McBride Council: Hydro meeting, Whistle Stop event, cemetery fencing

By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG

McBride Council discussed meeting with BC Hydro, a new exhibit at Whistle Stop gallery, and the high cost of cemetery fencing during its May 27th regular meeting.

Mayor Gene Runtz called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. Council amended the agenda to add two items: paving Dominion Street and McBride Crescent, as well as a staff report on the cost of cemetery fencing. Council then approved the minutes of the May 6th regular meeting and the May 8th special meeting.

Chevron site

Land Representative for Chevron, Bryan Kelm, and Chevron Corporate Affairs staff Keith Vorland gave a presentation on field work that has been done on Chevron’s property at 655 Main Street. The site previously held a gas station.

Vorland said the company decided to divest from the site in September 2023, but needed a certificate of compliance – a document confirming that a site has been remediated and is not contaminated with chemicals – from the Ministry of Environment.

Vorland introduced Chevron Environmental Specialist Paul Dziuba, who said the company has had to sample groundwater from the site several times. The Province added new chemical compounds to its list of contaminants after the initial drilling on the site, which is why Chevron has sampled the groundwater multiple times, he said.

According to Dziuba, the samples have returned organic compounds which likely come from leaks when the gas station was operational. The samples also show a high amount of heavy metals in the groundwater, but these amounts are consistent with the amount of heavy metals in the surrounding area, Dziuba said.

Remediating the site will take two years, according to Dziuba. The company will either excavate a layer of soil and truck it to a landfill, or treat it on site to remove contaminants. Additionally, the company will treat the groundwater with a peroxide or sulfate compound which will remove contaminants, he said.

Vorland added that the company has not decided how it will remove contaminants yet, but wanted to inform the Village about the options it is considering.

Councillor Joe Kolida asked if the company was remediating the site because it is preparing to sell the property.

“This isn’t a good situation for Chevron to be in: there is contamination, and we’re not addressing it properly,” said Kelm. “We’re not going to make anywhere near coming even on this – the money that’s being spent to get it to this state, we’ll never recover. We’re doing this more because we know there’s regulatory liabilities if we don’t do it.”

Kelm added that the company prioritizes its remediation projects based on regulatory requirements, financial implications and community impacts. The company has received multiple complaints about its McBride site, he said.

“The town’s concerns are being heard. The financial side of things has been brought up to Tax and Finance… they reclassified it the way they did based on what it’s used for, and we can’t change that,” Kelm said. “All we can do is try to move this thing forward to end as soon as we can so we can return the land back to being productive.”

Kolida asked if the remediation would be less difficult if the company had started the process sooner.

“If we had cleaned it up 15 years ago, I guarantee – and there is no question about this – that you would ultimately not have as clean a site as you will when we clean it up today,” said Dziuba. “That is because the regulations have gotten so much more stringent, and we have to look for so many different substances that you wouldn’t have had to 15 years ago.”

Kolida asked what the company plans on doing with the site once it is remediated, and whether donating it to the Village is an option.

Kelm said donating the land is one option, but the company will have to assess the value of the land once it has been remediated before making a decision.

“It would help us very much in terms of our planning and discussions internally if we knew what your hopeful use of the site would be in the future,” added Vorland.

Runtz thanked Vorland, Kelm and Dziuba for their presentation and said the Village will need to discuss tax rates on the land with Chevron and the provincial government. He asked if there is an estimate on how long remediation will take. Kelm said the timeline for remediation is still uncertain.

Chevron’s Canadian media relations declined an interview with The Goat regarding site remediation in McBride.

Dominion Street paving

Council approved a roughly $414K contract with Dawson Construction to pave Dominion Street and McBride Crescent.

Public Works manager Brian Taphorn said he recommended Dawson Construction to Council because they offered the cheapest quote, have a good reputation for their paving services and are available immediately.

“We have a road that needs pavement drastically. That’s all I’ve heard the last two weeks, is complaints,” Taphorn said.

Councillor Glen Frear asked if the work would be done during Pioneer Days, which are scheduled from June 6th through the 8th.

“This won’t take long, this job, but I also cannot turn them down if that’s the only days they’re available,” Taphorn said, adding that it is hard to get pavers in McBride.

Frear said he understands pavers may need to work during Pioneer Days, but wanted to know if the festival would prevent pavers from accessing the streets they need to work on.

Taphorn said Public Works would only shut down one lane at a time, rather than shutting the whole road down for paving, so there will still be access to the roads.

Runtz thanked Taphorn for organizing the road paving and answering Council’s questions.

BC Hydro meeting

BC Hydro’s manager of northern community relations, Mike Kellett, wrote to McBride Council asking if Village representatives would like to meet with the company during the Union of BC Municipalities meeting in September.

“These meetings offer a valuable opportunity to discuss topics that matter most to your community,” Kellett wrote.

Council passed a resolution to arrange a meeting with BC Hydro. Additionally, Runtz said Council will hold a Committee of the Whole meeting on June 10th to determine which provincial ministries councillors should meet during the Union of BC Municipalities meeting. Councillors will decide which topics they should discuss with BC Hydro during that meeting as well, he said.

2nd Avenue closure

Integris Credit Union is holding a grand opening ceremony on June 7th at 12:15 p.m. Partnerships manager for the union, Daniel Wingham, wrote to Council asking for the Village to close 2nd Avenue from Main Street to Holdway Street from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. The grand opening ceremony will be held in front of the office, and the credit union scheduled the ceremony to follow the Pioneer Days parade to minimize inconvenience to residents, Wingham said.

Councillor Frear said the closure may create additional traffic problems for residents, since Main Street will be blocked between 1st and 2nd Avenue the morning of the grand opening. Taphorn said staggering the street closures would allow Public Works to move the road barricades from Main Street to 2nd Avenue once the parade ends.

Council approved the 2nd Avenue closure.

Integris grand opening

Wingham wrote an additional letter to Council asking Runtz or another Village representative to make opening remarks at Integris’ grand opening ceremony. The grand opening will also include food and drinks from local vendors, and the presentation of the BC Economic Development Association Award to local branch staff, he added.

Council voted to confirm that Runtz will attend the ceremony and provide opening remarks.

Living Stories project

The Whistle Stop Gallery is unveiling the “Living Stories of the Robson Valley” project, a collaboration of local artists, writers and woodworkers who are showcasing work about the history of the Robson Valley. The project will open on June 7th from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., which coincides with the gallery’s 25th anniversary. Gallery employees wrote to Council to inform them of the event.

“You have been an integral part of the success of this project, we truly appreciate your support and input,” gallery employees wrote in their collective letter to Council. “Thank you for helping make this idea a reality and we look forward to seeing you!”

Council voted to receive the letter for information.

Strategic Plan

Council adopted the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, which establishes the Village’s priorities over the next several years. The plan includes completing an inventory of the Village’s bylaws and policies to determine which ones need to be updated, upgrading the water filtration system, supporting the McBride and District Housing Society, and hosting a community-to-community forum with neighbouring governments, among other items.

Council approved the plan with no discussion.

Cemetery Fencing

Council voted against the $103K purchase of cemetery fencing from Rite-Way Fencing.

Taphorn said the fencing the Village already has will not last a long time, and would need to be painted after being installed. Staff found quotes for commercial-grade fencing with more longevity.

“It’s literally garbage. I hate to say that, but it is,” he said.

Kolida agreed that the cost of the fence is high.

“I’d rather pave another street, fix some sidewalks,” he said. “I’d love to see a little fence around the graveyard, but budget-wise, it’s pretty high in my eyes, too.”

Frear said he’d like the cemetery fencing project to move forward despite the high cost.

“We’ve been debating this cemetery for a few years now, and we haven’t gone anywhere with it,” he said. “People are complaining that there’s no fence… at some point, we’re going to have to bite the bullet.”

Runtz said he is unhappy with the price, and suggested researching a lower-cost material for the fence, such as wood.

“I think you did your jobs the way you needed to do it,” Runtz told Taphorn. “I would like to take a re-look at this thing with the idea that it’s something that won’t cost so much money.”

Kolida suggested using a series of benches and lights to surround the cemetery, rather than installing a fence. Runtz said most residents he has talked to have said they would like a fence.

In-camera

Runtz adjourned the open meeting of council at 7:01 p.m. Council moved to a closed meeting to discuss two items under Section 90 (1) of the Community Charter:

(k) negotiations and related discussions respecting the proposed provision of a municipal service that are at their preliminary stage and that, in the view of the council, could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality if they were held in public.