Harrison Hot Springs mayor says farewell to public office
HARRISON HOT SPRINGS — The contentious drama afflicting the Village of Harrison Hot Springs mayor and council just took another bizarre turn Monday morning (June 10).
Mayor Ed Wood announced Monday morning that he has submitted his resignation effective at the end of today (June 10).
“Please accept this as my official notice of resignation effective end of today,” a message on the village website stated. “I personally would like to thank both the Corporate Officer and the Chief Financial Officer for their professionalism during our time together, they have demonstrated integrity, respect, and accountability of which I hold strong to. To the members of the public, it has been an honour to be your Mayor.”
Wood had issued a state of emergency declaration almost unilaterally last month due to what he called an increased risk of wildfires across the province and in the Harrison area. Wood said there was a “significant threat of an interface fire and imminent threat to the loss of life and property.”
“This is a challenging, uncertain and stressful time for our province,” Wood said in the state of emergency declaration. “We are experiencing an increased risk of interface fire due to rainfall levels being at half the usual average, drier than normal conditions, low snowpack levels and a forecast of above seasonal temperatures.”
Wood says bureaucracy and inaction of Council has hindered the Village’s efforts to clear the East Sector area of fuel. Harrison Hot Springs is located in a valley that is heavily treed on both sides. Threatening wildfires appear to be starting earlier and earlier each year in the province, Wood said, and it is imperative to change the way the village approaches emergency management.
“There have been seven local fires this year,” Wood said. “With no secondary evacuation route in place and no fuel management having taken place to date, there is a need for emergency coordination in order to manage this risk.”
The state of emergency was cancelled the very next day on May 22 at the request of the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.
Harrison Hot Springs council members have repeatedly clashed with each other since the October 2022 municipal election. Wood’s announcement doesn’t necessarily mean the drama is over, as a by-election will need to be called.
In spring 2023, Mayor Wood was ecstatic when the village received nearly $6 million for waterfront infrastructure upgrades that he said would help construct a dike and help protect the town on the banks of the Harrison Lake from flooding.
“It is long overdue and it is just fantastic news,” said Wood, who was elected to council in the October 2022 municipal election. “This is for flood mitigation. It will protect the whole village. I have been fighting for this for years to see monies come through. I’m speechless and ecstatic. I don’t think anybody believed the funding would come through, so this is a surprise. I thank [MP] Brad Vis for that. He’s a great man.”
Wood said there are areas along the waterfront where the dike is 3/4 of a metre lower than when it was originally designed for in 1948.
“The dike will go the whole waterfront,” Wood pointed out. When asked about a timeline, Wood said, “It will take months [before it starts] because we’ll go into a public open house. It will affect the appearance of the waterfront. We got to make sure it works with everybody so that we have the most effective way of building a dike, achieved at the most economical cost, and keeps the beauty of our surroundings at check.”