March 27 - Council Highlights

From the meeting held on March 27, 2023

Update on Committees:

Parks, Recreation, and Trails Committee

Mayor Pranger requested that Council ratify her decision to temporarily pause the Parks, Recreation, and Trails Committee while the Lets’emot Regional Aquatic Centre Fundraising Committee is in place. The rationale was that Council has identified the indoor regional aquatic centre as a strategic priority for the District, therefore temporarily shifting staff resources to support the fundraising committee. Based on Councillor Schwichtenberg’s suggestion of an approximate timeline for the pause, Council approved the Mayor’s recommendation with the addition of an estimated restart date for the Parks, Recreation, and Trails Committee in early 2024 or at the call of the Chair. In the meantime, current members of the Parks, Recreation, and Trails Committee are invited to join the Lets’emot Regional Aquatic Centre Fundraising Committee. 

If you would like to help us reach our fundraising goal, please visit https://www.kentbc.ca/en/explore-and-play/Fill_the_Pool.aspx.

Accessibility Advisory Select Committee

As part of a Provincial mandate, the District is required to establish an accessibility committee for the purpose of developing an accessibility plan and creating a public feedback tool.

Council approved the creation of an Accessibility Advisory Select Committee and appointed Councillor Watchorn as Chair and Councillor Schwichtenberg as Alternate Chair. The District is seeking interested community members to be part of this process. Information on the Terms of Reference is available here or enquiries can be sent to the Director of Corporate Services at clee@kentbc.ca.

Oregon Spotted Frog Count

Councillor Post reminded everyone that the Oregon Spotted Frog (OSF) Count is taking place this Friday (March 31, 2023) on local farms including his own. The OSF is Canada’s most endangered frog, with only 400-500 breeding individuals found in Canada. Maria Slough is one of only a handful of locations along the Fraser River Basin that the species occupies.

If you are interested in learning more about the Oregon spotted frog, please visit Conservation Status Report (gov.bc.ca) .

Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa). Photo credit: wildlifepreservation.ca

Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 32 Mural

Council approved a request from the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 32 (Agassiz) to place a mural of the HMCS Agassiz on their building at 1846 Agassiz-Rosedale Highway. HMCS Agassiz was a Flower class corvette ship that was named after the community of Agassiz in 1940. The proposed mural is to be painted by an Agassiz Elementary Secondary student.