District wins award
The district took home top honours Tuesday, winning the province-wide 2015 Award of Excellence in geographic information systems (GIS).
The district’s winning ArcGIS geographic information system software is used for data management, mapping and operational planning.
“Virtually all municipal governments, utility companies, universities and other organizations that use GIS are using Esri technology,” Mayor Patricia Heintzman said in a news release. “To be recognized among all of these as an industry leader is certainly a big honour. We’re very proud of our team who has taken the lead on implementing this new technology that will allow us to grow and prosper in a digital age.”
The District of Squamish is the first organization of its size to win this award in B.C., according to the news release. Previous winners include the District of North Vancouver, Vancouver Police and the Township of Langley.
The new GIS technology has led to increased efficiency and reduced costs at the district, the release states. Through a newly created app, district staff in planning, building, and engineering can see all recent development activity on a plot of land, as well as search and update development applications, according to district staff.
The award was by Esri Canada at the Esri Canada User Conference in Vancouver.
To access the district’s mapping go to, www.squamish.ca/maps-and-data
Breakfast with the mayor
Mayor Patricia Heintzman will be hosting her monthly Breakfast with the Mayor on Friday. This month’s theme is: “Service Culture in the Digital Age?” The discussion will be around how the district can meet the public’s expectations in a world increasingly found online. Questions include what will municipal hall be like in the future and what can be done to improve service at the district immediately. The chinwag gets underway at 7:45 a.m. and runs until 9 a.m. at the Copper Coil Still and Grill on Cleveland Avenue.
568 guns in Squamish
Currently 568 registered firearms are in Squamish, according to figures The Squamish Chief obtained from the RCMP. Of those weapons, 501 are restricted and 67 are prohibited.
The figures are as of Oct. 31.
Restricted guns include certain handguns, a rifle with a barrel that is less than 470 mm in length and is semi-automatic.
Often people want to have a restricted firearm for target practice or target shooting competitions, or as part of a collection, according to the RCMP.
Before individuals can register their restricted firearms, they must have a firearms possession and acquisition license (PAL).
Prohibited firearms include some handguns, modified rifles and automatic rifles. Individuals may possess a prohibited gun if it has been “grandfathered,” meaning they had it registered in their name when it became prohibited on Dec. 1, 1998, or it is a specific handgun made prior to 1946.
Go to the federal RCMP website for more information http://bit.ly/1MPYv.
A carbon-neutral District?
Council unanimously passed a motion on Tuesday night to consider the corporation of the District of Squamish becoming carbon neutral in 2016. The municipality will consider offsets or suitable alternatives in the 2016 budget discussion, the motion states.
Preliminary budget discussions get underway starting Monday.
Pot bylaw to come
District of Squamish staff will be looking at marijuana dispensary business licensing in the wake of a motion put forward by Councillor Susan Chapelle at council Tuesday night.
Chapelle said that with the extreme cost now associated with licensing dispensaries in Vancouver, there is a strong possibility that dispensary owners will be eying Squamish in the near future. She wants to ensure that adequate fees are charged and that the zoning includes adequate setbacks from public buildings and schools.
She has worked with Squamish’s 99 North Medical Cannabis Dispensary owner Bryan Raiser on a draft bylaw based on other municipalities’ bylaws. District staff will now work on coming up with a bylaw that will be presented at a future meeting.
Seismic upgrades to fire hall
The Tantalus Fire Hall will soon be getting seismic upgrades after council passed a motion Tuesday night to pay Herold Engineering $76,480 for design and construction technical services of the hall.
A $61,200 contract was granted to Duro Construction for work on the hall, built in 1978. The building is showing signs of age and deterioration, according to a document submitted to council.
