Jayme KENNEDY
Special to superfastbody
UBCM was an excellent conference, it was so inspiring and I am so grateful that our board was a part of it. Our community benefits when we can make the in-person connections that help us learn from the experiences of others rather than having to reinvent the wheel.
One of the biggest highlights for me, personally, was a session called Bypassing Barriers which focused on the experience of women and gender diverse folks in politics. It was especially helpful in building a network of mentors and contacts to help deal with online harassment and the unique challenges of being a woman in an elected role.
While in Vancouver, the board met with the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming. This was an incredibly fast-paced meeting as we had three topics to discuss with the minister in only 15 minutes.
In the short time available, we discussed that there has been no communication from BC Ferries as to when regular ferry service will resume to Denny Island. As background, in early 2023, BC Ferries closed the Denny Island Ferry dock with little notice to residents and BC Ferries customers.
This ferry line ensures public access to the Central Coast and is an essential provincial service. The CCRD sent a letter to BC Ferries in March 2023 requesting a review of their services to the Central Coast but received no response. There is no information on the BC Ferries website on this closure or any plans for the dock’s replacement.
We requested that the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure communicate with the CCRD on the timeline and plan to replace the Shearwater dock, that the replacement dock accommodates large ferries and is an alternate for Bella Bella in emergencies, and to reinstate full ferry service to the Central Coast.
We also requested that the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure build a new public access road for vehicles and travellers to access existing public roads on Denny Island as well as increase maintenance of existing ministry roads on Denny Island. Advancing rural transportation solutions by working with First Nations and local governments is one of the priorities outlined by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and the CCRD requested MOTI uphold this priority by building a public access road to existing public roads.
In the five remaining minutes of the meeting, we voiced our support to the Heiltsuk Nation, as one of our partners in the Central Coast Regional District, in their advocacy to the Ministry of Transportation for additional funding to address this much-needed issue of constructing a new Bella Bella Community Access Road (previously the Airport Road) is a key piece of infrastructure in Bella Bella as the community can only be accessed via boat or plane. The state of this road is currently in complete disrepair and is now dangerous to drive on. We support the old road being converted to a bike and walking path.
The minister was receptive and we will be looking to follow up on these requests soon.
We also met with Municipal Affairs Minister Anne Kang, and the Parliamentary Secretary of the Environment Aman Singh. Both of these meetings were on the topic of a heartfelt plea for financial help with our landfill service specifically landfill closure and post closure costs.
The Central Coast Regional District simply cannot provide the finances required to fulfill the new operating certificate, operate the facility, and meet closure, and post-closure requirements.
As background, the CCRD taxes $180,000 (with a maximum requisition limit of $215,000), and the Nuxalk Nation provide $105,000 annually. However, the asset retirement obligations alone have grown to over $320,000 per year.
The CCRD increased taxation regionally in 2023 and tipping fees by 258 per cent to attempt to address the situation. However, the community cannot sustain additional increases in taxation or tipping fees. The CCRD has one of the smallest tax bases in the province as more than half our residents live on reserve. We have no municipality within our regional district, and our remote location, small population, and small tax base limit the amount we can contribute to our solid waste management. The lifespan of this landfill site is set to expire in 2032 with the estimated costs of landfill closure and post-closure liability growing annually. As of 2023, we have received a cost summary of $4,859,000 for a new weigh scale and scale house, landfill closure, costs to comply with a new landfill operational certificate, and costs associated with our required solid waste management plan. The Central Coast Regional District cannot provide the finances required to fulfill the new operating certificate, closure, and post-closure requirements.
We stressed that we will not be able to meet the criteria and requirements of the new operating certificate without provincial financial support. Stabilization of this service is necessary for closure, post-closure, and future solid waste management. If it is not stabilized with provincial support, there will be a significant risk of mass garbage burning and rampant illegal dumping in the Bella Coola Valley. This high risk of garbage burning, and illegal dumping would be devastating to our residents, wildlife, and overall biodiversity of our valley.
We urged the ministers to recognize the gravity of our situation and consider our request for $5 million dollars in funding. This financial support is crucial to address our landfill operations and post-closure obligations comprehensively as well as demonstrating the province’s commitment to environmental justice, social cohesion, and the well-being of all residents.
We felt like these meetings are only the beginning of our advocacy work in gaining financial support for this service. We plan to continue to ask for meetings with these ministries as well as with the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs and with the Premier until our request is given the support and attention it deserves.
Although meetings with ministers are an important part of UBCM, the opportunity to network with other members of local governments is a huge value to us as the smallest regional district in the province and the only one with no municipalities. It was an incredible opportunity to collaborate with other local government reps and form connections to elevate and make our voices stronger.
READ MORE: CCRD requests provincial support for more inclusive regional district table with First Nations partners
READ MORE: Central Coast Regional District to receive $830,000 in one-time provincial grant funding
Jayme Kennedy is the chair of the Central Coast Regional District
Don’t miss out on reading the latest local, provincial and national news offered at superfastbody. Sign up for our free newsletter here.
