A new bylaw aimed at controlling loose livestock is likely to appear before Village of Pemberton council in the near future in response to free-roaming horses and cattle once again creating safety and property-damage concerns in the surrounding area.

The bylaw to be drafted also follows a round-table discussion last week between representatives of the village, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, Mount Currie Band, local law enforcement officials, the B.C. SPCA and the Province in hopes of finding a solution to the recurring problem.

Mount Currie officials have herded the horses, which have created dangerous driving conditions in the valley in recent weeks, away from the area, but Pemberton Mayor Jordan Sturdy said he anticipates the horses will return before the winter arrives.

“We haven’t seen them for about a week-and-a-half now,” said Sturdy. “That said, I’m expecting to see them back here in another couple of weeks.

“We recognize that we need to resolve the issue. Council has supported the idea of creating an animal control bylaw to deal with range animals and has instructed staff to draft a bylaw.”

Sturdy said the bylaw will be drafted in consultation with Mount Currie, the SPCA and the Ministry of Forests. While the new bylaw likely won’t be ready in time to have an impact this year, Sturdy is hopeful that the village will have the legislation in place to deal with the problem in 2012.

“I’d love to see it resolved in a month, but I just don’t see that happening,” he said. “We have to recognize that this is an issue that we need a number of different tools to deal with and it may take some time to get (them) in place.”

When the issue was brought up around the council table in October, the discussion touched on the creation of a livestock pound, which would hold stray animals for a determined length of time before placing them up for auction. Sturdy said that’s an avenue that council is likely to pursue via the coming bylaw, though the costs of such an initiative are unknown at this time.

Meanwhile, a statement from Chief Lucinda Phillips posted Friday (Oct. 28) on the Lil’wat Blog encouraged band members to brand and lock up their livestock.

“This project, like our situation with dogs, is not a chief and council issue (even though we are leading some initiatives),” wrote Phillips. “It is a community issue.

“As we all know, the horses and cattle belong to a number of people and not just one individual.”

Phillips added that people “cutting fences and leaving the gates unlocked” was an ongoing challenge for livestock owners and that the band will pursue a fencing project to help curb the problem.

Community fund policy change

Pemberton council amended its Community Enhancement Fund policy at Tuesday’s (Nov. 1) meeting to require applicants to attend council meetings at which their request is being considered.

The new policy also encourages recipients to provide a written or in-person report after a project or event’s conclusion.

Moments later, council approved a request for $1,000 to help cover travel expenses for the Pemberton Secondary School boys’ soccer team’s trip to the provincial championships in Kamloops, and another for $200 for the Pemberton Library’s Wine and Cheese fundraiser. A staff report said the fund has a balance of more than $3,000 for the remainder of 2011.

Former mayor passes away

In his mayor’s report on Tuesday, Sturdy announced that George Underhill, one of Pemberton’s first mayors, died last month. Underhill was 93.

“He was a great character,” said Sturdy. “Anyone who dealt with him on a personal level would know how great he was.”

Also a noted aviator, Underhill was an original member of the Pemberton Flying Club in the 1970s. Underhill Park near Pioneer Junction was named in his honour.