PORT HARDY—Among the business discussed at this week's Port Hardy's council meeting was the recent name change to the Coast Guard Auxiliary (CGA).
The CGA is now to be known as the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCM-SAR) and a letter was sent by the president of the organization, Randy Strandt, informing council of the change and the rationale behind it.
Strandt emphasized that the organization will not change its operational procedures, and the name change was a rebranding exercise to distinguish the volunteer organization from the Canadian Coast Guard.
According to Strandt, the similarity in name was confusing to the public and was hampering the group's fundraising and recruiting efforts.
The RCM-SAR were granted the Royal designation in recognition of their long-standing service and philanthropic mandate.
Council acknowledged the new designation, with Mayor Bev Parnham extending her condolences to the organization on the recent loss of two volunteers in a training accident in Skookumchuck Narrows.
Also discussed was an information package from the Tsunami Debris Coordinating Committee (TDC), outlining plans for dealing with the expected landfall of debris from 2011's Japan earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
The TDC is tasked with coordinating the response to the predicted influx of debris and is comprised of four subcommittees.
Council commented on the apparent reliance on volunteer groups in the clean up plan, with Councillor Rick Marcotte suggesting that the armed forces could have a role in any clean-up efforts. Councillor Janet Dorward was of the opinion that, since the problem currently only exists in potential terms, planning should be delayed until the scale is understood.
Mayor Parnham agreed that, at a local level, it was too early to begin detailing a plan. She also agreed that, when planning does occur, volunteers should not be expected to do the bulk of the cleaning, and that government intervention would be needed.
In Brief
Council received a release marking the start of construction on the Cape Scott Wind Farm Project. The Council agreed that the project was proceeding nicely.
The Passenger Transportation Board gave notice that taxi companies may request a 1.6% increase this summer. This figure reflects the rising cost of fuel and other costs.
The District adopted an amendment to the User Rates and Fees Bylaw. The amendment means the District will no longer charge a fee for a scheduled water turn off.