Council Matters: Rossland City Council Meeting, March 10, 2025
By Sara Golling
Counting down to the 2026 Rossland-Trail BC Winter Games; losing wetlands at RED; creating a Climate Action Task Force; the City’s Corporate Workplan; making sewers less smelly – and, please do not put oils or other greasy substances down the drain! And, last chance for providing input on the West High Yield proposal for an open-pit mine on Record Ridge.
PRESENT:
Council: Mayor Andy Morel and Councillors Stewart Spooner, Craig Humpherys, Maya Provençal, and Lisa Kwiatkowski, Jeff Weaver, and Eliza Boyce (remote).
Staff: Chief Administrative Office Bryan Teasdale, Chief Financial Officer Mike Kennedy, Deputy Corporate Officer Cynthia Añonuevo, City Planner Stacey Lightbourne, Manager of Recreation & Events Kristi Calder, Manager of Operations and Infrastructure Scott Lamont, and Deputy Operations Manager Josh Solman.
PUBLIC INPUT PERIOD:
Martine Bedard asked Council to prioritize development of a bylaw for Development Cost Charges (DCCs). She noted that, despite advice from a provincial official, the City repealed its DCC bylaw in 2012 and has never replaced it. She feels that the lack of DCCs in Rossland puts too much of the additional long-term costs of development on property owners.
Melanie Mercier of the Save Record Ridge Action Committee (SRRAC) said that “today and tomorrow” (March 10 and 11) are critical times for raising concerns about the Record Ridge Mineral Mine (RRMM) proposal. She stated that SRRAC has identified over 200 unresolved issues and is ready to assist; she begged the City to let SRRAC know if they can help.
BYLAWS:
1. Water Parcel Tax Bylaw # 2848: A motion to adopt the bylaw CARRIED unanimously.
2. Sewer Parcel Tax Bylaw 3 2849: A motion to adopt the bylaw CARRIED unanimously.
REQUESTS FOR COUNCIL DECISION:
1. Development Permit Application – 1010 Telemark Road
This application is for construction of a 54-unit condominium, just west of the “toad pond” near the north end of the Centennial Trail. Staff recommend approval of the permit with a list of 15 conditions, even though it is located in an “Environmental and Riparian Development Permit Area” established for “the protection of the natural environment, its ecosystems and biological diversity,” and the development will result in the loss of ~1,400 square metres of wetland, ~1,260 square metres of riparian habitat, and will disturb an additional 1,000+ square metres of riparian habitat. Among other conditions, the developer is to implement “a landscape-scale compensation approach for this development” – in consultation with provincial government representatives.
Discussion:
Spooner expressed overall support for the project, but had concerns about the environmental offsets being “offsite,” and about the drainage plans being unclear; Kwiatkowski shared those concerns.
Weaver asked about the role of the Province, and Lightbourne confirmed that the Province must approve the plans.
Boyce thanked staff for their work.
Humpherys opined that with 54 new condos in the works, he sees a need for “a little store” at the base area to prevent excessive traffic and emissions resulting from trips to town for shopping. Weaver said he is glad that RED has not developed much of a commercial area at the base. Lightbourne explained that the Official Community Plan allows for only limited commercial development there, to prevent too much competition with downtown businesses.
Provençal commented that RED could be invited to invest more in Active Transportation.
A motion to approve the Development Permit for the project at 1010 Telemark Road CARRIED unanimously.
2. Create a Climate Action Task Force:
The Sustainability Commission has requested that the City dissolve the Energy Task Force and crate a new Climate Action Task Force, to assist the City with implementation of the Integrated Climate Action Plan.
A motion to create a Climate Action Task Force CARRIED unanimously, as did a motion to dissolve the Energy Task Force.
3. School District 20 Jubilee Field and Rossland Summit School Gymnasium Mutual Use Agreement, 2025-2028:
A motion to approve the Memorandum of Understanding outlining the agreement CARRIED unanimously.
4. 2025 Scholarship funding requests:
A motion CARRIED to provide, in the 2025 to 2029 Financial Plan, for giving scholarship funding of $500 for the JL Crowe Rossland Health Awareness Award; $750 for the JL Crowe Rossland Award; $500 for the Kootenay Columbia Learning Centre Scholarship; and $500 for the Seven Summits Centre for Learning Scholarship.
Humpherys noted that while all the other awards required the recipient to be a Rossland resident, one – the Health Awareness Award – did not seem to have that explicit requirement.
5. Draft 2025 Corporate Management Work Plan:
Readers with an appetite for detail can peruse the Plan under discussion here in the Council package, from page 166 to page 193.
Weaver asked whether the parking situation should be more closely monitored. Morel noted that Tofino and Ucluelet are instituting parking programs that exempt local residents from paying for parking.
Spooner said the work plan is a “high-level plan, and it looks good.”
A motion to adopt the Plan as presented CARRIED unanimously.
Municipal Cheque Register Report:
A motion to approve the City’s expenditures for February, 2025, CARRIED.
FOR INFORMATION ONLY:
City of Rossland 2024 Annual Water Report:
Morel commented on the success of Rossland’s water metering in reducing excessive use of water, and noted that many other communities that resist implementing water metering have high water consumption levels.
City of Rossland 2024 Sanitary Sewer Flow Monitoring Data
In response to queries about the bad smells emanating from some vents along the Centennial Trail, Lamont and Solman explained that they think they have a solution – special types of bacteria being introduced into the system should reduce the stench. They also emphasized the importance of not putting any oily, greasy substances down the drain, to keep the sewer system working well.
Monthly Reports to Council for September:
Building Permits
Building Permit Inspections by Type
Step Code Energy Rebates
Public Works and Water Production
Eye on Water
Bylaw Compliance
MEMBERS’ REPORTS:
Spooner attended the March 3 meeting of the Recreation Master Plan Implementation Committee, and the February 25 on-line presentation about the RRMM (“a dry process”); he has been having conversations with FireSmart about reducing the fuel load in the forests around Rossland, with the large number of trees that have fallen over the past year.
Humpherys also attended the on-line RRMM meeting and said “it felt wrong.” He also attended the Women’s Day celebration and was pleased that the funds raised went to Trail FAIR.
Provençal said that India D’Aigle will be announcing her resignation from the Bear Smart Task Force to go on to other things, and Provençal expressed her thanks to D’Aigle for the positive energy she brought to the task force. Sue Wrigley will step up to take her place.
Kwiatkowski had also attended the on-line RRMM presentation and found it disappointing.
Morel had also attended the RRMM presentation and also found it disappointing. He said that our MLA, Steve Morissette, is making it a high priority to talk with Ministry staff about the RRMM. Ministry staff are here and will talk with Council members on March 11.
Morel said it’s a very busy time at the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB). He spoke about the flag-raising ceremony held earlier at City Hall, to mark the one-year countdown to the start of the 2026 BC Winter Games in Rossland and Trail. With 1200 to 1400 athletes expected to participate, about that many volunteers will be needed to help make the Games a success; he said, watch for invitations to volunteer. He pointed out that the City is flying a Winter Games flag downtown, at the old City Hall.
Morel noted that the Village of Warfield is in the process of assessing its own sustainability as a community.
Morel took part in a seminar on revising the Local Government Act, which needs major updates. He also attended six RDKB Town Halls and was impressed by the number of people attending.
Morel noted that this winter, RED has had a better ski season than most other ski resorts.
Humpherys recommended that everyone look at the questions posted on the West High Yield website after the on-line meeting. [Editorial note: your reporter could not find any such questions – only the questions and answers following the May 17 & 18, 2023, public meetings.]
The meeting adjourned, and your reporter hurried home to unwind with a brutal game of Scrabble (on a real Scrabble board, with wooden letter-tiles, not on a computer) and some hard-copy fluff-lit.
