Gibsons council unanimously approved a bylaw amendment to allow arcades in the municipality during its June 3 regular meeting.
The amendment passed through first, second, and third readings.
The bylaw now faces an additional hurdle as it must be forwarded to the Ministry of Transportation and Transit for review and approval.
During the meeting, Gibsons Mayor Silas White expressed frustration with what he characterized as provincial hypocrisy regarding regulatory streamlining.
White noted the irony that while both federal and provincial governments promote Bill 15 and similar initiatives aimed at reducing bureaucratic delays, the province simultaneously requires ministry approval for seemingly unrelated municipal bylaws.
"Here's a situation where we've got a bylaw just to allow arcades in town, and for some reason, the Ministry of Transportation needs to delay it in order to comment on it," White stated. "I can't imagine anyone in this room can understand the relevance of that."
The timeline for the Ministry of Transportation and Transit review and approval remains unclear, leaving the implementation date uncertain despite unanimous local support.
Aquifer protection
At the same meeting, council unanimously approved a recommendation from the Committee of the Whole to advance the town’s Aquifer Protection Regulation update. The proposed bylaw will now undergo a legal and technical review before returning to council for further consideration.
Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
Words missing in article? Your adblocker might be preventing hyperlinked text from appearing.
