Mayor's Musings for January 2025
by Steve Fairbairn, Mayor for the District of Elkford
Well, the January blues can hit hard—so I’m trying to ‘muse,’ and not ‘whine and complain,’ but it’s tough to do so this month. I’ll give it a try and focus on the positive. Here goes!
Financial Assistance Grants for Non-Profit Organizations
Now that I have your attention: for those of you involved in non-profit groups, I encourage you to check out the Regional District of East Kootenay’s (RDEK) annual Resident Directed Grants (ReDi Grants) opportunity. The deadline for applications is FAST APPROACHING: applications are due by February 10, 2025, at 4 p.m., so don’t delay!
Your District of Elkford council partners with the RDEK to distribute the ReDi grants, and we look forward to hearing community group presentations every year!
To learn more about eligible ReDi grant projects (note that operational costs are not eligible) and the process, visit engage.rdek.bc.ca/redi or call the RDEK directly at 250.489.2791 and navigate their automated switchboard menu.
Under a separate program, the District of Elkford (DoE) also has its own annual Financial Assistance grants program that is currently open for applications from registered, not-for-profit groups. Visit https://www.elkford.ca/2025financialassistancegrants to learn more! Applications are accepted until February 28, 2025, so you know what to do!
Want to talk to someone in Financial Services about this grant program? Call 250.865.4000 or drop by the District Office at 744 Fording Drive.
Regarding Snow (or a Lack Thereof) and Ongoing Advocacy (an Abundance of This)
In other news... on January 21, I dug a snow pit on my front lawn—and it measured 13 inches (33 centimetres) in depth, from surface to grass. No base. Most every rooftop in town looks to have about the same depth of snow on it, which is a massively frustrating problem for us winter sport-loving, outdoorsy people.
From my time in the Wapiti Ski Hill rental shop, I recall the frustrations of all the operating departments, all the hired employees and all the skiers in town. There just isn’t enough snow to survive grooming and skiing (the act of skiing pushes an amazing amount of snow off of the centre of the run and to the side, and it happens very quickly).
The Wapiti Ski Club is the holder of the user group agreement with the District of Elkford. They are required to act in a safe and responsible manner that protects capital assets, volunteers, employees and all users of the facility. The DoE stands behind their decisions and efforts to meet the terms of the user agreement in a safe and responsible manner. In the same way that the DoE doesn’t tell the Mountain Meadows Golf Club when and how to mow their greens, how much to charge in fees and when to open or close for the season, we also do not micromanage the Wapiti Ski Club.
Advocacy about what’s important to Elkford continues, but—arrrggghhhh—sometimes it gets thick! From advocacy on healthcare (both service delivery and facilities) to facilitating the creation of living spaces (in the form of purpose-built long-term rental units) in Elkford, the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025 have been a case of “one step forward, two (five?) steps back.”
Sometimes, this experience is very frustrating for us at the council table, and we can imagine that it’s very frustrating for you, too. While I am unable to go into the gory details here, I assure you that your council will continue trekking forward—we are strong and resilient! Bureaucracy, layers and layers of it… remember whack-a-mole? Okay, that’s enough on this topic. By the time this gets published, I bet things will have evolved on this front.
Property Values, Taxes and Budgets
Maybe you have noticed that your BC Assessment property value has increased? Wondering why? There are a lot of factors that contribute! Perhaps you added a garage to your property, or a deck, or even an addition? All these things can increase your property’s value, which is assessed and determined by BC Assessment. Not sure what to make of yours or want more information? Call the team at BC Assessment to learn more: 1-866-valueBC (1.866.825.8322).
Wondering if your property assessment by BC Assessment affects your municipal property taxes? Yes, it does— but note that this is just one of several factors that DoE council and staff consider when establishing the amount of funds needed to support the municipality’s budget.
Did you know that we only control Elkford’s municipal portion of your property tax bill? Speaking of taxes and budget, the DoE’s Five-Year Financial Plan and budgeting process is about to get underway! Watch our website, social media and advertising (including a flyer that is dropped right into your mailbox) for more info—such as details about public meetings and engagement opportunities. We want to hear from you about this!
That’s all I have for now! Thanks for reading.
Until next time: stay safe, stay warm and stay awesome!
Yours sincerely,
Mayor Steve
