COMMUNITY: Thanks from Topley 4-H producers
PROFILE: New Figure Skating Coach
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JADE Boulders
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RCMP say a low-bed truck loaded with jade boulders flipped east of Topley, September 16 at 8:20 a.m. There were no injuries.
Houston will see two doctors come to town by February if all goes well. Northern Health’s local health service administrator Cormac Hikisch revealed that Houston was earmarked to get a second family physician because of the “urgent need for a primary care practice.” “If successful, we could have two international medical graduate physicians on the ground in February 2016 if all goes according to our plan,” said Hikisch. The doctors were drawn from the province’s Practice Ready See DOCTORS on Page 3
UBCM considers recall and accountability resolution to B.C. – no other province or territory has a system in place for removing elected representatives from office between elections. In the United States, recall laws exist in over half of the states. “I am very proud of our council for supporting this resolution to the UBCM,” said Repen. “It is a strong statement on their behalf that they also believe in municipal politicians being accountable for their performance while in office.”
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he said. Recall legislation already exists in British Columbia to remove members of the legislative assembly (MLAs). In order to remove an MLA, a voter must collect signatures from more than 40 per cent of voters eligible to sign the petition in that electoral district. Applications for recall petitions cannot be submitted to Elections B.C. during the 18 months after the MLA was elected. In Canada, the recall process is unique
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be done in those four years, he said. While campaigning door-to-door in Telkwa, Repen said he noticed “an enormous community support” for a recall initiative. He then personally committed to trying to implement this idea. “I stated [during my door-to-door campaign] that I would propose a recall mechanism, and that regardless of whether that mechanism became legislation, I would honour my proposal personally,”
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the lead and demonstrate that they, too, believe in the right of citizens to hold their political representatives accountable for their performance,” said Repen. According to Repen, extending the terms of office of elected municipal officials to four years provided more opportunity for politicians to achieve their goals. However, if a politician takes a course that is not representative of their constituents’ best interests, a lot of damage can
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British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) convention being held this week - Sept. 21 to 25 - in Vancouver. If endorsed by the UBCM, this resolution will be referred to the provincial government, who would then decide whether to amend the community charter to include a recall mechanism. This new amendment could impact all municipalities in B.C. “I hope that the UBCM membership sees this resolution as an opportunity to take
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Telkwa council is proposing a resolution that would allow B.C. residents to remove municipal politicians whose performances have been undesirable or unacceptable. Recall is a legal mechanism whereby a specified percentage of voters can petition for an election to remove a particular elected official. If the vote is in favour of removal, then the seat of the official is declared vacant and a by-election is held to
fill the vacancy. “A recall mechanism would give the electorate a democratic avenue to remove a politician and elect a new representative whose policies are more in tune with the needs and wants of their community members,” said Telkwa Mayor Darcy Repen. “It is about municipal politicians being accountable for their actions to the people they are supposed to be serving.” The idea is being presented at the 2015 Union of
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