8-year snapshot

This is what I do outside of my regular duties as Mayor,

Current Boards and Committees:

• Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD), Municipal Director

• Pemberton Valley Utilities and Services (PVUS), Chair. (This committee governs joint services between the Village and SLRD Area C such as the library, transfer station and recreation.)

• Pemberton Valley Emergency Management Committee (At the table: Village of Pemberton (VoP), Líl̓wat Nation, SLRD Area C, Pemberton Valley Dyking District)

• Sea to Sky Regional Hospital District Board (At the table: VoP, District of Squamish (DoS), Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) SLRD Area C and Area D)

• Spelkúmtn Community Forest Board, Director. (Líl̓wat Nation and VoP)

• Nuk̓w7ántwal̓ Intergovernmental Committee (VoP, Líl̓wat Nation, N’Quatqua, Lower Lake Nations, SLRD Area C)

• Regional Transit Committee (VoP, Líl̓wat Nation, SLRD, RMOW, DoS, Squamish Nation)

• Local Transit Committee (VoP, Líl̓wat Nation, SLRD Area C)

• Fire Committee (VoP, SLRD Area C)

• Mayors’ Caucus (Mayors from around the province, meet via zoom with each other and with provincial representatives to discuss topics of relevance)

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What has been done over the past 8 years?

Completed Projects:

• Secured recreation lands (Den Duyf Field Area)

• Soccer fields x 2 and lighting

• Bike skills park

• Off-leash dog park

• Outdoor basketball court

• Friendship trail and bridge

• Water treatment, pH treatment or soda ash to reduce corrosivity of the water

• Downtown enhancement and stormwater management project

• Installation of high speed fibre and internet

• Established Spelkúmtn Community Forest with Líl̓wat Nation

• Transfer of Recreation Management to VoP from SLRD

• Emergency planning work:

  • Emergency Alert System — Pemberton Alert

  • Red Cross Agreement for Emergency Social Services (ESS) and Renewal in 2020

  • Tabletop Exercise for Preparedness (practice and mock exercises for readiness)

  • Countless Emergency Operations Centre activations (EOC) and emergency responses

  • Fire Smart Initiatives

Current Projects (funding approved and work ongoing):

• Child Care Centre: Facility expansion doubling our childcare capacity.

• Transit hub: 50 parking stalls, washrooms, showers, lockers, bike stalls and EV chargers

• Recreation amenities building: Change rooms, showers, concession area, storage at Den Duyf Fields

• EV chargers in the downtown and at Den Duyf Park

• Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative (SWPI)

• Water Treatment Facility to treat for iron and manganese and investigate a potential new source

The vast majority of the funds required for the projects listed above come from successful grant applications, partnerships with local community groups, the SLRD, the development community, the Province of British Columbia, and the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation. This means we have been working hard and lobbying the Province for funding so that we are not going to the taxpayers to pay for these projects.

What's coming up soon!

Shelf-Ready Projects (in search of funding):

• Baseball Diamond and Field at Den Duyf Fields

• Pemberton Agricultural Park and Community Gardens (next to Signal Hill and on the west side of Harrow road)

• One Mile Master Plan and boardwalk improvements

• Firehall. While this is not a shelf ready project it is clear we are on the verge of outgrowing our current location. We need to look at new locations, plan a hall that will accommodate the growth in our valley and explore funding.

What is next up?

Future Projects (requiring community input):

• Harrow Road Affordable Housing project. In partnership with Sea to Sky community services. Next step is the public hearing on September 19th regarding residential zoning and allowing for increased height.(https://www.pemberton.ca/)

• Indoor recreation space. Is it a rink? A gym? A Pool? None of the above? What do we want to see for indoor rec space in Pemberton, and how do we get there? I believe there is an important dialogue to be had with our residents to determine next steps here as there will be associated costs and we need to be very clear about what those look like before we choose.

Policy Work:

This might sound dry but creating strong and up to date policy is important to guiding Council decision-making and ensures the work done as a Village reflects the will of residents and the current needs and challenges of the valley. Think of policy like a lens through which all decisions are filtered.

Completed:

• Zoning Bylaw Update (included Airbnb Regulation Policy and Cannabis Retail Policy)

• Community Climate Action Plan

• Age-Friendly Affordable Housing Plan

• Community Cycling Network Plan

• Pemberton Valley Interim Integrated Flood Response Plan with Líl̓wat Nation, VoP, SLRD and PVDD

• Evacuation Route Planning with the SLRD

• New Building Bylaw and Energy Step Code

Current Policy Work:

• Development Cost Charges Bylaw and the Community Amenity Contribution Policy; Although two separate documents, both of these apply to development and how the Village collects fees and contributions from new developments to assist with the pressures and increase in costs that they bring.

• Asset Management Plan (vital to understanding our infrastructure needs to keep up with growth as well maintenance and replacement of existing infrastructure)

• Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) update. The CEMP is the governing document that provides the framework and overall strategy for the Village to conduct its Emergency Management Program. In 2021, updates were made to the Village’s CEMP following lessons learned from the heat dome flood response and atmospheric river events. Lessons learned from internal exercises were also incorporated into this update.

• Official Community Plan update. This is a big one. It’s the policy that is built through community input that sets and guides the vision for the Village going forward and informs all other policies. It is our north star and is informed and guided by you the residents. This work has started and will be ongoing for the next year.

Snapshot of March 2020 - February 2022

AUGHHHH!!!! Meetings, meetings, meetings, pandemic response, pandemic and more pandemic. Pivot, change, adapt, worry, support systems like health care, businesses, people, adapted some more, dealt with uncertainty. Breathe.