qathet Regional District Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne has been elected as a director-at-large for the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) executive.
Gisborne was elected to the position during the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) convention held online September 22 to 24.
He said his responsibilities will include advocating for the organization’s members and going through resolutions submitted by member municipalities and regional districts on the west coast and Vancouver Island.
In an interview with the Peak, Gisborne said he suspects there will be a meeting of the AVICC executive sometime after the provincial election in October.
In light of the recently concluded UBCM convention, Gisborne said he is excited about the prospect of seeing more virtual participation in gatherings such as the AVICC convention.
“There were some challenges and some advantages at UBCM but I’m excited to see more virtual and remote participation,” said Gisborne. “It highlights the need for remote access and internet into rural and remote areas and also helps level the playing field between urban and rural, and allows them to more easily communicate and share their communities with each other.
“There’s also an expense for going over to Nanaimo for an AVICC executive meeting, which is traditionally how they have met. Also, going over there for a meeting is a whole day out of my week, rather than a couple of hours meeting online. This virtual participation is a way to level the playing field and bridge the gap that we have here.”
Gisborne said 2020 and 2021 definitely have their challenges but there is some silver lining.
“A lot of it has to do with changes we should have been looking at years ago, and now it’s being forced upon us,” said Gisborne. “What has 2020 taught us? Change is here and it’s going to keep coming. It’s constantly changing and we have to change with it.”
Issues of importance to Gisborne in his responsibilities as a regional director include agricultural land and practices.
“I definitely want to make sure it stays on the table at AVICC,” said Gisborne.
One of the features of the new AVICC board that excites Gisborne is the fact that it is gender neutral.
“I’m looking forward to the hard work we can do, getting us through this,” said Gisborne. “I want to help facilitate the participation of the membership and doing that through electronic means opens the door. It’s going to be a challenge but I think we can do it. There’s a learning curve, but as we transition over, we’ll be stronger for it.”
Gisborne said the AVICC convention typically happens in April. The physical gathering scheduled for Nanaimo in April 2020 was cancelled due to COVID-19 but the AVICC held an annual general meeting in conjunction with the virtual UBCM convention on September 22, where Gisborne was elected.
“I am honoured to have been elected to the AVICC executive for the position of director-at-large,” stated Gisborne in a media release. “I am looking forward to serving the diverse membership that represents the Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities. 2020 is a challenging year for everyone, and now is the time to move forward with broad collaboration between our urban and rural communities.”
