At the regular meeting of Telkwa Council on Jan. 10, council approved applying for a number of grants available to the Village including:
The BC Hydro Community ReGreening Program, which would provide $7,500 for drought-tolerant trees for the Telkwa cemetery.
A grant application for up to $20,000 will be made for the B.C. Vision Zero in Road Safety to develop a detailed design for the Hankin Avenue Active Transportation Project that includes a new, paved sidewalk along Hankin Avenue in front of the Telkwa Elementary School connecting to the existing sidewalk from the highway pedestrian underpass to the staircase connecting to the Tower neighbourhood.
A Canada Summer Jobs grant will be applied for to subsidize wages for two summer youth workers. The grant available is $8,764. The Village is committing $21,997.64 from the operational budget for the two full-time positions.
The Local Government Climate Action Program (LGCAP) grant provides $51,082 to the Village annually, but must be applied for. The grant from LGCAP from 2022 was not used and will be combined with this year’s funding. This allows for $100,264 to be allocated toward retrofitting the old fire hall No.2 and $20,432.80 to be allocated toward a project from the Village’s COVID-19 Reserve Funds as the Village’s 20 per cent climate investment contribution over two years.
A Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UNBC) Emergency Support Services (ESS), Community Emergency Preparedness Fund Grant will be applied for through the Town of Smithers, as a joint application with Telkwa, and managed through the Town of Smithers. Council agreed to this process as has been done the past five years. The grant is used for the Bulkley Mobile Reception Centre, uniforms and gear for emergency response, training and public education.
Letter of support
In other business, Council voted to write a letter in support of the concerns the new Emergency Support Services Program Guide (Field Guide) presents to communities in the north. The Field Guide was prepared and distributed without a consultation process of any kind, which presents at least eight major concerns to smaller communities with limited facilities in the north. The Village will send the letter identifying the Villages concerns to the Minister of Emergency and Climate Readiness, the governing body of ESS, responsible for the Field Guide.
Bylaws
A number of bylaws were adopted by council during its Jan. 10 meeting including:
Bylaw No. 756, 2002, amending the Corporation of the Village of Telkwa Cemetery to include Green Burial criteria. Adopted unanimously.
Bylaw 758, 2022, amending the Corporation of the Village of Telkwa Floodplain Management Bylaw. Adding a section, and clarifying wording of the current plan. Adopted unanimously.
Bylaw 759, 2023, Council adopted a bylaw to regulate signs. It is a comprehensive bylaw that includes descriptions, definitions, numbers, types, locations and general conditions regarding signage within the Village of Telkwa. Adopted unanimously.