The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Board of Directors recently received the draft Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP), after hearing from residents through surveys conducted over the past several months.
The next step, says the RDEK, is to consult the public on the draft plan.
“The Board has had an opportunity to review the draft plan and we will now be making the plan available for the public,” explained Environmental Services Manager Kevin Paterson in a press release. “The public’s engagement and feedback has been so important to the Solid Waste Management Plan Review process since we started last fall. As we enter the last few steps in the process, that feedback continues to be important. We encourage residents to review the draft plan and share their thoughts with us.”
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The consultation will be centered largely around the online platform at engage.rdek.bc.ca, due to the geography and combination of full time and seasonal residents across the district.
According to the press release, this allows residents, regardless of their location, to have the ability to access the same information and provide feedback. The RDEK will also be utilizing social media, local media and other channels to provide education and information.
In addition to the online engagement, the RDEK will be participating in a number of community events over the summer and will have copies of the draft plan, comment forms and other materials available.
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“Recognizing that there is still a portion of the population that does not have access to computers, or prefer face-to-face discussion, the consultation process will culminate with three subregional open houses for those that have not been able to participate online or in other formats,” adds Patterson.
The public consultation period will kick-off in mid-July and is expected to run until the fall. Following the consultation period, feedback will be gathered and shared with the RDEK’s Advisory Committee Board for consideration in finalizing the plan before it is submitted to the Ministry for approval.
For more information, visit engage.rdek.bc.ca or contact Kevin Patterson at the RDEK office in Cranbrook.
corey.bullock@kimberleybulletin.com
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