Upon reflection, 2023 was a year of much transition in Clearwater. We saw the winding down of the Trans Mountain project — a major economic booster in town — and the return of much of our tourism economy.
The District saw a change of CAOs as John Thomas moved on and James Thackray joined us. We also saw a transition of our roads maintenance contract from Borrow Enterprises to Black River Contracting. I thank John Thomas, and Doug Borrow and his team, for their service to Clearwater. We saw some long-serving members of our Volunteer Fire Department retire this year; again, thank you for your service.
2023 saw an early end to winter and spring, with high temperatures rapidly melting the snow pack and starting us into fire season a month or two early, and also leaving us heading into winter under drought conditions. Looking into 2024, it’s likely that wildfire fuel management, FireSmarting your home, and water conservation will be big topics for the next six months.
Whether you accept human-caused climate change or not, we cannot ignore the new weather trends, and we must adapt to prepare and protect ourselves. In relation to this, the B.C. government has implemented the first major update to Emergency Management legislation in 100 years. This legislation, along with new provincial housing and community planning requirements, will take up a lot of staff time and be a large expense to the District of Clearwater.
We also saw the arrival of a new fire truck in 2023, with a second upgraded one coming in 2024. Looking into the not-too-distant future, we will need to look at a new fire hall in a new location as well. We will also be looking at some paving projects, some emergency well power, and a few other infrastructure upgrades around town in 2024. I’m also hoping we can move forward with an Air Ambulance helipad this year; that project, and highway safety, will continue to be a focus of advocacy for council into the new year.
Staff will be working on modernized development procedures so we can improve things for homebuilders and developers, and on revamping our finance and asset management systems. It’s stuff that may seem boring to some, but is essential in order to plan for future projects, and (critically) to be able to apply for grants from the provincial or federal governments to pay for them. Clearwater owns about $70 million-worth of pipes, roads, buildings, parks, trucks, etc., about one-third of which will need to be replaced in the next 10 years. We need all the outside help we can get to pay for that.
What do I see for 2024? The aforementioned infrastructure and staff projects, but also a theme of “being prepared”. One of the worst events of 2023 was the wildfire season; so much loss in communities, but also so much burnt forest. We really need to up our game on emergency preparedness, and on FireSmarting our homes and our neighbourhoods. We need to be ready to help ourselves and others in the event we see a repeat of the last few years’ fires and floods. We need to protect and advocate for our local tourism and forestry industries.
I also see a need for economic diversity, for more homes, for better highways, internet and cell coverage, but most importantly I see a need for more people. From nurses and teachers, to construction workers, to restaurant and retail staff, we need them all and we need to create community for them.
Community is really the most important thing. The one constant through my years here has been a huge appreciation for Clearwater’s volunteers, sports, music and arts, food and outdoor recreation, and more: so much that we make happen together in a relatively small town. It is our heart.
Have a Happy New Year everyone!
Merlin Blackwell is the mayor of the District of Clearwater.
