Council Matters: Rossland City Council Meetings, December 9, 2024
Grant-inAid Funding discussions; This year’s Community Contributor award; Rossland’s award-winning Public works department; Suing Big Oil, maybe; Planning to improve accessibility; Rearranging the Wagon Road for development at Redstone; and more …
PRESENT:
Council: Mayor Andy Morel and Councillors Stewart Spooner, Craig Humpherys, Eliza Boyce, Jeff Weaver and Lisa Kwiatkowski. (Maya Provençal was not present for the Committee-of-the-Whole meeting, but was able to attend the regular Council meeting.)
Staff: Chief Administrative Office Bryan Teasdale, Deputy Corporate Officer Cynthia Añonuevo, Chief Financial Officer Mike Kennedy, City Planner Stacey Lightbourne, Acting Executive Assistant Kristin Spearman, Manager of Recreation & Events Kristi Calder, Manager of Operations and Infrastructure Scott Lamont. Accounting Clerk Justin Brogan was present for the Committee-of-the-Whole meeting.
4:00 PM – COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
This meeting was to discuss applications for the City’s Grant-in-Aid funding, and to make recommendations for decision at the next regular Council meeting (in January, 2025.)
Two people spoke during the Public Input Period for this meeting. The Chair of the Library Association addressed the Rossland Public Library’s need for additional space, and to better prepare to serve the community’s growing population. Megan of the Rossland Council for Arts & Culture stated that RCAC has invested over $35,000 in artists and practitioners, and that its total budget is approximately $85,000.
Council discussed at some length the decision-making method for allocating Grant-in-Aid funding, the distinction between “core services” and other services that are valuable but not essential, and how each type ought to be funded.
The City has allocated 5% of its tax revenue to Grant-in-Aid funding. Councillors agreed that they need to have some “difficult discussions” about how the City contributes funding to organizations, and agreed to limit decisions on this round of applications to one year of funding, pending further discussion and decisions.
Councillors appeared to agree that the Library is one example of a “core service” and that core services should not have to compete for funding with other organizations.
During discussion, Spooner expressed discomfort with the City “giving money away” when it has “no excess funds.” He wants the City to “exercise financial discipline,” and to know the rationale for each funding decision.
Morel said he recognizes the value that each applicant group brings to Rossland, and noted that this Council is coming to grips with the real costs of operating the City.
Boyce noted that the valuable services the applicant groups provide for the City would cost much more if the City tried to manage those services itself.
Weaver applauds the works of the applicant groups, and also sees inefficiencies and an illogical process. He said he doesn’t want his legacy to be that he sat on his hands rather than having the difficult conversations because he was afraid of upsetting his neighbours.
At the request of the Museum and RCAC, Council agreed to terminate their multi-year funding agreements.
Council voted on whether to provide funding to each applicant organization; the vote resulted in decisions to not fund: Golden Bear Child Care, Trail Sting-Rays, Kootenay Festival of the Arts, the Arts Centre Society, the Pottery group, the Gold Fever Follies, and the Rossland Light Opera Society.
The awards Council is recommending are as follows:
Rossland Scouts $ 1,400
Family Action Network 3,365
Kootenay-Columbia Trails Society 39,391
Living Lakes Canada 2,583
Lower Columbia Affordable Housing Society 8,331
Rossland Council for Arts & Culture 11,167
Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre 55,041
Rossland Public Library 159,034
Rossland Tennis Society 3,197
Tourism Rossland 17,123
6:00 PM: PUBLIC CONSULTATION
CFO Mike Kennedy presented the Financial Plan Amendment Bylaw, and annual requirement to reconcile the original budget with what has actually occurred during the year since the budget was first planned.
No one provided an input on the topic, and the consultation was adjourned at 6:05.
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR AWARD:
This year, Libby Martin was named as Rossland’s Community Contributor in recognition of her many contributions, in many capacities. She commented that one of the things about volunteering is that if a person’s parents have been active volunteers, then that person is more likely to be a volunteer in turn. She is one example — her mother had been recognized for volunteer services for Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. Martin graciously accepted the award, and all present applauded vigorously.
PUBLIC WORKS AWARDS:
Taryn Scollard, President-elect of the Public Works Association of BC, appeared on a screen and spoke to the meeting, announcing that during 2024, Rossland’s Public Works department earned not just one, but two awards (announced earlier via social and other media), one provincial and one national, in recognition of its entertaining and educational role in raising awareness of the crucial role of Public Works in keeping the City operating and livable. Scott Lamont, Manager of Public works and Infrastructure, accepted the awards from Mayor Morel, and modestly credited “the crew” with earning them. “But it was your idea,” Morel replied.
PUBLIC INPUT PERIOD:
Larry Doell spoke to acquaint Council with the achievements of Kerrin Lee Gartner, a Rossland woman who had been told at the age of 15 that she didn’t have what it takes to succeed, but went on to join the national ski team, and to win Gold for Canada at the 1992 Olympics. Doell asserted that Gartner “had 49 top ten finishes at four World Championships and 72 World Cups, and she won three national titles.” He said she also received the Order of BC, the Canadian Meritorious Service Medal, and was inducted into four different sports Halls of Fame.
Doell suggested that Gartner’s contributions have not been recognized in Rossland, her own home town, and that one way to remedy that omission would be to name a street after her, with a plaque listing her achievements. He suggested a candidate: the “yet to be completed road running below the Caldera subdivision will eventually be the main entrance from Highway 3B” to Red Resort.
DELEGATIONS:
1. Rossland Accessibility Plan presentation:
Mitchell Reardon, director of Urban Planning for Happy Cities, and Marco Pasqua, Accessibility and Universal Design Consultant with Meaningful Access Consulting, presented their findings and recommendations on improving accessibility in Rossland.
Many of their recommendations can be found in the Council materials; Pasqua, as a person with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair, voiced a few other specific examples. He suggested that yoga classes be transferred to the main floor of the Miners Hall, rather than being held upstairs; that the sidewalk up Plewman Way be extended to the Centennial Parking lot; that there be more benches along sidewalks and trails; that staff receive accessibility training; and that the City look for opportunities to use plain language in all of its communications.
2. Sue Big Oil West Kootenays presentation:
Kelvin Saldern, speaking as a concerned resident of Rossland, and Greg Amos of Sue Big Oil West Kootenays, presented the case for Rossland joining in a proposed class action lawsuit against major oil producers. Lawyer Andrew Gage of West Coast Environmental Law attended remotely. An excerpt from a letter to Council says:
“The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates municipalities are collectively paying $5 billion per year to cover these damages. Climate impacts are not always as obvious as wildfire: from pavement softening and loss of structural integrity due to ground instability, road washouts, structural damage from floods and storms, increased water demands, protection from poor air quality and extreme heat, the list of climate adaptation needed to keep the West Kootenay safe is long. We should not have to pay for the damage caused by the fossil fuel industry: not with our health, our children’s future or with our tax dollars.”
Saldern and Amos pointed out that many North American jurisdictions suffering the increasing costs of climate-change-fueled extreme events are already suing oil companies in an attempt to recoup some of those costs from the oil companies that have profited hugely from continuing to increase production and use of fossil fuels while engaging in complex and deliberate plots to mislead the public about the resulting damage.
In their letter to Council, Saldern and Amos provided links to supporting documentation:
A detailed description of the Sue Big Oil case.
Open letter from 28 Canadian law professors in support of municipal climate litigation.
Toolkit for local decisions makers about the Sue Big Oil campaign .
Insurance Bureau of Canada’s 2020 report, The Cost of Climate Action at a Local Level. Appendix A cites a list of some potential impacts of climate change that Rossland will have to pay for in the future.
The payment requested of Rossland for joining in the proposed lawsuit would be one dollar per resident (as of the last count), approximately $4,100.
In response to a question, Andrew Gage noted that the first step in a class action lawsuit is to obtain certification. If a judge rules that the proposed case has merit, then the class action is certified and can proceed. Municipalities that join the lawsuit do so as members of a class, not as individual named plaintiffs. Gage also explained that, if the lawsuit goes ahead, his organization — West Coast Environmental Law – would not be acting as the lawyer for the plaintiff class as he is arguing in favour of the case as a public advocacy group. The plaintiff group of municipalities would choose and retain its own counsel.
POLICY REVIEW:
Energy Efficient Building Incentive Policy:
A motion to approve the policy as amended CARRIED unanimously. The amendments included focusing City rebates on doors and windows, as those items cost far more than the rebates available from other sources; the City’s intention is to fill the gaps in rebates provided by federal and provincial governments and utility providers. For help in finding rebates, try this link:
https://www.betterhomesbc.ca/rebate-search-tool/
BYLAWS:
2025 Annual Revenue Anticipation Bylaw # 2843:
A motion to adopt the bylaw CARRIED unanimously. This bylaw is a requirement of the City’s financial institution, and enables the City to borrow funds from the financial institution as needed; however, the City has not needed to borrow funds from the Credit Union since 1999, and does not expect to need to borrow funds in the near future.
2024 – 2028 Financial Plan Amendment Bylaw # 2842:
This bylaw is required annually to update the Plan to include the inevitable alterations that occur during the year from the plan to reality. A motion to adopt the bylaw CARRIED unanimously.
Rearranging things a bit at Redstone, which requires an OCP amendment, changing the zoning bylaw, and a road closure bylaw to relocate a portion of the Wagon Road and extend Copper Road. Oh, and a land swap. Public Hearing to follow in January.
The three bylaws are intended to enable future development of some private property at Redstone, while ensuring the best alignment of the Wagon Road and preventing interference with the sewer line, and retaining parkland. The developer will cover all costs of the land swap and road closure process, and will install 150 metres of new road, water, sewer and storm-water infrastructure.
Official Community Plan Bylaw # 2845: A motion to give this bylaw first and second readings CARRIED unanimously.
Zoning Amendment Bylaw # 2844: A motion to give the bylaw first and second readings, subject to the following conditions, CARRIED unanimously. The conditions are:
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The developer is responsible for all costs of the land swap and road closure process;
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The developer will provide a Statutory Right of Way for trail and sewer as required to make a better alignment for the sewer and the Green Link trail;
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The developer will dedicate a road to the City “as generally shown on Map 2.”
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The developer will build the new aligned Wagon Road with the following criteria:
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There must be minimal vehicular interactions with the Wagon Road (and/or driveway crossing);
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If re-aligned, the Wagon Road must maintain shallow gradient, continuous and separated from properties and the road;
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The Wagon Road must be built to standards for a Type 1 Trail in the subdivision bylaw;
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The Wagon Road must be separated from the road and private properties by a landscaped buffer;
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Any road crossing must be well designed to facilitate safe crossing;
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The developer will maintain public access on the Wagon Road during subdivision construction, where possible, ensuring public safety.
Road Closure Bylaw # 2846:
A motion to give the Road Closure Bylaw first and second readings CARRIED unanimously.
Public Hearing – January 13, 2025:
A motion to hold a Public Hearing on January 13, 2025, CARRIED unanimously.
STAFF REPORTS & UPDATES:
Cheque Register Report for November, 2024:
A motion to approve the report on City expenditures for November, 2024, CARRIED unanimously.
FOR INFORMATION ONLY:
Monthly Reports to Council for November:
Building Permits
Building Permit Inspections by Type
Step Code Energy Rebates
Public Works and Water Production
Eye on Water
Bylaw Compliance
REQUESTS ARISING FROM CORRESPONDENCE:
Rossland Arts Centre Society request for funding: The Society neglected to apply for a Permissive Tax Exemption before the deadline, and is requesting a one-time grant equivalent to the amount of tax that will be owing as a result – an estimated $32,000.
After lengthy discussion, during which Weaver pointed out that granting the request actually costs the City nothing, and that failing to do so would not only destroy the applicant organization but also leave the fate of the Drill Hall itself uncertain, a motion to grant the request CARRIED, with only Kwiatkowski not raising her hand in favour.
MEMBERS’ REPORTS:
Spooner had attended a Mine Review Committee meeting and expressed concerns; he expects a public meeting to be convened in the New Year, possibly after decisions have been made.
Morel had chaired his first full RDKB meeting last week. He noted that there are some major asks for staffing coming up in 2025, and said these are coming under increased scrutiny as costs rise. He also had a meeting with Ministry of Mines (etc.) staff and said he thinks they are well aware of the community’s concerns and may not be really keen to show up in front of a public meeting.
The meeting recessed to an in camera session at 7:55 pm, and your reporter made her way home in the dark and frosty night, hoping that Rossland’s hills and mountains will become blanketed with enough regular deposits of lovely snow this winter for skiing, snowshoeing, and next year’s water supply.