Council to pursue David Eby for meeting in September

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — City council has decided to try to get a meeting with B.C. premier David Eby during a week of ministerial appointments in Victoria. 

During the June 9th regular council meeting, the City of Fort St. John reviewed a list of six meeting requests for the 2025 Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) convention, taking place in Victoria from September 22nd to 26th. 

The requests were specifically to meet with Minister of Health Josie Osborne, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Anne Kang and Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Ravi Kahlon. 

Requests were also listed for Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Garry Begg, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Randene Neill and Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Diana Gibson.

The reasons for the meetings ranged from the impact of licensing requirements for out-of-province and internationally-trained healthcare professionals and the need to streamline land-use permitting processes to accessing alternative funding streams in support of community-led co-op housing and methods for local governments to verify RCMP invoices. 

During the June 9th meeting, Councillor Tony Zabinsky proposed requesting a meeting with Premier David Eby.

“Why not throw it in there?” Zabinsky said. 

“It is the ministries we want to talk to to support our community…and our vision moving forward, but if we can get in front of the premier…”

He was interrupted by Councillor Trevor Bolin, who expressed doubts about the success of such a request, but did not object to it. 

Zabinsky said: “We won’t if we don’t ask.”

Bolin responded: “We won’t [get a meeting with Eby] even if we ask.

“Even when [Christy Clark] was the premier, even when [Gordon Campbell] was the premier, not one of them in the 17 years that I’ve been here ever met with us at UBCM.”

Ultimately, the council approved the list of meetings and a request to speak with Eby, pending Zabinsky submitting a list of reasons to accompany said request.