“This will be a year of firsts!”, Councilor Jennifer Noble shared – in which Councilor’s Patricia Reed and Anora Kobza echoed as all the council member’s are serving for their first time.

This first quarter for The Village of Canal Flats’ new council has been packed with learning. Learning process and procedure, strong and effective communications, and how to operate in a unified council. The initial outcome was a clear strategic plan with strategic objectives. The plan guides The Village’s and council’s decisions and the direction of the staff.

A few weeks ago, council and The Village CAO attended The Association of Kootenay and Boundary Local Governments (referred to as AKBLG) annual conference and AGM. This association is for municipal leaders through the Kootenay Boundaries (East & West) to network, participate in educational workshops, and attending training sessions on topics such as privacy or geothermal technology in the region.

“We’ve been building strong relationships with folks from RDEK, Columbia Basin Trust, fellow Mayor’s and Councilor’s within the Kootenay Boundary.” – Council Jennifer Noble.

Since voted in, the new Councilors remain committed to being engaged in hearing from the public, being involved in the process, and keeping transparency. Some of the noteworthy accomplishments so far have been securing grants for the village, securing land and establishing The Attainable Housing and Childcare Society projects. These all align to our priorities.

They also recently attended the REDI Funding Program meeting with all the other municipalities in the Columbia Valley to discuss and allocate program funding to the various non-profit organizations. Canal Flats received just over $53,000 in funding from the CBT REDI grants to distribute locally.

Mayor Mark Doherty shared that he and the council are excited for Canal Flats’ summer, where our community comes together for events such as:

• Canal Days – June 1st to 3rd
• Car Show – July 8th
• Flats Fest – Aug 18th & 19th