Let me start off by thanking the community of Squamish for giving me the honour of representing them at City Hall over the next three years.
I am very lucky to be a part of a council team that has diverse backgrounds but most importantly, are respectful to one another and therefore have good solid debate on issues facing the community.
Mayor Greg Gardner has appointed me to four committees for the upcoming year, two of which I chair: economic development (chair), finance, operations, and district accessibility advisory (chair).
I want to start my report by inviting everyone on behalf of Coun. Rob Kirkham, chair of our finance committee, to a community conversation on our budget. As all of you know, we are facing hard economic times and so as shareholders and taxpayers in this great community I encourage everyone to come to the Adventure Center on March 31 at 7 p.m. for an opportunity for you to give council input into our budget process. These are your dollars so please have a say on how their spent.
This being my first council corner, and due to the fact we're limited to space for this column, I want to focus my report and give a quick snapshot on the two committees I chair: economic development and the district accessibility advisory.
Our economic development committee has been hard at work with our business lead Dave Thomson establishing a work plan for the upcoming years. A few of the highlights are 1) advancement of business development, 2) targeted investment strategy, 3) advancement of employment lands, 4) facilitation of business retention and expansion 5) Aavancement of the knowledge base industry sector 6) advancement of 2010 Olympic opportunities as they relate to economic development 7) implementing a green energy strategy. And finally our committee would like to explore the possibility of hosting an economic summit in Squamish in the near future.
Over a relatively short time, the District of Squamish has acknowledged the need for increased accessibility and inclusion within our community by creating an accessibility advisory committee. The first task the committee took was a systematic audit regarding accessible and inclusionary practices and features for the district. With the great help of Sarah Tipler, we audited all municipal buildings and all but one of the schools, all in an effort to improve access within our community. In an effort to raise awareness and engage the community, the committee on behalf of the district will hold the first annual Wheels in Motion event in Squamish on June 13.
We envision this event to be family-oriented and fun-filled, where there's opportunity to race in a wheelchair challenge, try out some of the Paralympic sport that will be a part of 2010 Winter Games and learn more about how to make your home more accessible and safe as you age. Finally I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce a new addition to my family: my son Roshan Singh Lalli. Hopefully one day he can write in this column too.
