Economic Infrastructure
Table of Contents
Scope of the Economic Infrastructure AG Plan
The Economic Infrastructure AG Plan focuses on the preservation and recovery of key utilities, major infrastructure, and sensitive sites that are important to the economy. Although the recovery of these is usually governed by emergency plans or authorities elsewhere, the Economic Infrastructure AG acts as an advocate for the business community to ensure that key infrastructure necessary for economic functioning is maintained. Much of the functional recovery work will be assumed by the RDKB EOC, though economic recovery is a key recovery sector.
AG Plan Lead and Committee Members
Organizations
AG Lead: Local Government – Public Works and/or RDKB (best confirmed when plan is activated), private contractor.
AG Members: Will be mostly determined by nature of event
- RDKB EOC
- Utilities (TELUS, FortisBC, Shaw)
- Staff from municipalities
- Parks and Trails Societies
Additional Case Management and Support Organizations:
- Community Futures South Kootenay
- Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation
- Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
- Local Municipalities, and the Regional District (Planning, and Public Works departments)
- Columbia Broadband Corporation
Incident Quick Start Checklist
- Convene the AG committee.
- Receive reports on infrastructure impacts and activities from Economic Liaison to the EOC.
- Work closely with the EOC to advocate for business infrastructure and to reopen businesses as soon as possible.
- Survey leads or owners of economic centers and economically sensitive sites to understand impacts and/or needs.
- Contact utilities and determine return times for compromised lifelines.
- Pass information to Communications AG to disseminate publicly.
List of Economically Sensitive Sites
Economically sensitive sites in the South Kootenay region include:
- Downtown cores of municipalities (Trail, Rossland, Warfield, Montrose, and Fruitvale)
- The East Trail commercial sector
- The Glenmerry commercial sector
- Columbia Gardens industrial complex and Trail Airport
- Waneta – light industrial and Waneta Mall complex
- Red Mountain Resort area
- Fruitvale – industrial area / ATCO Lumber
- Genelle – industrial and commercial areas
- Teck Metals Ltd. metal refining complex
- Rossland light industrial area
These areas may need additional support, restoration and advocacy during a major economic disaster. These areas may also be used to stage resources and operate as temporary locations for businesses if access to certain areas needs to be restricted.
Backup Business Utilities
Inventory of Existing Programs and Assets for Infrastructure
The regional district and municipal planning departments can provide guidance on zoning, temporary use permits, development use permits and other land use and infrastructure needs.
- https://www.trail.ca/en/inside-city-hall/planning.asp
- https://rdkb.com/Plan-Build/Planning
- https://warfield.ca/village-office/zoning/
- https://www.rossland.ca/development-services
- https://www.montrose.ca/municipality.html
- http://www.village.fruitvale.bc.ca/content/municipal-services-bylaws-policies-development-forms-and-maps
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary and the City of Rossland provide building inspection services to their respective clients and can provide access to staff and resources that can support businesses operating in temporary locations or rebuilding after a disaster or economic incident. The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary provides building inspection services to the City of Trail, the Villages of Warfield, Montrose and Fruitvale, and all electoral areas within the South Kootenay region.
The Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue department can provide information on inspections and other public safety requirements.
The regional district and municipal planning departments can provide guidance on public works, roads, and other infrastructure needs through their public works departments. These services may include water and sewer connections, or road access. Note: that the RDKB does not have a Public Works department but inquires can be directed to the Utilities and Waste Management Services.
- https://rdkb.com/Utilities-Waste
- https://www.trail.ca/en/inside-city-hall/public-works.asp
- https://www.rossland.ca/operations
- https://warfield.ca/warfield-services/
- https://www.montrose.ca/municipality.html
- http://www.village.fruitvale.bc.ca/content/services
Utilities providers who support local communities may have information to support businesses during economic disruption.
Phone services and internet providers:
- https://www.telus.com/en/
- https://www.shaw.ca/
- https://www.rogers.com/
- https://www.bell.ca/
- https://ourtrust.org/our-work/broadband
Natural gas provider:
Electrical service provider:
Municipal governments, private companies and utility companies may oversee various infrastructure assets such as:
- Telephone and cellular phone systems
- Cable and other data and communications systems
- Electrical systems
- Natural gas systems
- Roads, bridges and trails
- Civic facilities (like pools, parks and other facilities)
- Rail lines
Typical Response and Recovery Activities
When an emergency event occurs, there are several activities that the economic infrastructure action group can undertake to ensure businesses are able to resume operations quickly after conditions are safe to do so.
- Develop a list of economically sensitive sites. This might include key attractions or amenities that serve the tourism industry, water flows that are used by businesses like breweries or agriculture, etc. It might also include a list of utilities, transportation modes/routes, and similar core infrastructure that businesses rely on. A basic list is provided in the section above.
- Liaise with the emergency operations center team to determine the impacts on economic infrastructure to better understand the long-term recovery process and share accurate information out to the business community through our regional Business Disaster Action Plan website. https://bizdap.ca/
- Work with partners to launch generator programs or secure access to water trucks to fill short term gaps in utilities for critical businesses.
- Reach out to provincial or national associations for help with restoring infrastructure not covered by Emergency Management BC (For example, work with tourism associations to rebuild bike trails, or farming associations to rehabilitate impacted lands, etc.).
Action Plan for Future Preparation and Mitigation Activities
There are several additional initiatives that may be undertaken in the future to support this action plan.
- Less obvious economically sensitive sites may need outreach provided to them by the business community / economic development organizations during a disaster / emergency. These communications would help to identify specific locations and individual situations that are requiring additional assistance.
- Future conversations with local and provincial utility providers will help to determine what sites / resources have the potential to be vulnerable and what safeguards should be put in place during a disaster (or made more resilient prior to an event). Helping local businesses prepare for the next disaster is crucial. Examples include opening dialogues with TELUS and FortisBC.
- Efforts may be taken to enhance economic sector representation and ensure that their economic infrastructure is resilient (i.e., metal smelting, healthcare) for business utilities (water, power, phone, etc.). This may mean that ensuring that electrical transmission systems are secure and resilient, or that businesses have back-up communications systems. This may mean developing a committee (possibly from the AG members) to advocate for resilience, education, and relationship development, both within these sectors, and at local government levels.
