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Air Quality Task Force Cash Flows

By 250 News

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 03:58 AM

The Mayor’s Task force on Air Quality has been  given  a cash infusion of up to $25,000.

The Task Force is ready to present an interim  report on October 15th and would  like to have public consultation as soon as that  preliminary report has been  presented,  That is why the dollars are needed now says Peter Jackson who is the Chair of the Task Force.

Jackson says  the money will be used to cover  costs associated with  some of the studies  undertaken as part of this report as well as  costs associated with the public consultation process.

  •  Review and evaluate the steps taken to improve air quality in Prince George that were recommended in the 1998 Prince George Air Quality Plan and the subsequent 2004 Progress Report. This aspect of the TF’s work will also be informed by a review of best practices identified in other jurisdictions and a series of consultations with organizations involved in improving air quality.
  • Conduct a consultation to determine the various stakeholders understanding, perceptions, and expectations about air quality in Prince George.
  • Identify factors that have either constrained or enabled the improvement of air quality in Prince George over the past decade.
  •  Make recommendations about ways to improve air quality monitoring, practices, and research.

 The Task Force has  gone through changes since it was first established  two years ago.  The first Chair,  Dr. Charles Jago,  bowed out  about  a year  ago, and Dr. Howard Brunt of UNBC  took over the post, but he  has since left  the city.  Dr. Peter Jackson is the new Chair.

Jackson says  taking over the role was not  difficult as he had been involved in the process since  January.  He is also one of the key air quality researchers at the University of Northern B.C.

Will the final report present any surprises?  "We're at the phase in the Task force right now where we are fine tuning the report. " says Jackson, " We know  what some of the issues are, and we're trying to fine tune some of the recommendations . They don't seem too surprising to me, but I have been imbedded in the process. I think they are logical,  I think they follow  from what we've found from best practices elsewhere, so I'm  not surprised  by what we are recommendaing, but I guess  its in the eye of the behlder.

The public consultation will  involve  a session with stakeholders who have  had some input,  then a session for the public,  followed by a  booth at Pine Centre Mall,  and a web based survey.

He says  the Task Force hopes to present its final report to Council in December..


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Posted on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 03:58 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Comment Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on September 11 2007 7:22 AM
That's funny! My dad used to smoke Peter Jackson cigarettes.
Comment Posted by: Andyfreeze on September 11 2007 7:58 AM
Another task force?
More money wasted seeking solutions that are already known?
Purely political and a waste of our tax dollars!
Comment Posted by: jonnypg on September 11 2007 8:44 AM
Andyfreeze you said it before I did!
Comment Posted by: owl on September 11 2007 9:04 AM
Another task force which the public has no clue about and is being kept in the dark about.

Public consultation is a joke. They "consult" with the public when the study is virtually done. Great process!!!!

It says: "Jackson says the money will be used to cover costs associated with some of the studies undertaken as part of this report "

It does not say "will be undertaken" but uses past tense.

Is this another case of where work was commissioned and the money is being sought after the fact?

If it is, we are getting too many of such cases. I would have thought a task force would have been looking at what they will do, projecting a budget, requesting the money based on the budget, and then getting on with the work if the money was granted.

I also would have thought a Mayor's Task Force could draw on money provided for such purposes by the Mayor's office when it was first initiated. Is this the only money going for this, or is there another pot there somewhere?
Comment Posted by: owl on September 11 2007 9:07 AM
"Jackson says taking over the role was not difficult as he had been involved in the process since January."

And, he has been involved with the air quality issue in PG for some time. I would have liked to have seen a more neutral person as chair of such a group.

In my mind, this is not unlike the RCMP conducting an investigation of its own activities.
Comment Posted by: Andyfreeze on September 11 2007 10:43 AM
...bang on Owl!
Comment Posted by: Chester on September 11 2007 7:38 PM
I await this report of recommendations in December. I wonder who they will affect? Who is responsible to implementation of the recommendations? Who will have the authority to enforce any recommendations?
Chester
Comment Posted by: owl on September 13 2007 7:13 PM
"I wonder who they will affect?"

Smokers, car idlers, back yard bar-b-quers, composters, people who use too much hair spray and those who have too much gas.

;-)