May 25 - Council Highlights - District of Kent

From the meeting on May 25, 2022

Mayor’s Update

On May 11^th Mayor Pranger and Councillor Spaeti attended the grand reopening of the Glenwood Seniors Community. Glenwood was particularly thankful to the Agassiz Fire Department for their help the on the night in January when the pipe burst in the facility.

Mayor Pranger, along with Council, thanked all the groups that came together on May 13 to officially open the Lower Agassiz Slough floodgates – especially the District’s Environmental and Engineering Technologist, the Resilient Watershed Salmon Watch Society, Cheam First Nation Chief Andrew Victor and the Agassiz Christian School grade 6 and 7 classes, who planted native species trees and shrubs along the slough.

On May 25^th Mayor Pranger met with Minister Cullen and Minister Conroy to talk about the upcoming fire season. She also brought up concerns about the current state of the freshet.

We would also like to encourage members of the community to sign-up for the Regional Aquatic Centre Fundraising Committee, with Mayor Pranger reminding everyone that this facility is for the community and that it is important that they are involved.

Sex Trafficking Presentation

Cathy Peters, a BC anti-human trafficking educator, speaker and advocate, spoke to Council about her “Be Amazing; Stop Sexual Exploitation” campaign. Ms. Peters stated that human trafficking and sexual exploitation is the fastest growing crime in the world and that it can even be found here.

Ms. Peters is visiting local governments all over BC to educate them on the federal law: Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA). She also quoted the 2020 Trafficking in Persons report (TIP) from the US Sate Department that revealed that Canada is a child sex tourism destination.

She listed numerous types of businesses and public areas that are often used as a cover for trafficking (e.g. unregistered massage parlors and homeless encampments) and encouraged Council to keep an eye out for sex exploitation in these venues and in the community at large. Ms. Peters also pointed out that school liaison officers are a good first line of defense against recruitment. She said the biggest problem with sex trafficking in Canada is that most Canadians don’t believe it happens here.

For more information on Cathy Peter’s campaign, you can visit her website: www.beamazingcampaign.org

To report any suspected sex trafficking or exploitation call the Canada Hotline Number: 1-833-900-1010

Ongoing Talks with MOTI

On May 10^th Mayor Pranger and Chief Administrative Officer Wallace Mah met with representatives from Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) to build that face-to-face relationship with the Ministry in hopes of further addressing issues in our area, including the MacKay-Highway 9 crosswalk, the Agassiz-Rosedale Bridge and Rockwell Drive situation. The meeting went well and will continue throughout the year.

Lytton Letter of Appreciation

The Village of Lytton wrote a letter to Mayor and Council expressing their appreciation for the excellent service Bev Kennedy provided as Chief Election Officer in a recent by-election and the loan of the District of Kent’s election directional and informational signage. The Village states that the signs were very helpful for pointing voters to the correct buildings/indoor areas during windy and inclement weather that day.

Longest Day of SMILES

Mayor Pranger has proclaimed June 19, 2022 as the Longest Day of SMILES. This day was created by Operation Smile Canada to help raise awareness and funds for children born with a clef condition. Funds raised will go towards free, safe cleft surgery and comprehensive care for children all over the world.

For more information, please visit www.operationsmile.ca .

Access Awareness Day

Mayor Pranger has also proclaimed June 4, 2022 as “Access Awareness Day”!
June 4^th will be the 25^th anniversary of Access Awareness Day in BC, which was originally created as an opportunity for communities to come together to raise awareness and celebrate their successes. This year’s theme is “Accessibility Is Inclusion”.

For more information, please visit www.sparc.bc.ca .