Prince George City Council will discuss potential resolutions to be forwarded to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) for advocacy at Monday’s meeting.
Included on Monday’s agenda is three resolutions.
The first of which is one that was previously forwarded to the Union, asking the provincial government to develop a funding model to compensate local governments providing emergency medical services and pre-hospital care through fire and rescue service.
This was endorsed by UBCM in 2023.
According to a report submitted by Mayor Simon Yu, the provincial response “emphasized the voluntary nature of the agreements between [BC Emergency Health Service] and the municipality, advising that costs may be managed by scaling back participating in providing lifesaving emergency medical services and pre-hospital care by fire and rescue services.”
The report also states “the City feels this is an inappropriate and impractical response to our genuine concern.”
The second resolution to be discussed comes from a Notice of Motion presented by Councillors Trudy Klassen and Brian Skakun, and aims to give City Council more authority to terminate a municipal officer.
Currently, City Council requires a two-thirds vote of all Council Members to terminate a municipal officer.
The resolution would have UBCM call on the provincial government to amend the Community Charter Section 152(2), allowing termination of a municipal officer by a simple majority vote of council members present, with notice and opportunity to be heard.
It also calls on UBCM to urge the provincial government to amend the Community Charter Section 151(2) to extend the suspension review period of a municipal officer to the third meeting after suspension, with notice and opportunity to be heard.
“These changes empower Council to better reflect voter priorities, enhance accountability, and strengthen democratic governance,” the Notice of Motion states.
The final resolution, presented from the Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, calls on UBCM to petition the province to declare gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking an epidemic in British Columbia, and to update the province’s Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking.
Council will vote on whether or not to forward these resolutions to UBCM.
Other items to be discussed tomorrow includes the reinstatement of Public Notice Advertising in the Prince George Citizen, and a request for help in sweeping the trails at the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club.
The full agenda for tomorrow’s meeting is here.
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