Are You Still On Council?

If you have been following what has been going on in my life the past several months, you will know that I have been recovering from congestive heart failure. There is no easy, fast fix for this condition and I expect to be dealing with it for quite some time. However, I am getting better. Both my wife, Brenda, and I have been proactive in my treatment and I am making the kind of progress that my doctors have admitted they don't typically see in patients who were as sick as I was back in November 2019 or this past April. I provide this information to you as an introduction to this month's blog I have titled, "Are You Still On Council?"


That is a question I have been asked more than a couple of times over the past month. As it turns out, yes, I am still on Town Council. It is an elected position that lasts for a four-year term. In November, we will be at the halfway point. I did miss a couple of regular meetings due to hospital stays when I first started my recovery and I attended three meetings (two regular, one special) remotely via telephone. Since this past May, I have been physically attending all Town Council meetings. While I missed a few of my committee meetings, I am back on track with all of those now with a few COVID-related exceptions.


How COVID Changed My Meeting Schedule

I have not attended an out-of-town meeting since before March. With COVID-19, either the bulk of my committee meetings were either canceled or rescheduled to a later date. The few committee meetings that I continue to attend that are not out-of-town are either via an online platform or held in a meeting place that can meet the physical distancing and the maximum number of attendees protocols that have been put in place related to COVID.


August 2020 In Review

Here is a quick look at the meetings I did attend in the past month as part of my role as a Town Councillor.

Tuesday, August 4  - Special Meeting of Town Council

The most significant item to come out of this meeting, which included some variance requests, was the rescinding of Bylaw No. 984, 2020 (Glenview Park). The actual motion read this way:

"THAT Bylaw No. 984, 2020 (Glenview Park) a Bylaw to remove the park dedication and authorize the disposal of the park for the purpose of a residential subdivision first, second and third readings be rescinded."

Monday, August 17 - Regular Meeting of Town Council

There was an interesting zoning issue dealt with at this meeting. The motion was:

"THAT Bylaw No. 988, 2020, a bylaw to amend the Zoning Bylaw to create a Site Specific C2 zone to add a "cannabis retail sales establishment" rezone for N1/2, Lot 6, Block 25, KAP55, DL 706, YDYD (255 Vermilion Avenue) be adopted."


Other Meetings

There were several other meetings I attended during the month. Here is a breakdown of what they were:

Tuesday, August 18
Princeton Healthcare Steering Committee (Zoom Meeting) - 3 PM *
Princeton Exhibition Association (PXA Grounds) 6 PM *

Wednesday, August 19
Princeton Arts Council (Riverside Centre) - 5:30 PM *

Thursday, August 20
Princeton Museum, (Museum Building) - 5:30 PM *

Monday, August 24
Meeting with Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson (Town Hall) - 8:30 AM

* denotes meetings attended alone. All others include other members of the Town Council and/or Town Staff.


In Conclusion

So as you can see, I am still very actively involved in Town Council activities. I am fortunate that my recovery has taken place during COVID as I have days where my energy levels are low and I'm not sure how I would fare in an all-day out-of-town meeting in Kelowna or a late afternoon one in Penticton. For now, I am happy to be able to attend the odd one via online platforms and being in attendance physically at as many local meetings as possible. I would also like to thank everyone for their kind words of support and encouragement. I have a long way to go, but I know things are getting better as I get stronger. Thank you, again.