Meet Your Council

Meet mayor and council for the District of Elkford and learn about how your voice and input are heard at the council table.

Elkford is a quintessential small town, and that means that your mayor and councillors are your neighbours. They all have strong ties to this community, and it’s important to them that your voice and input is heard at the council table.

Your elected council consists of a mayor and six councillors who govern the District of Elkford. Council members are elected for a four-year term, with the current term ending in November 2026. The Community Charter gives council the authority to set budgets, levy taxes and establish policies to guide the growth, development and operation of Elkford to the benefit and protections of its citizens.

The District of Elkford's council for the 2022 to 2026 term is pictured below. Stay tuned for their bios!

 

DISTRICT OF ELKFORD COUNCIL, PHOTO CREDIT: TASHA CHORNEYKO

District of Elkford Council

2022 to 2026 Term

 

BACK ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Councillors Jason Meldrum, Duncan McDonald,  Shawna Bryant, Tathlina Lovlin, Len Gostick and Bert Schalekamp.  

FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Junior Youth Councillor Alex Sheppard, Mayor Steve Fairbairn and Senior Youth Councillor Abigail Talbot. 

Spacer

Format: Small Screens
Small Spacer
Format: Large Screens
Small Spacer

Meet Your District of Elkford Council

Councillor Shawna Bryant

PHOTO CREDIT: TASHA CHORNEYKO

 

Originally hailing from Calgary, Shawna Bryant moved to Elkford in 2017 from Okotoks. She is currently serving her first term on council and sits on the Youth Action Network Commission, Teck Community Effects Advisory Committee and Official Community Plan Advisory Committee.

Shawna’s proudest accomplishments in life are her family and her business. She and her wonderful husband, Jarod, have three children, as well as an adopted golden retriever named Cassie. When the kids aren’t playing sports, the family can be found hiking, paddleboarding camping and snowshoeing.

Shawna is a fixture within the local business community and has been a successful business owner for over 20 years. Her professional background includes working in supervisory roles in the oil and gas industry, as well as providing business strategy coaching, consulting and training to other business owners. Her passion for volunteer work—and tireless advocacy in support of the nonprofit organizations that make our community so great—led to her being awarded the Elkford Chamber of Commerce’s Volunteer of the Year award in 2023.

Shawna says that Elkford is the best place to live because of its community spirit, which she feels is exemplified by its residents, District staff and council alike. As a councillor, she’s excited to take part in helping advance Elkford in areas like housing, healthcare and downtown core revitalization.

COUNCILLOR TATHLINA LOVLIN

PHOTO CREDIT: TASHA CHORNEYKO

 

After working as a summer student at Fording River Operations (FRO) in 2003, Tathlina Lovlin fell in love with the Elk Valley. She relocated to Elkford permanently three years later, where she and her husband have three great kids, three cats and a dog. She is currently serving her first term on council.

Tathlina has a diverse professional background, including working as a professional engineer in mining, as a certified early childhood assistant in schools and as a certified lifeguard at the pool. She holds both a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering. During her decade working at FRO—in engineering and other roles—she was among the first women on-site to perform certain jobs and is proud to have helped open doors for other women who followed.

A woman of many talents and skills, Tathlina is also an accomplished potter with her own home-based pottery business, as well as a former pottery instructor at the Elkford Art Studio. She loves sports, both coaching youth soccer and holding over 20 years of experience as a gymnastics coach. When the snow flies, you’ll either find on ski patrol for Wapiti Ski Club or carving powder on the hill with her kids.

Tathlina loves Elkford for its small-town friendliness and mountain views, and she is thrilled about the influx of young families moving to town. She looks forward to helping raise awareness about council’s mandates and processes during her term, as well as seeing how increasing diversity is helping to shape our community and its future.

Councillor Duncan McDonald

PHOTO CREDIT: TASHA CHORNEYKO

 

Duncan MacDonald grew up in Ontario but has called Elkford home since 1978. He and his beloved wife, Anna, have been married for 40 years and raised their children here. He cares deeply about the community of Elkford, and he is currently serving his second term on council.

Duncan worked for the District of Elkford for 39 years before his retirement. He is proud to be the first person in the organization’s history to start as a labourer, work his way up to the Superintendent of the Public Works Department, and retire with nearly 40 years of service under his belt. He continues to serve the community through his work as a councillor. He also sits on the Committee on Labour Relations/Grievances and Official Community Plan Advisory Committee for the District of Elkford, is an alternate for the Regional District of East Kootenay Board of Directors and was formerly the Chairman of the Elkford Housing Society.

Duncan considers his family his greatest accomplishment and enjoys camping, boating and spending time with his kids and three adorable grandchildren. He appreciates the beauty and tranquility that Elkford has to offer, its proximity to all the amenities that big cities have to offer and how wonderful it is to raise a family here.

COUNCILLOR JASON MELDRUM

PHOTO CREDIT: TASHA CHORNEYKO

Hailing from Fort McLeod, Alberta, Jason Meldrum has called Elkford home for the past 14 years. He is currently serving his first term on council and sits on both the Youth Action Network Commission and Teck Community Effects Advisory Committee. He and his lovely wife, Keira, have a son, two dogs and two cats.

A mechanic by trade, Jason has worked as a certified Red Seal Automotive Mechanic for the past 25 years and is also an Authorized Inspector under the Commercial Vehicle Safety Inspection program. He loves working in the yard, daily walks with the family dogs, disc golf, paddle boarding and riding bikes with his son, Carter. He isn’t a big fan of winter, however, and only enjoys two things about it: shovelling snow and when it’s over.

Jason is perhaps best known as the founder and president of the Elkford Biking Club, as well as for his efforts, advocacy and work to build and maintain Elkford Bike Jump & Skills Park. The result of a partnership between the District of Elkford and the Elkford Biking Club, Elkford’s bike park was completed in the Boivin Creek Recreation Corridor in 2022. This community project was funded through grants from Columbia Basin Trust— and generous donations from local businesses, organizations and residents—and is now among Elkford’s most treasured outdoor amenities.

Besides the bike park, what Jason loves most about Elkford is that it’s a small town with a big heart. He is excited about how far Elkford has come in the last few years and grateful for the groundwork performed and dedication shown by the previous council.

Spacer

Format: Small Screens
Small Spacer
Format: Large Screens
Small Spacer

Youth Councillors

Each year, District council appoints two Elkford Secondary School students to represent Elkford’s youth at the council table: one senior and one junior youth councillor. These young community leaders join council to increase awareness of youth-related issues, advocate for their peers and give the youth of Elkford a voice at the municipal level.

 

Council’s Statutory Responsibilities

Municipal council is the governing body of our municipality, and they make decisions collectively with goals of good governance, to provide services, laws and stewardship for public assets and to foster the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of our community. Council represents the interests of residents and taxpayers, provides leadership and guidance to the community and facilitates communication between the public and municipal administration.

Your council’s statutory responsibilities include:

  • Considering the wellbeing and interests of the town
  • Contributing to the development and evaluation of policies and programs for the District of Elkford (with respect to its services and other activities)
  • Participating in council meetings, committee meetings and meetings of other bodies to which the member is appointed
  • Carrying out the duties assigned by council
  • Carrying out the duties assigned by or under the Community Charter or any other act

Your mayor’s statutory responsibilities are:

  • Providing leadership
  • Communicating information to council
  • Presiding at council meetings
  • Providing, on behalf of council, general direction to statutory municipal officers respecting implementation of council’s policies, programs and other directions.
  • Reflecting the will of council
  • Carrying out other duties on behalf of council

     

Official Correspondence With Council

For official correspondence with council, contact info@elkford.ca.