Series GR-3386 - Industrial Townships Commission : reports, correspondence

Industrial Townships are authorized by the Industrial Development Act (Chap. 193, R.S.B.C.) which also provides that the Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations for the administration and conduct of their affairs. Seven Orders-in-Council establishing Industrial Townships and creating an Industrial Township Commission have been passed following an agreement between British Columbia and Alcan dated December 29, 1950. In the 1950's, six Industrial Townships were established, namely: Kenney Dam Industrial Township (O.I.C. 86/53 Skins Lake Industrial Township (O.I.C. 2484/54 Bear Lake Industrial Township (O.I.C. 2484/54 Cutoff Creek Industrial Township (O.I.C. 2484/54 Kemano Industrial Township (O.I.C. 2484/54 Kitimat-Kemano Transmission Line Industrial Township (O.I.C. 2484/54 Authority for the Board of Commissioners and the method of appointment of members and their term of office is contained in O.I.C. 2484/54. There are three members, one appointed by the Minister of Municipal Affairs, one by Alcan and the third, who becomes Chairman is appointed by the first two members. The Board has full authority to arrange with Alcan to pay indemnities, travelling and incidental expenses to the Commissioners acting in the property exercise of their duties. While O.I.C. 86/53 as amended by O.I.C. 12/58 provides that the Board of Commissioners “shall be deemed to be a Council of a village municipality for the purpose of administration of the Industrial Township:”, it does not appear that this power has ever been exercised. Paragraph 4 of O.I.C. 85/53 and 2484/54 required Alcan to provide “public services equivalent to Provincial Standards” in the Industrial Townships and to the residents thereof. It is this requirement that has been the focus of the Commission through the years. Of the six Industrial Townships, only three have had permanent residents. These were the Kemano Industrial Township, Skins Lake Industrial Township and the Kitimat-Kemano Transmission Line Industrial Township. The Bear Lake and Cutoff Creek Townships are the site of small wing dams to hold back the waters of the reservoir, and Kenney Dam, having no other purpose than creating the reservoir, requires no permanent attendant. The Commission therefore had assumed the purpose of ensuring that the services being supplied to the residents are equivalent to Provincial Standards. The practice was for the Commission to make an annual inspection and prepare a written report for the Minister of Municipal Affairs. There is no road access into Kemano, so the only means of getting there was by air (helicopter) or by Company boat from Kitimat. It was the practice of the Commission in one year to carry out a three day visit which focused entirely on Kemano and the surrounding area, and in the following year to include the outlying areas of Kildala and Skins Lake which involved travel by helicopter.