Community Work
Good local government is rarely about one big idea.
It’s about doing a lot of things well, planning ahead, responding when something isn’t working, and making steady progress on the things people care about.
Over the last several years, Council has taken on some major long-term work while continuing to invest in the everyday services and places that make Radium a strong community.
Over the last several years, Council has taken on some major long-term work while continuing to invest in the everyday services and places that make Radium a strong community.
Planning Radium’s Future
A new Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw
The new Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw were among the biggest pieces of work Council took on this term. The process asked residents what they value about Radium, what concerns them, and what kind of community they want Radium to become. That input shaped a long-term direction for housing, neighbourhoods, tourism, downtown, business and growth.
The plan is now adopted. The next job is turning that direction into action while continuing to listen, adjust and make thoughtful choices as Radium changes.
The plan is now adopted. The next job is turning that direction into action while continuing to listen, adjust and make thoughtful choices as Radium changes.
Making Room for People to Stay
Turning housing need into action
Housing affects more than where people sleep. It affects whether workers can stay, whether people can put down roots, and whether Radium continues to function as a year-round community.
We’ve completed a three-unit rental project and are now working through the larger Ridge Road project, which also includes new park space. The Ridge Road design remains a work in progress, and community feedback has already led to meaningful changes around parking, appearance and how the development fits into the surrounding neighbourhood.
The goal is not simply to maximize the number of units. It is to use part of the site efficiently for housing while preserving park space and keeping the overall development compatible with the surrounding community.
We’ve completed a three-unit rental project and are now working through the larger Ridge Road project, which also includes new park space. The Ridge Road design remains a work in progress, and community feedback has already led to meaningful changes around parking, appearance and how the development fits into the surrounding neighbourhood.
The goal is not simply to maximize the number of units. It is to use part of the site efficiently for housing while preserving park space and keeping the overall development compatible with the surrounding community.
Reliable Water for the Future
Protecting one of Radium’s greatest everyday assets
Radium is known for excellent water. People from neighbouring communities even come here to fill drinking-water containers, and protecting that system is something worth taking seriously.
Construction of the new settling pond is well underway, with completion expected in spring 2027, while work continues on a second intake. Having two parallel settling ponds will make the system more resilient: one can be taken out of service for maintenance while the other remains operating, and additional settling time can make treatment more efficient and cost-effective.
The broader goal is straightforward: protect the quality and reliability Radium already enjoys and improve system capacity so residents can spend more time at normal Level 1 restrictions and less time at higher stages.
Construction of the new settling pond is well underway, with completion expected in spring 2027, while work continues on a second intake. Having two parallel settling ponds will make the system more resilient: one can be taken out of service for maintenance while the other remains operating, and additional settling time can make treatment more efficient and cost-effective.
The broader goal is straightforward: protect the quality and reliability Radium already enjoys and improve system capacity so residents can spend more time at normal Level 1 restrictions and less time at higher stages.
Ready When Things Go Wrong
Prepared locally. Connected regionally.
Emergency plans are easy to overlook until the day they matter.
We’ve revitalized Radium’s local emergency program and strengthened our role within the East Kootenay Emergency Management Program (EKEMP), ensuring our local response is backed by a strong regional system. We’ve also continued improving FireSmart work and added a dedicated wildfire response trailer and equipment to help protect critical assets during wildfire events.
Council has deliberately worked to understand how the local and regional systems fit together, and Tourism Radium and Travel Columbia Valley are now part of the formal emergency-management structure so communication with visitors is built into the response rather than improvised afterward.
We’ve revitalized Radium’s local emergency program and strengthened our role within the East Kootenay Emergency Management Program (EKEMP), ensuring our local response is backed by a strong regional system. We’ve also continued improving FireSmart work and added a dedicated wildfire response trailer and equipment to help protect critical assets during wildfire events.
Council has deliberately worked to understand how the local and regional systems fit together, and Tourism Radium and Travel Columbia Valley are now part of the formal emergency-management structure so communication with visitors is built into the response rather than improvised afterward.
Looking After What We Inherited
Good stewardship isn’t just about today
Previous generations built Radium’s roads, water systems and other infrastructure, and they also put money aside so those assets could be maintained when the time came.
Our responsibility is to do the same.
That means maintaining and renewing infrastructure before problems become emergencies, protecting reserves rather than treating them as money waiting to be spent, and making sure future residents inherit a strong community rather than a backlog of deferred costs.
Deferring necessary infrastructure doesn’t eliminate the cost. It usually passes a larger bill to the people who come after us.
Good stewardship is not about spending the least today. It is about making sure today’s decisions are still good decisions twenty years from now.
Our responsibility is to do the same.
That means maintaining and renewing infrastructure before problems become emergencies, protecting reserves rather than treating them as money waiting to be spent, and making sure future residents inherit a strong community rather than a backlog of deferred costs.
Deferring necessary infrastructure doesn’t eliminate the cost. It usually passes a larger bill to the people who come after us.
Good stewardship is not about spending the least today. It is about making sure today’s decisions are still good decisions twenty years from now.
The Radium We Enjoy Every Day
The places and services that make a community feel like one
Not every important municipal accomplishment is a major capital project.
Parks, trails, the library, accessibility improvements, snow clearing, public art, community events and welcoming public spaces all shape what it feels like to live in Radium. Events like Meet, Greet & Eat also create opportunities for residents to learn about municipal services, connect with community organizations and, just as importantly, get to know their neighbours.
We’ve continued investing in those everyday things because community is built through more than infrastructure. It is also built through the places, services and opportunities that help people connect, participate and enjoy where they live.
Parks, trails, the library, accessibility improvements, snow clearing, public art, community events and welcoming public spaces all shape what it feels like to live in Radium. Events like Meet, Greet & Eat also create opportunities for residents to learn about municipal services, connect with community organizations and, just as importantly, get to know their neighbours.
We’ve continued investing in those everyday things because community is built through more than infrastructure. It is also built through the places, services and opportunities that help people connect, participate and enjoy where they live.