Burnaby council acknowledged National Aboriginal Day, which is this Sunday, at Monday night’s meeting.
Coun. Anne Kang read the proclamation declaring the day to honour Canada’s First Nations people, which mentioned Burnaby’s celebration of diversity.
“National Aboriginal Day is recognized nationwide as an opportunity for all Canadians to recognize the unique heritage, diverse cultures and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples,” the proclamation stated.
City honours heritage
Seven heritage buildings in Burnaby will soon receive commemorative plaques to indicate their status, after Burnaby council approved a $3,500 budget for the project at Monday night’s meeting.
The Andy Johnson House, D.C. Patterson House, H.D. Morrison House, Overlynn Mansion, John and Christina Mackie House, W. J. Walker House and William Walker House will each receive a bronze plaque, to be attached to the building’s face, according to a staff report.
The plaques will include the name of the original owner and/or building name, and the building’s construction date, the report stated, as well as indicate the building’s legally protected status.
LIPS budget approved
Burnaby council has passed a motion authorizing $8.9 million be made available to replace the city’s licence and permit system.
The city is replacing its current permit plan system with a much more extensive Licences, Inspections and Permits System.
The funding approved at Monday night’s meeting comes from the city’s capital works, machinery and equipment reserve fund, and is meant to cover the system purchase and first phase of implementation.
The current system is more than 18 years old, according to a city staff report, and the hardware and software is no longer supported by the vendors. It is used to process licences, inspections and permits.
The cost for the first phase of the project was estimated to cover software licences, hardware, contingency, professional services and additional staff to implement the new system.
Agenda release delayed
Reporters and the public will have to wait a little longer to access council and committee meeting agendas and reports.
Burnaby council approved a bylaw amendment changing the document release times. The amendment was put forward by the city clerk at a recent meeting, and was passed at Monday night’s council meeting.
Prior to the change, councillors received the council meeting agenda on the Thursday before the Monday meeting. The agenda was then made available to the public and online by noon on the Friday.
Now that the amendment has gone through, the council agenda will not be released until 4:30 p.m. on the preceding Friday.
All agendas for city boards, committees and commissions will now be published on the city’s website on the Monday for all meetings scheduled for that week, while council receive those agendas on Thursday or Friday of the preceding week.
