COMMITTEEOF THE WHOLEMEETING, TUESDAY, JANUARY 27,2004 at 7:00 p.m. in the District of Campbell River Council Chambers (Main Level), 301 St. Ann's Road, Campbell River, BC. The agenda presents the recommendations extracted from the reports that comprise the agenda background package. To request a copy of a specific report, please contact the appropriate department. OPEN PORTION OF THE MEETING AT 7:30 FOLLOWING THE IN-CAMERA BUSINESS. IN-CAMERA BUSINESS: "THAT Council move In-Camera under the authority of Section 90 (1) (a-o) of the Community Charter. " 1. DELEGATIONS: (a) Michael Dunn, Canadian Wildlife Service, presenting information on the Establishment of the Scott Islands Marine Wildlife Area (MWA) and the Triangle Island - Ten Years of Research at British Columbia's Largest Seabird Colony Booklet - (circulated separately). "THAT the Scott Islands Marine Wildlife Area - Background Information - January 2004 and Triangle Island - Ten Years of Research at British Columbia's Largest Seabird Colony Booklet be received. " (b) Michele Babchuk, Robron Committee Against School Closure Chairperson, 8 regarding the closure of Robron Middle School. "THAT the correspondence received January 22, 2004 from Michele Babchuk, Robron Committee Against School Closure Chairperson, regarding the closure of Robron Middle School be received. " 2. MINUTES: 3. OTHER MINUTES: 4. CORRESPONDENCE: 5. MAYOR'S REPORTS: 6. COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REPORTS: (a) January 19, 2004 Finance and Personnel Committee Report regarding Finance and 10 Personnel Terms of Reference. "THAT Council adopt the Finance and Personnel Terms of Reference as 0 recommended by the Finance and Personnel Committee. " 7. STAFF REPORTS: Committee of the Whole Meeting Agenda - Tuesday, January27, 200 Page 2 A. Administrator: (i)Administrator's January 21, 2004 Report regarding Work Assignments for 2004 12 {and Council Follow-Up Report for 2003 (circulated separately)}. "THAT Council receives the updated Strategic Plan for 2004 and the Council Follow-Up Report for 2003 as information. " (ii) Administrator's January 8, 2004 Report regarding District Vision, Mission and 39 Principles. "THAT Council review the attached vision, mission and principles statements which arise from their direction and discussions at the Strategic Retreat 2004 and upon refinement adopt same and incorporate them into the Districts Strategic Planning and Official Community Plan process. " B. Community Services Division: C. Municipal Services Division: D. Corporate Services Division: 8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: 9. NEW BUSINESS: 10. INFORMATION: 11. ADJOURNMENT: "THAT the meeting be adjourned. " 0 Scott Islands Marine WildlifeArea- Background Information - January 2004 Establishment of the Scott Islands Marine Wildlife Area (MWA) Canadian Wildlife Service - Pacific and Yukon Region Background Information - January 2004 Synopsis of the Initiative Environment Canada's Canadian Wildlife Service is leading an initiative to establish a Marine Wildlife Area (MWA) in the marine waters surrounding the Scott Islands, off the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island (see accompanying map). This protected marine area would serve to safeguard the critical foraging area used by the seabirds that occupy the five islands that make up the Scott Islands. In recognition of the importance of these bird populations, the Scott Islands and the waters immediately surrounding them have been designated as Ecological Reserves by the British Columbia government. These islands, extending in a line westward from 10 to 46 km offshore of Cape Scott, sustain over two million breeding seabirds - the largest concentration of breeding seabirds in the eastern North Pacific south of Alaska, and the most important colony in British Columbia. The MWA Study Area also supports significant seasonal populations of pelagic bird species such as the Black-footed Albatross, an internationally listed species at risk. A Marine Wildlife Area associated with the Scott Islands will be the first marine area designated under theCanada Wildlife Act.The MWA Study Area covers approximately 2,700,000 hectares, the majority of which is deep water west of the Pacific continental shelf and slope - this is approximately 6% of Canada's Pacific Coast marine area. The Study Area was identified after 20 years of extensive research collected throughshipboard observation surveys and four years of telemetry data tracking the foraging patterns of birds breeding on the Scott Islands. Triangle Island (Anne Vallee Ecological Reserve) is the largest and most diverse of the Scott Islands and has been a site for seabird ecological studies since the mid 1970s. The Canadian Wildlife Service and Simon Fraser University presently conduct a research and monitoring program from a station on the island. The overall objective of a proposed Scott Islands MWA is to sustain the marine area's ability to support migratory seabird populations - minimizing, wherever possible, human threats or interactions that would have an impact on this ability. A MWA will help to protect rare and endangered species assemblages and enhance protection of seabird forage areas for such internationally, nationally and provincially significant species as Cassin's Auklet, Rhinoceros Auklet and Tufted Puffin. This initiative supports Environment Canada's responsibilities under theMigratory Birds Convention, Species at Risk Act,Canadian Conservation of Biodiversity Strategy, North American Bird Conservation Initiative, Important Bird Areas Initiative, draft BC Marine Protected Areas Framework, national and regional seabird plans, the Pacific Marine Heritage Legacy Program, and other legislation and cooperative initiatives. The Scott Islands MWA will also contribute significantly to the recent G8 countries' call for protection of marine ecosystems within their jurisdiction. The Canadian Wildlife Service is presently undertaking discussions among interested parties and in communities to provide information, gather comments and confirm the process for working toward a Scott Islands Marine Wildlife Area designation. This first step is a precursor to the subsequent consultation phase and is intended to build the dialogue and the preferred communications tools for that next phase. Further phases of this process will form part of a collaborative federal-provincial marine protected areas framework for British Columbia. Canadian Wildlife Service Page 1 Scott Islands Marine Wildlife Area - Background Information - January 2004 Map of the Scott Islands MWA Study Area E d Canadian Wildlife Service Page 2 4 E Scott Islands Marine Wildlife Area - Background Information - January 2004 Marine Birds of the Scott Islands Group Between March and September of every year the Scott Islands support an estimated 2.2 million breeding seabirds, the densest congregation of breeding seabirds in the eastern North Pacific, south of Alaska. These colonies: Are the most important seabird breeding colonies on the Pacific Coast of Canada - in terms of both numbers and diversity; Are home to 13 species in numbers of global, national or provincial significance: Three in numbers of global significance (Cassin's Auklet - with as much as 55% of the global and 70% of the national population; Rhinoceros Auklet - 7% of the global and 12% of the national population; and Tufted Puffm - 2% of the global and almost 90% of the Canadian population); and Eight in numbers of national significance (Fork-tailed Storm-petrel, Leach's Storm-petrel, Pelagic Cormorant, Brandt's Cormorant, Black Oystercatcher, Glaucous-winged Gull, Common Murre, and Pigeon Guillemot); and Two in numbers of western Canadian significance (Thick-billed Murre - the only known site in Canada where the Pacific population nests; and Horned Puffin - with less than 25 pairs in British Columbia). The marine waters surrounding the Scott Islands group support significant seasonal populations of non- breeding pelagic bird species, such as Sooty Shearwater, and Black-footed Albatross - an internationally listed species at risk. Large numbers of migrating and wintering seaducks, such as White-winged Scoter, also frequent the area. Most of the region's seabirds feed on fish (sandlance, rockfish and others) or zooplankton (euphausiids, copepods) in the marine waters over a wide area surrounding the islands. Species at Risk The Scott Islands MWA will offer enhanced protection, directly or indirectly, to the following nationally listed species and species of concern at the provincial level: Nationally Listed Species(COSEWIC) Marbled Murrelet - Threatened Orea whale (resident North Coast) - Ancient Murrelet - Special Concern Threatened Blue Whale - Endangered Sea Otter - Threatened Sei Whale - Endangered Short Tailed Albatross - Threatened Fin Whale - Special Concern Pink footed Shearwater - Status in progress Orca whale (offshore) - Special Concern (May 2004 COSEWIC) - Red listed Orca whale (transient West Coast) - Peregrine Falcon (anatum) - Threatened Threatened Canadian Wildlife Service Page 3 Scott Islands Marine Wildlife Area - Background Information - January 2004 Provincial Species of Concern in the Scott Islands Group' Homed Puffin - Red listed - Scott Cassin's Auklet - Blue listed - Scott Islands breeder Islands breeder Pelagic Cormorant (pelagicus) - Red Red-necked Phalarope - Blue listed - listed - Scott Islands breeder migrant Brandt's Cormorant - Red listed - Scott Buller's Shearwater - Blue listed - Islands breeder migrant Common Murre - Red listed - Scott Flesh-footed Shearwater - Blue listed - Islands breeder