tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71631692545459772892012-02-16T03:41:02.295-08:00This is a blog collection of my general activities, observations and ideas as city councillor in Port Moody.Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-47074485153342388352011-10-21T13:15:00.000-07:002011-10-21T13:53:19.183-07:00

Wow... another unbelievable evening celebrating Port Moody businesses ! In 2004 the city started an event called the 'Spike Awards', honouring Port Moody businesses and recognizing those that go far beyond the 'standards' in their industries.    The event was held in 2004/5/6/7 and then took a two year hiatus. After I was appointed the chair of the Economic Development Committee in 2010, the

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-87853673808043387022011-10-07T12:17:00.000-07:002011-10-07T12:21:46.981-07:00

So the Translink mayor's council is about to vote on a funding package for Translink that includes 2 cents per litre gas tax, and property tax for 2 years as a back stop while they seek an alternate source of $30-40 million per year.  Many mayors are opposed to property tax funding Translink, and a few are going to vote against this package because of it.  But it will pass.  Because it has to.

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-18794400692649855422011-09-29T17:30:00.000-07:002011-09-30T13:30:46.938-07:00

I posted the other day about the Municipal Auditor General - an idea from the premiers office to create an oversight office for municipal spending.  This became a very hot topic and in fact was probably the most significant topic of debate at the UBCM this week . The UBCM is an annual gathering of ALL municipal and regional district councils in British Columbia, where ideas are exchanged and

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-27982983507771725192011-09-12T15:17:00.000-07:002011-09-16T15:36:12.476-07:00

The press has been buzzing the last week or so about a proposal for a municipal auditor general.  Sounds like a great idea.  An auditor that would review the finances of municipalities to ensure that monies are being spent as they were said to have been, and that good value is being obtained for the taxpayer. Good idea ?  Certainly, if you listen to the headlines and the soundbites it is. There

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-90299835905899722452011-08-22T09:19:00.000-07:002011-08-22T11:11:19.367-07:00

I woke up this morning, having returned from holidays in Alaska on Saturday, early and ready to return to the work day grind. Rain was falling outside my window, which i thought was maybe a little appropriate.  I woke before my alarm and turned on my radio to CKNW to hear the morning news before getting out of bed.  The 6 AM news broke with the headline that Jack Layton had lost his battle with

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-12388805363274282782011-07-15T08:42:00.000-07:002011-07-15T08:43:16.888-07:00

As reported in the Vancouver Sun this morning, GVRD (Metro Vancouver) utility fee/taxes are being predicted to rise by 44% over the next 5 years. These costs show up in municipal utility fees, which are rarely spoken about by municipal councils at budget time, mainly because most municipalities have seen rises of 100% or more over the last 10 years or so. Most municipalities have chosen to

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-41526867219342803722011-07-11T13:47:00.000-07:002011-07-11T15:07:33.635-07:00

So, as expected, last week the Translink Mayor's Council and the Transportation Minister have apparantly come to an agreement involving funding the Evergreen Line, using gas tax. The media has been repeatedly reporting that the Evergreen Line will be funded through a 2 cent per litre gas tax increase. BUT IS IT REALLY ? For some reason, they are not reporting the whole story here ! The WHOLE

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-411128245577453702011-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:002011-07-06T13:25:56.888-07:00

Ok, maybe not 2053, but the ongoing saga of how to fund the Evergreen Line for the extension from Lougheed Town Centre to Coquitlam Town Centre continues today. Apparently the mayors council is meeting to discuss a funding formula. As a reminder, the project is currently funded 1/3 federal, slightly more than 1/3 provincial, and Translink, representing the local municipalities in GVRD region,

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-90836094584806361722011-04-17T09:56:00.000-07:002011-07-06T10:00:47.255-07:00

Well, it seems that , with very poor turnout at the referendum polls, the majority of the residents who voted approved the borrowing of up to $ 16 million to build a new firehall. As I said in earlier blogs and comments, I do not believe the replacement firehall will actually cost $ 16 million, and I hope it will end up being $ 12 million or less for the entire project. As noted previously, we

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-90149625522440864242011-04-12T13:52:00.000-07:002011-04-12T14:45:25.652-07:00

On April 16, Port Moody voters are being asked to participate in a referendum to endorse the borrowing of up to $ 16 million for the funding of the replacement of Firehall #1, at Ioco and Murray Streets. That's a lot of money ! So, what's this all about ???Why do we need a new firehall ?The current firehall was built in 1974, so it is only 37 years old. Well - only... maybe that sounds old,

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-70101381155496745642010-12-16T11:09:00.000-08:002010-12-16T12:37:55.265-08:00

Its 3:43 PM on Monday, December 13th, and as I'm wrapping up my work day I see a note pop up on Facebook from local social media guru Dave Teixeira. Dave is posting an email he received from Heather at SHARE society about the dimished supply of food for the Christmas hampers in the SHARE warehouse. I have been in fairly regular contact with Martin at SHARE over the past few weeks, so I'm aware

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-83042656944533434922010-11-30T12:47:00.001-08:002010-11-30T13:08:50.011-08:00

The public hearing wrapped up a little after midnight, and around 1230 AM this morning, Coquitlam council gave 2nd, 3rd and 4th readings to OCP and Zoning amendments in support of the proposed homeless shelter at 3030 Gordon Ave. The public hearing was very emotional, many local residents came forward with their concerns for increased crime and activity in their otherwise quiet residential

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-56394302992597935132010-10-29T20:13:00.000-07:002010-11-30T12:37:57.391-08:00

As the alternate representative for Port Moody on the Metro Vancouver Board, I attended the Oct 29 meeting of the board at which the 2011 budget was on the agenda. We had previously had a budget 'workshop' meeting on Wednesday (27th) to go over the budget revisions for 2011. In a nutshell: Metro Vancouver 2011 Budget, expeditures: $ 603.4 million , + 5.8% (across all functions) Impact on '

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-17754770462085156922010-10-07T20:26:00.000-07:002010-10-30T21:19:55.251-07:00

Well, if you've been living in a cave, or somewhere outside of the lower mainland, you may not be aware that Translink is having some financial challenges, and in particular, struggling to come up with the $ 400 million for their commitment to the Evergreen Line. Today, Translink hosted a meeting at Metrotown to discuss their funding outlook. The event was VERY well attended by municipal

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-62433453756444491312010-09-28T12:00:00.000-07:002010-09-30T23:11:59.815-07:00

Tuesday at the UBCM and still technically a 'pre conference' day, but an important one.The day kicked off with the Large Urban Communities Forum - a gathering of local government of cities with a population of > 25,000. (Might not seem large by lower mainland standards, but in BC as a whole, there are MANY MANY cities with less than 25000 population).Opening the session was a presentation by

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-64198302180237737332010-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:002010-09-30T22:31:42.834-07:00

Monday at the ubcm is a pre conference day, the official start of the conference isn't until Wednesday.. But, pre conference sessions are a good opportunity to have some more in depth discussions with representatives from around the province, on their challenges and successes.Of course, the emphasis everywhere is on green and sustainability, so I chose to attend two sessions - a green cities

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-30550307822169228422010-05-01T22:11:00.000-07:002010-05-15T22:21:02.268-07:00

This morning Metro Vancouver hosted a council-of-councils meeting, for all councillors and mayors of the Metro Region, in Langley. The topic of discussion: Draft Solid Waste Management Plan.The solid waste issue is getting plenty of media attention these days, and Metro Vancouver waste management committee, staff and board are updating the solid waste management plan, setting the direction for

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-26373970429337642692010-04-08T08:44:00.001-07:002010-04-08T09:01:19.739-07:00

It is with a heavy heart today that we mourn the loss , and celebrate the life of Tomie Curties.Tomie always brought a smile to my face, and embodied the spirit of community, volunteering countless hours at various events and neither asking for, nor expecting, anything in return - other than the joy of participating with her friends and neighbours to make our world a better place. Tomie was one

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-1209952431240098292009-12-18T15:26:00.000-08:002009-12-18T15:48:39.537-08:00

The 2010 City of Port Moody Fees and Charges bylaw includes a fee ($97 annual) for homeowners who are renting out their dwellings, privately. If you follow council meetings, you will know that I opposed this. Why ? Because I don't feel that this is anything more than a 'hidden' tax, and a cash grab.I asked for anyone to justify to me why the city would feel the need to collect this fee . Is

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-68096142655473525962009-10-26T14:15:00.000-07:002009-10-26T15:01:22.419-07:00

On Friday, the Translink Mayors Council voted to accept a 'modest' supplemental option - the Funding Stabilization plan. The plan, which essentially holds transit services at current levels, requires $ 130 million in additional revenues. The revenues will be derived through an increase in fuel tax (additional 3 cents per litre) , fare box revenues (7 percent increase), parking tax (increase

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-72644941769834647622009-10-05T09:18:00.000-07:002009-10-05T09:36:27.386-07:00

So, the front page of the Vancouver Sun catches my eye this morning with this headline:Pro-incineration expert denied risks of second-hand smoke(click to read the article) http://www.vancouversun.com/health/incineration+expert+denied+risks+second+hand+smoke/2066149/story.htmlNow, I heard rumblings of this a week ago, and a caller asked this question of MV CAO Johnny Carline on CKNW on Saturday...

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-46836990951322669602009-09-23T15:41:00.000-07:002009-09-30T15:50:17.606-07:00

At our council meeting last night, we decided to ask city planning staff to bring back revisions to the current DRAFT OCP that would reflect minimal growth. This direction was given based on the current information that Translink is not able to fund the Evergreen Line.The residents of Port Moody have consistently identified their top concern with the city being that the development has outpaced

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-89322818033769418302007-02-27T13:36:00.000-08:002011-09-30T13:37:28.053-07:00

Tonight I attended, along with councilors Lahti, Watkins and Elliott, and a couple of hundred parents, the meeting of the school board trustees on school closures.  As the conclusion of this process, this meeting was about what I had expected - the process leading up to this meeting was pretty much destined to end in conflict and division, and this is what occurred.  Trustees Watkins and Keryluk

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-7872390974765515632006-10-04T13:43:00.000-07:002011-09-30T13:44:14.644-07:00

Last night I attended the Taste of the Tri Cities, put on by the Society for Community Development at the Executive Inn in Coquitlam. This event showcases some local restaurants (I think there were about 12) with samples of their foods.  There was quite a large crowd, lots of familiar faces, including councillors from Coquitlam, Port Moody and Port Coquitlam, Diane Thorne, and Coquitlam Mayor

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-43814241767899678972006-09-15T13:46:00.001-07:002011-09-30T13:47:22.409-07:00

OCP REVIEW - SEPT 19Last night was the cities opening public input meeting for the OCP review. Click here for OCP review process details. The meeting was relatively well attended with about 200+ people coming to share their outlook on the cities future. The OCP review is an important process that sets the 'tone' for the city for the coming months, years and even decades. The session was

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-44744458527976208912006-09-15T13:46:00.000-07:002011-09-30T13:46:29.682-07:00

After a VERY long 'break', the HCA Steering committee / work group / task force was reconvened last night at Kyle Centre. With the guidance from Leslie Gilbert from the planning department, the working group members discussed the HCA designation, the physical location/boundaries and the implications. It has been generally agreed that the HCA area will be developed in a two (or maybe more ?)

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-28994766083244247692006-09-06T13:41:00.000-07:002011-09-30T13:41:32.725-07:00

LRT PAC MEETING PMSSTonight I attended the PMSS Pac meeting with Translink on LRT. Translink brought their diagrams and maps showing their routing and responded to many questions from the group in attendance. Many of the questions, of course, centred around the safety of the students crossing St Johns. Also, the capacity of the station to accomodate a flood of 200+ kids heading onto the platform

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-3485214302820058042006-06-25T13:45:00.000-07:002011-09-30T13:45:44.437-07:00

  What a beautiful day !  A parade and a ceremony to dedicate Chip Kerr Park !  The city today had the official ceremony to dedicate Chip Kerr Park, formerly Century Park, amalgamated with the new park area dedicated from the 2900 block of Jane Street.  The 2900 Jane Street park dedication was the result of many hours of work by area residents after the city had proposed a housing development on

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-81747766835603222752006-06-16T13:39:00.000-07:002011-09-30T13:40:02.182-07:00

ARTICLE IN TRI CITY NEWS RE: GATEWAYUnfortunately, the one thing the reporter didnt mention is that I put forward this motion and invited council to make any suggestions, recommendations, or amendments - nobody did, and yet three voted against. I never expected this motion to pass in its entirity, as I would have thought some members of council would have objected to certain aspects of it. I

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163169254545977289.post-76715652394508515992006-06-14T13:43:00.000-07:002011-09-30T14:43:55.716-07:00

WHAT ABOUT A BRIDGE TO NORTH VAN ?So Im reading the paper today and I come across this letter to the editor (tri city news). Yes - this is my DAD. NO - I dont necessarily agree with him - but it is kind of funny, he has some old documents that show this idea and a crossing near Barnet Beach has been around for 20+ years.... Im sure one day, it will happen. Hopefully, not while Im on city council

Mike Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17447718995346221514noreply@blogger.com0