Ice-making begins in Valemount and McBride after District delay
By Spencer Hall
Robson Valley residents travelled to the Dunster Community Hall Friday evening to voice their disappointment with the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George’s decision to delay the installation of ice at the Canoe Valley and Robson Valley Recreation Centres.
The Regional District announced on October 1st it would delay ice installation at both McBride and Valemount’s recreation centres due to what it called “uncertainty from potential job action” by CUPE 1699 — the union that represents public services employees at the RDFFG, including those responsible for making the ice.
The announcement instantly triggered anger and disappointment for many residents across the Robson Valley, many of whom either use the ice surfaces themselves or have children who are in minor hockey and figure skating clubs. Locals Meagan Ryan and Kimberley Duncan then took it upon themselves to organize a community meeting to allow residents to voice their concerns and attempt to get more information on the situation.
A day before the meeting was set to take place, the Regional District announced it would move forward with ice installation at both rec centres, stating it was aware the decision to delay putting in the ice caused concern and frustration for residents. Ice-making began in Valemount Wednesday, October 8th, while McBride’s ice installation kicked off this Tuesday.
CUPE 1699 sent a letter to the RDFFG board on October 9th, sharing its irritation with the delays, calling the impact to the communities of Valemount and McBride “unnecessary.”
“As you know, our members work hard to deliver services and take care of our parks, buildings, and landfills. They also take care of the ice in arenas, and have been ready and willing to do so, despite the Regional District’s public insistence that the delay was due to the uncertainty of potential job action by our union,” the letter said, adding that the Union views job action as a last resort.
On Friday, Regional District CAO Chris Calder made the trip from Prince George to attend the meeting along with RDFFG board chair Lara Beckett and CUPE 1699 President Daniel Burke. McBride mayor Gene Runtz, Valemount mayor Owen Torgerson, and RDFFG Area H director Dannielle Alan were also in attendance.
What led up to the ice delay
Calder told attendees the RDFFG’s contract with CUPE 1699 workers had expired in December 2024 and negotiations began the following February and continued until March without coming to a deal.
CUPE 1699 president Daniel Burke told The Goat the last time the Union bargained with the RDFFG was in early August. Union members then took a strike vote, which saw a “historic” number of members participate, 94 per cent of whom voted in favour of strike action. As of writing this article, the Union has not provided strike notice to the District.
The District and CUPE 1699 then had to go through essential service determination through the BC Labor Relations Board, which outlines the minimum level of services that are required to be maintained in the event of a strike. Typically these are services related to health and safety such as volunteer fire departments and 9-1-1 and fire dispatches. According to Calder, the essential services determination process concluded in early September.
Calder said through the essential services determinations process, the RDFFG knew that operations of the arenas would not be granted as an essential service due to current legislation. He said the District then needed to pause at the beginning of its regular ice-making season in order to get more information on whether they could install the ice and be able to maintain it to the standards of Technical Safety BC.
It was then on Oct. 1st, the RDFFG finally announced to the public it would be delaying ice installation.
Initially the plan was to just install ice in Valemount because the ice making process in the Canoe Valley Rec Centre requires less technical monitoring, but after reviewing different scenarios, RDFFG staff decided to move forward with ice installation in McBride.
However, if job action were to go forward, Calder said the District would lose access to nearly all its staff members with the knowledge and certifications to maintain the ice. There is only one non-unionized employee in the Robson Valley who is certified to maintain ice.
“So, should job action occur, the ammonia plants may need to be turned off and basically…it would be a significant challenge for that one person…to be able to split time between two facilities on a long term basis,” Calder said.
He said in the event of a strike, the RDFFG is not able to hire external contractors, so the public would lose access to the ice.
To strike or not to strike?
CUPE president Daniel Burke told meeting attendees that the loss of public services is a last resort to the Union and that they’d prefer it if the District returned to the bargaining table to negotiate a deal that is in line with what other municipal workers have negotiated in recent years.
“ We’re not looking for gold-plated toilets, we’re just looking for a deal that matches other local governments in our area that they’ve received,” Burke told the crowd.
In an interview with The Goat, Burke said the Union had been hearing that some members in the Valley, particularly those who are part-time and don’t have guaranteed hours with the District, are struggling to make ends meet due to the increasing cost of living.
Burke said other agreements in the region have either been settled with limited or no job action, or they’ve been settled very quickly. He said that has recognized the value of the work in the service and keeps people in communities to provide these services
He added this is the first time contract negotiations between the Union and the District have broken apart.
“ I believe it is just different priorities. From the Regional District side versus the members on the ground and what pressures they’re experiencing, being able to afford the basic essentials. I believe that there is possibly a disconnect where, we feel as a union, they’re not respecting the value of our work,” Burke said.
The Goat obtained a copy of the previous collective agreement between the Union and the RDFFG, which was in place from January 2022 to December 2024. We await clarification as to which positions are responsible for ice installation from the Regional District, which was unable to respond to our request before press time.
Residents irritated by lack of communication from RDFFG
At the community meeting on Friday evening, Multiple residents said they were caught off-guard by the ice delays and asked why it took the District until October 1st to inform residents if the RDFFG was aware of potential job action as far back as August, when the Union held its strike vote.
Manager and one of the coaches of Valemount Minor Hockey, Joe Nusse, said he was scheduling tournaments and had to cancel a few that were scheduled for mid-October, only to receive word of the delays two weeks before. He feels the communities should have been informed when the Union achieved the ability to strike in August.
“ Some of us might have rostered our kids somewhere else. You know, like there’s serious implications here and it was kind of blindsiding,” Nusse said.
Other residents said that more decisions regarding the recreation centres need to be made locally, away from the “ivory tower” of Prince George.
“ The decisions need to be made more here, not there because our taxes pay it.Our taxes also pay your wages, pay the Regional District wages. We need a bigger voice,” said McBride resident Kevin Chuipka. “We have a [Community Consultation Committee] in McBride and there’s one in Valemount, I believe. Were either of those informed of this decision before it was thrown out to the public?”
The Community Consultation Committee in Valemount was informed of the ice delays in September, but not consulted before the decision was made.
Co-organizer of the meeting Meagan Ryan said she felt the meeting went well and overall, she feels the concerns of both communities were heard by the District. She said that without the advocacy of both communities, residents would be “left in limbo” without clear direction and answers.
“This process, while frustrating, created an important opportunity for our communities to be heard. It also gives the Regional District a chance to reflect on what went wrong and make meaningful changes to improve transparency and communication going forward,” Ryan said.
Updates on the ice-making process will be posted on the RDFFG website. CUPE 1699 is set to meet this week to discuss next steps in the contract negotiation process.
