PRRD advise Pouce Coupe council to appoint new director

DAWSON CREEK, B.C – The Peace River Regional District board is calling on Pouce Coupe council to name a new director. This comes after Mayor Lorraine Michetti was removed from all committees and boards after controversial social media posts.

Fort St. John Mayor Lori Ackerman was looking for an update on the matter during a March 25th board meeting.

“A director cannot be removed until a new one has been appointed,” said chair Brad Sperling. PRRD staff told Sperling that the board could make the resolution and resolve it, and a letter will be sent to the village council if approved.

Electoral Area ‘B’ Director Karen Goodings chimed in, saying that rather than asking to appoint a director, they should have the option to reappoint Michetti.

“In any case, if they don’t appoint somebody else, that’s the way it should be. I think we should also reach out to director Michetti to let her know that we are comfortable with her coming back to this table,” said Goodings.

“I’m not going to speak for everyone. That’s an assumption,” said Sperling.

District of Chetwynd Mayor Allen Courtoreille says he is in “a position of total disgust of a person not being able to say the proper things”.

“This has happened to us for ages. This continues to happen today,” said Courtoreille during the March 25th discussion.

He said, as an Indigenous person, he will not sit on the board if she is sitting across from him.

“Director Goodings, to your point that we all have to respect that part of the director, I do not. And any director that thinks that way, I do not respect them, and I will not sit across from them,” stated Courtoreille.

“We have to take this seriously”.

During a March 17th Pouce Coupe council meeting, the conversation to assign a new director to the PRRD was turned down.

“That’s why I thought that the motion should actually be either appoint a new director or reconfirm the present director. That way, there’s a clear direction,” said Goodings.

Mayor Ackerman brought forth the recommendation to appoint a new director because she “respects the council’s legitimate authority” after they removed Michetti from the board.

Under the Local Government Act, Michetti is still the director until they appoint a new one, said Sperling. Pouce Coupe’s appointed alternate director Donna White was in attendance during the discussion.

The motion to write a letter advising Pouce Coupe council to name a new director was approved by the board at the March 25th meeting. Goodings chose to oppose the motion.