Goodbye Outlook

thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2014/03/14/North-Shore-Outlook/

March 27th will be the last edition of the Outlook published. I thought this would happen as when the North Shore New's owner (Glacier Media) bought the Outlook from Black Press. Most cities in BC have a two community papers, a once a week Black paper and a twice a week paper from Glacier or its predecessors.  The North Shore News published three weekly editions which left less exclusive "time on the shelf" for the Outlook.

Safe landing to all staff not making the transition. 

Scrap the Stern II

As in all good horror stories, the monster comes back at the end to threaten the good people of the town once again.  Tonight the Flambourgh Head Stern tries to raise from its watery grave to threaten the taxpayers of the City of North Van.

Actually, what it happening is an "inside hockey" game with a double rescinding of motions being proposed.  REF!

On the 9th of September, Council passed the following motion in open Council as per the Provincial law, the discussion and report was in-camera.

11. Security of City Properties

Moved by Councillor Clark, seconded by Councillor Keating

THAT Council direct staff to proceed with disposing of the stern and the engine of the Flambourgh Head and to proceed with the removal of the hazardous materials;

THAT funding of up to $250,000 (Funding Appropriation #1327) be appropriated from the "Lower Lonsdale Amenity Reserve Fund" to complete the disposal process;

THAT staff be directed to contact the Artificial Reef Society to investigate the removal of the stern and engine and the associated costs, and if there is no interest from the Artificial Reef Society, that staff proceed with the removal and report back to Council;

AND THAT the report remain In Camera.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

So 5 months later, the stern still sitting there on death row awaiting its execution until the 27th of January when Councillor Bookham submitted a motion that the issue be "revisited".  There is no mention of a "Motion to revisit" in the Council Procedures Bylaw 7590.  A motion can only be reconsidered during the same meeting or rescinded in the following meeting. This motion should never have been considered, it was clearly a motion to rescind and out of order having negated the motion of the 9th of September.  It read:

21.  Flamborough Head

Moved by Councillor Bookham seconded by Councillor Bell

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the decision to scrap the stern be revisited;

THAT the discussion take place in open Council;

THAT the option of including the stern of the Flamborough Head in Lot 5 of the Pier Development area be referred to Roger Brooks and the Brand Development Team for their input and comments for further consideration by Council;

AND THAT staff report back on options and the financial implications for preserving the stern.

At the last meeting of 24 February, the following motion (active clauses only) was  passed to reinstate the original motion:

19. Flamborough Head Options and Costs 

Moved by Councillor Keating, seconded by Councillor Buchanan

THAT Council receive the information regarding the costs associated with the Flamborough Head;

THAT staff report back with options for preserving of a piece of metal from the stern of the Flamborough Head, to create a commemorative piece to be situated in the Shipyards Precinct;

Councillor Bell and Councillor Bookham are recorded as voting contrary to the motion.

Tonight we have yet again a motion to rescind the prior motion, at least in order this time except that you can't keep repeating a failed motion within 6 months to stop Councillors who can't accept the failure of a motion but since the Chair accepted an out of order motion he kind of reset the clock on this.

10. Flamborough Head

Submitted by Councillor Bookham

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City rescind the motion to scrap the stern and direct staff to report back on the various options integrating the stern in the building proposed for the east side of Lot 5 or at some location at the Shipyards.

Councillor Bookham has a snarky motion that will be ruled out of order or just fail with the lack of seconder about forcing the City to return funds on the basis that it basis that the funds were granted by various people on the basis that the funds were spent on preserving the stern.  The City spent over far more funds than granted for attempts to preserve the stern.  It's is if Councillor Bookham is viewing the stern as her legacy to her time on Council which is soon to end.

The issue of the Provincial's grant is one constantly misused by Bookham and her municipal political organisation, Voices.  The left over grant from the never to be National Maritime Museum is to be used for maritime heritage, not exclusively for the Stern.  Aside from the over a million dollars wasted in attempts to preserve the stern, the funds spent on the crane and other items. The friends of the museum will come to the city shortly expecting millions of dollars for their new museum.  Where does Voices and the other folks in the Save the Stern movement think the funds to give to the new maritime museum is coming from.  That's right the left over provincial grant money.   So in the choice between the stern or the new museum, I'm picking the museum.  We'll see what the Council picks later tonight.

UPDATE:  The vote is done and for the second time tonight is Rod Clark who despite the oncoming election decided to actually be "the guardian of North Van taxpayers" again.

Scrap the Stern

says the North Van council after a 5-2 vote although Ivan Leonard who helped lead the charge of the "Save the Stern" movement, that it was 6-1 but I thought I saw Don Bell join with Voices caucus leader Pam Bookham in opposing the scrapping of the stern.

The stern boondoggle will end up costing the City over a million dollars and won't even stand as a symbol and expensive warning to future Councils to take better care when a special interest group comes in front of you trying to sell you an expensive concept.

Councillor Heywood told a story about his Uncle Jimmy which was almost exactly like what I had written while at Council last night about Grandpa MacKinnon.  It seems like most families have an Uncle Jimmy or Grandpa MacKinnon.

My maternal grandfather served in the merchant marine in the Second World War, probably on a Victory Ship, maybe even made in North Van. He was from Cape Breton in New Scotland as he liked to called Nova Scotia although his part of the clan had come to Canada in the 1790's from the Isle of Barra.  MacKinnons being sept to the MacNeils of Eilean Bharraigh. The MacKinnons, being Catholic had moved north to escape the English burnings until they settled in the Outer Hebrides.

Cape Bretoners and Newfoundlanders have a long maritime history so it was his obvious choice for his contribution towards the fight against the Nazis. Afterwards, his favorite topic was his time on the Atlantic, followed closely by "stupid politicians wasting his money." I think he would have little problem with the decision to scrap the stern.  It was only a symbol and people can make a symbol from anything. Hopefully, it will be something that doesn't cost us millions of dollars.

We should be naming the new museum the Maritime Museum, it won't be the expensive National Maritime Museum rejected by the Provincial Government after they read their unworkable business plan but obviously it can't get to far away from a maritime theme anyway.  The City is tossing a few million dollars into this feature of the new waterfront.

We're also tossing in a few million into the Presentation House Gallery, surely they could establish an area set aside for permanent exhibit space for photos of the old shipyards and Victory ships it produced.  After all, a picture is worth a thousand words and far better than spending huge stacks of taxpayer's cash on a rusting, asbestos laced stern. And more every year for upkeep.

Maybe we should take a shiny silver dollar to represent the money shipyard workers spent having a beer in one of the Shipyard pubs.  Perhaps displayed in a public art feature outside one the pubs that will spring up in the new waterfront plaza.

As Roger Brooks might say, "Wouldn't that be cool?"

Voices - try listening to the Mayor for once

Probable VOICES' candidate Kerry Morris appeared before Council trying to launch a campaign plank of his and VOICES' campaign.  htnvcityvoices.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/update-petition-to-stop-the-ocp/

He calls out to "Oppose The OCP" as changes in soon to be amended plan will cause "Residential Taxes to Increase by 15%".  Frankly, this is just fear-mongering in a vain attempt to con voters and shows a lack of understanding of the municipal tax system.

Last year, Mayor Mussatto being frustrated with the lack of understanding about how and why taxes increase, explained the system.

A change in the assessment done by the Province does not mean increased taxes, municipal budgets are done by calculating what your total expenses will be and subtracting the total non-tax revenue estimates to come up with the amount of property tax will be required to balance the budget.

Kerry, building on his first erroneous assumption further leaps to another false assumption that a potential change in a property will cause assessments to increase an average of 15% which by his logic means taxes (mill rates) will increase by 15%. WRONG!

So let's say there was $50 million being raised by property taxes and assessments had just been doubled by the provincial government agency.  The City would just half the mill rate to gather the funds needed to support the $50 million of spending.  Plus whatever increases come up through union contract increases etc.Spending item move in and out of a ten year spending plan so that Council can see the impact that particular spending will on the tax rate. Taxes go up when a new item comes moves into the the current budget.

The taxation devil is in the spending details not in the method of taxation collection. To reduce taxes you have reduce actual spending, something an unregistered political party like VOICES or candidates like Kerry won't commit to.

Where's my ferris wheel?

Tonight (City Hall at 6pm) is the big announcement by Lyle Lanely, er.. Roger Brooks on the future of how millions of tax dollars will invested to create an area which will attach businesses willing to invest (risk) millions of their own money on businesses that have to make a significant profit to pay enough taxes to ensure that the city doesn't end up losing money for their investment.

What do we know so far?  We have a site selected for the relocation of the Presentation House Gallery and it has received promises a few million dollars for their new building and an annual subsidy of $155,000.  The PH Gallery has promised they will fund-raise the rest of the funds and an annual campaign will ensure they are  not back to the Council Chambers with their begging bowl asking the fixed subsidy to be increased. Councilors were obviously worried that the fundraising plan was too ambitious but the PH Gallery was very confident of their future financial support.

The reduced Maritime Museum is almost at the same stage as the PH Gallery, Council has indicated that they will receive a like grant from the City to relocate the present museum to the waterfront, in the old Pipe Shop but the plan done by Colliers does not allocate that area to the new Maritime Museum.  The City has also spent a large part of a Provincial grant, leftover from the time when a larger formal Maritime Museum was being planned prior to the Province rejecting funding after receiving their business plan and fundraising plan. Of the supporters are demanding millions of tax dollars to "Save the Stern" to serve as a prop with the old (yellow) crane to complement the new but reduced Maritime Museum.  Perhaps it was expensive "wants" like this that killed the chance of a large provincial grant and the federal one promised but contingent on the provincial grant.

The Mayor had floated a couple of trial balloons, an aquarium?  With the intent of having a draw that also showcased what North Van was about.  Imprisoned sea life, I think not. Then there the Ferris wheel, actually I like this one.  Visible to seabus traffic and maybe even from Vancouver? It would be part of PNE style arcade and maybe even a hall with slots?  Oh well, the hand wringers would protest anyone gambling.

The Outlook had an opening story on this presentation that gave a couple of hints about what might come.

There would be no chain restaurants or retailers, ie no Starbucks.  The Outlook has Brooks suggesting a 15,000 sq ft ice rink.  Is this to be the big draw the will fill the present and expanded restaurant district as well as the city coffers? Even with a Ferris wheel and big food court and carnival area?

Is this enough of a draw to bypass the challenges of this site? I don't go into the area much as the long slope is quite formidable to those of us with mobility issues. Even with my cane, coming back up slope can be to much at the end of a long day.

We see shortly.  I'll update when I return.

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Well, I'm back, just a few points , it should all up on the CNV.org website soon.  

The stern issue is put off, Roger's guessimate of about 2 million dollars to move the stern to a possible permanent home in a revamped Waterfront Park was shot down by Councillor Bookham who stated she doubted the Stern could be moved twice.  If it was going to the Waterfront Park, it had to be going to a permanent exhibit. I doubt Roger's guess includes the cost of full restoration or the ongoing costs.  If the heritage special interest convinced one of their rich West Van buddies to donate about $5 million to move, restore and fund any annual costs, then it is feasible.  But special interest groups have a tunnel vision about the righteous of their "causes" and rarely change their position.  I think at the end of the day, the Council will end scrapping this expensive symbol.

We should get a Ferris wheel at the end of a new huge Pier and it won't cost us a dime if the a private company owns it. Of course they will take on all the risk and will take all the profit but that's the way it should be.

The other big attraction is the ice rink which will take up the largest part of the whole site at 15,000 sq feet of ice in a 21,000 sq feet footprint. During non-ice times, it could serve as a permanent home of a beach volleyball facility and a music performance facility.

But you should be asking "What the heck are all these shiny things going to cost the taxpayers."  I chatted quickly with the Mayor and asked about the financing.  I asked whether an arms length organisation could be created to receive a loan and make payments until the loan is paid off.  This org would then pay the City a share of the profits.  Details should be included with the announcement when the final "action plan" is unveiled in about a month.