The Strathcona Regional District board took its next steps toward establishing a corporation for a major technological upgrade for the region.
At the August board meeting, SRD directors tackled questions around its representation to the stand-alone corporation, the Strathcona Connected Coast Network Corporation (SCCNC), which will oversee the fibre optics upgrade. The SCCNC will report back to the SRD board, which is its single-shareholder.
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SRD Manager of Strategic Initiatives Victoria Smith informed SRD directors the province’s deputy inspector for municipalities had recently approved the corporation.
“That’s a very big hurdle that we’ve made it through,” she said.
At the meeting, the board then settled on appointing positions to the board for the SCCNC, though the decision was not unanimous. Board members discussed the necessary expertise of two SRD representatives on the board, such as whether they should have a telecommunications background or simply corporate governance experience. There were also questions around how the SRD could best be represented.
“The thing that’s missing is electoral area representation,” Area C Director Jim Abram said.
Area B Director Noba Anderson had concerns with the idea to appoint the chair and vice-chair as the two representatives because of the possibility other SRD board members might have a strong background in telecommunications issues, or an interest in chairing the SRD board but not in the affairs of the SCCNC.
“I’d like to leave that up to the discretion of the board,” she added.
The initial motion to appoint the SRD chair with the vice chair as participatory, non-voting observers to the SCCNC would entitle them to attend and observe SCCNC board meetings, make presentations, provide comments and ask questions. This was amended, on Director Charlie Cornfield’s suggestion, to make the vice chair an “alternate” to the chair, which passed, with Anderson and Director Ron Kerr opposing. The main motion then passed as amended.
Subsequently, the board made a successful motion to approve a policy concerning the SCCNC board’s composition and responsibilities and direct staff to advertise for board members. Directors Brenda Leigh and Larry Samson opposed, as they have on other votes to establish the corporation, citing concerns over risks posed by the project.
For the project, the SRD, alongside its partners from the City of Prince Rupert, received federal and provincial grant money to upgrade Internet service, especially for small communities and First Nations, through the installation of undersea fibre optics cable. The grants to pay for the work are worth $45.4 million, of which the SRD portion is $33 million. As part of this agreement, along with the establishment of the freestanding corporation, the SRD has to authorize the ability to borrow up to $6 million to cover any cost overruns.