storm water to the street

Library Services - The library has added 11 historical photographs to its permanent display.
                           - Computer Basics Course for Seniors being offered starting Feb. 1
                           - Pre-school and Primary Story times resume on Wed. Jan 9th

Correspondence

9.1 Local Economy Summit being held Feb. 13-14 in Vancouver
9.2 National Health and Fitness Day
9.3 Request for comment on the Coal Licence Application regarding potential impacts or concerns
9.4 Chamber of Commerce regarding the proposed Sign By-law
9.5 David Wilks, MP encourages nominations for the PM's Volunteer Awards
9.6 School District 5 letter regarding review of traffic and parking issues
9.7 Request for speed bumps of a deterrent in the back alley beside 15th Ave. near Baker High School
9.8 Heart and Stroke Foundation Person to Person Campaign

10.1 Business Arising

Notice of Motion from Councillor Angus Davis - requesting that an inventory be taken of all vacant facilities downtown in order to determine a plan to inject some enthusiasm for investment and location in the Downtown area of Cranbrook.

12.1 New Business

Proposed Resolution for the AKBLG Annual General Meeting submitted by Councillor Sharon Cross.
- Reintroduce Farm Gate Sales in the province in order that we might better support our agricultural community.
-Request that the Province of BC amend the Police Act to allow another level of policing service for municipalities in order for them to be able to control costs similar to the legislated Peace Officer Act that is in place in the Province of Alberta

13.1 ByLaws

Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 3762,2013

What we Learned from the Fiscal Cliff

Stewart's Snow Sloths

The Tyee 's Idea Number 9

Idea #9: Smartphones: The New Automobile

Cars made cities sprawling and impersonal, but that handheld gadget will change them again. Ninth in a series.

By Nigel Dembicki, Genta Ishimura and Ian Lowrie, 

Smartphones are changing how businesses reach out to consumers. This is beginning to affect the physical shape of the cities we live in. Need proof? Take a look around your city.

These days, owning a smartphone is increasingly becoming an expectation. A recent study by J.D. Power and Associates shows that 54 per cent of wireless customers in Canada use smartphones, a market share that continues to grow. Logging on to the Internet anywhere, anytime, has never been easier.

The implications of this reach far and wide. The advent of the automobile resulted in sprawling cities and big box stores. Smartphone users, too, enjoy unparalleled freedom and connectivity. But they demand much less physical infrastructure. Quite the opposite: the rise of the smartphone is making cities more dense and accessible. Here are some examples:

Go to:
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/12/31/Big-Idea-9-2012/