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Brewhouse’s large municipal bill proves challenging

Why does the Brewhouse Restaurant have to pay about $15,000 in fees to the municipality to add a small storage space in their garage? That question spurred a lengthy discussion Tuesday at the council table about how this could impact the village in t

Why does the Brewhouse Restaurant have to pay about $15,000 in fees to the municipality to add a small storage space in their garage?

That question spurred a lengthy discussion Tuesday at the council table about how this could impact the village in the long run.

"Goofy" and "unacceptable" were some of the terms council used to describe the accounting. The total included more than $7,000 for works and service charges, along with bills for the rezoning process and building permit approval.

"There has to be a point where we don't penalize businesses for making an investment and doing something that is allowing us to better the overall environment of the village," said Councillor Chris Quinaln. "I get that part where we have to charge fees and services, but council, I am missing the part where charging $7,000 to put in some storage units to make our village look better and to be in compliance is equitable."

The bureaucratic maze the municipality needs to navigate is proving challenging, however.

Mike Kirkegaard, manager of resort planning for the municipality, explained to council that neither he nor council can use their discretion to reduce the price, since that would go against the Local Government Act. Instead, a new bylaw amendment would have to be developed, which would require first, second and third readings, along with a public hearing.

"We recognize it is an issue," said Kirkegaard. "The question is how common an issue is it, how would we tailor a bylaw amendment to be more generally applicable to a common issue like this and is it worth staff's time at this point when we have other priorities like the official community plan and the retail strategy on our work program."

Bill Barratt, the municipality's chief administrative officer, added that the only similar exemptions he knows have been granted were to non-profits and charitable societies.

In the end, council unanimously voted to bring the issue to the Retail Strategy and ask for suggestions on how to go forward.

"Storage is an issue and when we built the village we didn't build storage into it," cautioned Quinlan. "It is going to be something in the future. It is a bit of a high priority."

According to a recent letter from architect Timothy Ankenman, the Brewhouse decided last year to build the storage after talking with municipal staff about their frustration with the lack of storage for their outdoor patio furniture during the off-season.

Stacking tables and chairs on the patio was unsightly for both patrons and the general public and storing these items off-site was expensive and inconvenient, Ankenman wrote.

However, as a result of the high fees the Brewhouse owners have decided to only build one storage room instead of three. The municipality will reimburse them for the difference in fees.

 

RCMP getting ready for May 24 weekend

RCMP officers are primed and ready for crowds during the Victoria Day long weekend, a holiday that has become characterized around the province by rowdy behaviour.

During a presentation on Tuesday, Staff Sergeant Neil Cross told council members that an average of 50 officers will be on duty throughout the weekend and the RCMP is once again taking a zero tolerance approach to alcohol.

"Historically we have brought in a number of police officers and we plan on doing that again for this coming May long weekend," said Cross. "It includes the zero alcohol use. Any alcohol use we are going to be issuing tickets."

The increased police presence between Thursday, May 20 and Monday, May 24 in Whistler will include bike patrols, foot patrols, plain clothed officers and the integrated task force.

Road checks will also be in place along the highway from Lions Bay to Pemberton.

RCMP officers are also advertising their plans for the May long weekend through social media websites like Twitter and Facebook.

"It is consistent with what we had last year," said Cross. "Things went well last year. We kept things in check and we feel that we are comfortable with the plan we have in place for the May long weekend to address any issues."

Four years ago, complaints from guests staying in Whistler prompted the community to take greater action against the disorderliness. Since that time, things have significantly improved, said Cross.

 

Municipality grants $150,000 to non-profits

Twenty local non-profits will get cash this year from the municipality's Community Enrichment Grant (CEP) program.

The Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA) is the largest recipient, getting a sum of $25,000.

Other large grant receivers included the Whistler Adaptive Sport Program at $20,000, the Whistler Nordics Ski Club at $13,000, the Whistler Gymnastics Club at $12,500, the Whistler Children's Centre Society at $11,000 and the Get Bear Smart Society at $10,000.

The total amount of money granted this year is $146,200, which is a little less than half what the community groups asked for, a combined $260,184.

Laurie-Anne Schimek, acting general manager of police and program development for the municipality, said council considered each applicant and had to decide whether they fit in with the CEP program.

The only groups who applied and didn't receive money this year were Whistler Animals Galore (WAG) and the Whistler Film Festival Society. Schimek added that WAG usually falls into municipality's Fee for Service program.

Two years ago, following budget constraints, the municipality cut grant funding to the CEP program by a third. The amount granted this year is similar to the totals for the past two years.

Green house gas targets added to OCP

Green house gas emission targets and policies will soon be folded into Whistler's overarching Official Community Plan, after receiving unanimous approval from council Tuesday night.

The latest amendment to the OCP is part of a new requirement by the provincial government. Other municipalities in the Lower Mainland have also taken similar actions, including Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Port Moody and Delta.

Guy Patterson, housing planner for the municipality, explained that the new green house gas addition will not have a large impact on regulations in Whistler - yet.

If the community wants to change the green house gas targets or the transportation plan, said Patterson, then the time to change that would be during the upcoming OCP update.

No one from the public spoke at the public hearing before third reading. The municipality didn't receive any correspondence on the change.