Mayor's Musings for January 2026

by Steve Fairbairn, Mayor for the District of Elkford

Here we go. Another trip around the sun! The days are getting longer, daily.

I hope you enjoyed December and its festivities, and that the reckoning of January is a mild one. Speaking of mild, I hope you also noticed how moderate our temperatures were through both November and December. For winter in Elkford, that is worth a small celebration!

POWER, STORMS AND WHAT COMES NEXT

BC Hydro’s response to our efforts to inform them, and to improve and modernize electrical infrastructure in and around Elkford, has been successful so far. I suspect there were few complaints when Elkford did not experience power outages during those stormy days in December. 

Next up will be the replacement of some underground distribution components within our boundaries. This work will require multi-hour power outages, up to 12 hours, in different neighbourhoods around town. 

We are working successfully with BC Hydro representatives to select dates for these operations. You can expect advance notice of the dates, times and homes affected well ahead of any planned outage. 

Consider this work likely in the mid-spring season.

WINTER ROADS, REALITY INCLUDED

I’d also like to publicly thank the District of Elkford Public Works department for their excellent snow management of our streets. Yes, it is winter, and with that comes winter conditions. Do not expect dry pavement (they are darn good at what they do, but they are not magicians).

After spending a few kilometres behind the wheel in many surrounding municipalities over the past month or so, I never once thought, “I wish Elkford’s streets were like this.” 

You may even have seen me riding my old, circa-1995, narrow-tired bicycle around town. Yes, it is a tired old machine. That alone says something about the level of street and sidewalk clearing here, which is not something seen everywhere, and certainly not something I take for granted.

SKI SEASON: OFF AND RUNNING

Congratulations to the Wapiti Ski Club on their early opening of the ski hill this season! Snowfall, temperatures and many hours of preparation all worked in your favour. I have it on good authority that lift lines were long, smiles were everywhere, and the pow was plentiful at the hill as 2025 morphed into 2026. That sounds like a pretty good way to ring in a new year!

COUNCIL, CAMERAS AND CONNECTIONS

On the administrative front, council meetings are now being live streamed and are available for viewing on our YouTube channel afterward! Staff are people-handling the technological quirks and bumps in the road that come with getting consistent performance and seamless operation from all the bits and bytes involved. Progress sometimes comes with buffering, so thanks for your patience.

Visit www.elkford.ca/councilmeetings to find the relevant links! While on the topic of the website, changes continue to roll out, all with the goal of making it easier for you to access public information. Clicks should be fewer, answers quicker.

A WINTER TIP WORTH KNOWING

Hidden in this month’s Musings is a piece of advice for newer residents of Elkford (condo dwellers excluded): your home should have a bleeder valve. This keeps a small amount of water flowing through your service line. Moving water does not freeze and during periods of real cold, frost can reach deep enough to freeze a service line. This is a legacy of building practices from years ago in Elkford. 

If you are unsure where it is, what it is or how it works, ask a neighbour for help! Frozen waterlines do not happen to everyone, but they do happen to some, as each feeder line is unique to its home. 

How did I learn about bleeder valves, you may wonder? Ours froze on Christmas Eve during our first winter here. Lesson learned.

SNOW NOW, OR SNOW LATER

Sticking with the subject of winter and snow, or as I prefer to call it “snow management.” Clearing your driveway is a regular event in most of Canada. Some may do it daily, others not so much. 

Try not to approach it as a single event. Plan ahead. Move snow with March 2026 in mind and think about how today’s choices will affect how you deal with that snow later. Future you will be grateful!

THANK YOU, ELKFORD

As I wrap up this edition of the Musings, I want to thank the many volunteers who give their time, energy and resources to make Elkford the place it is. Because of you, Elkford is amazing.

From the Elkford Trails Alliance, Mountain Meadows Golf Club and Wapiti Ski Club, to the Lions Club, Elkford Women’s Task Force Society, SYS.tem Youth Action Network, seniors’ support organizations, community service groups and youth-focused programs, to emergency services such as Search and Rescue and the District of Elkford Fire Department, and organizations including the Elkford Arts Council, Elkford Public Library, Snowmobile and ATV clubs, Nordic Ski Club, Biking Club, Curling Club, Rod and Gun, minor sports associations and recreation volunteers: thank you.

Add to that everyone who shovels a neighbour’s driveway just because, fosters pets, coaches a team, organizes an event, lends a hand or quietly shows up when help is needed. And to those clubs and organizations I have missed: the list is long, my word count is not, and my appreciation for the important work you do in our community is no less.

Thank you. Truly, thank you. To find a passion, follow it, care for something beyond yourself and help it grow is a gift. The more we give? The better we all are for it.

Until next time, stay safe, stay warm and stay awesome!
Mayor Steve