RDKB Board Highlights - Fall & Winter 2020
By RDKB
2020 Board Highlights
NOVEMBER 2020
A general overview of discussion items & major decisions from the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) Board of Directors meetings in November and December 2020.
The next board meeting is January 13, 2021 at 1 p.m. on Zoom.
DECEMBER 9
West Boundary Recreation Grant to Red Earth Medicine for Snowy Medicine Trails program
The RDKB has granted $1,825.00 to Red Earth Medicine near Westbridge for a program that combines an outdoor snowshoe activity with weekly two-hour snowshoe treks, an invitation for each participant to trek in their own neighbourhood, or a video of exercises that can often be done outside
Snowy Medicine Trails is a Zoom-based program that provides various medicine teachings and a platform for participants to share their experiences, learn about plants, and to gather their own medicines from their own land. Both programs encourage physical activity and sharing their experience of being on the land or in movement.
The purpose of the West Boundary Recreation Grant is to facilitate and foster recreation programs, with a focus on physical activity, for the residents of the West Boundary.
Bridesville Community Club to upgrade community hall and baseball park
The Board approved an application by the Bridesville Community Club for $25,085.56 from Electoral Area E/West Boundary Gas Tax to pay for upgrades to the roof at the community hall. The board also approved a separate application by the Beaverdell Community Club & Recreation Commission for $12,864.14 to help fund construction of a waterless toilet for the ball park and river beach area, as part of an overall park upgrade project. The club uses the land under agreement with Teck Resources and Teck has donated $10,000 to the club for construction of a new gravel road to the beach area.
New RDKB website ready for public feedback
Check out our new website and let us know what you think! Go to jointheconversation.rdkb.com
The RDKB has launched a new website. We’ll continue to make adjustments and changes to the site as we hear from our own staff, the Board, stakeholders and the public about how it is working for everyone over the coming months.
The website address is the same – rdkb.com – but the site is now more secure, responsive to all devices and easier to navigate.
New faces, changing places at the RDKB
Payroll and Accounts Payable Coordinator
The Board and staff welcome Kecia Kemp to the RDKB team. Kecia was hired to fill the position of Payroll and Accounts Payable Coordinator on December 1.
Kecia moved from the Lower Mainland to the West Kootenay in 2006 and raised two children in Trail. She holds a Payroll Compliance Practitioner designation and has worked in administration and finance for a variety of companies throughout her career, with experience in the education, mining, forestry and food sectors. She’s an avid cook, gardener and reader and likes to spend the warmer months fishing or boating on Kootenay and Arrow Lakes.
GIS staff changes
Congratulations to Heather Potter who has moved from GIS Technician to Senior Planning Technician to lead the GIS mapping team. Congratulations in turn to Katie Erickson who is now GIS Technician after working for the RDKB as a Selkirk College co-op student for the last year.
Beaver Valley, Greater Trail Facilities & Recreation
A warm board and staff welcome to Greg Partridge who is now temporary full-time Operator in Training at the Beaver Valley Arena and Jodi Stredulinsky who is temporary full-time Custodian at the Greater Trail Community Centre.
Join the Conversation engagement site approaches 10,000 visits
Since its official launch in 2019, the RDKB’s online engagement site jointheconversation.rdkb.com has received nearly 10,000 unique visits from residents across the region, and we expect that to double in 2021.
Thanks to everyone who has engaged with us about projects important to you and your communities.
With the arrival of the pandemic in March 2020, the site has proven invaluable to allow us to continue to incorporate public feedback and ideas into projects ranging from official community plans to transit to trail use.
Everyone is welcome to view projects and register to participate or receive project updates at jointheconversation.rdkb.com.
Grants-in-Aid: funding to local groups/projects
Electoral Area E/West Boundary
$500 to King of Kings New Testament Church to pay for meals at The Bridge Drop-In Centre.
$500 to King of Kings New Testament Church for the Greenwood Food Bank.
$4,000 to Midway Public Library to pay for its extension of library its membership to all Area E/West Boundary residents in 2020.
NOVEMBER 26
By-election for Area D director February 13, 2021
Residents of Electoral Area D/Rural Grand Forks can vote for a new director in the upcoming by-election on Saturday, February 13, 2021. Advance voting will take place Wednesday, February 3, 2021.
Location and hours of all voting is from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Grand Forks Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 7269-9th Street in Grand Forks. Eligible Electoral Area D/Rural Grand Forks electors may also vote by mail ballot. More information is available at rdkb.com.
Former RDKB director Roly Russell elected MLA for Boundary Similkameen
Former Area D director Roly Russell was elected as MLA for Boundary Similkameen in the provincial general election on October 24 of this year.
Roly Russell served as RDKB director for rural Grand Forks for six years, two of those as chair. He served on many committees, the Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments and the executive of the Union of BC Municipalities.
On behalf of the RDKB Board, Chair Langman thanks Roly Russell for his service to the region, congratulates him in his new role as MLA and Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development and looks forward to working with him.
FortisBC funds RDKB to help builders prepare for BC Energy Step Code
Through its BUILTbetter program, FortisBC has provided the RDKB with $18,690 to launch the BC Energy Step Code – Build Energy Smart project. This online initiative helps builders prepare for the BC Energy Step Code that will become mandatory in 2022. The project is hosted at jointheconversation.rdkb.com.
Kettle River Drought Management Plan endorsed
The RDKB Board of Directors has endorsed the Kettle River Drought Management Plan. The plan details recommendations for water rights holders and stakeholders; public engagement and communication strategies; water and watershed monitoring; and adaptive management approaches so all water users in the Boundary region can work consistently towards careful management of finite resources: rivers, lakes, streams and groundwater.
Tipping fee increases approved – cost for individual bags remains unchanged
The Board adopted Solid Waste Management Facilities Regulatory Bylaw No. 1744, 2020 to allow an increase in tipping fees. Starting January 1, 2021, rates for household garbage will increase from $110/tonne to $120/tonne and source separated organics rates will increase from $40/tonne to $55/tonne.
Increases are needed to cover projected costs for regional composting programs and landfill upgrades at the Grand Forks and McKelvey Creek regional landfills and improvements to the West Boundary Landfill required to meet provincial regulations.
If tipping fees are not increased, taxation will have to be increased to provide required project revenue.
Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, an increase in tipping fees approved by the Board in February 2020 and slated to start in May 1, 2020 was deferred by the Board at the March 31, 2020 board meeting. The need for future increases to tipping fees will be reviewed in fall 2022.
Grants-in-Aid: funding to local groups/projects
Electoral Area C/Christina Lake
$2,500 to the Kootenay Robusters Society to pay for a ten-year License of Occupation for a portion of La Valley Road in Christina Lake as part of a Provincial Public Highway Agreement. This license allows the dragonboat team to take the next steps toward building a boathouse.
Electoral Area E/West Boundary
$6,000 to the Kettle River Food Share Society to pay for a Food Share Exchange Coordinator to run the food share and exchange program and coordinate volunteers.
$375.23 to the West Boundary Community Services Co-op to pay for mandatory employment related costs for Canada Summer Job 2020
NOVEMBER 10
Board chair acclaimed, vice-chair re-elected
Warfield Director Diane Langman was acclaimed chair of the RDKB board of directors and Electoral Area C/Christina Lake Director Grace McGregor was re-elected as vice-chair at the November 10 board meeting.
This is Director Langman’s second term as chair. She served for the past four years both as Warfield director at the RDKB and mayor of the Village of Warfield.
Director Grace McGregor was re-elected as board vice-chair for a fourth consecutive term. Rossland Director Andy Morel also ran for the position.
Both the board chair and vice-chair serve a one-year term.
Warfield Fire Station orders new fire truck
Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue (KBRFR) Station 372 in Warfield is getting a new fire engine. The new truck will replace its 2009 truck, which will be transferred to Station 373 in Genelle and the Genelle fire engine will become a reserve truck.
The truck will cost $510,961.38 which is $60,961 above what was budgeted in 2019, as prices increased more in the past year than could be anticipated. The board of directors voted to amend the 2020-2024 Five Year Financial Plan budget to allow the increase and approved the award of a contract to Fort Gary Fire Trucks to supply the truck. This was the lowest price of all proposals submitted to KBRFR.
Fire trucks and other frontline apparatus are required to be replaced at 20 years old to maintain fire insurance gradings.
2020 RDKB housing needs report completed
House and Home – RDKB Housing Needs Report is available for review at jointheconversation.rdkb.com, the RDKB’s online engagement site.
The report looks at current and projected housing needs across the housing continuum, from emergency shelter to home ownership. It serves as a baseline report to inform policy for the RDKB’s eight municipalities and five electoral areas with respect to housing planning and development, land use planning, and regional planning.
Grants-in-Aid: funding to local groups/projects
Electoral Area E/West Boundary
$1,000 to Greenwood & District Public Library Association to pay for additional administration and bookkeeping costs.
$6,000 to West Boundary Community Services Co-op to help pay the annual salary of their Executive Director.
$2,500 to the West Boundary Community Services Co-op for bookkeeping.
These highlights exclude confidential information such as business negotiations, personnel issues and legal matters.
· For full meeting agendas/minutes visit rdkb.civicweb.net.
· For a list of upcoming board meetings, visit rdkb.com.
· For other information or to provide feedback, please contact RDKB Communications at 250-368-0233 or email us.
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