Bill Humphreys
There was an interesting turn of events this week around the sewer collection project. There have been statements made that certain required procedures were not followed by the District of Barriere.
There also have been allegations that the project had not been properly permitted prior to the start of work.
The facts are that the District of Barriere council agreed to proceed with the sewer collection project guided by the advice of staff and with input from qualified sources of information.
Barriere council has to trust and rely on information presented to them to make informed decisions and will seek further advice and recommendations as needed during the course of any project.
The recent issues and developments that have arisen out of the possible lithic chip discovery have prompted Barriere council to pass a resolution to seek legal consul as to the best course of action.
The questions surrounding the possible discovery of a lithic chip during the excavation for the sewer pipes have come to be far beyond the scope of knowledge of District staff and council.
Seeking advice is the best course of action before there are any decisions around requesting permits, doing studies and the like. Any course of action is not without cost or risk and District council must seek the best advice available to perform their duties of risk management in relation to this or any other matter.
Barriere council is also acutely aware of our social and cultural responsibility as it relates to our community.
These responsibilities must be weighed alongside the economic and legal ramifications of any decisions made. It would be absolutely irresponsible to not gather together all the information and advice possible before proceeding with any future course of action.
The community will be kept informed of developments around this issue as well as any others that may arise as we go along.
– Bill Humphreys is mayor of Barriere