Home »
Council catches up with Kimberley Youth Action Network
Kimberley City Council Report
By Nowell Berg
On December 13, City of Kimberley council held its regular bi-monthly meeting.
Councillors Kyle Dalum, Kent Goodwin, Nigel Kitto, Jason McBain, Darryl Oakley and Sandra Roberts were present along with Mayor Don McCormick.
The press and public were not in attendance. The meeting streamed live on the city’s YouTube channel. Watch the archive here.
Kimberley Youth Action Network (KYAN) Update
Over the past two years, Kimberley Youth Action Network (KYAN) has undertaken a wide range activities. Lori Joe, Youth Coordinator, had several young participants make the presentation to council.
The purpose of KYAN is to “explore areas of interest and develop critical life skills in a safe and diverse environment,” said Katie, KAYN member.
A wide variety of programs at KYAN include:
Leadership and Networking;
Environmental Action Team (EAT);
Steam Tech club;
Top Teen Chef Challenge and food workshops;
Speaker series;
Blue Lake Camp and self-care In the wilderness workshop;
Play Club – physical fitness, self-defense and boxing.
Another participant, Holly, said that after joining KYAN, “I quickly became more eager and engaged in news and other current events.” Her focus is on the Environmental Action Team where participants, “share ideas, build partnerships and create action items to institute climate justice and the right to a healthy environment.”
Council thanked the youth participants for the presentation and called them “inspiring.”
Coun. Oakley said, “Thanks for the amazing job. It’s very impressive. What’s next?”
EAT participant Holly said there would be an up-coming fashion show and presentations to younger students at middle schools. She also indicated they will be reading, Finding the Mother Tree, creating and implementing several project based on it.
2022 Community Grants Announced
Council approved the distribution of Community Grant funds for 2022.
These grants recognize local organizations that “support the well-being and vibrancy of our community,” according to Pam Walsh, Manager of Community Development and Communications. She informed council there were $200,000 in total grant requests submitted this year. She commended council for getting the money allocated and summed up, “Everybody walks away with something.”
Yearly standing grants go to: Kimberley Heritage Museum ($26,428); Kimberley Arts Council Centre 64 ($28,162); and Kimberley Trails Society ($25,323).
This year, total discretionary cash grants equaled $83,885. An additional $43,830 in-kind grants were handed out.
The largest cash grant went to Spark Society for Youth, Youth Drop-in Program ($11,844).
Other significant grants targeted East Kootenay Search and Rescue $8,857 cash plus $3,000 in-kind for a total of $11,857. Kimberley Arts Council-First Saturdays $3,634 cash plus $7, 314 in-kind for a total of $10,948. Kimberley and District Chamber of Commerce – Julyfest receives $3,429 cash and $8,159 in-kind for a total of $11,588. Kimberley Rotary Club Marysville Walkway Improvement Project grant of $7,549 cash and $711 in-kind for a total of $8,260.
Aquatic Centre Vaccination Status
Two letters were sent to the mayor and council requesting that only vaccinated persons be allowed access to the Aquatic Centre.
Responding to this request, Coun. Roberts said, “I was a little bit surprised to discover we [the city] are not checking for vaccine at the swimming pool. I believed we were.”
Chief administrative officer Scott Sommerville said the Provincial Health Office (PHO) issued separate regulations for swimming pools compared to ice rinks or other city facilities. “Swimming pools were deemed to be low risk by the Provincial Health Office.” He added that “a lot of un-vaccinated kids use the pool.”
Mayor McCormick noted that “90% of 12+ persons are vaccinated in the city,” but felt that it would be important to “be consistent across all city facilities.”
At this time, the Aquatic Centre remains open to the un-vaccinated.
Kimberley City Council meets twice monthly starting at 7 p.m. Due to pandemic restrictions, the public and media are not allowed to attend Council Chambers. Meetings live streams on the City of Kimberley YouTube channel.
The next scheduled council meeting: January 13, 2022.
e-KNOW
