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Councillor Chris
Moslin
I was born in 1950 in Richmond, BC which at the
time was a rural suburb of Vancouver where my
father had been raised on blueberry farm a generation
before me. I grew up the oldest of five children. |
After graduating from Richmond High in 1968, I
attended UBC where I graduated with an Honors
BA in 1972. I completed a Teaching Certificate
in 1973 at SFU and went to work as a high school
teacher back in Richmond. During the 25 years
I had lived in Richmond the population exploded
from 20.000 to over 70,000. Frustrated with this
destruction of a rural setting I came to Grand
Forks in 1975 to teach at the high school. Here
I met my wife, Kathryn McLeod, who was also a
first year teacher at Perley. Together we built
our home, our careers and eventually a family
of three children. For thirty years we have enjoyed
the small town life of Grand Forks with all its
intimacy and commitment.
In 1991, something happened that changed my social
perspective. Up to that time I had been happy
to devote all my energies to my teaching and my
family. But when CPR took up the rails of the
Boundary Subdivision between Castlegar and Midway,
the opportunity to link our community to the rest
of the nation with a pedestrian trail spurned
me into social activism. For the next 15 years
I became a champion of the Trans Canada Trail,
working with others in our community, our province,
and our nation to make this concept a reality.
During those years the provincial government acquired
the lands and invested in them with the guidance
of local groups who stewarded the projects. In
the last two years the province has transferred
the management of these lands to Tourism BC and
has become further committed to the marketing
of this trail as the “Spirit of 2010 Trail”.
This continued development will have a profound
effect on tourism in Grand Forks and the Boundary
area as more and more visitors from all parts
of the world take advantage of this world class
facility.
For many years I was happy with the contributions
I was making as a volunteer; however, in 2005
the council of Grand Forks rezoned critical waterfront
property from residential to industrial and considered
selling off priceless municipal river front lands.
I realized my vision of a prosperous “green”
community linked to its environment and the nation
through a developed trail system needed more representation
at the political level. As I campaigned many people
in the community shared their issues and visions
with me. It became apparent that Grand Forks was
at a crossroads where critical decisions for the
future must be made. After the election councilors
and staff participated in a strategic planning
event. In preparation for that event I wrote this
wish list that outlines my priorities for the
next three years. I will measure my effectiveness
as a councilor by the progress of these issues.
Please don’t hesitate to phone me or email
me if you think I can assist you in anyway. Please
contact me if you can contribute to any of these
“wishes”.
Wish List
1. Build more public process into the decisions
made by City Council and communicate those decisions
effectively back to the public using word-of mouth,
print media, radio and video.
2. Initiate an Airshed Management process that
involves public, industry, and government input
and that will effectively improve air quality.
3. Open negotiations with CPR that will aid in
the development of the West End and create a buffer
zone between Valmor subdivision and the light-industrial
zone along Donaldson Drive. This will also allow
for the development and improvement of the Trans
Canada Trail, now renamed the ‘Spirit of
2010.
4. Secure public waterfront access to the Ruckle
subdivision that will allow for the decking of
the Black Train Bridge. Improve other city owned
property that adjoins the waterfront, including
the forks of the rivers. Integrate this trails
system into downtown Grand Forks.
5. Complete the pubic consultation of a new Community
center and then build the center in such a way
that it will be continuously used by ensuring
that it is a multi-use building.
6. Solve the museum/ art gallery/ court house/
VIC puzzle in such a way that any money spent
will benefit the downtown core of Grand Forks.
Develop a strategy that will exploit the heritage
value of Grand Forks while developing the down
town core of Grand Forks.
7. With the Chamber’s assistance, host and
encourage events that encourage lots of visitors
into the downtown area of Grand Forks. Improve
the external sound system of City Hall. Budget
for a summer clean-up of the downtown as well
as the beautification of the downtown area, including
flower baskets. Reintroduce spring clean up and
encourage homeowners and volunteer groups to “pitch-in”.
8. Increase services to seniors with tax relief
for industries related to their health and housing.
Make the city “senior- friendly” by
improving sidewalks, trails and access to public
buildings.
9. Budget and build the city’s infrastructure,
including the development of the water system
and new equipment purchases. Improve recreational
facilities throughout the community.
10. Initiate, develop and fund a youth committee
whose duty it will be to engage the youth and
bring their needs to city council. Integrating
the health and well being of youth into city projects
will ensure that they have a space as well as
access to services.
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