From the Bear Pit

Council News

Publication Date: October 20, 2026

Committee of the Whole September 9, 2026

Regional Council heard from Bev Vandersteen, Executive Director of the Fort Nelson & District Chamber of Commerce, on Visitor Centre operations update. The Centre continues to prioritise in-person services for visitors, maintains a Facebook presence, and is exploring expanded digital offerings and purchasable printed maps.

Staff presented improvements to the Government Transfers Program (GTP) intended to simplify applications and reporting for not-for-profits. Council acknowledged early growing pains, encouraged organizations to plan long-term, and stressed continued administrative support and resources to ensure the program’s success.

Council accepted the Primary Care Stabilization — Phase 2 workplan for further exploratory work (physician validation, governance, finance, community engagement and Ministry partnership) and requested staff confirm the plan and return with cost/time estimates; no budget has been approved and additional staff/consulting resources will be required.

Council directed staff to seek clarifications from WLRS/BC Parks regarding Kaska — BC Land Use Planning scope, timelines and stakeholder concerns, and to provide feedback ahead of UBCM, noting opportunities to confirm protections, removals and considerations for economic and Treaty-related interests.

September 9 COTW Agenda | Video Recording

Special Regional Hospital District September 9, 2026

The Regional Hospital District Board adopted the Northern Rockies Regional Hospital District Capital Expenditure and Borrowing Bylaw No. 87, 2026 which authorizes the Northern Rockies Regional Hospital District to borrow funds (up to the project cost, net of fundraising) to finance installation of a CT scanner at Fort Nelson General Hospital. Staff noted the borrowing is governed by the Hospital District Act and must be submitted to the Inspector of Municipalities for approval. Council members acknowledged this has been a long time coming, discussed fundraising to reduce the amount, and confirmed Northern Health will operate the scanner once installed.

September 9 RHD Agenda | Video Recording

Regional Council September 9, 2026

The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality will apply to three Northern Development Initiative Trust programs: Grant Writing Support (up to $8,000) to offset grant-writing costs; Economic Development Capacity Building (up to $50,000) to partially fund a Regional Economic Development Officer; and the Business Façade Improvement Program (up to $20,000) to support the 2027 Fort Nelson Façade Improvement initiative.

Regional Council reviewed updates to Administration Report #53/26 — Travel & Expense Policy. A proposed increase to a $105/day per diem (using CRA rates as a reference) was discussed, with prorated rules retained; Council indicated a preference to align rates with comparable jurisdictions and avoid out-of-pocket expenses for staff and officials.

Statutory and acting staff appointments were presented and approved by Regional Council, effective August 31, 2026, to ensure continuity in municipal roles and responsibilities across departments.

Regional Council adopted the IAFF Mental Health & Wellness Reserve Fund Bylaw No. 247, 2026 establishing the IAFF Mental Health & Wellness Reserve to support firefighter mental health and wellness initiatives.

September 9 Regional Agenda | Video Recording

Committee of the Whole October 13, 2026

Commercial Organics Diversion Pilot Update: Early engagement shows only a few businesses signed up so far and some participants noted food waste is not their primary issue; grocery stores were mentioned as having different arrangements. Council and staff emphasized the importance of broader public engagement as the pilot rolls out and requested additional information on how many businesses will participate.

Accessibility & Inclusion Committee update: The committee presented its annual report and a draft update for 2027–2030, highlighting that this municipality is unique in having its own Accessibility & Inclusion Committee. Committee members and staff were acknowledged for their leadership. Discussion included clarification about an elevator versus a chair lift referenced in the NRRM plan, praise for accessible community initiatives such as the Library’s Halloween feature and IGA efforts on low sensory hour, and the potential to work with the School District on playground accessibility and access to related reports.

Dog Park Pilot Project update: Pilots at Muskwa Heights and Roy Gairdner continue to gather feedback. Residents expressed continued use of the existing 301 site, requesting fencing repairs, separation of dog play zones, improved signage and more accessible dog-waste stations. Some limited repairs have been completed and cost estimates for further work will be prepared by Recreation for future Council consideration.

October 13 COTW Agenda | Video Recording

Regional Council October 13, 2026

Council approved purchasing a 2026 John Deere 190G W wheeled excavator awarded to purchase from Brandt Tractor Ltd. for $469,000 plus GST. Staff reported the John Deere best met specifications, offers predictable repair support locally and aligns with existing fleet experience despite not being the lowest bid.

Council reviewed a funding request from North Paw Animal Rescue as well as an analyses of service-delivery options, noting a high degree of services to animals being provided outside municipal boundaries and variable veterinary costs. Members directed staff to pursue contracting options, explore cost-sharing with neighbouring First Nations/communities, and consider a tender approach rather than single-sourcing.

A draft Council Code of Conduct bylaw was discussed with plans for further refinement and readings; Council also approved updating the Government Transfer Policy to use the previous year’s actual operating expenses as the base and 4.21% as the factor for the following budget year (Gerwing opposed).

The 2027 Permissive Tax Exemption Bylaw received three readings, and it was noted that while there were new applicants to the program and one who did not renew their application, the total value of exemptions remained at an estimated $211,000 for 2027. Council agreed to send a letter of support regarding community paramedics to the Minister of Health and relevant stakeholders.

Concerns from the public were relayed regarding the lack of transportation available in the community and the challenges some residents experience getting home, when admitted and then discharged from the hospital having been brought there by ambulance. Staff were asked to discuss local patient repatriation with Emergency Services.

Staff were directed to undertake a procurement process to hire a qualified professional to develop preliminary design concepts, cost estimates, and basic feasibility for the three prioritized water source sites (for wildfire suppression activities), as recommended by the Community FireSmart Resiliency Committee.

Staff recognition & Service awards were acknowledged across departments.
Public Works: Harold DeJong - 20 years, Norman Sheppard - 15 years, James Nelson - 15 years, Dave Cox - 5 years, Connor MacLean - 5 years, Jasmine Glaves - 5 years, Bailee Baldridge - 5 years
Regional Development & Planning: Lisa Thompson - 5 years, Radha Adhikari - 5 years, Recreation: Sheila McMillan - 15 years, Kaeley Kennedy - 10 years, Jason McManus - 10 years, Isabelle Lane - 5 years, Chelsea Moore - 5 years, Victoria Fisher - 5 years, Madison Wark - 5 years, Karoly Horvath - 5 years
Northern Rockies Fire Rescue: Tim Leguerrier - 20 years, Ryan Sparshu - 10 years
Corporate Services: Hunter Robinson - 5 years

October 13 Regional Agenda | Video Recording

We’re trying something new: going forward, the Bear Pit summary will focus on decisions and highlights so you can quickly see what was decided. This new format is designed to be shorter and more action‑oriented, with links to the full reports if you want more detail. We welcome your feedback — love it, want more context, or prefer a different approach? Tell us what you think. You can also take our micro survey below to let us know if this format works for you. If you would like to provide more detailed feedback please email communications@northernrockies.ca.