December 6th, 1976

That the Inaugural Ceremonies and Statutory Meeting of the 1977
Municipal Council of The Corporation of the City of Port Coquitlam be

held on Monday, January 3rd, 1977 in the Hyde Creek Centre at 8:00 p.m.
Carried.

CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS:

From The Honourable Garde B. Gardom, Attorney-General, Province of
British Columbia, November 25th, 1976, in response to a letter from Mayor
J.M. Campbell, October 25th, 1976, concerning the Justice System, - stating
that he concurred with Mayor Campbell's comments on the current witness
fee of $6.00 per diem being inadequate; the Clerk of the Court having cash
available to pay the witness; Justice being handled in a more business-like
way; and on the re-entry of lay people into the System; - and advising that
steps are now being taken to correct these matters.

A discussion ensued, and Alderman Keryluk suggested that as the present
fee of $6.00 per diem may cause persons to be "unwilling witnesses", this
should be increased to an amount equivalent to the daily wage an average
employee would earn, and Alderman Ranger agreed, stating he felt it to be
very unfair that witnesses are, in effect, subsidizing the judicial system.
Alderman Thompson stated his understanding that many firms pay their
employees' regular day's pay when they are absent for witness duty; however,

Aldermen Laking and Traboulay indicated they were in accord with the views

previously stated on the inadequacy of the present per diem witness fee,

and the following motion was proposed:

Moved by Alderman Keryluk:

Seconded by Alderman Ranger:

WHEREAS the present witness fee of $6.00 per diem is unrealistic;

AND WHEREAS a witness requiced to appear in Court for several days
could suffer a financial loss;

AND WHEREAS a witness being paid at the present per diem rate of
$6.00 is in effect subsidizing the judicial system;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED. that legislation be enacted to increase

the per diem witness fee from $6.00 to $25.00. Carried.

A further discussion ensued, and Mayor Campbell requested that the
use of Municipal Council Chambers for court facilities, as mentioned in
his letter to the Attorney-General, be re-stated in the letter to the
Provincial Government setting forth the above-noted resolution; also, it
was generally agreed that the resolution be forwarded to the Union of

British Columbia Municipalities for endorsation.

Attorney—-Gen.
re Justice
System