District of Houston councillors and the mayor have a list of out of town conferences and events they can attend each year and that requires a budget appropriation based on costs.
A series of conferences and events in 2024 were presented to council Nov. 6 to gauge interest on who might attend.
First up was the BC Natural Resources forum in Prince George Jan. 16 to Jan. 18.
It’s an annual event and this year’s forum, says a memo to council, “will dive deep into the importance of interconnected decision-making through meaningful partnerships between First Nations, government and the B.C. resources sector.”
The idea is to “create a sustainable legacy for future generations.”
A natural resource, the forest, takes center stage April 10 to April 12 in Vancouver through the annual Council of Forest Industries gathering dubbed as the largest of its kind in Western Canada and attended by industry, Indigenous, government, community and labour leaders.
Later in April the Nation2Nation regular series of gatherings of Indigenous, government and industry representatives has an event in Prince Rupert focused on the role of women in the northwest.
“She Leads will bring together a diverse group of mentors, leaders and entrepreneurs to inspire and empower women in the northwest to grow into their potential,” information indicates. It takes place April 24 to April 25.
Minerals North is a long-standing gathering of anybody with everything and anything to do with the minerals industry in the north.
It takes place in different settings each time and next year, May 8 to May 10, Kitimat will be the host.
Three government-focused organizations hold gatherings each year and in 2024, the first one is the North Central Local Government Association.
It meets May 13 to May 16 and this is is significant because the District to Houston is a co-host along with the Town of Smithers and the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako.
Next up is the Federation of Canadian Municipalities annual gathering of local governments June 6 to June 9 in Calgary.
A trade show is associated with the event and key political and economic leaders are always in attendance.
The last local government gathering of the year is in Vancouver from September 16 to September 20 when the Union of B.C. Municipalities brings together community leaders, Indigenous leaders and senior government representatives.
This also takes place on the verge of the Oct. 2024 provincial election.
A general Nation2Nation forum is set for Oct. 8 to Oct. 10 in Terrace.
A community forest conference is also being planned but no location or date is available.
Council members will present their preferences at the next council meeting so budget numbers can be prepared for the District’s 2024 spending plan.
The District spent $28,613 on travel and associated costs in 2019, increasing to $72,930 in 2020, falling to $44,322 in 2021 and declining further to $35,844 in 2022 before rising up to $67,557 as of October for this year.
The Covid years of 2021 and into 2022 affected travel so that council members participated virtually in conventions and events.