In council news the Village of Burns Lake has passed the temporary permit application to establish a worker’s camp near the Lakeview Mall in Burns Lake.
In a unanimous decision, it was agreed that Lakes District Diamond Drilling Ltd., of Burns Lake, be granted permission to construct the camp within permit guidelines.
Guidelines include a $5000 security deposit to cover the cost of eventual site clean-up, should the permit holder be unable to do the complete land rehabilitation at that time.
Staff Sgt. Grant MacDonald of the Burns Lake RCMP had submitted a letter dated Feb. 12, 2013, expressing his concerns regarding traffic flow to and from the camp off the highway, as well as concerns about alcohol and public behaviour.
MacDonald cited a statistic saying that 35 per cent of his detachment’s calls for service in the district are related to drugs and/or alcohol. The statistic climbs much higher when the indirect effects are taken into consideration. Up to 75 per cent of calls involve drugs or alcohol when all factors are taken into consideration.
“I’m concerned about public safety and social ills,” said MacDonald. “At the end of the day, it’s our community that pays the price.”
Appearing to take MacDonald’s concerns into consideration, two of the permit provision indicate that onsite security must be provided and that alcohol will not be permitted in dormitory hallways, the kitchen or on site grounds. A three-strikes and you’re out policy will see the removal from the camp of anyone violating the site alcohol policy.
Further permit requirements are related to site work and maintenance, public health and fire safety. The Village of Burns Lake will receive revenue from the camp in the form of water and sewer fees.
The camp will be built on a ‘as-needed’ basis, depending on demand, to a maximum of a 200 person facility.