Mr. Brain was asked if he was in favor or not of the BG and Petronas projects by Crest manager, Scott Farwell, on his Facebook page, and this was his answer (I cut and paste but you can check it on FB):
"As the potential future Mayor of Prince Rupert wanting to focus on what is within my jurisdiction, currently I am supportive of the BG project. The reason being is because I feel the location is more suitable (further away from the Skeena Estuary), and also because they have been extremely thorough in their environmental assessment process. Although they have not been as aggressive as Petronas in their timeline, I believe a thorough review is in order based on the investment dollars, as well as the implications it will draw on our social and environmental systems.
As for Petronas, I am still waiting for more information to come back regarding their environmental assessment application. There are still some very important and outstanding questions that need to be addressed regarding the facility on top of the Flora Bank / Skeena Estuary.
I think it’s imperative that we find the right balance for the amount of developments coming to our community. I also want to ensure that if an $11 billion dollar investment (or more) does come, that we are getting our fair share (above the provincial PILT municipal tax cap), and that the location(s) of these facilities are right. As it stands, we have no smart growth plan or strategy for the coming hyper-economic activity. We simply are not prepared for this type of growth as a community. I plan on addressing that issue by launching an initiative called “Re-Think Rupert.” Prince Rupert is about to enter into a transformational period which will alter the landscape of our community, and it will require all of us working together to ensure a smooth transition.
You will hear more specifics and details from me during my campaign in the Fall, but this is where I stand in regards to your question at the moment. I hope this answers your question adequately."
That is quite true. All too often the current mayor and council talk about major resource developments on a very general level, as if they have some kind of overall say, when in fact projects are subject to various federal and provincial approvals while municipalities are small players at best.
That’s why it’s good to see that Mr Brain is focusing on the BG proposal, which is the one proposed project that would be within the City’s boundaries and is well into the environmental assessment process (in contrast to the Exxon idea adjacent to the water reservoir that the council seems so enamored with).
The following two comments stand out:
[quote=“drummerboy”]
Mr. Brain was asked if he was in favor or not of the BG and Petronas projects by Crest manager, Scott Farwell, on his Facebook page, and this was his answer (I cut and paste but you can check it on FB):
"As the potential future Mayor of Prince Rupert wanting to focus on what is within my jurisdiction, currently I am supportive of the BG project. The reason being is because I feel the location is more suitable (further away from the Skeena Estuary), and also because they have been extremely thorough in their environmental assessment process. …
I also want to ensure that if an $11 billion dollar investment (or more) does come, that we are getting our fair share (above the provincial PILT municipal tax cap), and that the location(s) of these facilities are right. [/quote]
The current council, in contrast, does not appear to focus on potential tax revenue at all. They seem to be stuck in the rarefied atmospheres of whether LNG, oil related developments or whatever else is a good thing rather than focusing on the details that they actually have jurisdiction over.
The council, for instance, sent a letter to the Enbridge panel expressing their “disappointment” with the process. Now what was the joint review panel supposed to make of that when formulating their 209 conditions? Comments about potential impacts on City infrastructure and services, where the council can literally speak with authority, would have been more meaningful.
Another example is the recent suggestion that the City pass a zoning bylaw that would make oil refineries illegal within City limits. The following article gives a recap and raises some pertinent questions, which boil down to maybe it’s best to let proponents actually make a proposal before opposing the proposed development: < northcoastreview.blogspot.ca/201 … ng-of.html >.
Along similar lines, the council boycotted the Pinnacle environmental assessment and now complains that the EA is not being followed or is not working. In the comments section of the Northern View a while back, during a back and forth with Michael Gurney of the Port, Mr Brain characterized the boycott decision as “puzzling”. No kidding.
My impression, including from the above quote, is that Mr Brain would focus more on developments proposed within the City’s jurisdiction, that have potential to actually contribute to the tax base, and on how the City could more effectively manage what it actually controls. He also comes across as someone who studies issues and takes a more discussion oriented approach than what has been typical on this council in recent years.
^I agree with all of this…but the city should ALSO be very supportive of projects that are proposed for area near the city boundaries…such as the terminals at Lelu Island and Grassy Point.
These terminal will have HUGE benefits for the city, despite not providing much for tax dollars. The majority of the workforce (1000 direct and 1000 indirect) will likely be calling the city their home and with that comes increase commercial activity, increase residential development ect, infrastructure improvements…all which indirectly contribute to the tax base through residential and commercial taxes.
So while these other projects do not necessarily have a huge direct impact tax wise, they indirectly do and the city needs to be supporting these projects as well.
I will also say…that up until last council meeting I viewed Anna Ashley as one of the best coucillors this city has…today that is no longer how I feel after her ridiculous request to try and push through a city bylaw that will prohibit an oil refinery from ever setting up shop here.
An oil refinery would be AMAZING for this area…and a great alternative to shipping raw bitumen. The jobs this would bring would be huge and at LEAST we would be producing something in this country and not shipping our raw resources, only to buy them back after they have been manufactured/refined.
How incredibly ridiculous of her and she will absolutely not be getting my vote after such comments.
[quote=“bthedog”]I will also say…that up until last council meeting I viewed Anna Ashley as one of the best coucillors this city has…today that is no longer how I feel after her ridiculous request to try and push through a city bylaw that will prohibit an oil refinery from ever setting up shop here.
An oil refinery would be AMAZING for this area…and a great alternative to shipping raw bitumen. The jobs this would bring would be huge and at LEAST we would be producing something in this country and not shipping our raw resources, only to buy them back after they have been manufactured/refined.
How incredibly ridiculous of her and she will absolutely not be getting my vote after such comments.[/quote]
I have received many comments from people regarding my notice of motion regarding rezoning of industrial property regarding oil refineries. I realize that I should have spoken more to my intentions in bringing forward the notice of motion when I brought it up in council. My intention was not to “push” a bylaw through, but rather to let people have a discussion about whether this is the type of industry that the people of Prince Rupert want in our city. I have heard from people on both sides and felt a discussion regarding this would be prudent. Obviously based on comments I realize that proposing a zoning change was not necessarily the best way to achieve this goal.
My thought had been that by looking at this through zoning process people could let us know what their opinions are and council could act in accordance with their wishes and be proactive rather than reactive. Any type of rezoning requires a public hearing to which people can bring their concerns to staff beforehand, or come with their concerns to the meeting.
However, based on feedback I have received, I realize that facilitating a discussion of the pros and cons for people in the community would be a preferable method to find out how people feel about this and I am open to suggestions for alternative methods of finding out how people feel about this issue.
Obviously this type of decision is something the community should decide upon, not just council.
I apologize if it appeared as if I was trying to make this something that council would decide upon without asking the people of Prince Rupert what they wanted, which was certainly not my intention.
I will support those who are running for elected positions which support business and economic development within the city. I understand that people have their own personal feelings and political agendas but if one is not going to make the improvement of the municipality their priority then I won’t vote for them. There are already activists, environmental groups and experts that will look into, debate, and decide whether or not certain projects should take place. When we have taxpayers who are paying an exorbitant amount in taxes, services that need improving and an infrastructure that is falling apart, we need elected officials that will turn over every stone needed to improve this for their constituents. There are processes in place to determine whether or not any project is environmentally sound and for any prospective mayor/council member to oppose any such development before the details from any review have emerged is outrageous. The discussion that needs to take place is not about allowing a refinery in the municipality, it’s how do we increase revenue. What do we need to do in order to treat our raw sewage and not dump it on the ocean. What do we need to do to improve our landfill and encourage less dumping and more recycling? What are we going to do in order to pay back mountains of debt from money borrowed due to loss of tax revenue from the mill? So many things need to be done and so many wanting to discourage investment and development. I shake my head.
[quote=“AnnaA”]
My intention was not to “push” a bylaw through, but rather to let people have a discussion about whether this is the type of industry that the people of Prince Rupert want in our city. …
I apologize if it appeared as if I was trying to make this something that council would decide upon without asking the people of Prince Rupert what they wanted, which was certainly not my intention.[/quote]
The issue is not whether you or the council are trying to “push” through a bylaw to ban oil refineries, it’s why you think a bylaw of that nature should be a priority discussion item in the first place. Why that issue and not others?
Would the proposed bylaw, if adopted, be a largely symbolic gesture to further express local opposition to oil (or bitumen) related developments? As has been said:
I would add to that list the federal and provincial cabinets, various ministers and a number of review boards and panels.
If the council wants to oppose something would it not be best to wait until there is one or more proposals before the regulatory agencies to oppose? Why the felt need to talk about a pre-emptive strike?
I recall reading that LaxKw’alaams had a community meeting no less to listen to an oil refinery proposal, and that the Kitimat city council has talked to David Black, in both cases without taking positions. Is there something wrong with how Mayors Monaghan and Reece and their respective councils are engaging with the energy sector? Maybe they are concerned that if they take an anti position before hearing people out they’ll send a chill through the business community and discourage other potential investments.
This is a point that BC’s lone Green MLA, Andrew Weaver, has made. He supports an oil refinery on the coast, as incredible as that may sound: < straight.com/news/579871/bc- … l-refinery >.
Dr Weaver adds that the Green Party position is that it ‘is “not opposed to oil” because being anti-oil means disagreeing with “everything around us”’.
That raises a question. What do you and your council colleagues support? Mayoralty candidate Brain has been quoted as follows:
[quote=“drummerboy”]
"As the potential future Mayor of Prince Rupert wanting to focus on what is within my jurisdiction, currently I am supportive of the BG project. [/quote]
So he supports the BG group’s proposal, which would be on Ridley. Do you or do your council colleagues support that project? Maybe that’s an issue that should be brought to the front burner.
As for community consultation, of course everyone on council supports that, but the pattern has been that there has not been much consultation, or information, unless it is required by law.
The council has talked about, for instance, selling Lot 444 to Exxon for an LNG plant that appears to be a lot farther off than either the Lelu Island or BG LNG proposals. But how much consultation has there been around that topic? The talking point and rationale for including that land in City boundaries was to protect the watershed, and there was a consultation process for that, but no sooner had Minister Coralee Oakes expressed the government’s support and the council’s messaging changed.
To get some idea of the council’s thinking one has to read North Coast Review and Northern View closely and tune into some council meetings as well. Is it not the case that the City has incorporated Prince Rupert Legacy Corporation, with three employees as directors, so that the City could nominally sell Lot 444 to the corporation, which would then sell it to Exxon?
And is the reason for that something other than to circumvent section 188(2)(e) of the Community Charter? If the City sells the land directly the revenue has to be spent on capital improvements and infrastructure, but if the sales proceeds are received by the Legacy Corp they can be paid to the City as a dividend such that the money can be spent on operational expenses (such as staffing).
“188 (2)(e) except for tax sale proceeds, money received from the sale of land and improvements, which must be placed to the credit of a reserve fund for the purposes of paying any debt remaining in relation to the property and of acquiring land, improvements and other assets of a capital nature.”
The model is apparently Citywest, although that may not be a very inspiring example considering that last year all it paid on the City’s $30 million investment was a $60,000 management fee (page 13 of the 2013 audited financial statement).
There are a lot of things that the council should be consulting about, but a bylaw to prohibit an oil refinery before there is even a proposal on the table to build one within City limits is at best a low priority issue and at worst a smoke screen to deflect attention from other, more substantive issues.
Frankly, having watched municipal politics, provincial politics, federal politics and the interactions with the corporate world for far too many years, I don’t believe it really matters if Council supports or does not support LNG corporate players who are looking to invest billions of dollars in this province. Jack and the band of bumblers that make up City Council could lie down in front of the bulldozers and they would simply be bypassed if senior levels of government and these corporations want to go forward with development. Alternatively, they could pass out keys to the City and offer preferential tax treatments (sound familiar?) and it would not make much difference to the decision makers.
Municipal Tax Revenue - good luck!
Anyone who thinks that an LNG plant will be paying anything like the existing the Heavy Industry property tax rates is dreaming. Quite a number of years ago, the Province with the encouragement of the Federal Government wrote the Port Property Tax Act which sets a limit on the level of municipal property taxation on port industry. One of the things that the senior governments and the LNG folks are negotiating are provincial and federal tax rates on LNG profits. You can bet that the province and federal government are keen to maximize their revenues. Accordingly, they will quickly be willing to offer to minimize the possible impact of municipal property tax revenues.
actually if council supports or does not support a project actually does matter to an extent. if it was proposed to go on city land then projects need council support, if it goes on port land then of course they don’t need council support but most companies would like it. as for taxes from these projects so far except for exxon they are on port owned land so the only money the city will get is the PILT.
[quote=“Jabber63”]
… as for taxes from these projects so far except for exxon they are on port owned land so the only money the city will get is the PILT.[/quote]
When Port lands are leased out they become taxable. The Port’s tenants probably account for most of the $2.4 million in ‘heavy industry’ taxes collected last year (some was shared with Port Edward). According to the Port, their tenants paid a total of $3.7 million in municipal taxes last year.
The PILT applies to undeveloped lands that the Port has not leased out. The intention of the legislation is that federal agencies will pay grants equivalent to what they would pay if the lands were subject to municipal taxation powers. The PRPA has now paid the City over $4.2 million in ‘interim payments’ resulting from a non-binding review under the federal legislation. Considering that last year the Port only paid a $370,000 PILT that suggests that prior to the review the Port was low balling the City for quite some time.
As alluded to earlier, assessed values of taxable Port lands are capped under the Port Property Tax Act. However, the Province makes up for the shortfall with a Port Competitiveness Tax Grant, which last year totaled $1,578,000.
Has the City been getting its’ fair share? Probably not; there are a lot of issues. But what it has been getting is not chicken feed, and the City could be getting much more from energy related developments.
Lee Brain has been quoted as saying:
[quote=“drummerboy”]
“I also want to ensure that if an $11 billion dollar investment (or more) does come, that we are getting our fair share (above the provincial PILT municipal tax cap), and that the location(s) of these facilities are right. As it stands, we have no smart growth plan or strategy for the coming hyper-economic activity.” [/quote]
The council should focus on issues like that rather than being anti this, anti that and engaging in the other non-productive posturing and theatrics that all too often dominate their public meetings.
you’re right the taxes from leased land is different from the PILT but they are based on the value of the lease. and yes the city should not be saying they are anti this or that especially if it goes on industrial land which will help out the tax base
I have been a semi-active reader of HTMF for a few years but have never posted up until now. I want to express my genuine concerns with Lee’s candidacy for mayor and I hope people will engage with my concerns:
He has no relevant experience - mayors need to have experience managing staff, analyzing financial statements, and interpreting the Community Charter. Lee’s background offers nothing in these regards. Unless someone can tell me how a one month internship and fighting for backyard chickens offers us reason to vote?
He offers no specifics - what is re-think rupert exactly? It seems to be all talk. Read through his whole brochure, website, and Facebook page and ask yourself: what specifically is he saying he will do? I can’t point to a single thing. Yes, he is personable. Yes, he can listen. And yes, he is articulate. But he can talk so well you almost don’t realize he is saying anything of substance.
He is blatantly partisan - everyone knows his political allegiances, his stance on fracking, no LNG development, etc., and his support of Jen Rice. Municipal government needs to be free of left-wing, right-wing politics and simply offer sound governance: roads, pipes, and public safety.
Mayor’s don’t get elected because they are nice guys. Don’t get me wrong: I like the guy. He’s a huge asset to Prince Rupert. But I don’t believe someone with his priorities, partisanship, and all talk agenda would be able to get the job done well.
I don’t want to sound too harsh on the guy because I appreciate his energy and enthusiasm. I think he would be perfect for council. These are just my concerns.
[quote=“doubleyoutee”]I have been a semi-active reader of HTMF for a few years but have never posted up until now. I want to express my genuine concerns with Lee’s candidacy for mayor and I hope people will engage with my concerns:
He has no relevant experience - mayors need to have experience managing staff, analyzing financial statements, and interpreting the Community Charter. Lee’s background offers nothing in these regards. Unless someone can tell me how a one month internship and fighting for backyard chickens offers us reason to vote?
He offers no specifics - what is re-think rupert exactly? It seems to be all talk. Read through his whole brochure, website, and Facebook page and ask yourself: what specifically is he saying he will do? I can’t point to a single thing. Yes, he is personable. Yes, he can listen. And yes, he is articulate. But he can talk so well you almost don’t realize he is saying anything of substance.
He is blatantly partisan - everyone knows his political allegiances, his stance on fracking, no LNG development, etc., and his support of Jen Rice. Municipal government needs to be free of left-wing, right-wing politics and simply offer sound governance: roads, pipes, and public safety.
Mayor’s don’t get elected because they are nice guys. Don’t get me wrong: I like the guy. He’s a huge asset to Prince Rupert. But I don’t believe someone with his priorities, partisanship, and all talk agenda would be able to get the job done well.
I don’t want to sound too harsh on the guy because I appreciate his energy and enthusiasm. I think he would be perfect for council. These are just my concerns.[/quote]
Mr. suspiciously first time poster:
The mayor doesn’t manage staff; the city manager does. Mayors who have done this have done nothing but create problems. They try to do favors for friends or they confuse the chain of command.
And guess what? There is a financial officer and a corporate administrator to explain financial statements and interpret the Community Charter and – voila! – councillors understand them (if they didn’t already) in a fairly short time by, oh, I don’t know . . . reading?
Most councillors (which is what the mayor is, part of a group, not a dictator) are just regular folks. Citizens. Lay people. This not a big city, where being a politician is almost a profession. They are there to provide vision, leadership, and represent the will of the people. Has the current mayor done this? Experience can be good. It can also be bad as many councillors get very good and moving their lips and appearing to do something, while really doing nothing.
As for partisanship, who cares who or what party Brain voted for in this or that election? This is municipal politics and he has made it clear that his goal is to try and gain consensus and turn Council into a functioning team, to engage the community and see where we want to go. He isn’t saying no to LNG (which he couldn’t affect anyway); he just wants to know more about environmental standards and how the projects will affect the community. Ooooh. Scary. At least he’s not shamelessly horning in on a photo for Northwest LNG opening an office in Port Edward!
And Brain is asking the question no other candidate or councillor is asking: where will we land? What will Rupert look like when these projects do get going and after they are gone? I certainly want to know that, for my kids and their kids.
Finally, some mayors DO get elected because they are nice guys. Sure, I wouldn’t vote for a complete dolt no matter how nice he was, but Lee is no idiot; quite the contrary. He is intelligent and has some great ideas, which I want in a mayor. If he can also be a nice guy that IS an asset because he will make a good representative and give us citizens the time of day – instead of screening our calls and emails through a staff member who has better things to do.
So let me get this straight doubleyoutee. You have been a different account that you are a semi-active reader with and have never posted on hackingthemainframe with, and yet you need to create a new name to post something. Seems rather sneaky and pathetic and wreaks of untruths, and I have never met or know much about Mr Brain.
Is quite obvious that you are pro Jacko, as I am sure these will be his talking points in the upcoming election.
I did not start out as a Lee Brain supporter and some of your concerns have crossed my mind as well. The conclusion that I’ve come to, though, is that change is needed at the top (and elsewhere in the council ranks) and that having someone who is willing to discuss issues and listen - traits that you acknowledge - is important and needed.
There is no basis for saying that he “all talk”. That goes too far. What is “all talk” is any pretensions this council under its’ current Mayor has of being open and transparent. Their public discussion is essentially limited to what the law requires be made public (the annual report, proposed bylaws and the annual budget).
Otherwise their public meetings are preoccupied with issues that may be important, but that are outside of their jurisdiction and control. It’s like they think that they are an MP and an MLA rolled into one that has a mandate to talk about anything pertaining to their personal political agendas.
So, for instance, the council will dedicate part of tonight’s next meeting to a presentation about the potential impact of the proposed Lelu Island LNG plant on lower Skeena fish habitat. < northcoastreview.blogspot.ca/201 … a-for.html >. Is there an important issue there? Yes. Does the Rupert council have any control or say over the matter? No, it’s outside of their jurisdiction.
If the Port Edward council had a meeting to talk about Exxon’s idea of building an LNG on Lot 444 and potential impacts on the community watershed and nearby residential areas, that would be bizarre.
I agree with you when you say “Municipal government needs to be free of left-wing, right-wing politics and simply offer sound governance: roads, pipes, and public safety”, but your cautionary advice should be directed to the current Mayor and council. I think that Brain would bring greater focus on issues within the City’s jurisdiction.
As for your statement that he is “blatantly partisan - everyone knows his political allegiances, his stance on fracking, no LNG development”, in fact he is on record as supporting the proposed BP LNG plant on Ridley, which would be within the City’s tax base (unlike Lelu Island).
The current Mayor and council are talking about Exxon, but that is a very tentative idea; Exxon is looking at several sites. BG’s proposal appears to be progressing, and if successful would generate substantial benefits for the City, but does the council have a position on that project? None that I’ve heard of.
This Mayor and council gets caught up in non-productive conflicts, with the Port, CN, Pinnacle, with much tough talk but not much in the way of results. Brain is on record as describing the council’s boycott of the Pinnacle environmental assessment as being “puzzling”, which if anything can be faulted for being an under-statement.
As for specifics, Brain has been providing specifics, as cited above, while all the Mayor’s pre-election ad talks about is that this “isn’t a time to change horses”. Is that really specific enough for you?
You’re really getting carried away there. No one needs an account to be “reader” and there is no evidence of a new account being set up to post a comment, and even if there was, so what.
“You’re really getting carried away there. No one needs an account to be “reader” and there is no evidence of a new account being set up to post a comment, and even if there was, so what”.
You are correct, I suppose they could have been just reading and had no user name. The account was made yesterday, so it is a new account. Seems more likely they have a different account that they use and just didn’t want these comments associated with their normal account.
Regardless of the account status, I think that doubleyoutee raises some valid concerns and should be treated with courtesy. I also think that a more persuasive case can be made for supporting Lee Brain than for supporting the current Mayor, whose performance has been a disappointment, including to at least some of us who voted for him in the past. I’m quite sure that on that point you and I agree.
Allow me to help make a decision for some of you. Name the 10 best things your current mayor has done for the city in bis entire term. Things hes actually had a hand in not just things that would have happened regardless of him. Seriously, post them.