RDCK Adopts Five-Year Financial Plan
The Board of Directors adopted the 2025-2029 Financial Plan Bylaw, an annual requirement which must be completed by end of March each year. This year’s budget will see a 5.7% average increase in property taxes for RDCK residents, although this is highly variable depending on the Electoral Area or Municipality the resident lives in.
The RDCK hosted nine hybrid public information sessions (in-person and online), one Special Budget Meeting, plus individual budgets were discussed at all commission and committee meetings over the last two months, which allowed the public in our various sub regions to comment and provide feedback on the five-year Financial Plan.
Residents are encouraged to review the financial plan and reach out to staff or Directors with questions.
Electoral Area I Official Community Plan
The Board adopted the new Electoral Area I Sentinel Mountain Official Community Plan (OCP) Bylaw No. 2821. The OCP sets out the vision and objectives of a community to guide future development, land use management, character of the community, protection of environmentally sensitives areas, and investment in infrastructure. The plan is the primary tool that provides policy direction that informs the RDCK Board and other government agencies in making land use decisions.
Read Electoral Area I Official Community Plan
FireSmart Program
The Board directed staff to apply to the 2025 Union of BC Municipalities Community Resiliency Investment FireSmart Community Funding Supports program for $1,700,000 for the delivery of the 2025 and 2026 FireSmart Programs.
The funding will be used to hire a full-time temporary FireSmart Coordinator, six seasonal Wildfire Mitigation Specialists, deliver public education and outreach, conduct limited fuel treatments on RDCK owned lands (crown land fuel treatment under this grant is funded through the Wildfire Risk Reduction Program and administered through the Ministry of Forests), update/renewal of the Area H Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan (CWRP), deliver the Neighbourhood Recognition Program, administer the rebate program, and the delivery of home ignition zone assessments under the Wildfire Mitigation Program (previously known as the Home Partners Program).
Under 2024 funding the program set a record for the number of assessments provided with 528 home ignition zone assessments. As well, 27 neighbourhoods were recognized for their work to reduce their community to wildland fire, the CWRP’s are being updated in Electoral Areas A, B, C, G, J, K and the Villages of Nakusp and Salmo, and in total, 115 rebates were issued.
Purchase of Five Fire Truck Apparatus
The Board awarded the purchase of five Fire Truck Apparatus to Fort Garry Fire Trucks (Winnipeg, MB). The five trucks will be allocated to the Balfour-Harrop Fire Department, Canyon-Lister Fire Department, North Shore Fire Department, Tarrys Fire Department, and Winlaw Fire Department. All five apparatus will replace fire apparatus ranging in age from 25 to 27 years old.
The Fire Underwriters Survey (FUS) specifies frontline fire apparatus age as a critical factor in determining communities Dwelling Protection Grading. For rural communities, the age is set at 20 years before replacement. The RDCK was granted an extension by FUS on each apparatus to accommodate the procurement and building process for the new apparatus.
The expected delivery date is some time in 2027.
Local Conservation Fund
The Board approved $139,767 in grant funds for the Local Conservation Fund to be spread among eight different projects. The fund provides grants to support local conservation efforts in Electoral Areas A, D, E, F, and H focused on the conservation of water and aquatic systems, as well as wildlife and habitat. Here are the eight projects:
| PROJECT | PROPONENT | AMOUNT |
| Enhancing bat habitat and monitoring populations in the West Kootenays | Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada | $24,208 |
| Slocan Valley Pollinator Highway Project: Phase 1 – Year 2 | Elk Root Conservation Farm Society | $18,865 |
| Slocan River Riparian Restoration 2025 | Slocan River Streamkeepers | $20,000 |
| Central Kootenays Wetland Restoration | BC Wildfire Federation | $16,000 |
| Construction and Conservation of Artificial Bat Roosts in West Kootenay | Okanagan Nation Alliance | $18,497 |
| Kootenay BroomBusters – A Community Led Pulling Together Program | Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society | $15,730 |
| North Kootenay Lake Climate Resilience and Water Monitoring Project | Living Lakes Canada | $12,000 |
| Wire Fence Removal to Restore Habitat Connectivity | Wildsight Creston Valley | $14,467 |
Director’s Reports
RDCK Directors provide monthly reports outlining what they have been working on. Click here to read the March reports in the Board minutes.
RDCK Quarterly Report
For the latest RDCK Quarterly Report, which details the current projects and initiatives of the RDCK, please follow the link.