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Advisory Planning Commission
Mission Statement:
to recommend the approval/disapproval of applications for development within Area B, and to bring to the Director’s attention any issues of interest to this area.
Advisory Planning Commission members;
Fred Jones, Canyon Chairman 428-4188
Ross Stonehouse, Erickson Vice-chairman 428-0664
Signe Miller, Canyon Secretary 428-4278
Judy Dickson, Yahk
Ken Miller, Canyon
Bill Zarchukoff. Lister
Bob Heffel, Kitchener
Duane Palmer, Lister
Muriel Buhr, Arrow Creek
Non-voting members: Director John Kettle and Tom Wells, Alternate Director
Area 'B' Alternate Director:
Tom Wells
RDCK Area B
Tourism, Economic Development & Communication
Society
Hanne Lindboe - Treasurer
Penny A.P. Anderson - Board Member
Muriel Buhr - Board Member
Judy Dickson - Board Member
Michael Farnsworth - Board Memember
Simon Lazarchuk - Board Member
Terry Nowak - Board member
Sharon Sadler - Board Member
Area B organizations:
4-H
Beef – Sheila Meyer 428-7013
Dairy – Trish Woodall 428-9755
Dog – Caroline Martin 428-3030
Horse – Cheryle Huscroft 428-9657
Sewing – Betty Marzke 428-7984
Ag Society – Kris Vanderweyde 428-2920
Backcountry Horsemen – Kevin 428-5478Beef Growers –
Cherry Growers – Kris Vanderweyde 428-2920
CV Grain Growers – Kris Vanderweyde 428-2920
Dairymen’s Association – Wayne Harris 428-9655
Canyon Community Association – Drew Gailus – 428-8424
Canyon Hall Rentals – Connie 428-2580
Canyon Park bookings – 428-2909
Citizens on Patrol – Ken Miller 428-9584
Creston Golf Club – Randy Panton – 428-5515
Cruisers Auto Club – Ron Grassing 428-5695
- Bob Koop 428-9792End of Trail Equine Training – Steve Werklund 428-5643
Erickson Ladies Hospital Auxiliary – Lil Haines 428-7175
CV Fall Fair – Viola Hine or Jacquie Ryckman 428-2369
Family Literacy – Kim Asquith 428-4176
Field Naturalists – Irene Murphy 428-7500
CV Flying Club – Rudy Kroon 428-5047
CV Garden Festival – Erika Woker 428-5957
Good Sams – Maureen Cyr 428-9990
Golden Agers (monthly seniors lunch) – Alex 428-4960
Gymnastics Club – Laurie Reihl 428-4844
Hi Neighbor Welcome Service – Marj 428-5450
CV Horse Association – Sarah Schmidt 428-3938
Horseshoe Ringers – Bob Hamilton 428-2346
Friends of Kitchener – Judy Freemen 428-2627Kootenay
Kootenay Blacksmiths – Derry 428-8462
Lions Club – Larry Rast 428-8980, Lil Haines 428-7175
Lister Community Association – Laurie Reihl 428-4844
Lister/Huscroft Women’s Institute – Hilda 428-4439
Music Teachers’ association – Monty 428-5152
Overeaters Anonymous – Carol 428-5643
Provincial emergency Program – Alana 428-0299
CV Quad Squad – Sarah 428-3313
Radio Control Aircraft Club – Bill 428-3461
Red Hat Society – Elizabeth 428-4383
CV Rod & Gun Club – Brian or Wendy 428-5764
CV Snowmobile Club – Ken 428-2248
Swan Valley Swingers Square Dance Club
- Laurie 428-9529Therapeutic Riding Program – Sarah 428-2296 or 428-3938
TSL Kids Camp (blind kids) – Amanda 402-6722
Team Ropers – Doug 428-9679
Yahk Range Association – Janet 428-4506
Yakan Nuki Wildlife Project – Art Tremblay 428-8911
Yahk Kingsgate Recreation Society - 424-
Young Women’s Institute – Karen 428-9191
We will keep a current listing of organizations within the area.
For additions please send info to Webmaster
Directors Report...
As the Regional District Director for Area B, I represent an electoral area that is unique from the standpoint that it is huge – roughly 1,230 square kilometres. It contains the airport, landfill, golf course and Lower Kootenay Band, so the diversification requires a lot of different approaches to a lot of specific needs.
One main driver that we found this last year is that people looking at moving into the area are requesting access to broadband, or high-speed Internet, and that’s something we will be working on heavily in the next year.
Another high priority will be building our new recreation complex. It’s a huge undertaking and Area B – because of our tax base – will be the largest contributor. It’s very important that we do it right, that it will last and that we can sustain it.
But to me, the single one item I believe will be the most important in our area for the next 10 years is water. Small improvement districts have been directed to upgrade their water treatment methods but are not being allowed access to any funding. By this action the province is driving those improvement districts toward regional districts without any guarantee of any funding, without any guarantee of solving their problems, but certainly with the guarantee that we will probably double or triple what it is now costing them to get their water. And that, to me, is not acceptable.
I’m pursuing, with the province and the Union of B.C. Municipalities, an initiative that I brought forward last year to allow small water systems to put in point-of-entry use and to be liable for their own systems. Point-of-entry would be a unit that mounts on the wall in your house and has a filter and ultraviolet lamp that treats your own water, at a cost of $2,000 to $3,000 installed, per hookup. Erickson school has been on a point-of-entry system for 12 years.
It was ruled out as an option in Erickson because it wasn’t accepted by Health. Provincial legislation has since changed to allow point-of-entry, but Health is still not working with us to make sure we can put in those systems. The biggest
problem is, you can’t charge 20 to 40 people $2 million to clean up their water. It doesn’t make sense.
With regard to solid waste management, we will be moving the transfer station to the top of the hill off Mallory Road, probably by midsummer, so that people won’t have to go into the landfill ever again, and won’t have to get their feet muddy. It’ll be first-class.
The funding of the Creston Valley Airport is also going to be discussed this year. Although the airport is in Area B, and the majority of the people evacuated by air ambulance are from the rural areas, Area B pays nothing toward its maintenance. We’ll be in discussions with the Town about paying our fair share.
Stay tuned to this space for further updates on what’s going
Government of RDCK Mission Statement:
To facilitate the provision of services and to represent the residents of the Regional District of Central Kootenay in the most efficient and financially and administratively effective means possible in a fashion that meets the needs of the residents.
Public Hearings Cancelled
With the provincial government’s announcement that the BC Electoral Boundaries Commission will be working with new legislation, the commission is cancelling the public hearings scheduled for this fall.
The EBC Preliminary Report, which suggested doing away with three Interior seats, is done for. The elimination of a Kootenay seat and consequent redrawing of boundaries had Nelson's North Shore, Kaslo, Salmo, and Cranbrook sharing an MLA. Similar silliness in other regions brought out many protestors to the EBC's first hearings which began only a week ago. The vehement protests and complaints from MLAs such as Corky Evans caused Premier Campbell to announce that he will table new instructions for the EBC on October 15. These new instructions will include keeping the three Interior seats that the EBC wanted to eliminate and will allow for creating eight new seats to allow for population growth in other parts of the province. The current legislation allows six new seats, but only two were added by the EBC.
Story: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/columnists/story.html?id=960ee68c-e800-45ba-927c-d6f092cef163
$2 million community complex expansion for Creston
January 22, 2008 Creston, British Columbia
The Regional District of Central Kootenay will expand, renovate and upgrade the Creston and District Community Complex thanks to a joint investment of $2 million from the federal and provincial governments. This funding will be provided through the Canada B.C. Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (CBCMRIF), which supports the continued growth of B.C. communities as greener, healthier and more sustainable places to live.
The announcement was made today by the Honourable Jim Abbott, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Member of Parliament for Kootenay-Columbia, and Bill Bennett, MLA for East Kootenay. John Kettle Chair of the rec centre complex fundraising committee MC'ed the Announcement.
"The renovated Creston and District Community Complex will expand from 72,000 to 103,800 square feet to help meet the growing needs of this vibrant community," said Parliamentary Secretary Abbott on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification. "Through investments in projects such as this, our government is delivering on its promise to help communities grow as vibrant places to live, work and raise families."
The project will involve the construction of an attached indoor aquatic facility containing a 25-metre, six-lane pool, a therapy leisure pool, a hot pool, an indoor/outdoor waterslide, a steam/sauna room, change rooms and additional administration and operations space. The project will be built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards for energy consumption, including a geothermal field to capture waste heat from the registration plant to heat the pools.
"The residents of the Creston Valley have demonstrated a strong desire to improve the quality of life in their community and showed their support for this project by referendum," said Bennett, on behalf of Community Services Minister Ida Chong. "It's expected that 50,000 people will use this facility over the next year."
The majority of the program funding from the CBCMRIF, which was launched in June 2006, supports communities of fewer than 250,000 people in minimizing the costs to taxpayers of local infrastructure upgrades or new construction projects.
At least 60 per cent of the funding will assist with "green projects" that are geared towards enhancing environmental sustainability, such as water and waste-water systems, public transit and environmental energy improvements. Other infrastructure projects will support local roads, cultural and recreational facilities, tourism and broadband connectivity. The funding for this project is conditionally approved pending the successful completion of an environmental assessment.
The total amount available through the CBCMRIF, with federal and provincial investments and matching local government contribution, is over $220 million. More details on the program are available online at www.canadabcmrif.ca.
Media Contacts:
Jackie Stewart
Western Economic Diversification Canada
604 666-1306
Marc Black
B.C. Ministry of Community Services
250 356-6334
WD Toll-Free Number:1 888 338-WEST (9378)
Web Site: WD is online at www.wd-deo.gc.ca.
January 22nd 2008 was a good day...a good day indeed as this announcement was a long time coming!
Wireless access to improve internet service for Yahk
January 22, 2008 Yahk, British Columbia
A federal and provincial investment of $75,000 will improve broadband services and introduce high-speed Internet access to the Yahk-Kingsgate area and other nearby rural communities. The funding is provided through the Canada-B.C. Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (CBCMRIF), which is enabling communities across B.C. to become healthier, greener and more sustainable places to live.
The announcement was made today by the Honourable Jim Abbott, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Member of Parliament for Kootenay-Columbia, and Bill Bennett, MLA for East Kootenay.
Approximately 100 new users located in the communities of Yahk, Kingsgate, Curzon, Glenlily, Majestic Drive and Kitchener will gain access to wireless broadband. The project includes erection of a radio tower to service the Yahk townsite, and the installation of radio repeater towers along the Moyie River Valley to service users between Yahk and the U.S. Border at Kingsgate.
"Improved broadband service enables area residents and business to access high-speed Internet at competitive prices," said Parliamentary Secretary Abbott on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification. "Our government is proud to partner with the Province of British Columbia to support the long-term growth of communities as vibrant places to live, work and raise families."
"Wireless Internet access is a great way for residents and business to stay connected with each other and other communities," said Bennett, on behalf of Community Services Minister Ida Chong. "We're pleased that through this funding partnership we are able to support these five communities around Yahk with this type of infrastructure that makes a real difference in people's lives."
The majority of the program funding from the CBCMRIF, which was launched in June 2006, supports communities of fewer than 250,000 people in minimizing the costs to taxpayers of local infrastructure upgrades or new construction projects.
At least 60 per cent of the funding will assist with "green projects" that are geared towards enhancing environmental sustainability, such as water and waste-water systems, public transit and environmental energy improvements. Other infrastructure projects will support local roads, cultural and recreational facilities, tourism and broadband connectivity. Funding for this project is conditionally approved pending the successful completion of an environmental assessment.
The total amount available through the CBCMRIF, with federal and provincial investments and matching local government contribution, is over $220 million. More details on the program are available online at www.canadabcmrif.ca.
Media Contacts:
Jackie Stewart
Western Economic Diversification Canada
604 666-1306
Marc Black
B.C. Ministry of Community Services
250 356-6334
WD Toll-Free Number:1 888 338-WEST (9378)
Web Site: WD is online at www.wd-deo.gc.ca.
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