Council has agreed to waive fees so that the Dze L’Kant Friendship Centre can hold activities at Jamie Baxter Park on June 21 for National Indigenous Peoples Day.
“The goal is to provide a barrier-free celebration, offering foods, entertainment and activities at no cost,” Houston-based friendship centre worker Emma Bowen wrote in a letter to council.
“To ensure the success of this event we are encouraging partners to consider a small donation either monetary or in goods and services in order to make this event a fun and memorable experience.”
Bowen noted that the pandemic of the past two years have “been a trying time for many of our community members, particularly those with vulnerabilities.”
Liquor licence shift backed
Council has approved of an application by Mixers Bar and Grill to change its liquor licence from one designated as food primary to one of liquor primary.
The application is up for consideration by provincial regulators.
The effect of the change would be to allow the business to sell liquor beyond 10 p.m., which is when it has to stop now, to 2 a.m.
There would also be a rebranding, from Mixers Bar and Grill to Mixers Bar and Lounge.
“The applicant wishes to focus on bringing the community together through entertainment. There will be designated nights for karaoke, trivia and music bingo to foster community interactions,” read a letter from liquor and cannabis advisors Thrive to the liquor cannabis regulation branch outlining the business approach.
There would be no change to the seating capacity permitted under the current food primary licence and that is 98 people inside and 20 outside for a combined 118 people.
Briefing notes for council indicate that District of Houston staffers don’t believe there will be traffic problems by allowing the licence change. And allow the staffers did not believe noise from the establishment’s patio would be a problem, they did suggest Mixers might consider screens or other noise dampening methods.A motel and the Dze L’Kant Friendship Centre were listed as being located nearby.
Mixers is also applying for a family food service so that minors will be permitted inside to 10 p.m. if accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Garden lease renewed
Houston Link to Learning’s lease at the garden space at 2620 North Copeland has been renewed for another five-year term at a cost of $1.
The effective date would be May 1, expiring on April 30, 2027.
A community garden provides education and nutrition to local residents, noted background material prepared for council.
Council leery about provincial boundary changes
Council has asked a commission investigating the number of provincial ridings in B.C. not to make any changes in the north.
“Our region is a vast area that encompasses a significant portion of our province’s land mass and natural resources which support the local economy,” Mayor Shane Brienen in a letter sent to the B.C. Electoral Boundaries Commission.
“While population numbers in our ridings may not be as high as others, it is imperative to consider the diversity of our communities and constituents, and the subsequent challenges of representing such a diverse population base.”
The boundaries commission looks at equalizing the number of people living within provincial ridings.
But northern ridings do not contain as many people as ones in the south and that has brought on worries that northern ridings might be merged so that numbers of people in the ridings that remain might then come closer to the number of people living in southern ridings.