COMMUNITY PLANNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR RURAL NEIGHBOURHOODS

Community planning is a process which engages residents to establish visions, goals and policies for achieving social, economic and environmental sustainability within our communities.  Community planning can be undertaken using the approaches outlined in the Local Government Act or by using a variety of non-legislative planning methods. Plans can be directed at the community as a whole, specific neighbourhoods and individual properties. They can also be directed at particular sectors such as economic development, social development, housing, parks, or environmental management.
Community planning is an orderly process that allows residents to identify and address pressing issues in their communities. This planning method can begin with three simple questions:

• Where is our community today?
• What do we want our community to be like in the future?
• How can we effectively move toward the future?

Keys to a successful community plan:

• Identify the geographic area of the community to be included in the planning area.
• Form a planning committee consisting of 8 to 15 members who rally participation from the entire community. The committee should be representative of the community and be comprised of a cross section of residents (age, professions, gender, geographic area, etc.)
• Identify key issues based upon a SWOT analysis (strengths / weakness / opportunities / threats).  Issues to consider should include: demographics, community pride, recreation, education / schools, land zoning (residential, agricultural, industrial),  transportation, facilities, health, economic development, social development, safety, housing, parks, beautification / landscaping, sensitive areas, infrastructure, environmental management;
• Developing a goal (outcome the community would like to attain) for each of the issues identified. 
• Develop an action plan that can be used to carry out steps to attain the identified goals.  This plan should outline how the actions will be implemented.   
• Continual monitoring of the plan to assess the progress toward meeting the goals and recommended strategies adopted by the community. 

IF YOU SEE VALUE IN HAVING A PLAN FOR YOUR COMMUNITY AND WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PLANNING PROCESS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.  I ENVISION THE POTENTIAL OF HAVING PLANS FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS WITHIN AREA B: BOUCHIE LAKE / MILBURN LAKE TEN MILE LAKE / MOOSE HEIGHTS / PARKLAND CINEMA / STRATHNAVER

 

YOUR RECREATION COMMISSIONS NEED YOU!

VOLUNTEER CALL OUT

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER…

§  Do you reside within Area B and within the North Cariboo Recreation & Parks taxation boundary?  

§  Do you like the idea of not having to travel too far to volunteer in your community?

§  Are you interested in enhancing the recreational opportunities within your neighbourhood?

§  Do you have a skill which you would like to share?  Do you have a few hours to spare?

Within Electoral Area B, there are two Recreation Commissions.  These are Bouchie Lake Recreation Commission / BLRC and Parkland Recreation Commission / PRC.   BLRC manages the Bouchie Lake Hall and Recreation Grounds, Claymine Trails, and Bouchie Lake Pioneer Park.  PRC manages Kostas Cove (on Ten Mile Lake) and the Parkland Community Centre.

FACTS

ü  The purpose of the commissions is to manage land and buildings owned by, or under the authority of, the CRD. 

ü  Recreation Commission are not “not-for-profit societies”.  They do not operate under the Society Act of BC.

ü  Recreation Commissions are governed by Cariboo Regional District Bylaws.

ü  Commissioners are appointed by the Cariboo Regional District.

ü  2/3^RD of commissioners must be residents of Electoral Area B living within the North Cariboo Recreation & Parks / NCRP taxation boundary.

ü  Recommends a schedule of fees and charges and hours of operation.

ü  Commissions can deliver recreation activities approved by the CRD

ü  Only Commissioners can vote at Recreation Commission meetings.

ü  Recreation Commissions work closely with other rurally based community groups

ü  Recreation Commissions prepare the annual budget for the Commissions which is submitted to the North Cariboo Joint Planning Committee and CRD for consideration

ü  Funding for management and operation of the property is provided to the Recreation Commissions through the NCRP service.

ü  The Commission can retain for its own purpose all revenues, donations, and fundraising receipts it procures.

ü  The Commissions are encouraged to seek other sources of funds through donations, fundraising, or facility rentals to ensure that existing levels of service are maintained.

If you are interested in becoming a Commissioner on one of Recreation Commissions operating within Area B, please contact Heloise Dixon-Warren, Area B Director at hdixon-warren@cariboord.bc.ca or 250.249.5329

 

FIRE COMMISSIONS IN AREA B... ARE THEY NEEDED?

Recently the topic of FIRE SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSIONS were posed at both COMMUNITY MEETINGS I recently hosted at Parkland Community Centre (October 14, 2012) and Bouchie Lake Hall (October 20, 2012).   As such, I thought I would provide some insight in the status and purpose of Fire Commission in hopes that residents will provide feedback as to whether they feel these commissions are important and should once again exist.  From my understanding, Area B had Fire Commissions functioning within it until about 5-6 years ago. 

 Cariboo Regional District Bylaw 3598, 2000 provides for the establishment of FIRE SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSIONS for each of its Fire Protection Areas.  Within Area B, this Bylaw allows for the establishment of a BOUCHIE LAKE FIRE SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSION and a Ten Mile Fire Services Advisory Commission.   Ten Mile Fire Protection boundaries include portions of Electoral Area C. 

Following are some specifics about Fire Commissions extracted from Bylaw 3598:

 

The Fire Services Advisory Commission members shall be appointed by the Board on the recommendation of the Electoral Area Director(s) from the participating areas. 

 All Commission members shall be either property owners or residents within the boundaries of the respective Fire Protection Area. 

Neither the Electoral Area Director(s) nor members of the Volunteer Fire Department are eligible for appointment to the Fire Services Advisory commission.

All members of the Commission shall serve without remuneration.                                                                     

 The general mandate of the Commission may include:

a) Providing advice to the Electoral Area Director(s) relative to matters he/she may refer to the Commission for comment.

b) Providing input into the annual budget and tax rate* (prior to the adoption of the Cariboo Regional District’s provisional budget, a draft budget will be presented to the Commission for review and comment).

 c)  Providing input into present and future service delivery issues.

d) Assisting the Director(s), as requested, in ancillary fire department activities (i.e. assisting with the election of Fire Chief process such as ballot counting, input into long range planning, etc.).
 
*In 2012, Residential Tax Rate for Bouchie Lake Fire Protection was $67.78 / $100,000.00 whereas for 10 Mile Lake Fire Protection the residential tax rate / $100,000 was $79.20. 

 If you feel that Fire Service Advisory Commissions should be re-established for the two protection areas within Area B, and /or you are interested in being a member of one of these commissions, please let me know.  Comments can be posted here or emailed to me a hdixon-warren@cariboord.bc.ca

RESPONSES RECEIVED TODATE ON THIS BLOG POSTING...

Bouchie Lake Resident (October 23, 2012)
Yes - keeps the CRD grounded in reality instead of looking after their own agenda.... Example -  fire trucks that will do the job (get to the fire in reasonable time instead of struggling up Bouchie Lake hill) and not just the cheapest truck the CRD can purchase.

Go to Fort St. John and have a look at their Fire Department equipment and incentives.

Ten Mile Lake resident (October 25, 2012)
Honestly, they were great when the hall was first starting, but now that we are up and running there is very little that goes on that warrants oversite.  The management staff in Williams Lake and your self being involved at budget time has worked well. As for elections of the Chief and counting ballots? It has never happened in the 11 years I have been there.  The chief is also voted so by the membership of the hall.

 If some community member really wants to know that we spent $1373 dollars on hose, or $57 on toilet paper then sure but it starts to get a bit ridiculous.  The budget are set, we live within them.  If we need capital we ask and it goes before the board.

Perhaps if they had more of a recruitment, or community awareness function to them than and oversite function it would be more useful. 

Bouchie Lake resident (October 25, 2012)

We have enough trouble finding people for the commissions we have. If you look into I think the CRD got rid of the Commision. I remember hearing stuff about it but can't remember. talk to Jim Braem he will know

Ten Mile Lake resident (October 25, 2012)

I would suggest that the Fire Services Advisory Commisions position stays open in the Ten Mile Lake area for long term planning issues.

 

 

RESPONSE TO MY BLOG POST: GRANTS FOR ASSISTANCE - An Overview (dated July 11, 2012)

In my BLOG post dated July 11, 2012, the following questions were asked:

(i) Area B residents should no longer be tax for Grants for Assistance and groups should be encouraged to apply for funds through the Quesnel Community Foundation; or

(ii) The Director of Area B should continue with the traditional Grants-for-Assistance program and develop a Grants for Assistance program specific for Area B.
What follows are some resident answers.

While both the CRD Grants for Assistance funds and funds available through the Quesnel Community Foundation [QCF]  are available to worthy community groups, I believe that funds available through the CRD Grants for Assistance Program represent a  completely separate and “different” type of  funding from those funds that are available through the Quesnel Community Foundation….The CRD funds come from taxes and as you stated in your email….for 2012, the residential tax rate for Grants for Assistance was $5.96 / $100,000.00. This resulted in $ 37,598.00 being donated to QCF from Area B alone.  The funds collected and administered by the Quesnel Community Foundation are donations that come from the general public, either individuals or community groups, clubs and organizations.  People wish to make donations for a whole host of reasons, not the least of which is to gain some income tax relief.

The CRD Grants for Assistance Program exists to provide support/incentive/leverage funding for community groups, to support them in various initiatives/projects that [hopefully] would have some benefit for not only the specific group receiving the funding but also for the citizens of the broader community….in this case it would be the citizens of CRD’s Area B.  Other jurisdictions have similar Grants for Assistance or Grant In Aid Programs. Unless it has been discontinued, I believe that the City of Quesnel has a similar program, although I seem to remember reading that the City of Quesnel has also donated funds to the QCF.  Various community businesses also offer “Grant in Aid” programs, one example is the program offered by the Integris Credit Union.  Further, from time-to-time the provincial government will create “special”  grant programs in support of various provincial celebrations, such as the Direct Access grant program that was established to support the 2008, BC150 celebrations.  There are also lottery funds that are available  to specific community groups…..this is essentially “government” money.

The Quesnel Community Foundation is just one of several similar Community Foundations that exist in communities throughout the province.  Community Foundations are philanthropic organizations, I believe that officially they are registered charitable organizations regulated by the Registrar of Societies.  The “grandaddy” of all of B.C.’s Community Foundations is the Vancouver Foundation.  I believe that there is some kind of formal link between all of the provincial Community Foundations, and that they share common terms of reference and operating procedures, maybe even a common Constitution and Bylaws????  I do know that the Vancouver Foundation was instrumental in establishing the Quesnel Community Foundation and that they donated a significant amount of seed money at the time the QCF was established.

There is one significant difference between how CRD and QCF funds are awarded/distributed.  In order to be eligible to receive QCF funds, the recipient [group or organization] must be what is called a “registered donee” which means that they must be a registered charity.  To become a registered charity, a group/organization must meet the criteria set out by the Federal government.  Not every group that would benefit from CRD Grants for Assistance funding would be eligible to receive charitable status, this would include many sports, minor sports, recreation and even some arts groups.  In short, if CRD funds are given to the QCF to be administered, some groups in the CRD will definitely be excluded.  The only way to get around this would be for the group applying for the Grant for Assistance to ally themselves with another group that is a Registered Donee.    An example of such a group could be School District 28.  This would mean that there would be a third party involved in the granting process…it can get quite complicated.

When the CRD was distributing Grants for Assistance, there was a detailed and comprehensive Application Completion Guide available for any group wishing to apply for funds.  This guide is six pages long and I won’t go into any detail right now, but it is a step-by-step guide to completing the application form.  It explains that the Applications for Assistance Program falls under Section 176[1][c] of the Local Government Act and that all applicants must be “non profit societies or agencies”, which is not the same as being a registered charity.

It is my belief that the CRD simply got tired of the work involved in screening all of the applications that came in under the Grants for Assistance program and they were looking for some way to off load the work while still maintaining the actual Grants for Assistance Program [for which they are collecting taxes].  By offloading the responsibilities to the QCF, they have fundamentally changed the Grants for Assistance Program as indicated above.

However there are also two additional points that must also be considered.  The QCF policy is to only distribute the interest on the money that they have invested.  There have been years when their investments did not accrue any interest at all.  Unless there is some kind of special arrangement between the QCF and the CRD, the money that is “given” to the QCF each year by the CRD does not represent the actual amount that will be distributed to applicants for grants….only the accrued interest from that money will be donated. 

Having stated that, it is true that the QCF will arrange that any grant monies can be awarded as part of a designated fund…for example it would be possible to have the QCF establish a “CRD - Area ‘B’ Designated Fund”,  and it could be specified that only residents/charitable groups from within Area B could apply for that grant money.  But the money awarded annually would only be the interest that was gained over the past year on the money that had been designated for that particular fund…which would not be the same as, and would probably be far less than, the principal amount that had been donated to the QCF by the CRD each year.  It would take many years for the fund to grow before the accrued interest would equal the amount of the annual CRD grant.

Both The Quesnel Community Foundation awards program and the CRD Grants for Assistance Program are excellent and both are good for our community…..but they are different and in actual fact I believe that we do need both of them and not some convoluted hybrid  just so that there might be less work for the CRD.

So having said all of this, I come out in favour of your second option…..

(ii) The Director of Area B should continue with the traditional Grants-for-Assistance program and develop a Grants for Assistance program specific for Area B.

But this will be a lot of work, I actually believe that the CRD should revisit their decision and that they should resume the role that they once held in terms of administering their own Grants for Assistance program.

GRANTS FOR ASSISTANCE - An Overview

In the 2013 budget process, each Director will have to decide whether they wish to have Grants-for-Assistance available.  With the 2011 and 2012 donation to the Quesnel Community Foundation, there has been discussion at Northern Caucus (Areas A, B, C and I) meetings of Directors not continuing with the Grants-for-Assistance program.  As such, the question needs to be asked of Area B residents:

(i)                 Area B residents should no longer be tax for Grants for Assistance and groups should be encouraged to apply for funds through the Quesnel Community Foundation; or

(ii)               The Director of Area B should continue with the traditional Grants-for-Assistance program and develop a Grants for Assistance program specific for Area B.

I am asking that Area B residents give these questions some thought and read through this BLOG posting to better understand what Grants for Assistance are and how they fit into the budget process.  These grants are Electoral Area generated; as such, they are YOUR money! For additional information on the Application process to access Quesnel Community Foundation funds, please refer to www.quesnelfoundation.ca  I also completed a detailed BLOG posting on February 25, 2012 titled “CRD Electoral Areas A, B, C & I Donate to the Quesnel Foundation for 2011 & 2012” http://heloisedixon-warren.blogspot.ca/2012/02/crd-electoral-areas-b-c-i-donate-to_7913.html Comments and /or questions can be emailed to me at hdixon-warren@cariboord.bc.ca or posted here on this blog.

 What follows is some information on the Grants for Assistance Program and how it fits into the budgeting process of the Cariboo Regional District.

 Overview

Each year, Electoral Area Directors have the option of making Grants for Assistance available to their electorate.  These grants are dispersed under Section 176 (1)(c) of the Local Government Act which states that the corporate powers of a board includes “to provide assistance for the purpose of benefiting the community or any aspect of the community”.  The manner in which Grants for Assistance are distributed within the Cariboo Regional District is as per a CRD Policy which has been adopted by the CRD Board.  For 2012, this policy is currently being revised and updated.

The provision of Grants for Assistance in an Electoral Area are at the discretion of the Area Director although (i) all grants must be approved by the CRD Board and (ii)  the maximum amount that can be taxed is limited to a specific amount per thousand of assessment for the Electoral Area.  The Table below is based upon the CRD Budget for 2012.   It is hoped that additional information will be collected so that the table can be fully complete.

Table 1:           2012 Grant for Assistance Allocation by Electoral Area for the CRD.

Electoral Area	Area Description	Grants for Assistance Allocation in 2012 Budget	Residential Rate / $100,000	Electoral Area Population (2011 Census)
A	Red Bluff – Quesnel South	47,646.00	5.96	6,250
B	Quesnel West-Bouchie Lake – North to Strathnaver	37,598.00	5.96	4,006
C	Bowron Lake – Barlow Creek	7,535.00	5.96	1,225
D	Commodore Heights – McLeese Lake			2,988
E	South Lakeside – Dog Creek			4,129
F	Horsefly – Likely – 150 Mile House			4,564
G	Lac La Hache – 108 Mile Ranch	22,650.00		4,955
H	Canim Lake – Forest Grove	15,724.00	$4.50	1,569
I	Narcosli – Nazko – West Fraser	7,221.00		1,511
J	West Chilcotin			600
K	East Chilcotin			494
L	Lone Butte – Interlakes	25,525.00	$2.04	4177
A,B,C, I	North Cariboo	$100,000
D,E, F	Flat Rate

Notes:

(i)                  As per the CRD Grants for Assistance Policy, the Electoral Area Grants for Assistance are capped based on each EA’s assessment and not to exceed the amount that would be obtained by a tax of $0.10 / $1,000.00 on the net taxable value of land and improvements in each electoral area.   This differs from the residential tax rate which is based on provincial formulas.  It refers only to the tax rate paid for residential.

(ii)                For 2011 and 2012, the Directors of Electoral Areas A, B, C and I chose to donate $100,000 collectively per year to the Quesnel Community Foundation rather than dispersing funds to the Electoral Areas through the Grants for Assistance process.  

(iii)             Electoral Area Population results based on Census 2011

http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/search-recherche/frm_res.cfm?Lang=E&TABID=1&G=1&Geo1=PR&Code1=10&Geo2=0&Code2=0&SearchType=Begins&SearchText=cariboo&PR=01

Traditionally, the 4 Northern Directors (Areas A, B, C & I) have pooled their Grant for Assistance funds.  CRD Grants for Assistance were last dispersed in the North Cariboo in 2010.  In this year, the 4 Northern Directors collectively dispersed $19,317.00 in Grants for Assistance.  These funds were allocated as following:

 Table 2: 2010 Grants for Assistance Dispersements for the North Cariboo (Areas A, B, C & I).

Recipient	Grants-for-Assistance (EA A, B, C & I)
Quesnel Pipes & Drums	3,000.00
Quesnel Agricultural & Exhibition Association	2,500.00
Quesnel & District Heritage Association	1817.00
Quesnel Women’s Resource Centre	2,500.00
Quesnel & District Seniors Society	3,000.00
Cariboo Cowgirls Drill Team Society	2,000.00
Billy Barker Days Society	2,500.00
Quesnel Rodeo Club	2,000.00
TOTAL	19,317.00

Table 3: Grant for Assistance Dispersements by Electoral Area for 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Electoral Area	2010	2011	2012
A	9,124.00	47,175.00	47,646.00
B	7,407.00	38,175.00	37,598.00
C	1,405.00	7507.00	7,535.00
I	1,381.00	7,142.00	7,221.00
Total Dispersed	19,317.00	100,000.00	100,000.00

Note: In 2011 and 2012, $100,000 was donated to Quesnel Community Foundation and placed into 4 separate endowment funds.  Each year, the QCF will be granting the interest associated with each of these funds to charitable organisations who submit an application and have a project which is eligible to receive the funds.

Table 4:  Quesnel Community Foundation 2012 Grant Details for Electoral Area Endowment Funds

Electoral Area	Recipient	Amount
A	Parkland Community Association	$2500.00
B	Bouchie Lake Recreation Commission	$2000.00
C	Quesnel and District Hospice Palliative Care Society	$2500.00
I	Island Mountain Arts	$5000.00
TOTAL		$12,000.00

http://www.quesnelfoundation.ca