The North Central Municipal Association endorsed five resolutions from Port Clements at its annual convention earlier this month, meaning Port is helping set the association's policy on big issues like log exports, the small business forest enterprise program and tenure reform.
Councillor Gerry Johnson said that Port set the record for the most resolutions submitted, and the record for the most resolutions passed.
"We also set the record for most resolutions not passed," added mayor Dale Lore. Four of Port's nine resolutions were rejected by the association members.
Resolutions put forward by Port Clements which were approved by members of the association include:
• asking the Ministry of Forests to run the small business forest enterprise program in a more business-like manner
• asking the Ministry of Forests to require companies to advertise log export packages locally, before shipping the logs to the lower mainland
• petitioning the provincial government to allow people more access to salvageable timber held by large tenure holders
• petitioning the provincial government to give more consideration to effects on local communities when it considers replacing a timber licence
• lobbying the Ministry of Water, Land and Air to sell crown land to municipalities at less than its so-called "market value", due to the fact that part of this value could be due to initiatives and investment made by the municipality in the first place.
Sue Clark, the executive coordinator of the North Central Municipal Association, said resolutions are forwarded directly to the minister responsible if the issue is immediate or affects only northern BC. Resolutions on province-wide issues are forwarded to the Union of BC Munipalities.
Port's rejected resolutions included giving electors the power to recall local council members, and giving communities the choice of having staggered elections every two years instead of electing their local council members all at once every three years.
Mr. Lore, Mr. Johnson and councillor Lisa Gyorgy represented Port at the convention, held April 30-May 3 in Prince George.