Active Municipal Projects

Update: 5 February 2021

Thank you to everyone who has participated to date with the draft Downtown Plan and Design Guidelines. Results of the public engagement events from September 2020 have been summarized and presented to Council in the following documents. 

Public Engagement Summary

Next Steps

Staff continue to update the Downtown Plan and the Design Guidelines following Council's discussion and direction coming from the 4 January 2021 Regular Council Meeting.  This page will be updated as the documents evolve and as some items come forward for implementation.  Many of the items to watch for are highlighted and discussed in the Council Report linked above as Next Steps.  Future planning activities, bylaws, and policy updates may allow for public comments as each topic is brought forward.  Notices will be posted in the usual places as they become available.  

More Information

All comments and questions are welcome .  Specific opportunities for comment and input will be available during public engagement events.  For general questions and inquiries please contact Community Planning and Development at the District office, 270 City Centre, call us at 250-632-8900 or planning@kitimat.ca.     

The District of Kitimat with consultants from Community Energy Association (CEA), is in the process of developing a Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan.  The District is proposing reducing its community greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050.  It is important to note that large industry is not included in this planning, as it is dealt with at a provincial level.  Please refer to the video link below for a detailed overview of this plan. 

View full video on Vimeo

Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan Survey

Thank you to those that took the time to do our survey - Your feedback is important to this process.  If you have any further questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to send them via email or call us at 250-632-8900 ext 2239. 

Those of your that provided your contact information at the beginning of the survey will be included in the draw for one of three Energy Saving Kits provided by Pacific Northern Gas.  Winners will be contacted directly.

Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program

• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
• 2012

Project Overview

Procurement Update

Haisla Bridge Contract Signing Update - May 4, 2021

January 2022 Project Update

June 2022 Project Update

October 2022 Project Update

Kitimat Economic Development Strategy

Residents and the business community are invited to share their ideas about Kitimat’s economy and quality of life via a community survey.

Click on the image to learn more about this initiative.

• Minette Bay West Park Update May 2022

Work at Minette Bay West Park is ongoing.

The Minette Bay West Concept Plan was a planning and design exercise adopted by Council in September 2017 for 191 hectares of municipal land on the west side of Minette Bay. This site presents a significant opportunity to provide public access to the ocean, which is a key priority for Kitimat Council. 

• Minette Bay West Concept Plan
• Assessment of Grizzly Bear Distribution, Habitat Use, and Human-Bear Conflict Management Recommendations
• Community Engagement Summary
• Bio-Inventory 
• Minette Bay West Park Update: 2021

Project Page: Nechako Centre Concept Plan

Reducing and diverting landfill waste and associated greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) is a key objective of Council’s Strategic Plan for 2018-2022.

The Solid Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan, or SWAP for short, is a document that provides Kitimat with a road map on how to achieve this objective.

SWAP was prepared in 2020 with the help of consultants and a Zero Waste Working Group comprised of a broad range of community interests.

Goals of SWAP

Why Did We Need A Solid Waste Management Strategy?

The current (2020) solid waste management system in Kitimat is deficient with respect to waste diversion and residual waste management services. 

Residential Curbside Collection System

Unlike many comparable communities in BC that have implemented one-can limits on residential garbage, curbside collection of recyclables, and to a lesser extent yard and/or food waste collection, our current (2020) garbage collection service still allows households to put out up to three containers of garbage and two bags or bundles of yard waste at the curb every week.  Although yard waste is set out separately from garbage, it is still collected in the same truck and deposited in the landfill as garbage. 

Residual Management - Kitimat Landfill

The design and operation of our landfill is decades behind how most other landfills operate in BC.  The site is operated as a natural control (unlined) landfill in accordance with a Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (MOE) permit issued November 1975, and subsequently amended in May 1996 to meet the provisions of the 1993 Landfill Criteria for Municipal Solid Waste. 

Since the introduction of the 1993 Landfill Criteria, most local governments in cooperation with their regional district, have moved towards closing unlined landfills and replacing them with transfer stations and fully engineered, lined regional landfill facilities. This was recently done in the Greater Terrace area. Best practices in landfill operation also include the provision of weigh scales, improved safety by the separation of commercial and self-haul customers, as well as opportunities for recycling. 

In 2016 the MOE updated the 1993 Landfill Criteria to outline new standards and operating procedures to ensure better environmental protection by requiring new landfills and expansion of existing landfills to install liners and leachate collection systems. Our landfill is not in compliance with the 2016 Landfill Criteria. 

What Are The SWAP'S Key Strategies And Actions?

1. Modernize the residential curbside service by collecting garbage, recyclables, and organics.
2. Ban the disposal of food waste from large commercial and institutional generators. (Food waste can be sent to the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine's (RDKS's) composting facility near Terrace instead of taking up Kitimat’s landfill space.)
3. Investigate options to divert clean wood waste to a beneficial end use instead of burning it.
4. Consider the role of KUTE in Kitimat’s modernized waste management system.
5. Upgrade the Kitimat landfill to allow for continued disposal of all waste and consider the alternative option of becoming a participant in the RDKS’s Greater Terrace system, (i.e.  Construction of a local transfer system and disposal of garbage at the Forceman Ridge landfill).

What's Next?

In 2021, there will be exciting changes to the residential curbside program!  In the spring, yard waste collection will be added to the service, and in the fall, curbside collection of recycling and food waste will begin.  There will be lots of information published well in advance of these changes, so, stay tuned!

Landfill engineering studies are already underway to assess the cost to upgrade the Kitimat landfill, so that this option may be compared to the option of using the Forceman Ridge landfill (near Terrace) instead.

District of Kitimat staff are engaging with our large food waste generators (like the work camps) regarding how best to roll-out the ban on the disposal of food waste from these operations.  It’s expected that this new policy will also be enacted during 2021.

Strawberry Meadows Neighbourhood Policies (originally Plan)

Update: 17 October 2023

A Public Hearing was conducted on October 16, 2023 at Council Chambers prior to a Regular Council Meeting. At the Regular Council Meeting Strawberry Meadows Neighbourhood Policies Official Community Plan Amendment, Bylaw No. 2042, 2023 was given third reading and adopted. Click here to review the Bylaw on page 21 of the October 16, 2023 Regular Council Agenda here.

First and Second Readings for Strawberry Meadows Neighbourhood Policies Official Community Plan Amendment, Bylaw No. 2042, 2023 were given during Special Council Meeting held on September 11, 2023. Click here to review the staff report and the draft bylaw starting on page 9.

Based on the revised planning process, draft policies were presented to Council for discussion during the Committee of Whole meeting held on August 28, 2023. Click here for staff report, starting on page 9. Click here for the approved council motion on page 3. 

Update:  8 March 2023

Based on the level of public engagement and the amount of feedback and input received during Phase 2 of the planning process, the Planning Department identified the project scope and scale for the "Strawberry Meadows Neighbourhood Plan" is significantly less that what was originally anticipated. 

On  February 21, 2023, Council approved a revised planning process based on the Planning Department's recommendation.

The staff report can be access here. The next phase will now include developing neighbourhood specific policies which would be presented to Council and the approved policies will be incorporated for long-term decision making by amending the Official Community Plan as well as the relevant sections of the Kitimat Municipal Code.  A public hearing would be conducted as part of those amendments to gather community feedback on the proposed policies.

UPDATE: 21 February 2023

The Planning Department presented an update to Council with the following recommendations:

THAT the 5 major Themes as presented in the Strawberry Meadows Neighbourhood Plan Update report dated February 15, 2023, be approved;

AND THAT the revised Plan Process as presented in the Strawberry Meadows Neighbourhood Plan Update reported dated February 15, 2023, be approved.

Click on the link to view the report as presented: 

UPDATE: 25 August 2022 

After releasing a survey to the community and compiling the results, the next engagement activity intended for Phase 2 is organizing an Open House.  The Open House was scheduled for August 24, 2022 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Joanne Monaghan Room at the Riverlodge Recreation Centre, 654 Columbia Avenue, Kitimat, BC.  More information was shared on the District of Kitimat's Facebook page.

If you were not able to attend the open house you can view the information provided at that time here.

Updated: 25 March 2022

On 16 August 2021, Council approved the establishment of a Neighbourhood Plan for Strawberry Meadows. More information on what a Neighbourhood Plan is below.

Staff are currently in the Visioning phase of the project (Phase 2). After releasing a survey to the community and compiling the results, the next engagement activity intended for Phase 2 is organizing an Open House. More information will be posted as staff continue to work on organizing the open house and information will be regularly shared on the District of Kitimat's Facebook page. 

Below is a link to the results of the survey and an updated version of the Engagement Strategy as well as the Project Outline and Baseline Report which were created by staff during in Phase 1 of the project. 

• Summary of Strawberry Meadows Survey Results
• Project Outline
• Baseline Report
• Engagement Strategy

Staff have sent notifications to Strawberry Meadow residents and stakeholders and are creating a working group of residents and stakeholders interested in the project. If you want to be added to the working group or have feedback on any aspect of the project, please email the Planning Department. 

There will be multiple opportunities to provide feedback in the Strawberry Meadows Neighbourhood Plan and staff will be regularly updating this page and the District's social media accounts as the plan moves through its 7 phases. District staff are committed to the following five principles to guide all engagement activity and welcome feedback from resident and stakeholders on how these principles can be best met:

• Inclusiveness: The District will endeavor to involve and enable the participation of all interested parties across the full range of our diverse population.
• Transparency: The District will endeavor to ensure decision processes, procedures, and constraints are understood and followed. The purpose and limitations on public participation will be made clear. Respective roles and responsibilities will be clearly communicated. Feedback will be provided on what stakeholders said and how their opinion was considered by decision makers.
• Access: The District will ensure that accurate information is available to participants in a timely manner.
• Respect: Public participation requires the mutual respect of all participants. The District will listen with an open mind and show consideration and value for another person’s point of view.
• Honesty: In conducting public participation the District will demonstrate honesty: we will tell the truth, following through with commitments and act in a trustworthy manner.

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

Generally, a neighbourhood or a local area plan is a plan prepared for a smaller geographical area within a municipality where there is a need to provide more certainty of what is envisioned in the Official Community Plan (OCP) and outlines how a particular area should grow and change over time. The plans identify long-term policies and short-term actions, and often look beyond their own boundaries to consider the impacts and connections with the surrounding municipality.

What is the purpose of a Neighbourhood Plan?

Neighbourhood plans generally provide detailed guidance on the location and type of housing, shops, offices, and other types of development and land uses that are foreseen for the area. The plans can also provide guidelines for how future development of private and public space will look and function, by not only addressing land use and urban design issues, but often providing details on the future pedestrian and transportation network, parks and open spaces, community facilities as well as identifying topics and issues that are important to the people who live, work, and visit the area.

What can a Neigbourhood Plan do?

Additionally, a neighbourhood plan can:

• Help residents and businesses identify important issues that need to be addressed, establish a common vision for their neighbourhood and options for achieving neighbourhood goals;
• Help developers understand the type of development envisioned for the area;
• Help District staff and Council better evaluate the suitability of development applications; and
• Help identify future capital investment for capital projects and infrastructure (physical and social) needed in the area.

What are the steps in creating a Neighbourhood Plan?

Thank you for your continued interest in our community.

The District of Kitimat in collaboration with Mount Elizabeth Cycling Association (MECA) are developing mountain bike trails.  Phase 1 of the mountain bike trails are located on Haisla Hill and have been under construction since 2022. They are anticipated to be completed by Fall 2023. A community open house was conducted on April 5, 2023 to seek feedback on the proposed entrance to the Haisla Hill trails. 

The District of Kitimat accepted input until April 30, 2023.

Scroll through our open house boards below, or download them as PDF by clicking here.