RDCK Board Highlights - October 2024
October 25, 2024
RDCK Procedures Bylaw
Under the Local Government Act, local governments must, by bylaw, establish general rules and procedures to be followed by the Board and by Board committees and commissions when conducting their business. This bylaw outlines the core elements of transparency, accountability and good governance in RDCK decision making. On October 17 the Board adopted the following resolution:
Regional District of Central Kootenay Procedure Bylaw No. 2898, 2024 be read a FIRST, and SECOND time by content to repeal and replace Procedure Bylaw No. 2576, 2019, and its amendments; AND FURTHER, staff provide public notice in accordance with Section 225 (2) of the Local Government Act.
The updated bylaw incorporates the amendments directed by the Board, as well as new options for streamlining meetings and clarifying procedures. The next step is to share with the public for review. Click here to review the amended bylaw on the RDCK website or go to www.rdck.ca/publicnotices for more information.
Permissive Tax Exemptions
The Permissive Tax Exemption Bylaw was adopted by the Board. Permissive tax exemptions issued by the RDCK Board, exempt eligible properties from taxation for a specified period of time, as they pertain to specific land uses, prescribed by the Province, in the Local Government Act. Properties eligible for a permissive tax exemption include land owned and held by an athletic or service organization for recreational use by the public, places of worship, agricultural or horticultural societies, halls or venues, and art galleries or museums owned by not for profit organizations. Applications are reviewed based on four key areas; land and improvement eligibility, applicant eligibility, regulatory eligibility, and taxation considerations.
For more information www.rdck.ca/taxexempt.
Emergency Operations Centre – Activation Summary
The Board received for information a summary of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) activation in response to the 2024 wildfires. The RDCK EOC was activated on July 17 when 98 wildfires ignited within the RDCK and the EOC remained in full-scale activation for five weeks. The wildfires resulted in 14 Evacuation Orders and Five Evacuation Alerts being issued in Electoral Areas D and H, affecting 2,113 addressed properties and parcel identifiers. The next step is a four part after action review, including an internal review, interagency review, impacted Elected Officials review, and a review with residents of affected areas who were either on Evacuation Alert or Order. The results of this review will then be shared with the Board.
As well, the Ministry of Forests will provide post-wildfire risk assessment reports which can be found at www.rdck.ca/hazardreports.
Strata Title Conversion
The Board approved the Strata Title Conversion for the property located at 1155 Insight Drive in Electoral Area E from an existing industrial/commercial building to 16 strata units. The property, previously occupied by Pacific Insight Electronics Corp., has been vacant for a number of years and will now provide commercial strata spaces between 3,300 and 33,000 square feet.
Beyond Recycling Program
The Board approved a two-year extension of the current one-year contract with Wildsight for the delivery of the Beyond Recycling Program for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. Beyond Recycling is a locally developed environmental education program, financially supported by the RDCK, and other funders, which guides students in making sustainable lifestyle choices. The program is designed for grade 5 to 7 classrooms, addressing environmental issues, inspiring positive action and finding creative solutions to living sustainably by providing education on RDCK programs such as Resource Recovery, Water Conservation, Climate Action, and FireSmart.
Telecommunication Issues in Rural Areas of the RDCK
The Board directed the Chair and CAO to request a meeting with the Federal Minister of Canadian Heritage, currently the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, to discuss solutions to telecommunications issues in rural areas within the RDCK. These issues include, serious implications of lack of service and repair on landlines, outages that are interfering with emergency communications, and impediments to alternative technologies imposed by the telecom corporations throughout RDCK rural areas.
Director’s Reports
RDCK Directors provide monthly reports outlining what they have been working on. Click here to read the October reports in the Board minutes.
RDCK Quarterly Report
For the latest RDCK Quarterly Report, which details the current projects and initiatives of the RDCK, please follow the link.
Click here to view a print-friendly PDF version.
The content on this page was last updated October 25 2024 at 3:22 AM