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Port Clements wants right to recall council members

Port Clements believes that voters should be able to recall their municipal politicians if they don't like their performance.
"Why should the provincial electorate have the power to recall somebody and not the municipal electorate?" asked acting mayor Gerry Johnson at Monday's council meeting (March 3).
Mr. Johnson didn't say how exactly the recall mechanism would work, but Port voted to bring a resolution to the North Coast Municipal Association annual general meeting in May. The resolution calls for the NCMA and the provincial government to work together to investigate municipal recall.
Council members voted to bring eight other resolutions - all written by Mr. Johnson - to the meeting. These include:
• changing the small business forest enterprise program to run like a business instead of a bureaucracy.
• asking the province to hand over the power to allocate cut in timber supply areas to community forest councils
• requiring that all timber produced on crown land in BC be sold at auction to the highest bidder.
• requiring potential log exports to be advertised near the point of harvesting, instead of allowing companies to ship them to the lower mainland before advertising.
• improving access to salvageable timber.
Port also voted to send all five council members to the annual general meeting, if they want to go. The meeting will be held in Prince George during the first week of May.
Councillor Paul Waring was concerned about the expense, but Mr. Johnson assured him that the village could afford it and that the experience would be well worth it.
Fees are $175 for each delegate, in addition to hotel rooms and travel expenses.