Council Highlights - February 23, 2026

Read below about some of the decisions made by the City of Dawson Creek Council at the February 23, 2026 Council Meeting. View past agendas and minutes on the Dawson Creek iCompass Portal. View past Council video recordings on our Council website page. 

Request for Sponsorship – 2026 Cultural Gathering of Nations

Daniel Desjarlais, Events Coordinator of West Moberly First Nations and Miah O'Neil-Simpson, Jordan's Principle Service Coordinator of the Treaty 8 Tribal Association were in attendance to request sponsorship for the 2026 Cultural Gathering of Nations. The first Cultural Gathering of the Nations was held at the Ovintiv Events Centre in September 2025 and the next one will be held from September 17-20, 2026.

Council directed Staff to work with Ovintiv Events Centre Management Staff to obtain information regarding how the event was administered and paid for in the previous year and to report back to Council with this information for further consideration of the request.

Invitation to Sponsor and Participate in the SPDCPA AGM & Workshop – April 24, 2026

An email from the South Peace District Crime Prevention Association was received inviting Council to participate in and/or sponsor their annual AGM and workshop scheduled for April 24, 2026 at Mercer Hall. The event brings togeher community leaders, law enforcement, volunteers, and local officials for a day of learning, netowrking and community engagement. Council directed Staff to sponsor the Gold Package and directed that Councillor Parlsow, in his role as Acting Mayor during that time, be present for the event to represent the City.

2026 Budget Consultation Feedback

Report No. 26-027 2026 Budget Consultation Feedback was presented to provide Council with feedback received during the 2026 Budget Consultation. The City held its official consultation on the 2026 Budget on February 9, 2026 – 3 members of the public attended in person and 18 viewed it virtually. No comments or questions were received in advance or following the presentation.

To broaden engagement beyond the statutory requirements, the City undertook additional outreach:

• January 28: Mayor Dober, CAO Kevin Henderson, and CFO Melissa Panoulias presented the 2026 Budget at the Dawson Creek & District Chamber of Commerce Lunch & Learn, including additional information on Class 6 (business) taxation. Thirty-three members of the business community attended.
• February 2: Councillor MacDonald (on behalf of Mayor Dober), CAO Kevin Henderson, and CFO Melissa Panoulias presented the 2026 Budget at the Seniors Hall Luncheon, with a focus on residential taxation and information tailored to senior residents. Fifty-five members of the community attended.

Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 2622, 2026 – Changes Adopted

Report No. 26-024 Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 4622, 2026 regarding the implementation of a fee for repeated intruder alarms determined to be false upon police attendance was adopted by Council. This fee appears in Schedule ‘M’ of the bylaw, and includes a graduated fee increase for repeated intruder alarms deemed false upon RCMP attendance, aligned with existing false fire alarms fees. This fee was introduced due to a significant amount of false alarms occurring during the 2025 calendar year, putting pressure on limited policing resources with the potential to delay response to higher-priority incidents.