Departmental Effects

COVID-19

DEPARTMENTAL EFFECTS

Finance

The Finance Department shifted to conducting as much business as possible through remote work, email, online and telephone options for service. Additional and unforeseen costs due to the COVID-19 Pandemic totalled $116,996 in 2020. The CSRD received a $645,000 COVID Safe Restart Grant from the Provincial and Federal governments to support local governments in dealing with increased operating costs and decreased revenues for established services due to COVID-19. In November 2020, the CSRD Board allocated $387,907 of this funding toward operational expenses, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) facemasks for all fire personnel, and funding support for Shuswap Tourism. Financial implications of the pandemic continue into 2021, with finance staff examining options for the remaining grant funds.

Information Technology / GIS

The purchase of additional technology required significant effort. The Information technology (IT) staff were crucial in getting employees set up with the hardware and software tools needed to work remotely. The IT department ensured the technology was in place to keep essential public hearings, Board and committee meetings running through the use of Zoom video-conferencing. The department supported staff in the transition to remote work, as well as providing technical support services to the public.

Corporate Administration

Ensuring public access to the democratic process, while adhering to all public health and safety standards, was top-of-mind for Corporate Administration. Support was provided to all other departments to maintain access to information and transparency. This included live streaming and recording of Board and budget meetings, as well as other essential committee meetings. The department ensured the CSRD complied with legislation issued by the Province as well as orders from the Provincial Health Officer. Communication of these initiatives to the public was a critical component and took the form of regular weekly updates to the CSRD’s social media platforms, website and media outlets. Information was changing rapidly, especially in the early days of the pandemic, so significant time and effort was invested in ensuring the public received timely, accurate reports. The CSRD also undertook messaging in support of Provincial health directives, including mask-wearing and recommendations against non-essential travel.

COVID-19

DEPARTMENTAL EFFECTS

Development Services

Building & Planning - The pandemic caused unanticipated interruptions to the 2020 workplans, which required a significant shift in traditional procedures. A prime example was the switch to a combination of in-person and virtual public hearings. As restrictions tightened, this switched to entirely virtual public hearings. Despite the limitations, planning staff were able to handle an unexpected surge in land-use applications, although some projects were delayed into 2021. Building inspection services continued through high volume demands and included new procedures to ensure safety and physical distancing on construction sites. Bylaw Enforcement - The pandemic contributed to a major increase in new bylaw enforcement files. In 2020, complaint files increased 77 per cent over 2019, which has been partially attributed to people staying and working from home. Bylaw enforcement reported increased conflicts with neighbours, including a rise in complaints about illegal docks and buoys, dogs, illegal camping, home occupation uses and fire bans. In addition, changing public health orders sometimes caused public confusion about regulations. This prompted many additional calls to bylaw enforcement, often requiring the relaying of information or re-direction to provincial enforcement authorities or the RCMP.

Shuswap Tourism & Shuswap Economic Development

Economic activity, particularly the tourism industry, shouldered heavy burdens during the pandemic. The department had to navigate a strange dichotomy − how do you promote tourism when travel is not encouraged?

Shuswap Tourism pivoted its marketing plans to fall in line with Public Health Officer and Destination British Columbia travel messaging and found ways to encourage “Shop Local” activities to support local businesses affected by the loss of visitors. Planned digital marketing campaigns were developed with messaging that could apply to different markets depending on health regulations. Blogs and videos were created to feature pandemic-appropriate activities throughout the region. With events cancelled and restrictions implemented on gatherings, some projects, however, had to be put on pause. More detailed information on Shuswap Tourism’s COVID-19 response and their other ongoing work is available from their 2019-2020 Report, located at shuswaptourism.ca/industry

COVID-19

DEPARTMENTAL EFFECTS

Shuswap Economic Development worked with other community partners to develop and implement a comprehensive regional economic recovery plan and business support hub, providing business owners with support in six key areas: regional marketing, mentorship & training, digital transition, financing & cash flow, workforce support and resources & support. A Recover Shuswap website (www.recovershuswap.ca) was jointly developed to provide information and access to services, linkages were made with the SupportLocalBC platform and Shop Shuswap digital resources were created.

Operations Management Department

The Operations Management Department, which conducts approximately $6 to $10 million of capital improvements and $15 million of operational work annually across 70 functions, had the critical role of of keeping all essential services running. Contingency planning was also critical, especially early in the pandemic when there was much uncertainty about the potential for COVID-19 to disrupt services. The Operations Management Department successfully maintained community water systems, access to landfill and transfer stations, and fire services throughout the course of the year. Emergency Management - Through the CSRD’s Protective Services Division, an Emergency Operations Centre was established for the duration of 2020. In a marked departure from the norm, incident-based emergency operations were run with staff members working remotely. Lake flooding issues, slope instability concerns and fire truck deployments to other jurisdictions were managed with the team working in various locations, linked through software and video applications. Emergency Support Services was also restructured to allow volunteers to provide services to affected residents from their homes, rather than on-site.

COVID-19

DEPARTMENTAL EFFECTS

Fire Services - Fire Departments had to cancel some in-person training opportunities and the CSRD developed some of its own online training sessions through Zoom. These sessions were embraced by firefighters, often with more than 100 members taking part in the online training modules. There were some challenges with the need for Personal Protective Equipment for firefighters, who had previously shared Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus face masks. COVID-19 Relief Grant money was approved to purchase new masks, so each firefighter could have their own. This protected their safety and reduced wear-and-tear due to enhanced disinfection. New cleaning and distancing protocols were developed for firefighters to help minimize exposures to COVID-19.

Solid Waste & Recycling - Additional time at home for many CSRD citizens also led to an uptick in landfill use, both for the disposal of regular household waste, as well as the free disposal of yard and garden waste. Significant changes were made at landfills and transfer stations to protect public health including enhanced signage, safety barriers and retrofits of scalehouses with Plexiglas. While Re-Use Centres and clothing donation bins were shut down temporarily, these were reopened later in the year.

Parks & Recreation - Community parks and recreation were a critical component in the Provincial Health Officer’s plans to maintain the physical and mental health of citizens. With that in mind, the CSRD maintained access to parks, trails and boat launches, although there were temporary closures of amenities such as children’s playgrounds and warming shelters at skating rinks. Parks permit issuance was suspended due to restrictions on group gatherings. Recreation facilities including the Golden & District Recreation Centre, Sicamous & District Recreation Centre, Golden Curling Club, the Golden Library and the Scotch Creek and Swansea Point Community Halls were required to develop COVID-19 Safety Plans and operated with reduced use. Some facilities, like the Golden Curling Club, ceased operation or had temporary shutdowns as Provincial restrictions evolved.