Council Meeting Highlights from March 15th

HAVE YOU REGISTERED YOUR SUITE YET?

If you have an existing secondary suite in your residence, you can come in and complete an application form to register your suite, with no application fee, before April 30^th.  An existing secondary suite is a suite that was built before April 9, 2009. If you complete the registration and file it with the Development Services Department before April 30^th you will pay no application fee and will only be required to ensure that your suite meets the basic health and safety standards which include having windows with an unobstructed opening in sleeping areas, hard wired smoke alarms and a fire extinguisher.  All suites in Lake Country must be registered!  Call or email the Development Services, Building Inspections Department if you have any questions!  Application for Existing Suites

What happens once a suite is registered? You will receive a Certificate of Registration with a new address that includes an ‘A’ for accessory and you will be charged utilities for that suite if you are on municipal sewer or water.

What are the utility charges for the suite? Legal, registered suites that are on municipal water and sewer will pay an additional 40% of their annual user fees for utilities.  The annual sewer rate is $250 per year so you will be charged an additional $100 for the suite. The annual municipal water fee for the Lake Country System is $486 per year so you will be charged an additional $195 for the suite. Illegal suites will pay 100% of the annual water and sewer user fees for both the residence and the suite! The utility charges will begin when the suite receives the Certificate of Registration. If you have a water meter, your base rate stays the same and you will only be charged for what you use.    If your suite is on a private water utility, you will have to provide a confirmation letter from the utility showing that there is sufficient capacity for the suite.  Owners on well water or surface water will have to provide a hydrologist report and water licence indicating that there is sufficient capacity for two dwellings and have a Section 219 covenant registered on the title.

What if I register my suite after the April 30^th deadline? You will need to take out a Building Permit and comply with all current Building Code Standards.  Building Permit fees will apply based on the requirements to make sure your suite meets the Building Code which could result in some major and costly alternations.

What if I do not register my suite? If your suite is not registered and the District becomes aware of its existence the District will initiate bylaw enforcement action and ticket the owners of the suite. Illegal suites will pay 100% of the annual water and sewer user fees for both the residence and the suite!  If the District is concerned about the immediate health and safety of the tenants eviction procedures will be commenced.

Can I de-register my suite?

If you have just purchased a home or want to get rid of your suite for any reason, here’s what you need to do:

Fill out and drop off a Change of Occupancy Permit application form ($100 fee) to the Building Department; Remove cooking facility from suite (stove); Call for inspection of deregistered suite; If the suite is passed, file will be closed and the suite is now de-registered.

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS DELEGATION

Teresa Murray, Area Director of Central Club Services for the Boys & Girls Clubs did a presentation for Council on the accomplishments and future plans of the Lake Country Boys & Girls Club.  Council applauded the efforts and contributions that the Boys & Girls Club makes in the community.  Teresa Murray and Youth Councillor Vicki Boitchenko also discussed the possibility of collaborating on the Teens for Change program which is a program started by George Elliot Secondary students to raise awareness about children’s safety.  Click here to view the full presentation to Council.

COMMUNITY AGE FRIENDLY LIVING GUIDELINESDr. Meghan Salhus presented information on the next steps required to complete the Community Age Friendly Living Guidelines Project.  The consultant’s reports provide the context, methods used and outcomes of the research.  Council approved staff’s recommendation that a report outlining recommendations for implementing the Final Report, Best Practices in Age Friendly Planning and Age Friendly Guidelines and Community Charter be reviewed and brought back to Council on April 5^th with recommendations on implementation.

BYLAWS ADOPTED

Council adopted Water Regulation and Rates Amendment Bylaw 783, 2011 and Parks, Public Spaces & Recreation Facilities Regulations and Fees Amendment Bylaw, 780, 2011, both of which received 3 readings on March 1st.

FIRE TRUCK FLEET REPLACEMENT SCHEDULE

Fire Department staff have been researching new technology as a means of reducing the fire truck fleet while at the same time, improving the response capability to structure and wildfire calls. The new Class A/Wild‐land pumpers are approximately ten feet shorter than conventional pumpers and are four‐wheel drives allowing access to difficult driveways and wild‐land areas.  The Fire Chief presented a proposed replacement schedule which retires two bush trucks, one tender, and one pumper, replacing them with two smaller engines, one in 2012 and one in 2013. This reduces the District’s fire truck fleet from ten to eight apparatus with one old pumper held in reserve after it is removed from service to act as a reserve vehicle to assist in training and as a spare during fleet repairs.  Click here to view the full report to Council.

CONSIDERATION OF A TWO-PHASE CAMPFIRE PROHIBITION

Council received a notice from UBCM and the Ministry of Natural Resource Operations, Wildfire Management Branch, requesting feedback from Council on the consideration of a one year trial to allow a 2-phase campfire prohibition.  The 2-phase program would allow campfires in supervised commercial campgrounds during high fire danger class ratings and continue to ban all campfires during the extreme danger class rating.  Many campground operators feel that it is not necessary to prohibit campfires in supervised campgrounds because of higher standards of site engineering and campfire supervision.  Many campground operators feel that bans in commercial campgrounds have reduced the amount of revenue generated through the camping season. Click here to see the letter from UBCM for more details on the proposed trial. Council supported the idea of a 1 year trial subject to ensuring that the Ministry receives feedback from local governments following the trial.  Council also requested that the Ministry consider the impacts of the proposed 2-phase prohibition on larger jurisdictions. Lake Country bylaws prohibiting or allowing fires would take precedence over Wildfire Management Branch authority.

FUNDING CUTS AFFECT GEORGE ELLIOT SECONDARY

In response to an issue brought forward by Youth Councillor Vicki Boitchenko, Council will be writing a letter to the Premier, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance advising them that the funding cutbacks for education have had a significant impact on the GESS band class and other elective programs.  GESS’s band class is very active in Lake Country and the cutbacks have had a negative impact not only on students but on the community as well.