The Town of Golden’s Regular Open Council Meeting agenda for 2 September 2025 is full of interesting items, marking the return to a more structured time now that summer is coming to an end.
This summary is intended to highlight the key points in the Council package; however, as always, space is limited and concerned citizens can easily access the entire package on the Town’s website as well as attend the Council meeting.
Reflection Lake presentation
Cirque Ecological, represented by Junior Biologist Emmanuel Mercier and Wildlife Ecologist Brian Gustafson, is scheduled to make an in-person presentation to the Town of Golden Council on 2 September 2025. The purpose of this presentation is to request Council support for the ecological restoration and enhancement of Reflection Lake.
The core of their proposal, titled “Restore Reflection Lake,” outlines several key objectives:
• Remove cattail ingrowth.
• Restore water levels.
• Engage the community with the project.
• Maintain Reflection Lake as a community asset. The presentation also shows a visual objective of returning the lake to its condition before 1985.
The proposed scope of work for the project includes:
• A hydrological study.
• Pre-clearing surveys and clearing.
• Installation of well pumps.
• Mechanical vegetation removal.
• Remediation planting.
• Monitoring and adaptive management.
• Long-term maintenance plans involve monitoring for ecological targets and forming partnerships for long-term stewardship.
The anticipated benefits of the project are:
• Biodiversity preservation.
• Landscape connectivity.
• Climate mitigation.
• Nature appreciation and education.
• Enhancement of Reflection Lake as a community asset for activities like skating and XC skiing.
Potential challenges identified include wildlife disturbance, work windows, and ensuring long-term maintenance, ideally at low cost.
Cirque Ecological is seeking the following support from Council:
• Support and approval to advance the project, given that it is primarily located on municipal lands.
• A letter of support for a Redi Grant application.
• Publicity to support the community engagement process.
Emergency Water Treatment Plants
The Village of Lions Bay sent a letter to UBCM Member Municipalities requesting support and endorsement for a resolution concerning emergency water treatment plants.
The core issue highlighted is that communities bordering forests that depend on watersheds for drinking water are increasingly vulnerable to contamination from wildfires. Such fires introduce ash, sediment, and other pollutants, rendering drinking water unsafe for extended periods. The necessary advanced filtration and treatment systems are prohibitively expensive for small municipalities to construct and maintain, leading to prolonged water supply disruptions and public health risks.
To address this, the Village of Lions Bay proposes that the Province of British Columbia acquire and maintain one to three skid-mounted, 500,000-gallon-per-day (GPD) portable potable water treatment plants. These units would be held in reserve and deployed as an emergency response to communities facing significant water contamination due to wildfires or other disasters.
The objective of this measure is to provide critical emergency response capacity and ensure that small communities can restore safe drinking water in a timely manner following a crisis. The letter specifically asks recipient municipalities to endorse this resolution and notify the Village of Lions Bay if they formally support it.
Invitation to meet with the Official Opposition at UBCM
The Conservative Caucus, representing the Official Opposition, sent an invitation to the Town of Golden’s Mayor Oszust and Council regarding meeting opportunities during the 2025 Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Convention in Victoria.
The purpose of this invitation is to facilitate discussions and ensure the Official Opposition robustly represents the interests of local governments throughout British Columbia, acknowledging their critical role in strengthening communities.
Golden Rockets request to designate games as of municipal importance
Shane Van Biezen, Vice-President of the Golden Rockets Jr Hockey Society, sent a letter to the Town of Golden and Council on 17 August 2025.
The Golden Rockets are requesting a letter from Council stating that their junior hockey home games are considered an event of municipal importance. This letter is crucial for the organization’s liquor licensing application, which would provide them with more flexibility regarding beer garden pricing and fundraising efforts. Currently, profit from liquor sales at games is restricted to $5 per drink (plus taxes).
The request highlights the significant role the Golden Rockets play in the community, citing several benefits:
• They are a source of local pride, youth inspiration, and community connection.
• Their presence in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) brings recognition to the town.
• Home games draw crowds, supporting local businesses and stimulating the winter economy.
• The Golden Arena becomes a community hub on game nights, fostering connections and civic pride.
• They provide a safe and secure environment for enjoying entertaining live sports at a low cost.
• The team’s high expenditure for goods and services primarily benefits the local community.
By designating their games as ‘Events of Municipal Importance’, the Golden Rockets believe they can increase drink pricing to drive more revenue, which will greatly assist in funding the team’s operation while maintaining compliance with existing Liquor Regulations.
CPKC Rail Safety Week
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) sent a letter concerning Rail Safety Week 2025, scheduled for September 15–21, 2025.
The purpose of the letter was to request the community’s assistance in reducing railway-related incidents and making rail safety a priority. CPKC emphasized that “one incident is too many” and highlighted that community support helps raise awareness, thereby reducing avoidable accidents, injuries, and damage caused by collisions between trains and vehicles or pedestrians.
CPKC requested the community’s participation through several actions:
• Engaging on CPKC’s social media channels by liking, sharing, or retweeting rail safety posts from 15 September.
• Encouraging families to play CPKC’s interactive rail safety video game designed for young children to teach safe behaviour around tracks and trains.
• Utilizing and sharing the Operation Lifesaver (OL) Canada toolkit for municipalities to promote local rail safety.
• Inviting the local police service to declare Rail Safety Week on social media and register for Operation Clear Track, a large North American rail-safety law enforcement initiative.
• Sharing OL’s #STOPTrackTragedies videos, which feature personal stories to remind Canadians of the risks.
CPKC also stated that its Police Service would conduct rail safety campaigns in communities across its network, in collaboration with other police agencies and schools, to educate the public. For rail emergencies, the CPKC Public Safety Communications Centre can be contacted at 800-716-9132.
Construction Delay regarding racquet courts due to Barn Swallows
Construction on the racquet courts project at Keith King Memorial Park (KKMP) has been stalled due to pavement delays caused by endangered Barn Swallows.
• Cause: In the spring of 2025, Barn Swallows nested within the pavement production plant located south of the Town of Golden, leading to an environmental shutdown. This has affected all paving work in the region, including the Town’s regular paving and patching programme.
• Pavement Production Resumption: Pavement production is expected to restart in the first week of September, coinciding with the end of the Barn Swallows’ nesting period.
• Further Delays: After the pavement is installed, a fourteen-day curing period is required for the asphalt before the Plexipave court surfacing can be applied. This additional time pushes the project beyond the ideal weather window for Plexipave application, which requires temperatures of 10°C or higher for 24 hours a day for proper curing.
• Alternative Considered: Trucking pavement from a different production plant was evaluated but dismissed due to the extra costs and the risk of the product cooling, which would negatively affect the pavement’s lifespan.
• Current Plan for 2025: Before the end of the 2025 construction season, contractors aim to complete the installation of sports posts, paving, fencing, and landscaping at the site.
• Project Completion: The site is anticipated to be ready for the sports court surfacing in early June 2026.
• Financial Implication: A carry-forward request for the Racquet Courts Project will be brought before Council as part of an upcoming 2025 budget review.
Council Corporate Sponsorship Policy
The Council Corporate Sponsorship Policy of the Town of Golden establishes a fund and a clear process for providing financial sponsorships each year, aiming for simplicity, efficiency, and accountability. This policy was first adopted in July 2015, shifting from a grant-in-aid programme to a sponsorship-based one, and has undergone a recent review to align with Council’s current priorities and community needs.
Purpose and Scope:
• The policy’s purpose is to establish a fund and a clear process for municipal financial sponsorships.
• It applies to the establishment and expenditure of a specific fund within an approved and current Five-Year Financial Plan bylaw.
What the Fund Sponsors:
• The fund is intended to sponsor people, events, initiatives, and projects.
• Sponsorships must support or advance at least one of the following criteria:
• Community goodwill.
• Corporate, political, and community recognition.
• Individual and collective accomplishment.
• Humanitarian, social, cultural, sporting, marketing, or economic enterprises.
What the Fund Does Not Support
The fund explicitly states it shall not:
• Be used as a Grant in Aid.
• Support ongoing operations of any organization.
• Be used in place of regular departmental advertising or sponsorship budget expenditures.
• Be used retroactively.
Authority for Adjudication:
• The power and authority to adjudicate proposals and determine sponsorship recipients are vested jointly and solely between the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
• Both parties must agree on all sponsorship determinations.
• No single sponsorship payment may exceed $1,000.
Inclusions (Annual Disbursements)
The fund also includes the following annual disbursements and their associated sponsorship costs, as long as they are validated by Council:
• Town of Golden High School Bursary.
• Annual sponsorship of the Peter Bowle-Evans Award as part of the annual Chamber of Commerce Community Excellence Awards.
Sponsorship Request Process
• Request forms are accepted on an ongoing basis, contingent on funding availability.
• Organizations must submit complete information using the Council Corporate Sponsorship Fund Request Form at least four weeks in advance of the sponsorship opportunity or event date.
• Compliant forms are forwarded to the Mayor and CAO for consideration, with decisions based on the request and fund availability.
• All decisions are final, and applicants are notified of the outcome.
• Organizations receiving funds are expected to acknowledge Council’s financial support through various means such as social media, websites, promotional materials, or verbal acknowledgement.
Reporting and Transparency
• Prior to June 30 and December 1 of each year, an annual listing of fund expenditures shall be reported to Council for review and posted to the Town of Golden website.
• Proposed amendments also include providing a mid-year update on funds on the website, showing what has been allocated and what remains, and asking applicants if they have received funding before and how much. A year-to-date expenditure report for 2025 shows a budget of $10,000, with $5,450 spent and $4,550 remaining as of August 20, 2025.
The Staff Report on the Long-term Financial Plan for Asset Management seeks Council’s approval to submit an application to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF) Capacity Building Stream for $44,625. The project aims to develop a comprehensive long-term financial plan for asset management, aligning with the Town’s strategic plan and municipal best practices.
Here’s a summary of the report:
Recommendation:
• Approve the submission of the application to UBCM’s Strategic Priorities Fund Capacity Building Stream for $44,625** for the “Long-term Financial Plan for Asset Management” project.
• Approve an amended 2025 project operating budget of $73,000.
• Funding Sources: The $73,000 budget would be funded by:
• An existing Asset Management Grant of $23,375.
• The proposed SPF Grant of $44,625.
• General operating funds (in-kind staff time) of $5,000.
• If the SPF grant is successful, it would eliminate the need for the Town to fund any portion of the project from its general operating funds.
• Background:
• The project was initially approved as “Levels of Service Framework Development” under a UBCM Asset Management Planning Grant.
Due to capacity constraints, the project was re-scoped with consultant assistance to become the more comprehensive “Long-term Financial Plan for Asset Management,” and a grant extension and amendment request was approved by UBCM.
• Project Objectives: The project aims to empower the Town of Golden with informed, transparent, and equitable financial decisions for infrastructure resilience and longevity. Its specific objectives include:
• Developing replacement cost estimates for all Town assets.
• Creating long-term spending forecasts to anticipate future investment needs.
• Conducting long-term funding requirement analysis and comparing current vs. sustainable funding.
• Estimating the long-term funding gap.
• Developing a strategic roadmap with actionable steps for sustainable funding.
• Integrating financial planning measures into the Town’s asset inventory database.
• Reviewing policies and providing recommendations for future-ready financial planning frameworks.
• Producing a public-facing financial plan in an accessible format.
• Strategic Alignment: The initiative is directly aligned with Council’s current draft strategic priorities, particularly under Asset Management and Sustainable Service Delivery, which emphasize establishing practical service levels and developing long-term financial plans to sustain them.
• Climate Resilience: The project considers environmental benefits and impacts by:
• Reviewing asset management policies, including land use policies that set standards for environmental sustainability.
• Providing a framework for valuing natural assets.
• Considering the impact of climate change on lifecycle management in the development of long-term financial plans.
• Communication: A successful SPF grant would enable the project to include strategic communications, such as a professionally designed public-facing financial plan and the integration of financial measures into the existing IT environment for dynamic reporting.
• Administrative Context: The Financial Services department will lead the initial phases, with time allocated in 2025 from existing workplans, and all departments committed to providing time.
The Staff Report on the Strategic Priorities Fund Grant for Fire Hall Enhancement recommends that the Council of the Town of Golden approve a capital budget amendment and endorse an application to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF) for up to$7 million for fire hall enhancement.
Here’s a summary of the report:
Recommendation:
• Authorize a capital budget amendment of $75,000 for a “Fire Hall Enhancement Feasibility and Design Project”. This would be funded by redirecting $36,000 from the Building and Facility Reserve (from a cancelled “Fire Hall Architectural Review” project) and $39,000 from the Asset Renewal Reserve.
• Endorse the Town of Golden’s application to the UBCM Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF) for up to $7 million for fire hall enhancement.
Background and Rationale:
• The existing fire hall is identified as a critical infrastructure gap, being nearly 50 years old (built in 1977) and originally a grocery store warehouse, not purpose-built.
• It does not meet modern building, safety, and operational standards.
• Key concerns include mould, asbestos, and inadequate ventilation in the truck and gear areas, which potentially increase cancer risks to firefighters due to exposure to diesel fumes and toxic off-gassing from gear.
• Apparatus bays are too small, preventing modern fire apparatus from fitting safely, causing slowed response, damage to trucks, and potential injury to firefighters.
• The SPF is seen as an ideal funding source, as fire hall enhancement projects have limited grant funding options but meet the SPF’s criteria.
Project Plan (Phased Approach):
• Phase 1 (SPF-funded): Construct a stand-alone metal building beside the current fire hall, connected by a corridor. This addition would provide a safe, ventilated, and contamination-free space for firefighting apparatus, bunker gear, and tools. It would include:
• Improved response times.
• Critical indoor training space, usable year-round.
• Ensuring emergency vehicles are housed in a facility with post-disaster certification, which the current hall lacks.
• The new facility would replace two deteriorated garages and an unsuitable training ground on the existing site.
• Future Training Area Options: Consider sharing a facility with the Nicholson Fire Department or relocating training props to an industrial site like the airport grounds.
• Phase 2: Allow for future enhancements to the site, with documentation from Phase 1 providing a foundation for additional grants or funding.
Financial Implications:
• The proposed SPF grant could fund the full $7 million capital cost of the project.
• The estimated total project budget is $6,825,000, including initial planning, built infrastructure, engineering, and contingency.
• The new facility is anticipated to increase annual operating expenditures (including reserve contributions) by $295,074 to $325,965, representing a 3.61% to 3.99% increase in taxation.
• Strategic Alignment and Benefits:
• The project directly supports the Town of Golden’s Official Community Plan objectives for **public safety, emergency services, and sustainable infrastructure.
• It aligns with relevant health, safety, and building regulations and advances strategic priorities related to **infrastructure renewal and service-level resiliency.
• It supports climate adaptation by increasing the capacity to respond to increasing wildfires and other extreme weather emergencies, which is a major threat to Golden.
• The new facility would incorporate **energy efficiency measures** to minimize corporate greenhouse gas emissions.
• It addresses critical health risks for firefighters by providing proper decontamination spaces and ventilation systems.
Timeline: The deadline for the SPF grant application is September 12, 2025.
