Smithers council agreed to what topics they hope to discuss with ministers during the 2026 Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) conference on June 24 in Vancouver.
It was discussed during Tuesday night’s meeting.
One is a continued push for additional provincially funded police officers in Smithers.
According to the staff report, the town currently pays for 11 officers with one concern being Smithers paid officers being sent to rural or remote calls.
Another item brought up by Councillor Frank Wray was about an email the town received.
“The RCMP is now making it difficult on witnesses and sending some of the stuff back to Prince George because they’re not allowing prisoners to spend the night in city cells, which I’m assuming is Smithers, before their trial,” he said.
With that, Wray wants to ensure the town’s prisoner expenses go down because of the change.
Three items were listed for discussion with the Ministry of Health around the new Bulkley Valley District Hospital building, long-term care facility, and patient transport.
The hospital and care facility were also listed as potential discussion topics with Northern Health.
Council is hoping to speak with the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness about the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund after the Bulkley ESS program saw an unsuccessful grant application this year.
The HEART and HEARTH initiative is on the talking points with the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs, specifically around some of the challenges that continue to be faced around homelessness.
Childcare is also on the list with the Ministry of Education and Childcare with the hope for updated northern affordability benchmarks, and more funding to support new childcare spaces.
Something going on in the Bulkley Valley Lakes District you think people should know about?
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