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Pemberton boundary expansion approved

Four years in the making, province approves expansion into 20 new parcels of land

It took four years, two consultant reports, many rounds of consultation and a nearly $25,000 handout to the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District.

But finally, the Village of Pemberton's boundary expansion approval came in the form of a letter from Queen Elizabeth II.

The provincial government has approved the expansion of its municipal boundaries into 20 new parcels of land, a development that could net it between $180,000 and $200,000 in annual property tax revenue.

"It's a bit of a relief to finally have this thing sorted out," Pemberton Mayor Jordan Sturdy said at a Tuesday council meeting. "It's not entirely complete in that we don't benefit from taxation this year. Because of all the delays, we lose another $190,000 this year as a result of the timeline."

With the expansion approved, the Village of Pemberton gets both new tax revenue and the ability to make land use decisions around the properties in question. Before they were in the purview of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District and property taxes went to the provincial government. Directors with the regional district often took positions that were anterior to the Village's expectations around development.

 

The properties include various agricultural and residential parcels along Airport Road; the Rutherford Creek run-of-river facility on Highway 99, just outside Pemberton; and the Ravens Crest property, which is slated for development of a housing development and an international private school by the GEMS organization.

 

The expansion had to jump through many bureaucratic hoops before being realized. The Village of Pemberton held one of its first information sessions around the proposal in the summer of 2008, where a consultant with Stantec presented a report showing Pemberton could take in up to $250,000 in tax revenue annually.

 

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District later commissioned its own report, contracting Sussex Consultants Ltd. to look into the tax implications of the Village expanding its boundaries. That report determined that the regional district could lose $13,000 in revenue due to the expansion, money it would have to make up by cutting services or raising taxes.

 

The province also asked the Village to do more consultation around the proposal. It went through an Alternative Approval Process that saw them carry out more talks with the neighbouring Mount Currie Band, which ultimately passed a resolution registering its lack of opposition to the proposal.

 

The application was then bounced back to the province for approval.

 

The Sussex report ultimately proved a sticking point in discussion between the Village and the regional district. After much wrangling back and forth, with Sturdy accusing the regional district of obstructing its application, the Village ultimately agreed to hand over $24,396 to mitigate its financial concerns around the proposal.

 

The agreement comes at the behest of the B.C. ministry of community, sport and cultural development, and the money will be transferred in 2012.

 

Sturdy got word of the approval last Friday, which came after the provincial government passed an order-in-council in order to expand the Village's boundaries. The approval came to Sturdy in the form of a letter from Queen Elizabeth II.

 

The Village is waiting for an official approval with a "coloured stamp" on it, but it is expected to be effective as of August 13.

 

"It's just a great day for the Village of Pemberton as far as I'm concerned," Councillor Ted Craddock said. "We did a lot of work during the four years it was out. Let's blaze ahead, now we can move forward with other initiatives. I'm looking forward to that."

 

Pemberton supports Douglas Trail Road being re-defined as a highway

 

Pemberton councillors also passed a resolution supporting the re-designation of the Douglas Trail Road as a provincial highway.

 

The move supports a petition by a Wolfgang Skutnik, who is seeking a declaration that the Douglas Trail Road between D'Arcy and Seton Portage as a highway within the meaning of section 42 of B.C.'s Transportation Act.

 

About 25 kilometres long, the road was originally built by BC Hydro as an access route for the Bridge River hydroelectric project but it has since been maintained by people who live and work in the area. It is the only way to access D'Arcy and Seton Portage by vehicle.

 

For Pembertonians, it also provides an alternative access route to Gold Bridge and Lillooet, making it unnecessary for drivers to traverse the Duffy Lake Road. The road has also been identified as an optional route for the Sea to Sky Trail.

 

The province, according to a Village staff report, is not assuming responsibility for the road due to the cost of improvements and ongoing maintenance. If it's defined as a highway, the province will have to take more responsibility.

 

Pemberton Fire Rescue sees active first quarter

 

Pemberton's fire department reported an active first quarter in a report of its services delivered to council at the Tuesday meeting.

 

Incident totals have fluctuated for the fire department over the past four years. In 2008 there were 52 incidents in the first quarter. In 2009 there were 28; in 2010, 23; and in 2011 there were 40 incidents that required response by the department.

 

Most of the incidents were ambulance assistance calls, 14 in total; six were false alarms; eight were motor vehicle accidents; and four were unclassified fires.