I finally took the time to attend a full town council meeting in chambers last Wednesday evening.
It was a relief to see that the procedural bylaw was being followed, with a special tip of the hat to councilor Johnson for keeping Mayor Jenkins on track. I had a similar helper when I was in office. Just the same, it’s heartening to know that motions are first moved and seconded followed by a vigorous public debate rather than the other way around as was the custom back in the day.
Besides a need to satisfy my curiosity I was there to support Jenna, the president of the Dawson Music Festival and to lend a voice to the Dome residents affected by the neighbouring mine.
Jenna arose in delegations to ask council whether they agree with Mayor Jenkins’ disparaging comments regarding the music festival that were allegedly made by him at another public meeting earlier in the week. All councilors wasted little time recognizing the value of the yearly event both as a cultural happening and as the single biggest injection into the local economy of any weekend. The mayor denied having said anything negative about the festival and notably did not take the opportunity to verbalize his support for the event, now in its 31st year.
The Dome residents came to express the opinion that no development permits should be entertained or issued to Slinky Mines until the question of mining within municipal boundaries is resolved once and for all. This case is particularly vexatious because the mine wishes to tear up the main road and rebuild it elsewhere so they can get at the pay-dirt underneath. Regretfully there is very little confidence that they have the resources or skills to rebuild a road that meets highways standards.
It was also brought forward by our delegation that Slinky Mines should be fined the maximum allowable, $500 per day during the time they chose to ignore a stop work order issued by the city. We reminded council that the mine continued their clear cutting activities knowing full well that this was in contravention to the authority of Dawson, not to mention concerns raised by neighbouring residents.
The response from council was that a court action is underway and that the city will look for a remedy with the help of lawyers. We still feel that it’s not necessarily redundant or a weakening of Dawson’s legal position to levy the fine. It’s clear that municipalities, as a rule, seek compliance rather than having to impose penalties, but given the cavalier attitude displayed by this mining company here is an opportunity to set a precedent, at least in our view.
Of course there were many other important issues that came up and I was very happy to see how council conducted the three and a half hour meeting.
Considering that my confidence in Mayor Jenkins is very low I am heartened by a council that appears determined to show transparency and fairness in how the business of the city is conducted.
“A tree is known by its fruit.”
Support and cough candies were both very appreciated.
-JR