Cranbrook's mayor has formally invited Teck to set up a corporate office in Cranbrook.
At the Friday, Dec. 6 meeting of the Regional District of East Kootenay board of directors, Teck's Nic Milligan, manager of community and aboriginal affairs, gave a brief update on the resource company's Elk Valley operations to the board.
During comments after the presentation, Mayor Wayne Stetski told Milligan that Teck would be welcome to relocate executives from its Vancouver and Calgary to a Cranbrook office.
"Over the past two years, whenever I've had the opportunity, I've extended an invitations privately to Teck to locate a corporate office here in Cranbrook," said Stetski. "Today I'd like to make it a public offer. I truly believe there are corporate people in Teck in both Calgary and Vancouver who would love to come live in the East Kootenays and here in Cranbrook."
Milligan pointed out that Teck does operate a small office in Cranbrook in the Ktunaxa building, but accepted the formal invitation.
"Let me take your offer back to the corporation," said Milligan.
Elkford Mayor Dean McKerracher, Fernie Mayor Mary Giuliano and Area A Director Mike Sosnowski all echoed Stetski's invitation but for their own communities.
"I'd like to echo what Director Stetski said. Teck is welcome to set up an office in Elkford," said McKerracher.
Area B Director Heath Slee brought up a separate issue with Milligan: the traffic on Highway 3 travelling from Cranbrook and the South Country to the Elk Valley to work in Teck's five mines. Slee asked if Teck was considering strategies to more efficiently transport their employees to its operations.
"Employee transportation is a living issue," Milligan responded. "A lot of it is defined by various collective agreements. However, it's a persistent issue that we revisit from time to time. I don't know the current status of plans to move employees, but I appreciate your comments."