The current Powell River council won’t be doing any extra preparatory work for the next administration regarding a potential community name change.
A proposal by Councillor Cindy Elliott for staff to prepare a report to inform the next council was defeated Thursday night in a 3-3 tie.
Councillor Rob Southcott recused himself from the discussion.
Councillor George Doubt says staff have limited time and there’s already lots of material.
“We have heard numerous times from our CAO and staff that they have limited ability to write new reports for council and to do the work that we’ve already asked them to do, asking for many reports in a previous time,” Doubt said.
He added if future potential councillors in the October municipal election wanted to get up to speed they could watch the name change movie playing at the film festival.
Doubt added the potential name change may not even be a priority for the next members of council.
But Councillor Trina Isakson says it’s a way for the issue to move forward.
“I think that exploring this at some point in our term, even if we are not the recipients of that work, is important to do. This is a way for us to get a little bit further,” Isakson said.
A previously approved motion in January by Mayor Ron Woznow put off the entire name change topic until after the municipal election.
The city has been exploring a potential name change since 2021 after the Tla’amin Nation requested a review because it found the city’s name hurtful and offensive based on the history of its namesake.
