THE CURRENT | TNRD BOARD HIGHIGHTS

Highlights from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Board of Directors’ Meeting of March 11, 2021


The TNRD Board of Directors held its regular Board Meeting in-person and via Zoom at the Valley First Lounge of the Sandman Centre in Kamloops with social distancing guidelines and safe meeting protocols in place. The meeting was live streamed on the TNRD’s Facebook page, view the recording here.

Presentation: Commercial Traffic and Safety on Highway 5A

Glenn Taylor, District CVSE Manager and Graeme Schimpf, Operations Manager with the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s Thompson-Nicola District office were invited to present information to the Board related to commercial traffic and safety on Highway 5A. The presentation contained data and trends, including:

  • highway safety improvements that have been made since 2011
  • annual trends in serious collisions along the highway
  • commercial vehicle use and enforcement

A question and answer period followed the presentation.

Board Remuneration and Expenses Bylaw

The Board unanimously defeated the motion to adopt a bylaw that would provide an automatic Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase to Directors remuneration.

A report received from the Director of Finance provided updates to the remuneration amounts and expenses for the Board, whose current policy and past practice is to review the Remuneration Bylaw on an annual basis and make any desired changes prior to adoption of the annual financial plan in March.

Black Pines Community Water System Assent Vote Results

The Board adopted Black Pines Community Water System Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 2726, authorizing the TNRD to borrow $455,000 to upgrade the Black Pines Community Water System.

An assent vote for the Black Pines Community Water System took place on Saturday, February 20 with advance voting held on February 10 and mail in voting made available. More information and official voting results can be found on our website.

Independent Third-Party Financial Review/Audit

The Board of Directors approved a recommendation to move forward with an independent third-party financial review and audit of the TNRD’s financial records. A report to the Board from CAO Scott Hildebrand states that the review will cover the time period of 2015-2020, with the purpose of making recommendations to improve internal controls and oversight measures.

The review is estimated to take 3 months and will cost approximately $50,000-$75,000. A comprehensive report will be made available to the Board and public as soon as possible.

Library Overdue Fines Eliminated

The Board approved the elimination of overdue fines for library patrons. A report from the Chief Librarian cites that the removal of fines is part of a growing international trend among libraries, with studies showing that overdue fines are a barrier to usage and disproportionately impact children and other vulnerable populations.

Thompson-Nicola Film Commission Year End Report

The Film Commissioner provided the Board of Directors with a report and presentation on the Film Commission’s activities for 2020 and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the filmmaking industry. From an economic standpoint, 2020 was one of the Film Commission’s most successful years.

The next Regular Board Meeting is on March 25, 2021 at 1:30 pm.

Click here to view The Current on our website.

Please note that The Current is not a substitute for the TNRD’s Board meeting minutes, found on our website: www.tnrd.ca