We’re helping connect Fernie and Elk Valley residents with Regional District of East Kootenay events and news. Fernie is located in Area A along with Elkford, Sparwood, Hosmer and Elko. For those of you who are unfamiliar with a regional district, here is a brief overview.
Established in the mid-1960’s, regional districts were created to meet service needs for the rural areas and to partner with municipalities within their boundaries on the provision of services that are more regional in nature.
Simply put, they are a partnership of municipalities and electoral areas who work together through the RDEK to provide and coordinate services.
They have three general areas of responsibility:
- Provision of services
- Protection of health and safety of citizens
- Protection of the environment
The RD offer over 100 services, ranging from very small service areas (in a rural community, for example) to services for the entire region. Some of the services provided include: land use planning, water supply, sewage disposal, fire protection, recreation, mosquito control, street lighting, community parks, emergency management programs, solid waste and recycling, transit, 9-1-1, library grants, regional parks, and invasive plant control.
The Regional District of East Kootenay Electoral Area A comprises the Elk Valley and includes Elkford Rural, Fernie Rural, Flathead, Hosmer, Sparwood Rural and West Fernie. Electoral Area A covers an area of 4,653km2.
RDEK Area A population breakdown, based on 2011 census, is as follows:
Contact Area A Director Mike Sosnowski
