Notes from the Clinton council meeting of June 23, 2021.
Grant-in-aid request
Council approved a request from the Clinton Art and Cultural Society for free use of the Memorial Hall for their Art Show and Sale on July 31 and Aug. 1. Funds raised at the sale are donated to a non-profit group in the village; in the past the Clinton Food Bank has been the beneficiary.
Coun. David Park asked if there was a deadline for applications for grants-in-aid. Mayor Susan Swan said that had gone by the wayside because of the pandemic, and that lost funds could be offset by the COVID Safe Restart funding the village received last year. CAO Murray Daly confirmed that no deadline for applications had been set for 2021, as non-profit groups had not anticipated being able to do anything this year. “It’s nice to see activities being planned again,” said Swan.
Public works annual water report
Council reviewed and approved the 2020 Annual Water Report. Under its operating permit, the Village of Clinton is required to provide an annual report providing an overview of the maintenance and improvements made to the water system over the past year. The report is submitted to Interior Heath and posted on the village’s website.
The report noted that water usage in 2020 was down by 11,381,000 litres over 2019. No capital projects involving the water system were undertaken in 2020, and no water advisories or boil water notices had been issued. The village’s water conservation plan was updated and adopted in 2016, and is available on the village website.
Noise control bylaw
Council adopted Noise Control Bylaw No. 575, 2021. There was no discussion.
Canada Day
Council discussed what to do for Canada Day this year, with Swan noting two considerations: COVID-19, and whether it is appropriate to be celebrating at this time in light of recent discoveries at former residential school sites. Park said he was not sure if the latter point was a concern, but noted that as it was already June 23, there were only eight days to plan anything, which would be onerous on anyone. “If anything was to be done it would be pretty small scale anyway. With COVID, they plan on opening up July 1, but that’s a plan. I would do something on a small scale, keep it simple.”
Community Development Coordinator Meghan Burrage confirmed that there were no plans for Canada Day. Swan noted that at the moment, outdoor gatherings are restricted to 50 people, so holding something at the park would be difficult. “There’s not a lot we can plan in advance without knowing for sure if we can have gatherings.”
Coun. Christine Rivett said she had worked a lot of the July 1 events, and noted that they can’t be pulled together in a couple of days. She added that she suspected people wouldn’t show up, as they would assume nothing was happening. “Other communities have cancelled it this year, and I think that’s a good way to go.”
Council discussed a few possible small-scale activities, and were asked to pass them to Burrage in the next few days for consideration.
The meeting went into closed session at 7:25 p.m.
All minutes and agendas for Clinton council meetings can be found on the Village’s website at https://village.clinton.bc.ca/. Meetings normally take place on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, and begin at 7 p.m. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 14.
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