I value the opportunity to work with neighbouring communities and First Nations on issues that don’t stop at municipal boundaries. Earlier this week, representatives from First Nations and local governments along this part of the Columbia River came together for a C2C Forum to talk about the river, its lakes and wetlands, and how we can work together to protect them. ʔakisq̓nuk hosted us in their beautiful new building, and there could hardly have been a more fitting place for the conversation. The floor of the meeting room actually traces the pathway of the Columbia River basin through the tile. It is stunning. The day itself was very much a working session: lots of discussion, lots of ideas on the walls, and a lot of listening to one another. These conversations matter. Radium is its own community, but we are also part of a much larger valley and watershed. Water, wildlife, emergency planning, economic development and many of the challenges we face are regional by nature. Good relationships make it much easier to work together when those bigger issues arise. I’m grateful for the opportunity to keep building those connections. (Shared October 10, 2026)

Most people probably don’t spend much time thinking about what happens at the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK). The Village of Radium Hot Springs has a seat at this table, and representing our community here has become a significant part of my work as Mayor. We wrapped up the final regular meeting of this RDEK Board today, and I’ve been thinking a lot about what has made this particular group work so well. It isn’t that we always agree. We definitely don’t. Some of those conversations have even gotten a little spicy. What has mattered is the culture around the table. There is a deep respect between the directors, and an equally deep respect for the staff who support us. We can challenge one another, ask difficult questions, argue for our own communities and sometimes be frustrated with a decision, without losing the relationships that allow us to work together again on the next issue. I learned that lesson pretty personally early in this term. I was very unhappy with one decision and, looking back, I didn’t handle my disagreement particularly well. The other directors gave me the space to be frustrated, but they also showed me a lot of grace. We moved forward. That experience made me a better director. Last night, as we marked the end of the term together, I asked the outgoing directors to consider writing a transition memo for whoever sits in their chair next. Don’t explain how the microphone works or how to read the agenda. They’ll figure that out. Tell them about the relationships. Tell them that healthy disagreement is good, but when the debate is over we still need to work together. Tell them to show some grace when somebody stumbles. And tell them to respect the staff. There is also something else I hope carries forward: institutional memory. It takes time to learn not only what decisions have been made, but why they were made. It takes time to understand which partnerships have been built, where the opportunities are, and how all of our communities fit together. Radium needs strong local leadership, but we also have to think regionally. Housing, healthcare, emergency services, economic development, recreation, infrastructure and many of the other challenges we face don’t conveniently stop at a municipal boundary. Some things we should absolutely do ourselves. Others work much better when neighbouring communities sit down together and figure them out. I’ve learned an enormous amount from the people around this table over the last four years, and from the outstanding RDEK staff who support us. Whatever this table looks like after the election, I hope the next Board inherits more than a stack of files. I hope it inherits the culture that made this one work. (Shared October 9, 2026)

Forestry can sound like a very big, abstract industry until you live in a place where the mill is just down the road. In Radium, it isn’t abstract at all. The Canfor mill means people going to work every day, families living in the Columbia Valley, local contractors and suppliers, and an industrial tax base that communities our size don’t often have. The relationship between forestry and Radium is an important part of what helps our community function. We’ve watched other B.C. communities deal with mill closures, and we know how significant those losses can be for workers, families and entire local economies. Canfor itself has closed several B.C. operations in recent years as the sector has dealt with fibre availability, weak markets, tariffs and other pressures. That makes it especially important for us to stay connected. At UBCM this year, I joined other Kootenay local government representatives for a regional meeting with Canfor’s corporate team. We talked about the challenges and opportunities facing forestry in our communities, and about what those larger industry decisions mean when they reach places like Radium. We also continue to work with the people right here at the Radium mill, with Canfor’s Kootenay team, and with the broader company. Those relationships matter. Local government cannot solve the challenges facing the forestry sector on its own. What we can do is understand what one of our major employers is facing, keep the conversation open, make sure local impacts are understood, and raise those issues with the people who make provincial policy. Sometimes practical advocacy looks like that. There isn’t always an announcement at the end of the meeting. Sometimes the value is making sure the people making decisions understand what those decisions look like when they arrive in a community like Radium.

Sometimes the best municipal projects start with someone seeing an opportunity and connecting the right people. Years ago, the place we now know as the Columbia River Access Park was an informal river access that wasn’t working particularly well. People were using it, but the site was being damaged, garbage was being left behind, and access to the river wasn’t well organized. Clara Reinhardt, who was Mayor at the time, made the connection with Schickedanz West, a major land developer in Village of Radium Hot Springs. That relationship helped open the door to a land donation, and Council was able to pair that opportunity with Resort Municipality Initiative funding to build something much better. What came out of it was organized parking, a washroom, picnic space, garbage facilities, safer river access and better protection for the surrounding wetlands. The Columbia River wetlands are ecologically sensitive, so if thousands of residents and visitors are going to enjoy them every year, we also have a responsibility to make sure that recreation happens in a way that minimizes the impact. I was a Councillor then, and projects like this taught me a lot about how good local government actually works. It usually isn’t one person standing up with a brilliant idea. It is somebody spotting an opportunity, somebody knowing which partner to call, somebody understanding what funding is available, staff figuring out the practical details, and a Council willing to put the pieces together. That is still how I think about municipal problem solving today. Sometimes the job is not to invent the answer. It is to recognize the opportunity in front of you and bring the right people together to make something useful out of it.

I’ve walked my dogs through Sinclair Creek more times than I could possibly count. It is also one of the places I like to take visitors when I want to show them a side of Radium they might otherwise miss. The beauty of the trail system makes it an incredible amenity for residents and visitors alike. And what I like about Sinclair Creek is that no single feature is really the whole story. There are trails, bridges, the dog park and off-leash areas, disc golf, the pump and jump track, picnic spots, public art and places to just stop beside the creek. Over time, the Village has also worked to improve connections into the trail system from different parts of the community. None of those things by itself is some enormous municipal project. Together, they create a recreation network that gives people a surprising number of ways to enjoy the same part of Radium. Small communities can do this particularly well. Keep adding useful pieces. Work with volunteers and community groups. Use outside funding when opportunities arise. Improve connectivity. Let the pieces start working together. Sinclair Creek has grown that way for years. And I still love walking my dogs there.

One of the most common things you hear in local government is, “I didn’t know about that.” Sometimes the information was shared. The challenge is that people get their information in completely different ways. Communication has been a real priority for us this term. The Village added Facebook, expanded direct communication through the newsletter and mailouts, and now has the new digital community information sign. I’ve also tried to do my own part by using Facebook to explain more of the story behind municipal decisions. No one of those tools reaches everybody. The newsletter works for some people. Facebook works for others. A sign catches residents and visitors who may never see either one. Sometimes an old-fashioned piece of paper in the mailbox still works best. I think good municipal communication is less about finding the perfect platform and more about giving people enough different ways to know what is happening. My goal is pretty simple: I’d like to hear “I didn’t know about that” a little less often.

I guess local government comes with levels. At the Union of BC Municipalities conference this year I apparently unlocked two of them. I received both a Certificate in Local Government Leadership and an Advanced Certificate in Local Government Leadership through the Local Government Leadership Academy. That sounds considerably more impressive than saying I have spent an unreasonable number of hours in conference rooms learning about governance, finance, public engagement, legislation and all the other things that come with municipal government. But I actually enjoy that part of the job. Local government has a surprisingly steep learning curve. Even after years around a Council table, there is always another piece of legislation to understand, another community doing something differently, or somebody in the room who knows more about a subject than you do. I have never thought being elected means you are supposed to arrive knowing everything. The job is to keep learning, ask good questions, listen to people who know more than you do, and use that information to make better decisions. Apparently, if you do enough of that, eventually somebody gives you a certificate.

I’ve spent some time walking through Radium’s columbarium and reading the names. If you stop and look, a remarkable amount of our community’s history is recorded here. Some of the names belong to people whose families have been part of this valley for generations. Others came to Radium later in life, but put down roots quickly and became just as much a part of this community. Some of the stories behind these names are long and full. Others belong to people we lost far too soon. What strikes me most is that every name represents someone who was part of the life of this place. They were neighbours. Friends. Parents and grandparents. Business owners. Volunteers. People you ran into at the post office or the grocery store. People who helped shape Radium in ways large and small. There is something special about having a quiet place in our community where those lives are remembered. As we head into Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking a lot about gratitude. I’m grateful for the people who built the community we inherited, for the people who welcomed those of us who arrived later, and for the responsibility we have to look after Radium for the people who will come after us. Communities are more than buildings, roads and projects. Ultimately, they are people. And I’m thankful for the generations of people who have made Radium what it is.

Radium Hot Springs Fire Department has been part of this community longer than the municipality itself. And over the years it has become about much more than putting water on fires. Our firefighters show up at community events. They host events of their own. And for a whole generation of Radium kids, Christmas Eve includes Santa and Mrs. Claus travelling around town on a fully decorated fire truck. There is also a side of their work most of us never see. Our first responders attend residents in medical distress and provide those critical first minutes of help while we wait for an ambulance. In a rural community, where BC Ambulance resources may be coming from some distance away, having trained people already here can make an enormous difference. They walk into difficult situations because somebody in our community needs help. Much of that work happens quietly, without photographs or applause. Over the past term, the department has also been entering a new chapter. The Fire Department has served the Village of Radium Hot Springs incredibly well for decades. At the same time, the Village has been intentionally integrating it more closely into our broader Protective Services structure. With a leadership transition underway, the command team has been taking stock of procedures, equipment and practices, comparing them with current standards and learning from what neighbouring departments are doing. I have enormous respect for the people who have stepped up and made that transition work. Growth does not always mean buying more things or spending more money. Sometimes it means taking an honest inventory of what you already have, learning from others, strengthening systems and helping good people do their jobs even better. And if you’ve ever thought about joining the department, they are always interested in talking to potential new members.

One of the things I really value about small communities is how much gets done when the municipality and volunteer groups each do the part they are best suited to do. The Rotary Gardens - Radium Hot Springs is a great example. The Radium Hot Springs Rotary Club built the garden in 2015, and today it is managed by a volunteer committee. It includes 42 raised garden beds, communal growing space, a gazebo, picnic table, benches and other features that are open for the public to enjoy. The Village of Radium Hot Springs is able to help with some of the administration around the site. That creates a pretty good win-win-win: • residents get a beautiful public amenity • gardeners get access to plots they can care for and enjoy • Rotary and its volunteers can keep their energy focused on the project itself instead of carrying every administrative burden alone Agreements like this are part of how small towns get things done. The Village cannot take on the administration of every community project, and it should not try to. But when the fit is right, a little municipal support can help volunteers turn a good idea into something sustainable. Radium has benefited enormously from that kind of partnership over the years, and the Rotary Garden is one of my favourite examples

One of my favourite little Radium stories is sitting right in the middle of the roundabout. When the highway project was being designed, the centre of the roundabout needed something to break the sightline. The easy answer would have been something functional and forgettable. Instead, we asked whether it could become something that actually said Radium. The Ministry of Transportation had committed a modest amount toward a centrepiece, and we were able to combine that with Resort Municipality Initiative funding. The artwork was ultimately funded through MOTI and RMI, rather than Radium’s local residential property-tax base. We were also pretty particular about what we wanted: something unmistakably Radium, visible from every direction, interesting during the day and at night, and worth stopping for a photo. We didn’t simply take the first idea that came along. We kept working at it until we landed on the bighorns. Today they’ve become one of the most recognizable features in the Village of Radium Hot Springs. Sometimes good municipal stewardship isn’t about spending less. It’s about knowing what funding is available, using it well, and asking whether an ordinary project can become something better without sending the bill to local property taxpayers. Thanks to Tourism Radium Hot Springs for the photos.

Well, I think Oktoberfest might have found a home in Radium! What a fantastic night for Radium’s first Oktoberfest! A huge thank you to Tourism Radium Hot Springs, Travel Columbia Valley and the Radium Hot Springs Rotary Club, along with all of the volunteers who stepped up to make tonight happen. For a first-time event, they absolutely knocked it out of the park. Radium has a long history of European influence, from some of our early motels to the food that has become part of our community, so Oktoberfest feels like a pretty natural fit. I especially love events like this because they work on two levels: they give locals another reason to get together and have some fun, while also giving visitors another reason to come experience Radium. Everybody wins. Great crowd, great music, great food and a whole lot of lederhosen. Prost to year one!