Highlights of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Board of Directors Meeting of August 17, 2023
The TNRD held its annual Out of Town Board of Directors Meeting at the Blue River Community Hall in Blue River, B.C., located in Electoral Area "B" (Thompson Headwaters). The meeting was held in-person and was open to the public to attend. The meeting location followed a tour of the North Thompson valley for the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors tour of the North Thompson included more than a dozen site tours and visits on August 16 and 17, 2023, including:
- McLure Community Hall and Fire Department
- District of Barriere downtown and Barriere Library
- Little Fort Fire Department & Community Hall
- Latremouille Park
- Blackpool Fire Rescue
- Spahats Creek Falls
- Clearwater Library
- Simpcw First Nations Fish Hatchery
- Birch Island Community Park
- Vavenby Community Hall & Community Park
- Vavenby Fire Hall
- Eleanor Lake & Blue River Community Park
- Blue River Pedestrian Suspension Bridge
Formal events were held at the Blackpool and Vavenby Fire Halls, respectively, to acknowledge the completion of expansion projects to each of these TNRD owned and operated fire halls. Read the August 16, 2023 news release here.
A community event was held at the Blue River Pedestrian Suspension Bridge in Herb Bilton Way Park, to mark the completion of the pedestrian suspension bridge that connects the Blue River Trail Network. Read the August 17, 2023 news release here.
Delegation: Trans Mountain
The Board received an update on progress on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion from Community Liaisons Leah Caldow and Kent Taylor. As part of this update, Trans Mountain staff stated that as of July 2023, the expansion project between Edmonton and Burnaby is 92% complete, and facilities are 96% complete. To view Trans Mountain’s presentation material, click here.
Delegation: Provincial Winter Fair
Cara Haughton, Provincial Winter Fair Coordinator, invited the Board to attend the 85th Provincial Winter Fair Anniversary at the Circle Creek Ranch & Equestrian Centre in Kamloops, from September 22 to 24, with a live auction on September 25.
Temporary Use Permit 67 (Douglas Lake Road)
The Board approved first and second reading of Temporary Use Permit (TUP) 67, with an amendment that the Public Hearing take place in Westwold at a future date. The public hearing will be delegated to the Directors Haughton and Morris and Chair Roden. TUP 67 is being requested by the owner of 7229 Douglas Lake Rd in Electoral Area “L” (Grasslands), and proposes to develop two outdoor commercial motocross tracks for public use. Read the report here.
Zoning Amendment Bylaw 2821 (Blue River)
The Board approved first and second reading of Zoning Amendment Bylaw 2821, affecting property at 5914 Angus Horne Street and 857 Spruce Street in Blue River, within Electoral Area “B” (Thompson Headwaters). Zoning Amendment Bylaw 2821 proposes to rezone 5914 Angus Horne Street from C-1: Retail Commercial to R-1: Residential Single and Duplex, and to add a site-specific amendment to 857 Spruce Street to the existing zoning of R-1: Residential Single and Duplex. A public hearing will take place in conjunction with a regular Board of Directors meeting. Read the report here.
CAO Report
Chief Administrative Officer Scott Hildebrand thanked outgoing General Manager of Corporate and Legislative Services, Deanna Campbell, for her many contributions to the TNRD ahead of her departure to take on the CAO position in the Mountain Resort Municipality of Sun Peaks. CAO Hildebrand introduced Corbin Kelley, External Relations and Advocacy Advisory, who provided a verbal update to the Board about ongoing activities in his role.
Aberdeen Mall Storefront Lease
The Board approved the Thompson-Nicola Regional Library entering into a lease agreement with Aberdeen Kamloops Mall Ltd., for a period of one year, with an optional renewal, for a storefront space and storage unit to house a small library. Operating costs are expected to be $38,496 and one-time capital costs will not exceed $190,000, and materials introduced as part of this library space will be transferrable between library branches. Staff operating costs were incorporated in the 2023 budget, and all other operating costs and all capital costs for this project will be grant funded. Read the report here.
Lac Le Jeune Transfer Station BC Hydro Power Installation
The Board approved reallocating $13,205 from Electoral Area "J" cart purchases to fund the installation of BC Hydro power at the Lac Le Jeune Transfer Station, from within the Alternate Waste Collection – Electoral Area “J” (Copper Desert Country) Capital Reserve Funds. The TNRD currently has enough carts for 2023 and remaining funds for an additional small order to meet the needs of the curbside program. Read the report here.
Search and Rescue Grant Applications
The Board approved allocating annual distribution of TNRD Search and Rescue grant-in-aid funding, with a total amount of $146,164.97 being allocated to six eligible Search and Rescue groups. The annual allocated SAR grant-in-aid funding is $155,000 for 2023, and a further $8,835.03 is available to be allocated in the fall. Read the report here.
The next TNRD Board Meeting is on September 7, 2023, at 1:30 pm.
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