After an unsuccessful attempt four years ago, the unincorporated community of Thornhill is vigorously pursuing its goal to become its own city.
Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine Thornhill Director Ted Ramsey voiced concerns about the current governance model for Thornhill in a candid interview with The Terrace Standard. “A regional district is simply the wrong form of governance for a community the size of Thornhill.”
With a population surpassing 5,000, Thornhill’s governance under a regional district has left it lacking control over crucial aspects like economic development — a luxury available to its incorporated counterpart, Terrace.
Ramsey criticized the regional district’s approach.
“We have a bunch of people sitting around the table making decisions for us that affect us,” he stated. “I think the average citizen doesn’t realize how a regional district works, and that’s not working in our favour.”
He emphasized that, while not directly blaming the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, he stands in opposition to its governance style. One of his main grievances is the community’s ineligibility for grants that other cities, such as Terrace, can access. “We don’t have enough people from Thornhill making decisions for Thornhill,” Ramsey said.
Strategically located, Thornhill sees all the westward traffic from Highway 16. Ramsey believes this prominence is among the reasons past attempts to incorporate were thwarted.
Ramsey said that, typically, it can take two or three years to incorporate, but “Thornhill isn’t a typical community. We live in close proximity to Terrace and if we were another five to 10 miles down Highway 16, it would a different story.”
“We share a boundary with Terrace,” Ramsey said. “Anything we do in Thornhill affects Terrace, so you’ve got all that extra influence that is negative for Thornhill’s attempt to move forward.”
Ramsey praised the Thornhill Community Association, founded by local resident Bob Erb, for its role in citizen outreach. He expressed frustration at the regional district’s limited accessibility, stating, “It seems very difficult for people to get a hold of me, and part of it is the way the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine does business.”
According to Ramsey, the strategic plan laid out by the regional district sidesteps Thornhill’s incorporation for the next four years. Voicing his disagreement, Ramsey stated, “I’m not going to wait four years to give my community the opportunity to have a voice.” He expressed intent to contact provincial ministers directly, bypassing the regional district.
Ramsey said that he’s simply fed up with the entire process, adding that he’s hoping he could speed the process up by simply speaking with someone in the provincial government.
READ MORE: The debate over Thornhill’s future? That’s happened before
This urgency stems from ongoing issues in Thornhill, many of which remain unaddressed due to what Ramsey describes as ineffective bylaws and limited staff focus.
When asked about some of the concerns residents have brought forward about a lack of action among the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine when it comes to things like unsightly premises, such as one that The Terrace Standard wrote about in July, Ramsey said that the regional district’s makeup — and its staff’s limited amount of time to work on issues, along with the lack of teeth in their bylaws means that nothing gets done, or if it does, it takes countless far too long.
He added that those concerns, as well as countless others, are part of the reason why he’s moving forward with incorporating Thornhill.
“It is absolutely influencing my decision,” Ramsey said. “Is the community right to be upset about it? Absolutely.”
“The regional district’s bylaws, quickly frankly, don’t have any teeth in them,” Ramsey said. “To change them for a regional district takes forever to do because you still have all the other communities involved that take up staff time, so there’s a huge amount of time that is spent elsewhere other than Thornhill.”
Ramsey added the confluence of factors involved mean that Thornhill isn’t getting the good governance it deserves.
“There’s all sorts of things going on in Thornhill that can’t be dealt with because bylaws take at least a year to generate and there’s simply not the will to do it, or it’s unlikely to happen because of time and staff restraints and the staff themselves don’t work for Thornhill, but the region itself,” Ramsey said. “It’s just the worst combination of anything and everything you can think of.”
Discussing the intricate relationship with nearby Terrace, Ramsey mentioned that any action in Thornhill inevitably influences Terrace, thus creating barriers to its incorporation.
When posed with the idea of running for mayor after potential incorporation, Ramsey declined.
“I just want the community of Thornhill to have the right to choose a mayor,” he said.
He expressed frustration about the communication barriers he faces in comparison to a mayor’s direct access.
Ramsey believes that an independent Thornhill could address pressing issues like sewage services more effectively.
He also highlighted the potential financial advantages of being apart from the regional district when funds from the Resource Benefit Alliance (RBA) are allocated.
Ramsey said that Thornhill needs to be out of the regional district before the RBA shows up because, if the regional district gets $20 million, it has to be split amongst all the districts. “There’s a huge significant financial gain to be independent and incorporated.”
“We’re right on the cusp,” Ramsey said.
Viktor Elias joined the Terrace Standard in April 2023.
Tips or story ideas? (250) 638-7283 ext. 5411 or viktor.elias@terracestandard.com.
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