The Regional District of Central Kootenay is in for a shakeup, with at least 13 of its 20 directors expected to be new following October’s local elections.
Aimee Watson was first elected to represent Area D in 2014 and is currently serving her eighth consecutive one-year term as chair. She hasn’t seen this level of turnover during her 12 years on the board and expects a steep learning curve for incoming directors.
“Some directors will come in, and they’ve either been alternates or they’ve been attending meetings, and they’ve done their work,” Watson said.
“Generally, when you consider running for local government or any government, you’re applying for a job, and some have done the pre-work to be prepared for that.”
The RDCK board is made up of 11 electoral area directors and nine municipal directors. Eight new electoral area directors will join the board, while several municipal representatives are also leaving.
Among the departing directors is Area G representative Hans Cunningham, who is leaving after 40 years of service. Area A director Garry Jackman and Area H director Walter Popoff each served 18 years, while Area I director Andy Davidoff served 15 years.
The departures also include five municipal representatives, including Creston Mayor Arnold DeBoon, Kaslo Mayor Suzan Hewat, Castlegar Mayor Maria McFaddin and Salmo Mayor Diana Lockwood.
New faces, long-term projects
The changeover could make it harder for the board to maintain momentum on projects that have been years in the making.
Watson said a single board meeting can involve 500 to 700 pages of information, with directors also expected to attend numerous other meetings throughout the month.
“The ability to keep up with the documented information, which is only a part of the work, takes a significant amount of time,” she said.
The challenge extends beyond the workload, with some RDCK projects taking years to develop.
Watson pointed to the regional district’s recently approved parks strategy, which followed more than a decade of community and director engagement.
“Some projects we’ve been working on are at least a decade in the making,” she said. “We just approved a park strategy that was over a decade of community engagement, director engagement. And, you know, democracy is not quick.”
Watson expects the board’s work to slow as returning directors help their new colleagues navigate the transition. She hopes those returning directors can support incoming members as they begin working together.
Budgets will also be an immediate priority. The RDCK’s budget process begins in October, with the regional district overseeing 180 services, each with its own distinct budget.
The incoming board will also be navigating a change in provincial government, which Watson anticipates could bring significant changes to some major files.
“We definitely will see, I can anticipate some big shifts on some big files, but we don’t know what those look like right now,” she said.
As for what the local election results say about the direction residents want the RDCK to take, Watson said it’s too early to draw conclusions.
Candidates in different electoral areas campaigned on a range of local issues, and Watson said she doesn’t yet have a clear picture of what motivated the incoming directors.
“That’s what we’ll learn as we get to meet everybody.”
She also pointed to broader pressures affecting RDCK communities, including the rising cost of living and increasingly frequent emergencies.
“All of these big impacts mean people want to get involved, which is a positive thing,” she said. “Is that specifically related to the way the regional district runs and what we’re doing? I won’t really know until people get to the table and we hear, ‘Why did you run?'”
Watson also wanted to recognize the residents who follow the RDCK’s work and regularly attend meetings.
“It’s hard to keep up even when you’re the one in it with all of our materials and information,” she said.
“There’s a few folks who are consistently there, and I just want to thank people for being engaged and being present. We’re local for a reason, and the people are those that keep us connected.”
Want to get your business noticed? Have you considered advertising through your local radio station? Speak to one of our sales agents and find out how radio advertising can boost your business today. Call 250-365-7600 or email Vista Radio.
