the broken typewriter

Captain John Murphy was a member of the District of Taylor Fire Rescue who recently passed away and was honoured for his 35 years of service at Monday’s council meeting.

Thirty-five years of service is no small feat, Mayor Brent Taillefer said when he presented Captain Murphy’s service pin to his wife, Kathy Murphy.

“All of his years of service were put into Taylor. To come across someone who for 35 years what he did, is not replaceable,” Taillefer said. “He did it all for the love of the community.”

“He put his heart into it, and we were more than happy to support him,” Kathy Murphy said. “It was his joy to be able to serve in that way.”

The amount of time and dedication that goes into these awards should not be taken lightly, Taylor Fire Chief Steve Byford said.

To earn the service awards, over fifty percent of their time must be spent in structural fire fighting, Byford said.

Captain Ken Jones also received a long service pin, for 25 years of service with Taylor Fire Rescue.

“Your work is very well appreciated,” Taillefer told Jones. “We’re lucky to have you and all of your experience and knowledge that we’ve had over the last 25 years.”

It was Murphy who encouraged Jones to join the Taylor department, and he was happy to have worked alongside Murphy.

“It’s true they were inseparable,” said Byford. “We’re going to miss John, but the great thing about this community is that we still have you. You’re still operational with us so we’re not losing you in any of that capacity. The information and experience that you pass on to many individuals, including myself, in this room is a positive to the department.”

Twenty-five years is a milestone Jones said he never really thought of when he joined the department.

“Time flies when you’re having fun as they say. I’m really glad to be able to help with training the new people, and when we are on the fire ground, if there’s any help I can do, it’s great to be able to do that,” Jones said.

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Council sending letter to UBCM executive regarding NR97

The City of Vernon wants the Union of BC Municipalities to ban funding from the fossil-fuel industry and its lobby groups in support of UBCM conventions and meetings.

In July, Vernon sent a letter to various municipalities, including Taylor and Fort St. John, outlining its February 26, 2024, resolution to ask that both UBCM and the Southern Interior Local Government Association stop accepting funding from the fossil-fuel industry to support conventions and meetings.

Even though North Peace communities rely on these companies as employers and community partners, Taylor and Fort St. John councils didn’t discuss the letter when it appeared in their council information packages in August.

Taylor councillor Betty Ponto said that several northern resource communities took note of the resolution, at the September UBCM convention and plan to write letters to the UBCM executive against the resolution.

Vernon’s resolution, which appears in the UBCM’s resolution book as NR97, reads:

“Burning carbon-based fuel causes climate warming with harmful socio-economic and environmental consequences; and in response Canada and BC have developed legislation, targets and incentive programs to rapidly decarbonize the economy; and local governments must assist in achieving these goals and have developed Climate Action Plans and decarbonization programs to do so.

And whereas the fossil-fuel industry funds conventions and meetings of local government associations, which benefits the industry while the rising costs of delay are borne by governments and society:

Therefore, be it resolved that UBCM will no longer accept funding from the fossil-fuel industry and its lobby groups in support of conventions and meetings.”

Right before the UBCM convention, Fort St. John mayor Lilia Hansen replied to questions about Vernon’s letter. Council held a resolution review workshop prior to the convention and reached a consensus against supporting Resolution NR97.

“Canadian producers have established themselves as frontrunners in the creation of new, safer and clean technologies among leading nations,” said Hansen.

“The industry is expanding its energy projects to encompass greener alternatives and invest in innovative technologies.”

The resolution didn’t make it to the floor at the convention and is to be considered individually by the UBCM executive.

According to Ponto, one municipality has already written a letter against the resolution.

“I’m of the mind that this has gone to the UBCM executive, and I would like to see us write a letter to the UBCM executive to say that we don’t agree with this one,” she said. Council unanimously passed the motion to write the letter to the UBCM executive and to distribute to neighbouring resource municipalities.