By Steve Hubrecht
The District of Invermere’s recently held annual meeting drew limited public response.
The meeting was a chance for the public to ask questions and give feedback on the district’s 2023 annual report, which was made public a few weeks prior (and which was the subject of a Pioneer report at the time). But no members of the public turned up to the meeting in person (although four people came instead for a regularly scheduled council meeting that was held concurrently with the annual meeting). And only one person — local resident Dale Denton — submitted written comments.
Denton wrote a letter to district staff rather than to Invermere, and consequently it was not part of the publicly available documents at the meeting, but Invermere chief administrative officer Andrew Young read parts of the letter aloud to those at the meeting and gave responses to Denton’s queries and comments.
Denton, as paraphrased by Young, wrote that enthusiasm for environmental efforts seems to be declining at the municipal level, aside from generic platitudes.
As evidence, Denton pointed to how the district’s environmental planner position has been vacant for a year, and pointed to a lack of reference in the district’s annual report to the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK)’s climate action.
In response Young noted that Invermere has just recently filled its environmental planner position, and then listed off several Invermere projects that either directly or indirectly address climate change, including the Abel Creek culvert; the municipal water security study; and the Infrastructure Priorities Plan, which includes raising the height of the dams at Paddy Ryan Reservoir to safeguard the town’s drinking water supply against climate change-related increases in severe storm events.
Young noted that the climate action plan is an RDEK document, not a District of Invermere document, and that it is normal for the district’s annual report to not reference the RDEK documents and plans.
Denton also raised questions about the district’s new respectful behaviour bylaw, asking why it wasn’t mentioned in the annual report.
Young explained the annual report covers the 2023 calendar year, and noted that the bylaw was not adopted by Invermere until March 2024.
Although Denton was critical of the district in some of his comments, Invermere Mayor Al Miller was happy that at least one local resident had taken the time to read the annual report and send in comments.
“It is good to get input,” said Miller, adding he felt Young gave reasonable answers to all the points raised by Denton.