Council briefs
City prepares to begin live broadcasts
Randi Beers
Northern News Services
Published Friday, October 17, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Mayor Mark Heyck began Monday night's council meeting by pointing out a few new additions to the chamber.
Three new cameras now inhabit the room, pointing down from three different corners of the ceiling. The reason for their installation is so the city can broadcast council meetings.
According to Heyck, the city used to broadcast council on Northwestel's community access channel. He said the corporation used to provide and pay for cameras and camera operators to record council and the meeting would play on the community access channel a couple days later.
This year, when the city starts broadcasting again, Yellowknifers will be able to watch debates real time on their computers.
"One of the advantages of the Internet is we can live-stream meetings," said Heyck.
"We wanted to open up the meetings to the public and be as transparent as possible."
The mayor said the city is negotiating with Northwestel to broadcast on its community access channel again, but for now residents can stream the debates from the yellowknife.ca website. City administration estimates live streaming of council meetings will start Oct. 27, though that date is tentative.
Council debates business incubation and incentive program
Yellowknife council seemed fairly receptive to a recommendation from administration to develop a business incentive and incubation program during Monday's Municipal Services Committee meeting. The recommendation, brought forward by the communications and economic development department, proposes to create an entrepreneur mentorship program, give guidance for grants and loan programs through the territorial and federal governments and expand the city's business visitation program to assess what business owners say they need to succeed in Yellowknife. Coun. Cory Vanthuyne indicated he would support the recommendation.
"I think what we are seeing before us is a great start," he said.
"It's fairly straightforward and it will be low cost to implement."
Coun. Dan Wong and Phil Moon Son also expressed support.
Other councillors, including Adrian Bell, were skeptical about whether administration has come back to council with a proposal that is focused enough to be effective.
"Do we know what our needs are? What needs and assessment work has been done, besides business visitation work?" he asked.
Nalini Naidoo, director of communications and economic development, answered her department worked with the Business Development and Investment Corporation, the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce in developing the recommendations.
Coun. Niels Konge said he's heard people around Yellowknife say the city isn't a good place to do business, and suggested the department visit these people to ask what the city isn't doing right.
"I've heard people say business does not succeed because of the city, it succeeds despite it," he said.
Council will vote on the business incentive and incubation program during the regular council meeting Oct. 27.
Resident says streetlights leave district in the dark
Kam Lake resident Jim Pook stopped by Monday's Municipal Services Committee meeting to urge council to investigate the efficiency of Kam Lake's streetlights. He says the city's decision to replace 100-watt high pressure sodium bulbs in his neighbourhood with 70-watt LED bulbs has resulted in a 60 per cent reduction in lighting.
"I've lived at the same place for 35 years and I know how much the lamps used to light up my house," he said.
Carl Bird, the director of corporate services, said the new bulbs give off less glare, which improves vision for drivers, and they also last longer.
"LED bulbs have three times the life of (high pressure sodium) bulbs," he explained.
Coun. Adrian Bell told administration he's putting this issue forward as a concern and would like to see somebody from the city visit the district to assess the quality of light.
Councillor sees leverage in GNWT request
A territorial government request to council to raise the height restriction for Stanton Territorial Hospital had Coun. Niels Konge sensing an opportunity during Monday's Municipal Services Committee meeting.
He asked administration how the City of Yellowknife's application for land development - around the back side of Frame Lake - is doing, which is pending with the territorial government.
Jeffrey Humble, director of planning and development, said the city's application is going through public consultation.
Mayor Mark Heyck said he believes the city's and territorial government's applications are two different issues but Konge stood by his opinion.
"Our big brother, the GNWT, has something we want and call it leverage, call it whatever you want, I believe that this should be taken into consideration," he said.
The hospital currently stands just under its maximum height of 15 metres and the Northwest Territories government would like to see the possibility of 25 metres, or five storeys, added.
He estimated the $300 million Stanton Renewal Project will grow the hospital by an estimated 80 per cent and double the number of parking spaces.
Couns. Dan Wong, Adrian Bell and Cory Vanthuyne all spoke in favour of the proposal, which will go to vote during a regular council meeting in two weeks.
