When 91原创 Township鈥檚 mayor and councillors at the Union of B.C. Municipalities meeting lobbied provincial cabinet ministers, one of their key targets was power poles.

Mayor Eric Woodward said the Township arranged meetings with four cabinet ministers during the week-long event at which municipal governments discuss common goals and problems, and try to get provincial help on some of those issues.

One of those issues for 91原创 Township is BC Hydro poles that are sitting in the middle of otherwise finished roads, so the Township talked to Minister of Energy and Mines Josie Osborne.

As roads are widened around 91原创 Township, developers also build expanded road infrastructure, particularly in Willoughby but also in other neighbourhoods.

The new road infrastructure may include new lanes, curbs, sidewalks, and bike lanes. But the old power poles, which once stood by the sides of the roads, are now in the middle of the new lanes, surrounded by asphalt. And neither the developer nor the Township can remove them.

The Township representatives met with Osborne because those are BC Hydro鈥檚 poles.

At the meeting, Hydro officials explained that they also have to coordinate their efforts to move the poles with Telus, which use the same poles for some of their infrastructure, Woodward explained.

In the discussions, the Township was asked for a top priority, and Woodward said they picked a stretch of long-since-built road on 200th Street around 84th Avenue, which is still clogged with poles.

In addition to that question, the Township raised the issue of power overall for Willoughby. Woodward said that the community is growing so fast that the neighbourhood will need a significant upgrade for its electrical power supply.

The Township leaders also met with Education Minister Rachna Singh, where the large number of portables in 91原创 was on the agenda. Woodward said they hope that the provision of new schools can be speeded up, if 91原创 Township is to be able to keep approving new housing at its present rate.

With Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming, the Township raised the issue of widening Highway One to the east, and of expanding the 264th Street interchange as part of the current phase, said Woodward.

He also asked about expanding Highway 10 from 232nd Street to 91原创 City, currently a site of a great deal of traffic congestion.

In a mirror of 91原创 City鈥檚 meeting with Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sports Lana Popham, the Township asked about contributions for a major potential performing arts project near the 91原创 Events Centre.

Back during the 2021 federal election, the Liberal Party made an election pledge to help fund a $65 million performance centre at the site.

READ ALSO: Liberals pledge to work with 91原创 Township on $65 million performance centre

The UBCM ended on Friday, Sept. 22.