Our Governance and Priorities meeting this week saw a lot of attendance.
Here's the wrap-up from the November 4 meeting:
➡️ The Peace River Rotaract Club presented their proposal for an outdoor skating lane during the winter.
➡️ Mackenzie Municipal Services Agency presented about the planning and development support services they provide to local municipalities.
➡️ Council reviewed the Council Remuneration, Travel, and Expense Policy.
➡️ Director of Corporate Services Sam Mugford presented the draft 2025 Utility Supported Operating Budget and 2025 Tax Supported Operating Budget for Council feedback.
🗣 During the public comment portion of the meeting, residents expressed issue with the circumstances around a show that had been planned to take place in town. To clarify this situation and answer some of the questions, here is what transpired:
➡️ The group "The Danger Cats" made a booking request for Athabasca Hall but did not use their comedy group name, so the connection to the group was not immediately recognized.
➡️ As the show approached and announcements were made regarding it, multiple residents expressed concern to the Town about the group performing at a Town facility.
➡️ Town Administration looked into the group and determined their show was not appropriate to be hosted at a Town facility, due to a history of offensive remarks and content, especially in regards to Indigenous issues.
➡️ The Town decided to decline the booking request and informed the group that the show would not be allowed to proceed at Athabasca Hall.
➡️ The Town does not wish to cancel events in Peace River. We declined the application because Athabasca Hall is a community facility where we must ensure a certain standard of decorum. There are private venues in town that are able to host such an event, and the Town would not prevent them from doing so.
As a reminder, no formal decisions are made at Governance and Priorities meetings. They are simply an opportunity for Council to discuss issues ahead of regular Council meetings.
You can read the agenda here: https://peaceriver.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/?preview=138699
And watch it all back here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oU989tz5JE
Our next regular Council meeting will be 5 p.m. Tuesday, November 12.
