Council plans town hall meeting

Councillors discussed moving away from open mic style meetings toward table based public conversations and Bylaw 1266 passed second and third readings after no public submissions were received.

Crowsnest Pass council plans to move ahead with a town hall style public meeting using small group discussions rather than a traditional open mic format.

The discussion came May 5 during council inquiries and notices of motion, when Councillor Dean Ward raised the idea of holding a special meeting to discuss town halls.

Ward said council had already spoken about the issue several times and said he was not in favour of a format where residents simply come forward one by one to criticize council.

“I’m not a big fan of the open mic. Just come up and grip council for 5 minutes and then move on to the next kind of week,” said Ward.

He said he liked an idea previously brought forward by Councillor Doreen Johnson, where residents would sit at tables in smaller discussion groups.

“I really like the idea that Councillor Johnson brought up. The tables would sit down with groups,” said Ward.

Mayor Pat Rypien said she liked the idea but did not believe council needed a special meeting to continue planning it. She said council had already made and debated the motion and could move ahead with arrangements.

“I think we should just move ahead,” said Rypien.

Rypien suggested the event could be kept simple and organized as a meet and greet with council, with two guiding questions for residents.

Doreen Johnson said residents have been asking about the town hall since the earlier motion was publicized.

“People are looking for the town hall. I’m getting asked all the time,” said Doreen Johnson.

She said she would like to see the event called a town hall so it matches public expectations.

Councillor Tony Vastenhout supported the small group concept and suggested different tables could be organized around several topics.

“I really like the idea of groups and topics, actually,” said Vastenhout.

Deputy CAO Kirstin Colucci confirmed what she understood council’s direction to be, saying the event would be called a town hall and would use small group discussions instead of an open mic format.

Council discussed holding the event near the end of May, although no final date was set during the meeting.

Crowsnest Pass council also approved a land use amendment May 5 to redesignate a small parcel of former road land for residential use.

The land had previously been closed as a road under Bylaw 1123, 2022 and was registered as a certificate of title on March 12, 2024.

During the public hearing, administration said the former road parcel needed a zoning designation as part of the land sale process.

“We’re recommending R1 that will allow the proposed owner to build a family home and the adjacent properties are also zoned R1, so it fits with the neighbouring community,” said Deputy CAO Kirstin Colucci.

No written submissions were received for or against the bylaw and no one spoke during the public hearing.

 Later in the meeting, the bylaw returned under requests for decision.

Colucci said the redesignation was required before the applicant could apply for a development permit.

“As part of the land sale agreement and land sale bylaw, it’s required that the parcel must be designated to a residential land use prior to being able to make a development permit application,” said Colucci.

Council was told the landowner would still need to apply for a development permit and enter into a development agreement with the municipality for an extension of municipal water and wastewater infrastructure mains.

Councillor Dean Ward moved second reading of the bylaw, which carried. Third reading was then moved and carried.

The approval allows the land to move forward under the Residential R 1 district, with future development still subject to the municipal permitting process.