Mission’s mayor and council were busy at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention in Vancouver last week (Sept. 18-22).
Mayor Paul Horn and all councillors with the exception of Ken Herar attended the convention, meeting with Premier David Eby, four ministers, BC Transit, BC Hydro and the RCMP.
In the meeting with Premier Eby, Mission representatives spoke to challenges in delivering needed amenities for a growing city as it works to meet the provincial mandate to deliver more housing.
Transportation capacity, schools, RCMP staffing capacity, and parks and recreation facilities were all topics of conversation for the chat with the premier.
While speaking with Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Sheila Malcomson, the city sought support for Persons with Disability Assistance Rates and bringing a foundry to Misson.
Mission Public School District trustees joined council for a meeting with Minister of Education Rachna Singh. Representatives noted the pressures of growth in Mission and outlined the need to advance plans for school sites.
Meanwhile, the city highlighted the need for diking along the Mission waterfront in a meeting Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston.
Council also advocated for increased highway maintenance standards, surface maintenance of the Murray Street overpass and suicide barriers on Mission Bridge while speaking with transportation minister Rob Fleming.
Transportation was also centre-stage in a meeting later in the week with BC Transit. Mission representatives discussed developing a transit-oriented design hub at the waterfront and capacity issues with the existing Mission bus exchange.
A meeting with public safety minister Mike Farnworth had to be rescheduled, but council addressed safety in a meeting with the RCMP to speak to the proposed changes to the BC Highway Patrol and the Mission’s lack of provincial officers working out of the local detachment.
At the beginning of the week, Mission and the Leq’á:mel, Mathexwi, Semá:th (LMS) Society spoke to delegates about the Í:XEL SQ’EQ’Ó (Together We Paddle) Agreement where the society is taking back 60-plus hectares of traditional lands from the Crown in Mission.
At the end of the week, Mayor Horn and city staff met with the BC Office of the Human Rights Commission to tell Mission’s story of how it’s addressing the unhoused population’s needs.
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