The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George will be conducing public survey in Bear Lake to gauge the community’s interest in maintaining the Bear Lake Community Commission.
On Thursday, the regional district board approved the survey to go ahead.
The move comes after no candidates came forward to run in a by-election to fill two vacant seats on the five-seat commission by the April 30 deadline. The resignation of commissioners Sandra Child and Sandy McClure earlier this year prompted the by-election.
Part of the purpose of the survey is to inform Bear Lake residents about the commission and its role, district general manager of legislative and corporate services Karla Jensen wrote in her report to the board.
“Given that the community has undergone changes in demographics and population in the last number of years, it may be beneficial to ensure the community has an awareness of the BLCC and its role before undergoing a formal assent vote to repeal the service,” Jensen wrote. “Once results of the survey have been received, Corporate Services Administration will return to the Board with the results and a proposal for the next steps based on the results.”
If the board votes to repeal the Bear Lake Community Commission, any funds remaining in its accounts would typically be returned to the ratepayers in the area, Jensen added.
The commission was established in 1978, and is officially responsible for managing the operation of local fire protection, street lighting, cemetery operations, community water services, creation facilities and the ambulance station.
Director Pat Crook, who sits on the board as the regional district director for the area, said in a previous meeting of the board that the commission’s role has significantly decreased over time – overseeing the work of a local snow removal contractor and a few other administrative duties.
"Being on that board, they don't really do a lot," Crook said. "They don't have any hands-on monitoring or control over the services they provide."
The area under the commission's jurisdiction is roughly 98 sq. kilometres in size and had 151 residents as of the 2016 Census.
The commission is made up of four locally-elected members, plus the director of the regional district's Crooked River-Parsnip electoral area who sits as an ex-officio commissioner. The remaining members are Crook and commissioners Charlie MacDougall and Herbert Franklin.
