The following is a brief summary of selected items scheduled for discussion at the Town of Golden’s Regular Open Council meeting, as we are limited for space. It is not a complete account of the meeting package.
Residents who would like to review the agenda in detail can visit the Town of Golden’s website to download the full package and supporting documents ahead of the meeting.
• Development servicing, museum funding on council agenda
Development servicing requirements and funding for the Golden & District Historical Society are among the items Golden Council will consider at its regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Council will consider a development variance permit for The Works at 904 10th Street North, along with a proposed agreement allowing the property to connect to the municipal sewer system without upgrading sewer pipes on Kicking Horse River Drive. The proposed agreement would require a $46,000 contribution before a building permit is issued and the property connects to water and sewer services.
Also on the agenda are frontage and off-site servicing requirements for the BC Housing property at 807 11th Avenue South. The recommendation would require the owner to undertake the works outlined in the staff report and enter into applicable servicing agreements before a building permit is issued.
The Golden & District Historical Society is seeking $65,000 in annual funding, shared between the Town and Columbia Shuswap Regional District, for its 2027-2028 fiscal year. Council will also consider renewing the contribution agreement for the land occupied by the Museum and Archives for three years, ending July 31, 2029.
Other business includes adoption of the 2027 permissive tax exemption bylaw, a third-quarter strategic plan progress report and quarterly bylaw enforcement statistics.
The meeting begins at 1:15 p.m. in council chambers at Town Hall, 810 9th Avenue South. A live broadcast will be available through Zoom, with participation information at golden.ca/virtualmeetings.
• Outgoing council to consider museum funding increase
Golden’s outgoing council will consider a funding increase for the Golden & District Historical Society at its final regular meeting Oct. 20.
The society is requesting $65,000 for its 2027-2028 fiscal year, up $5,000, or approximately eight per cent, from the $60,000 approved for 2026-2027. Staff recommend approving the request and renewing the contribution agreement for the land occupied by the Golden Museum and Archives for three years, ending July 31, 2029.
The funding is shared between Golden and Columbia Shuswap Regional District Electoral Area A through a regional requisition, with municipal taxpayers covering 48 per cent and Area A taxpayers covering 52 per cent.
In its submission, the society cites inflation and rising operating costs, saying the annual contribution supports year-round operations and helps it secure grants for additional projects.
The museum reported welcoming more than 3,600 visitors since June and responding to more than 45 research requests during July and August. Recent work includes reorganizing collections and archives, developing an exhibit on the early history of medicine in B.C., and completing a solar panel installation.
A $30,000 Canadian Heritage grant is supporting work to catalogue, digitize and preserve archival materials. The society also plans to strengthen school programming and continue pursuing the renovation of the historic CPR station into a community event and meeting space.
The Oct. 20 meeting begins at 1:15 p.m. at Town Hall. Following the municipal election this past weekend, the newly elected council will be sworn in at its inaugural meeting Nov. 2.
• Resolution tracker outlines work carrying into new council term
Golden’s outgoing council will receive an update on outstanding decisions and municipal projects at its final regular meeting Oct. 20, with several initiatives set to carry into the next council term.
The resolution tracker identifies council directives as assigned, active or achieved, giving councillors and the public a snapshot of work underway. Staff intend to provide the updates quarterly, alongside reports on the Town’s strategic plan.
Among the projects in progress is the $286,000 reconfiguration of the former tennis court area at Rec-Plex Whitetooth Legacy Park. An Oct. 1 update says site preparations have started, with staff anticipating approximately half the work will be completed this fall. Planting and final paving or patching are scheduled for spring 2027, depending on weather.
Planning for future aquatics facilities also remains active. The tracker says a further presentation is expected after the election to advance discussions, following an August presentation and public information event.
For the Horseshoe Club building, a hazardous materials survey has been completed, while tender specifications for abatement remain outstanding. Council previously directed staff to bring a request for demolition and disposal funding to the finance committee for consideration in 2027.
Staff are also negotiating a multi-year agreement with the province for continued use of the Civic Centre for court services.
The tracker records follow-up work arising from council’s Sept. 22 decision to remain on permanent Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-6. Directions concerning darker winter mornings include contacting the school district about student safety, seeking consideration of rural streetlighting and requesting highway lighting and safety improvements. An Oct. 6 update lists that work in the chief administrative officer’s work plan.
Several longer-standing initiatives remain open, including potential rules for solid-fuel burning appliances and amendments allowing camping by permit at Keith King Memorial Park. Staff cite limited capacity in progressing the camping amendments.
• Council to consider live-work development, sewer contribution
A proposed development combining industrial bays with upstairs housing will come before Golden Council Oct. 20, along with a recommendation to accept a $46,000 contribution toward future sewer upgrades.
The Works, proposed by David Ratzlaff / 0804482 B.C. Ltd. for 904 10th Street North, would include five industrial bays with dwelling units above. Each bay and upstairs dwelling would form one strata lot.
The arrangement would allow owners or tenants to live and work on the property, although the residential units could also be rented separately.
Short-term rentals are not permitted under the property’s light industrial zoning.
Council approved a variance for an earlier six-unit proposal in 2021, but that permit expired after two years.
The current application seeks three variances: reducing the front setback from 4.5 metres to three metres; reducing industrial parking requirements from one stall per 50 square metres to one per 100 square metres; and reducing the required landscape buffer beside residential zoning from three metres to 1.25 metres, with the buffer located in the boulevard.
According to the staff report, no public submissions were received by the Oct. 15 deadline following notification of neighbouring properties.
The project also raises sewer capacity considerations. Upgrades to affected sewer mains on Kicking Horse River Drive are estimated at $1.454 million. However, the Town’s engineering consultant anticipates no immediate adverse impacts from the development’s additional sewer demand and suggests accepting a proportionate contribution toward eventual upgrades.
Staff recommend allowing the connection without requiring the developer to undertake the pipe replacement, subject to a $46,000 contribution agreement. The money would be held by the Town toward future upgrades. The developer has agreed to the arrangement.
Staff support the proposal, citing its potential to accommodate small-scale industrial businesses and add housing. Further review of servicing requirements would occur at the building permit stage.
The application is scheduled for the outgoing council’s final regular meeting before the newly elected council is sworn in on Nov. 2.
• Servicing requirements proposed for BC Housing development
Golden Council will consider servicing requirements for a 23-unit BC Housing development at 807 11th Avenue South, including upgrades to an overcapacity sewer pipe on 12th Street South.
A staff report going before council in Oct. 20 recommends requiring the property owner to undertake frontage and off-site infrastructure work and enter into servicing agreements before a building permit is issued.
Council approved a development variance permit for the project in November 2025. Since then, the developer has been preparing its building permit application and civil engineering submissions.
Proposed frontage improvements include water and sewer connections, storm infrastructure, a fire hydrant, off-street parking, curb, gutter, sidewalk, boulevard landscaping and streetlighting. Those works are estimated at $320,215.
The required sewer upgrade is estimated at another $415,932. A portion of that cost may be recoverable through latecomer fees from future development within the sewer catchment area, depending on when that development occurs.
Staff say the requirements align with the Official Community Plan policy that new development bear the cost of infrastructure upgrades and extensions it requires.
As a provincial entity, BC Housing would provide a letter of indemnity rather than a letter of credit to secure its obligations. The report describes this as common provincial practice but notes the Town would have no financial security to draw on to finish the work if those obligations were not met.
Staff also note that further calculations will be needed before project completion to ensure sufficient funding is allocated to reserves for eventual replacement of the infrastructure.
Again, the matter comes before the outgoing council at its final regular meeting, ahead of the new council’s inaugural meeting and swearing-in Nov. 2.
• Bylaw calls decline in third quarter
Golden recorded 24 bylaw calls for service between July and September, down from 35 during the same period in 2025, according to a quarterly report going before council Oct. 20.
Traffic accounted for nine calls, followed by noise with five, animal control with four, watering with three, waste with two and one classified as other. No calls related to short-term rentals were recorded.
Officer-initiated activity also declined, with 65 entries compared with 129 in the third quarter of 2025. Traffic and watering accounted for most of that work.
The report credits education and signage with improving compliance with the Town’s Responsible Pet Ownership and Animal Control Bylaw, adopted earlier this year. Staff reported very few interactions involving off-leash dogs and no reported dog altercations during the quarter.
Watering restrictions remained an enforcement priority. In-ground irrigation continued to be the leading source of infractions, with warm, dry weather contributing to higher-than-average infractions into September.
Wildlife attractants were another concern. Staff reported more damaged garbage bins with broken clips than usual. The report notes anecdotal accounts of a limited berry crop, with bears entering town earlier in search of food.
Despite regular downtown two-hour parking patrols, the department received no calls for service specifically concerning downtown parking.
A total of 15 tickets were issued during the quarter by bylaw enforcement, RCMP and fire personnel. Nine had been paid, generating $470, while six remained outstanding, totalling $760. Staff also handled 53 general inquiries.
Fourth-quarter priorities include wildlife attractants and snow removal, alongside ongoing parking and illegal camping enforcement. Corporate Services and Finance staff will also continue work on collections procedures for unpaid fines.
• Council to consider 2027 permissive tax exemptions
Golden Council will consider adopting its 2027 permissive tax exemption bylaw at its Oct. 20 meeting, providing property tax relief for a range of local non-profit, charitable and recreation uses.
The proposed exemptions cover the calendar year from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2027. The bylaw received first reading Sept. 22 and second and third readings Oct. 6.
Organizations listed include the Golden Food Bank, Golden Family Centre, Golden Women’s Centre, Golden & Region Seniors Society Branch 150, Golden & District Historical Society and Royal Canadian Legion Branch 122.
Recreation groups include the Golden Light Horse Club, Golden Shotokan Karate Society and Kicking Horse Gymnastics Club. The schedule also includes arts, literacy, youth and early years services, housing organizations and several religious properties.
The scope of the exemptions varies. Some apply to eligible land and buildings, while others cover only the portion of a property occupied by a qualifying organization. For religious properties and Purcell View Apartments, the proposed exemptions apply to land values not already covered by mandatory exemptions.
The Golden Community Economic Development Society’s Cornerstone property is listed for an exemption of up to $25,496.
The bylaw is coming forward at the outgoing council’s final regular meeting. The newly elected council will be sworn in Nov. 2.
• Strategic plan update outlines infrastructure timelines
Major water and sewer projects, future recreation decisions and preparations for a new council are highlighted in Golden’s third-quarter strategic plan progress report, going before council Oct. 20.
Construction of Well 7 is underway, with commissioning anticipated by the end of June 2027. The strategic plan had identified completing construction in 2026 as an objective.
The Pine Drive alternate alignment sewer main is also under construction, with substantial completion targeted by the end of this year. Design work is underway for upgrades to the 12th Street lift station pumps and upstream sewer pipes, with construction anticipated in 2027 and 2028.
The timeline for replacing the 5th Avenue South sewer main has been adjusted. Design is now intended to begin in 2028, followed by construction in 2029 and 2030.
The report also identifies decisions awaiting the newly elected council. A final aquatics options report will be published after the election, with the new council and Columbia Shuswap Regional District Area A director expected to review the findings and provide direction on next steps.
Work exploring additional municipal revenue sources has been delayed by competing corporate priorities. However, staff say a potentially significant opportunity is being explored and is expected to come before council for a decision in November. The report does not identify the opportunity.
Other progress includes adoption of the Official Community Plan Sept. 1, completion of an internal communications plan and an active fire inspection program. FireSmart assessments of municipal properties have been compiled, with findings expected before council by year-end.
A revised procurement policy intended to support regional suppliers and contractors where feasible has been drafted and is expected before council in November or December.
Staff are also preparing orientation materials and learning opportunities for the incoming council. Its first budget meeting is expected after the inaugural meeting and swearing-in on Nov. 2.
The quarterly update will be presented at the outgoing council’s final regular meeting.
