The District of 100 Mile House will be writing a letter to B.C. Transit requesting a copy of its long-term plans for regionalizing public transit systems.
This move comes after the council received a letter from Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson on Tuesday, Jan. 14 addressed to Mike Farnworth, the Minister of Transportation and Transit and Tim Croyle, the VP of Operations and COO of B.C. Transit, expressing his concern in the proposal to regionalize public transit systems. In his letter, Doerkson noted he has heard deep reservations from local municipalities regarding the change and asked for the process to be reversed.
Coun. Donna Barnett said that B.C. Transit has put this process on hold but proposed the district send a letter of its own expressing 100 Mile House's views on the issue and ask B.C. Transit for their long-term plan.
"If we accept this and ignore it, it will come back and haunt us. So I believe we have to stay on it and be firm in our stand," Barnett explained.
Council voted in favour of sending B.C. Transit a letter thanking them for their consideration and requesting they send the District a copy of the long-term plan.
District responds to anonymous letter
During the Jan. 14 District of 100 Mile House Council Meeting council discussed issues raised in an anonymous letter.
The letter asked whether or not anyone had brought up concerns about people living and wandering on the streets and the corresponding issues. The letter alleged a rise in criminal activity attributed to either the homeless or addiction.
"In the alley behind Fields our locks are continually being cut and then we continually have to clean up after them," the anonymous writer penned. "I'm hoping we as a community can find a solution and make 100 Mile House safe again."
In response, council highlighted several community services that are available to the unhoused and those struggling with addiction. These included a new service called the Interior and Northern Community Integration Services, as well as the Canadian Mental Health Association and a new Indigenous liaison with Interior Health.
Bylaws adopted
During the first council meeting of 2025, the District of 100 Mile House unanimously voted to adopt three bylaws.
This included the adoption of the 2025 Cemetary bylaw, the Cross Connection Control bylaw, the Fees and Charges Amendment bylaw and the Water Rates and Regulations Amendment bylaw. Next to the Water Rates and Regulations Amendment bylaw, these bylaws are primarily minor updates of existing bylaws.
The Water Rates and Regulations Amendment bylaw amends section 11.5 of the 2019 District of 100 Mile House Water Rates and Regulation Bylaw No. 1347 to read that "commercial and industrial customers will be invoiced monthly for usage. Water rates imposed under the current Fees and Charges bylaw which remain unpaid after sixty days after the billing will result in the District to discontinue service to that account."
Section 11.6 has also been amended to delete the word person and replace it with commercial or industrial customer.
Finally, sections 11.7 and 11.8 under the subheading "Bulk Water Station" has been added - 11.7 effectively states that pre-paid bulk water service will be required for all non-commercial or industrial customers and that usage fees will be deducted from the customers' prepaid credit at the current Fees and Charges Bylaw amount.
Refunds for prepaid credits can be requested in writing, while 11.8 states that bulk water accounts not used for two years will be discontinued, and that those accounts can be reopened as a new account following the payment of all applicable fees.
