Council Matters: Rossland City Council Meeting, November 17, 2025
By Sara Golling
Rossland’s new Chief Financial Officer; how the City can help address intimate partner violence; who to believe about the state of Rossland? Take note –no motorized vehicles allowed on the Centennial Trail; and, preparing for Winter Carnival 2026.
Present: Mayor Andy Morel and Councillors Maya Provençal, Stewart Spooner, Craig Humpherys, Lisa Kwiatkowski (remote), Jeff Weaver and Eliza Boyce
Staff: CAO Bryan Teasdale, Executive Assistant Rachel Newton, Deputy Corporate Officer Cynthia Añonuevo, Planner Stacey Lightbourne, Manager of Public Works and Infrastructure Scott Lamont, Manager of Recreation and Events Kristi Calder, and Chief Financial Officer Craig McDonald
Morel formally welcomed new Chief Financial Officer Craig McDonald, who began work on November 12, 2025.
PUBLIC INPUT PERIOD:
- People were invited to provide input on the proposed sale of City land to the adjacent property owner at 2740 Butte Street.
One neighbour spoke in support of the sale.
- Regular Public Input: Warren Hamm spoke to express his concern about Rossland’s fiscal condition. “This council was set up to fail from the start.” He referred to a “financial crisis facing Rossland,” stated that the previous Council had acted illegally, criticized Mayor Morel harshly and stated that he should resign.
Morel responded by referring to the five named defendants’ response to Hamm’s lawsuit, and noted, inter alia, that the lawsuit was recently dismissed with no costs awarded, with the consent of all parties, and that a consent dismissal has the same legal effect as a dismissal by the court.
Morel said, “For me personally, agreeing to a consent dismissal was not an easy decision. It meant setting aside the opportunity to fully clear my name in court, and accepting that I may never receive a definitive legal answer on the issues that mattered to members of Council – such as how it could be unlawful to vote against clearcutting on residential lands where the zoning bylaw prohibited forestry uses. But settlement often requires compromise, and this case was no exception.”
DELEGATION:
Battered Women’s Support Services:
Shelby Johnson, coordinator of the Battered Womens’ Support Services province-wide #Designed with Survivors campaign, explained how local governments can help create safer communities and advance efforts to end violence. She spoke from the unceded territories of the Musqueam Territory. She explained that we all share responsibility for preventing violence; it is a community health issue. Gender-based violence is not a private matter, as we have been conditioned to think. Femicide has risen by 10% since 2024, and there is a financial cost to all of us from this violence, in housing, healthcare, policing, and more. Johnson encourages municipalities to lead by declaring gender-based violence a priority; designating a gender based violence task force; assigning a city hall lead person; and integrating Risk Assessments – requiring tools like B-SAFER or ODARA for police and other frontline workers.
Johnson stated all of us know someone whose life is touched by gender-based violence, and pointed out that on November 4, 2024, Lindsay Christine Batts of Montrose was killed by her partner; this is only one example of many local incidents of such violence.
Johnson identified Trail FAIR Society as an invaluable partner in any coordinated response to gender-based violence. She thanked Council for hearing her, and asked if anyone had questions.
Weaver asked if they know of any community our size that has adopted all four recommendations. Johnson responded that each community knows its own resources best and can adapt the recommendations to suit their abilities. Morel noted that East End Services of the RDKB is discussing the problem, and supports Victims Services.
BYLAWS:
Sewer Rate (2026-2027) Bylaw # 2859
A motion to give the Sewer Rate bylaw, discussed at the previous meeting, third reading as amended CARRIED unanimously. The amendment corrected a typo.
Water Rate (2026-2027) Bylaw # 2860
A motion to give the Water Rate bylaw, discussed at the previous meeting, third reading as amended CARRIED unanimously. The amendment corrected the start date of the new rates to January 1, 2026.
Draft 2025-2029 Financial Plan Amendment Bylaw # 2854
Motions to give the bylaw first, second and third reading all CARRIED unanimously. Provincial law requires all municipalities to amend their financial plans before the end of the fiscal year to account for all the differences between the original plan and the actual spending approved and revenues obtained during the year. This follows the work done for the Third-Quarter Budget Update presented at the previous Council meeting.
2026 Annual Revenue Anticipation Bylaw # 2855
Motions to give the Revenue Anticipation Bylaw first, second and third readings all CARRIED unanimously. As explained in the Council materials for this meeting, “the City’s financial institution requires this bylaw to fulfill the requirements of our overdraft clause in the current banking agreement.” The City is currently in a strong financial position, so does not expect to have to borrow, and has not had to use this provision since 1999.
REQUESTS FOR COUNCIL DECISION:
Joint Warfield and Rossland Seasonal Outdoor Pool Operations
A motion CARRIED unanimously to consider a hybrid operational model for future years on a cost neutral basis where the City of Rossland would provide start-up assistance (recruitment, hiring, and joint training) on a contract basis, and, once open, the Village of Warfield would operate its own facility and staff, processing payroll internally.
Appointment of Chief Financial OfficerA motion to appoint Craig McDonald as Rossland’s Chief Financial Officer CARRIED, and a second motion to rescind Mike Kennedy’s appointment also CARRIED.
Municipal Cheque Register Report for October, 2025
A motion to approve the City’s expenditures for October CARRIED.
City Land Sale – Remnant lots adjacent to 2740 Butte Street
The sale will add a strip of formerly City land to the property; a motion was proposed to approve the sale for approximately $ 31,000 on condition that the land will be consolidated into 2740 Butte Street, and that the buyer will pay all legal and related land transaction costs. The motion CARRIED unanimously.
Council perused the regular monthly reports:
- Building Permit Report
- Building Permit Inspections by Type
- Step Code Energy Rebates
- Public Works & Water Production Report
- Eye On Water Report
- Bylaw Enforcement & Animal Control Monthly Report
Spooner asked whether, if temperatures were to drop, would there be enough water in the reservoir for snow-making? Lamont said, at present, there is enough, and they will be keeping a very close eye on it.
Humpherys praised the work on replacing defective water meters.
Provençal said she had seen a quad on the new centennial trail and asked if they are allowed, or if it was a City vehicle. Lamont said he would check, but motorized vehicles are not allowed on the Centennial Trail; the City is reluctant to install too many signs. He used the term “sign pollution.”
Request from Rossland Winter Carnival Society:
A motion CARRIED unanimously (Kwiatkowski recused herself, as she is involved in the Society) to allow the closure of a portion of Queen Street for both the rail jam and the ice bar, and the closure of Spokane Street from Plewman Way to Columbia Avenue for the Sonny Samuelson Bobsled Race starting at 9:00 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2026, and an exemption to the noise bylaw from 8:00 PM to11:00 PM on January 23 and 24, 2026, and the necessary staff support.
MEMBER REPORTS (selected highlights only)
Morel mentioned that Libby Martin, the 2025 Community Contributor award has recently died, and paid tribute to her oversized contributions to the community; “she will be missed.”
Boyce attended the Chamber of Commerce “Business After Business” event and encouraged others to attend the events.
Provençal met with library personnel and praised their work in doing a lot with very little.
Morel attended the East End Services RDKB meeting; he reported that the Columbia Pollution Control project is proceeding apace and on budget so far, and that the new outflow pipe that has been installed deeper into the river is stainless steel.
Grace McGregor is the new RDKB chair for 2026.
He commented on the excellent turnout for the November 11 ceremony, but wished that people would leave their dogs at home for that event, as large gatherings are a problem for many dogs.
McKelvey Creek landfill is filling up; given the high costs of closing it, the RDKB hopes that it can last a few years longer. It is very difficult to find new landfill sites. The organics diversion project helps divert material from the landfill.
The meeting recessed to an in camera session at 6:54 PM, and your reporter walked home in the dark, damp and misty evening, hoping that the weather forecasters who have been mistakenly predicting lower temperatures and snowfall for the past few weeks will eventually get it right – with snow and crisp temperatures.
