Mayor's Musings for June 2026

by Steve Fairbairn, Mayor for the District of Elkford

WATER SERVICE DISRUPTION AND COMMUNITY SPIRIT

As I begin my Musings for June again, I have changed the content from “the rain in Spain is all over the East Kootenay!” to something less light-hearted.

We in Elkford have just come out of a very inconvenient period without accessible water. A significant pump failure affected the system that services Elkford South, Upper Elkford, Deerbourne, Cariboo, Balmer and their associated streets.

This has been very stressful for many people: all the people in the affected area of town, and many others too. Thank you for adjusting to (and coping with) the water disruption. Together, we have come out on the other side!

This event highlighted the steady, friendly, neighbourly small-town “gather together to help each other out” sense of community that Elkford has.

To everyone who offered laundry facilities, bathroom and shower access, water and any number of other things for your fellow citizens, please accept a heartfelt thank you, because you rock!

To those of you who shared positive ideas, questions and support for your neighbours, thank you. To those of you who recognized the hard work of District staff and were careful not to vent your frustration on the people trying to make the situation better, thank you. To those who worked long hours to help “get it done,” thank you.

This goes a long way toward making a bad situation better. It is a great example of “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you” in practice, and I thank you for it.

To all staff: you are great! I was not surprised by how you all rose to the challenge because I know how much you love this community, and how you support each other every day. I do not take this dedication for granted. Thank you!

REVIEWING WHAT HAPPENED

The organization will be reviewing and debriefing our performance during this event: examining how we responded, identifying lessons learned and looking carefully at how we used staff and resources. The Chief Administrative Officer and I have been doing this throughout the response, in person and by phone, and that work will continue as we undertake a comprehensive review of the event.

We will be examining our redundancy policies, equipment repair and maintenance schedules and replacement frameworks. Also on the table are standards for equipment purchases, choices and options. We intend to engage external expertise as part of this review to help ensure a thorough and objective assessment.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND WILDFIRE SEASON

It is raining out as I type this, with lightning. Lightning can start forest fires. That is a good lead into a regular seasonal reminder: every household should have a grab-and-go bag ready!

Go to the Regional District of East Kootenay website and sign up for the free Voyent Alert! app. The Regional Evacuation Notification System (powered by Voyent Alert!) is free and anonymous. This system is used only to notify people about evacuation alerts and evacuation orders in the East Kootenay, with one test per year. You can also visit PreparedBC.ca to learn more about being ready for an emergency.

Think about this: FireSmart Canada estimates that falling embers are the cause for 90 per cent of homes that catch fire during wildland fires. Embers can travel kilometres ahead of a wildfire and ignite materials on or near buildings.

At no point is Elkford very wide, and our neighbourhoods sit close to the forest. Because of this, wildfire preparedness is important for all of us. Being proactive and prepared is one of the best ways to protect your home and support community resilience.

We have been on evacuation alert once, and we have been close to it three times over the last few years. An evacuation alert is the time to get your trailers and toys out of town. Once an evacuation order is given, it will be too late to do so. If Highway 43 needs to be managed as one-way traffic, once you are out, you should not expect to return until officials say it is safe.

In the unfortunate event of an evacuation order, know that the purpose of an evacuation is to support first responder and public safety. An evacuation order is for everyone. You may think that you are special; but trust me, the order applies equally to us all. If evacuated, reception centres are for evacuees, not for curious people to visit.

TRUSTED INFORMATION MATTERS

Secondly, do not rely on social media for accurate information. Yes, DriveBC can lag during fast-changing events, but it is still an official source. If you are using social media anyway, please pay attention to the posting time, and remember that many social media users are now using artificial intelligence to create realistic but fake images and reports. On purpose. To mislead people.

Trusted sources for information include EmergencyInfoBC, the BC Wildfire Service app and website, DriveBC and the River Forecast Centre. The Regional District of East Kootenay, the District of Elkford and Voyent Alert! are also important local sources.

ROAD SAFETY AND REGIONAL TRAFFIC

From the East Kootenay Road Safety Committee, which you can join through Facebook or through its website at ekroads.com: dangerous driving remains all too common on our roads.

It is not legal to pass on a double solid yellow line. Tailgating will save you, literally, seconds of travel and can cost you much more in vehicle maintenance, or even injury. Maximum posted speeds are for when all components of the situation are ideal, and that does not include darkness, bad weather or even heavy traffic. The inappropriate use of high beams and illegal headlight bulbs is dangerous behaviour. The committee has also noted that Highway 3 through Jaffray can see more than 250 semi-trucks in a nine-hour day.
 

WASTE, WILDLIFE AND ROAD WORK

Elkford has also made strides toward solid waste collection and wildlife impacts. There is still more that can be done. Hint: check out Canmore, Alberta.

All those predictions I passed on from Mainroad East Kootenay Contracting about the timing and severity of highway and bridge repairs around us earlier? Every one of them was, apparently, wrong!

The work on the bridge deck at the north end of Sparwood? Based on the signs, that is going to take a long time. The Hartley Creek Bridge project? Now expected to move into 2027, along with work tied to Dicken Road. A roundabout at the Stanford Inn? No. Traffic lights? Maybe. Someday. Highway 3 work near the Fernie ski hill? Yep, that one is planned.

THINKING ABOUT COUNCIL

Are you open-minded? Can you walk into a meeting and be honestly open to new ideas, and to having your mind changed as you learn more about an issue or a topic? Can you separate your personal desires from what is best for the District of Elkford moving forward 10 or 20 years? Can you recognize that it is not your job to plan the route for garbage collection, but it might be your responsibility to consider what solid waste management could look like in Elkford in five years?

With the 2026 general local elections coming up on October 17, this is a good time to think about those questions.

If you can answer yes, then stepping up and running for council might well be a positive and rewarding thing to do.

Take care of yourselves, take care of your neighbours and stay “Wild at Heart.”
 

Until next time,

Mayor Steve