Statement from the CCRD Chair re: February 22, 2024 board meeting

Statement from the CCRD Chair Jayme Kennedy re: February 22, 2024 board meeting

On February 22, the Central Coast Regional District (CCRD)'s regular monthly Board meeting was repeatedly disrupted by residents attending the meeting, some of whom openly discussed their association with the Bella Coola Valley Taxpayers' Alliance Association. During the public input and delegation period of the agenda, participants have the opportunity to share comments with the Board of Directors regarding the CCRD. However, at the February 22, 2024 regular board meeting, the public input period quickly devolved into residents shouting at Directors, speaking over the Chair, and consistently interrupting and disrupting the meeting. They did not cooperate when repeatedly asked to let the Board agenda resume. The Board recessed to try to achieve calm, but disruptions continued when the meeting resumed. The Board issued a final warning to the residents to stop disrupting the meeting. When it became apparent that the business of the meeting could not be conducted due to the shouting, intimidation tactics, and interruptions from the gallery, the meeting was adjourned, and important business was left uncompleted. A special meeting was called to ensure that time sensitive business could be completed.

The Board and staff asked residents to leave, as the meeting had been adjourned, to which some members of the public refused, and additional shouting and harassment ensued. The situation escalated when some members of the Board and administrative team were followed around the building by members of the group who continued intimidation tactics and bullying. Some participants refused to leave the building and were informed that the RCMP would be called if they did not leave. As they continued to refuse to leave, the RCMP were called, and an RCMP officer arrived to ask the members of the public to leave.

While the public has a right to express themselves to their local government, your CCRD Board puts the safety of Board members, CCRD employees, and community members as a priority. Your CCRD Board and Administration want to continue holding board meetings that are open to all Central Coastal region residents. That's how local government should function. However, given the lack of respect shown toward the Board and the administrative team who work on behalf of all CCRD residents, as well as some people's behaviors that border on harassment, your Board is considering next steps to ensure orderly and safe meetings for all participants.

We've experienced growing measures by some community members who seem intent on orchestrating disruptions to the CCRD's ongoing work. It should concern residents as it appears this group, who does not speak for all residents, is causing unnecessary delays in the business required to run the district on behalf of all residents. These delays add additional costs to the functioning of the Regional District. They are also silencing the voice of respectful community members who attend board meetings.

The Board continues to have faith in the administrative team and has no plans to ask for their resignations, as has been suggested by some. But there could be other serious outcomes. If the administrative team, which we've spent time and resources to hire, choose to leave because they feel unsafe or burnt out with this level of harassment, bullying, and negative and non-productive engagement, it will impact all CCRD residents. Attracting, retaining, and developing staff has a cost and increased turn over and disruptions have costs to the organization which in turn will impact your taxes.

We recognize that there wasn't enough communication and engagement opportunities for the 2023 budget, so we made improvements this year. A summary of those can be found HERE on the CCRD website or HEREin the report with all the budget comments from the feedback form from the February budget engagement presented at the February 22 Board agenda.

In August, there was a mailout throughout the district as well as posters put up in the Bella Coola Valley and the region. We sought your thoughts through a budget survey, publicized through social media posts. Comments received were included in the Oct. 12 Board meeting (124 respondents). A draft budget was shared in February with community boards and budget information sessions online on February 12 (4 attendees) and in person on February 13 (about 30 attendees). Feedback forms were available at both. Throughout the budget season, Directors also have made themselves available to meet with small groups and individuals.

Electors make a choice at the ballot box. If they don't like the decisions being made, it's their right to question and, should they desire, protest. But your Board and administrative team will not be stalled in our pressing work by a group that continually disrespects and disrupts all forms of procedural protocol during public meetings.

We also appreciate the support we continue to receive, and we thank everyone who has sent in helpful feedback and productively engaged with staff regarding the 2024 budget.

To learn more about what CCRD is up to right now, check out the latest activities update report which can be found HERE.