Regional district plans orientation for elected officials following 2026 election

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) is preparing to host the 2026 Regional Elected Officials Orientation Session in November. 

On October 2nd, the district voted to host a region-wide elected officials orientation event at the Ovintiv Events Centre’s Mercer Hall shortly after the 2026 municipal elections. 

“The orientation offers a structured opportunity for participants to strengthen their understanding of governance, build working relationships across jurisdictions, and learn best practices that support strong and accountable decision-making,” the October staff report stated. 

The communities of Taylor, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Hudson’s Hope and Tumbler Ridge all confirmed their interest in participating in an elected officials orientation. 

Chetwynd has informed the regional district it has made arrangements to host its own orientation, and will not be participating in the regional session, and the Village of Pouce Coupe has yet to confirm. 

During the January 8th board meeting, the board approved a vote to request the City of Dawson Creek waive the $1,000 a day rental fee for the hall on November 16th and 17th.

“The conference agenda and speakers are not yet confirmed, so this date may need to

change based on availability of speakers,” staff explained in the January report. 

“With one member municipality not participating, the cost per member will increase slightly [for the event], the waiver of the rental fee at Mercer Hall…would assist with keeping the increase as low as possible.”

The City of Dawson Creek hosted a similar event in 2022, with the regional district and all member municipalities participating and sharing a cost of $7,800 each. 

When asked by the directors how the cost for the venue would be managed if Dawson Creek voted to not waive the fee, staff confirmed it would be split evenly across all attending governments.