June 14- Council Highlights

From the meeting of June 14, 2021

Congratulations Grads!

Mayor Pranger, along with Council congratulated all the graduates from our community. The grad parade was a great success and made more special with an RCMP escort and Agassiz and Seabird Island fire trucks rounding out the procession.

Agassiz was featured on Global News “Our Community” segment. Thank you to all who sent in pictures.

Be safe, be kind and shop local.

Vaccination Updates

Walk-in appointments are available for first dose only, while vaccine lasts on Wednesday, June 16^th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Agassiz Agricultural Hall

Mayor Pranger is a part of the “Mayor’s Challenge to Race to Community Immunity”. The challenge will see which community can achieve 70%, 75% and 80% immunization thresholds first, and the community that shows the most progress.

Agassiz’s standings as of June 10^th!

Agricultural Plastic Recycling

Councillor Post provided an update from the last Agricultural Plastics Committee. The committee is working with Clean Farms to recycle agricultural packaging waste. The waste will be collected and then transported to Edmonton where it can be recycled.

To facilitate this transportation, the committee is working towards solutions to compress the plastic.

You can learn more about Clean Farms by visiting their website at: https://cleanfarms.ca/.

Freshet Update

During his report, Councillor Post highlighted that we have entered the peak flow window and the water levels will remain quite high over the next few weeks.

The forecast has been very much in our favour and major issues are not anticipated at this time.

Agassiz – Rosedale Bridge Upgrades

It was confirmed in Mayor Pranger’s meeting with MLA Kelli Paddon that there will be no widening of the Agassiz – Rosedale bridge in the upcoming construction upgrades.

Councillor Post voiced his concerns over pedestrian and cyclist safety issues the bridge poses to residents and visitors to our communities.

Council voted in favour of sending a letter to the Minister of Transportation as well as Premier John Horgan and copying MLA Kelli Paddon outlining that the current plan does not meet safety concerns for accommodating pedestrians and cyclists, which puts peoples lives at risk.

Traffic Calming on Ashton Road

Council approved sending a survey to the twelve properties that directly front Ashton Road to gain feedback on the proposal to add two speed humps to achieve traffic calming.

On May 26, 2021, at its Regular meeting, Council received a neighbourhood petition from residents living on Ashton Road and the surrounding area requesting traffic slowing measures such as speed humps be installed.

If most responses are in favour, two speed humps will be installed on Ashton Road between the Lougheed Highway and Pioneer Avenue.

For more information contact Engineering Department at engineering@kentbc.ca or              604-796-2235.

Agassiz Sees Construction Growth

In the May Development Services Department Report, Councillor Watchorn highlighted the growth for Single Family dwellings.

There have been 15 new single-family dwellings with a construction value of $6,436,000 compared to 6 new dwellings for this time last year at the value of $1,904,170.

For the month of May, there have been:

• Five new Single-Family Dwellings on Stromdahl Place
• 1 new four-unit townhouse on Woodside Boulevard
• 103 inspections and 12 new permits received.

The total building permit value is $3,235,500.

Truth & Reconciliation Commission Call to Action

Council approved supporting the District of Squamish in writing a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau to take urgent action to address Action 75 of the Commission’s Calls to Action, as outlined below:

75. We call upon the federal government to work with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, churches, Aboriginal communities, former residential school students, and current landowners to develop and implement strategies and procedures for the ongoing identification, documentation, maintenance, commemoration, and protection of residential school cemeteries or other sites at which residential school children were buried. This is to include the provision of appropriate memorial ceremonies and commemorative markers to honour the deceased children.

The Lets'emot Community to Community Forum (C2C), is comprised of the leadership of various Upper Fraser Valley communities including the Cheam First Nation, Seabird Island Band, Sq'éwlets First Nation, Stó:lõ Tribal Council, the Sts'ailes Nation, the District of Kent and the Village of Harrison Hot Springs.

The C2C have also called on the federal government to implement all Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, specifically Calls #71-76 regarding Missing Children and Burial Information. The full statement can be read on our website at kentbc.ca.