This is the scene: Councillor Jason Blackman Wulff in his seat in the council chambers flanked by Councillor Karen Elliott in a Recycle Person outfit and Councillor Peter Kent in a landfill costume. No, this is not a reporter’s nightmare after a marathon Tuesday night council meeting, this is a snippet from Organic Waste, the first episode of a new video series called “The District.”
In the video, after some enthusiastic acting by the new councillors, they head to the Squamish Landfill to explain why the district’s new organics composting program is necessary – the landfill will reach capacity by 2018.
Kent, who has about 100 legitimate acting credits to his name, including on his former TV series Stuntdawgs, said the video was a blast to make.
“It’s fun,” he said “It is a good collaborative effort.”
The landfill suit he wore was originally made for about a five-foot-five woman, so it was a challenge for Kent to squeeze onto his six-foot-five frame, he said.
“It was pretty tight to get into,” he said with a laugh.
Kent said he is currently editing a second district video on the wastewater treatment plant that will be released soon.
Mayor Patricia Heintzman said the series is a way to explain what happens behind the scenes at the district so people get a better understanding of the inner workings of local government.
“The idea is to create a whole series of videos that are fun, that are engaging, but that ultimately provide information and educate, and also we want to show that human side of all the people who work here, whether they are councillors or staff,” said Heintzman.
“This is just the first of many,” she said.
Future videos may be produced like the first video, which is five minutes long, or they may be 30-second snippets explaining, for example, that the tops of fire hydrants are being painted blue because that tells firefighters how much water pressure is at that spot.
The videos don’t have a cost, Heintzman said, and the first was filmed mostly on cellphones. To see the video, go to squamish.ca.
