Kimberley City Council Report

By Nowell Berg

On June 12, City of Kimberley council held its regular bi-monthly meeting.

Councillors Sue Cairns, Kevin Dunnebacke, Woody Maguire, Sandra Roberts and Steven Royer were present along with Mayor Don McCormick.

Coun. Jason McBain was absent.

An archive of the meeting can be found on the City of Kimberley YouTube channel. Watch it here. Note. there is no audio.

Marysville Re-zoning Petition

The owners of the Koffee Kan, Kelly and John Adolphe, submitted a 424-signature petition in opposition to the proposed OCP and zoning changes in Marysville.

As with previous emails and petitions, these petitioners are opposed to a highway commercial retail centre that would include a global fast-food restaurant and gas station.

They outline several reasons. First, changing the land use designation from Industrial to Commercial depletes land in the Industrial category. Second, the proposed development is “inconsistent with Kimberley’s unique culture of local businesses.”

Third, according to petition signatories there is “no shortage of low paying jobs” in town. Further, many businesses are currently dealing with a labour shortage and to “increase competition” in a constrained labour market could make things worse, or force other long-standing businesses to close. Fourth, the development is located within “100 metres” of a daycare and elementary school. Numerous letters and emails to the city, including local doctors, concur with the petition’s claims of “increased air pollution and emissions, and food that is linked to numerous health problems.”

Finally, the petitioners suggest the city take into account the negative impact the development would have on “the economic well-being of existing businesses.”

The petitioners suggest that business tax revenue could be negatively affected if current businesses were forced to close.

Two public hearings on this proposal are scheduled. The first is an in-person hearing on June 27 at McKim School Theatre, and the second, June 28, will be an electronic telephone only hearing.

Drinking Water Reports

Council received four reports on the state of drinking water in the city. They cover the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.

In his summary to council, Rob Topping, Manager of Utilities, indicated that over the past four years there has been a “nine per cent average decrease” in total water consumption compared to 2018. The report also noted that “over 170 new services” and “over 1600 metres of new or replaced water mains” were installed.

In 2022, the drinking water quality met provincial standards with the exception of the seasonal turbidity issues arising from spring freshet. Total water consumption was 3.4 million cubic meters, which is 4% lower than the previous year.

Mark Creek (pictured) supplies 80% of the water used by residents, with the remaining 20% supplied from Mathew Creek.

City engineers and the city’s consultant continuously monitor water quality and the water sheds with on-site inspections occurring multiple times per week. There are a number of warning systems in place that alert the Utilities Department if the water quality in the system deteriorates and does not meet provincial standards.

The extensive detailed reports are available on the city’s website.

Kimberley City Council meets twice monthly starting at 7 p.m. The next regular council meeting: June 26.

e-KNOW file photos

e-KNOW

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