The following interview has been edited for clarity.
Shane Bourke, Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality’s (SPMRM) chief administrative officer (CAO), is heading to Grand Prairie, Alta., to take a role as the city manager. Sun Peaks Independent News (SPIN) sat down with him to discuss what files he’s moved the dial on during his tenure and what he’ll remember fondly about Sun Peaks.
SPIN: Can you tell me a little about yourself and why you came to Sun Peaks?
Bourke: I moved my family here two years ago to be the CAO of Sun Peaks, which was a really exciting opportunity. This is one of the best places to live in Canada. I’ve worked at all three levels of government and municipal government is certainly the most interesting and meaningful to residents, in that we can enact change quickly and see progress on projects.
SPIN: When you say it’s interesting, do you mean because of the direct impact that you’ve had on a local level?
Bourke: In municipal Government, you can move quickly when you have an idea and bring it into action and to completion. You get to work with residents on issues that matter to them and affect their lives on a daily basis. And it also is just varied days. One day, we can be dealing with an emergency, whether that be concerns with [wild]fires or landslides, and the next day, we’re figuring out how to operate a daycare.
SPIN: Speaking of the daycare, I know that was one of the priorities that you had when you started a couple of years ago. Can you talk about getting that project off the ground?
Bourke: Something I’d heard when I first came to Sun Peaks was that the daycare capacity was limiting our economic growth, the quality of life for our families and our ability to attract employees throughout the community. I’m very proud that we were able to submit a capital grant to the province and receive funding for the new daycare, even with the challenges of inflation and [limited land for] sites. [The building] will be in place before I leave, which is something I’m proud of. We’re still working through the operations and staffing but our intent is still open before the end of September.
SPIN: Thank you for the update on that. Other projects you mentioned were a priority when you first started in 2021 include the health centre, the rink, housing and education. Let’s start with the health centre.
Bourke: When I arrived in Sun Peaks, one thing that really amazed me was the community’s ability to see a need and to figure out how to get it done. One of [the most] successful is the operation of the Sun Peaks Health Center that came with municipal support but community donations…It was clear that while we got to a certain point with the health centre, there could be so much more. [We partnered] with STEPS from Kamloops in taking over operations this spring. It’s already moving forward with expanding services beyond what the municipality could…It’s a good evolution and recognizes municipalities’ role in getting things started but not always running them long-term, if there are better operators with more expertise.
SPIN: The rink was also something you wanted to have fully operational a couple of years ago. What developments were made?
Bourke: The rink is an amazing asset for a community of our size and just reflects that we do have a tourism-based economy. We are able to get to work on assets that we might not be able to have if we didn’t have some sort of tourism sector. The rink was fully operational last winter and we had a number of really successful tournaments. We already have bigger plans for this year and we’re putting the ice in earlier to attract more off-season tournaments…which will support the tourism economy with hotel rooms and restaurants in the shoulder season.
We had our first successful concert on the new stage, the curtain project has started. There’s some audio upgrades ongoing, the new score clock was installed last winter. And we’re just finishing off the new penalty boxes and building an office to expand our public skating rental program.
SPIN: Some of the things you mentioned, like the penalty box and curtain, were goals in 2021. Were there any issues getting those off the ground?
Bourke: The curtain project’s probably been the longest one, but we’re making progress on all of them – and all these are grant-funded projects. Some of those just take time to work through the grant process and then get contractors up when they’re in high demand.
SPIN: How does it feel when you complete a project that is important to the community?
Bourke: When I arrived, there were just so many projects going on, [it’s important to] acknowledge the effort that goes into securing grants and coming up with ideas, whether it’s the health centre, the stage, the plaza, the tennis courts – it’s great to see us moving forward with adding new amenities for the community. One thing that attracted me to Sun Peaks is that it’s on a growth pattern and not every community gets to say that. Some are well-established or declining.
SPIN: Are there challenges to having growth?
Bourke: We still are a tourism community at our core and that’s essential to everything we do here. But as we evolve into having a larger permanent residence population, we have to find that balance [between] providing community amenities and ensuring we don’t forget why everybody wants to be in Sun Peaks.
SPIN: Housing can be an issue considering the tourism nature of Sun Peaks. I know the Housing Authority was something you wanted to get work done on. How do you think that’s gone so far?
Bourke: I always want to move faster on things. But I’m pleased that we’ve taken some really important steps to set us up for supporting non-market employee housing. We’ve worked with a consultant on a non-market and employee housing strategy – we’ve already started to proceed with some of the elements in that – including working with a developer and the resort corporation on parcel 74 [behind the community mailboxes], which will be the first non-market employee housing project. I expect that to be started next spring.
SPIN: Would that be specific to resort employees or would it be open to all community members?
Bourke: We’re going to be able to get a covenant on the title that it will be only employees, as the municipality defines them, that would be able to rent in these units. There will be some recognition of the resort’s contribution to the land that will be dedicated to them, but it’ll be less than half.
SPIN: The brick-and-mortar school – can you talk about the ongoing process?
Bourke: The municipality and the community are the reason that there are schools in Sun Peaks and we’re really proud of that. We’ve demonstrated the need for a brick-and-mortar school and we make our case to School District [73] and the province at every opportunity.
We secured the land and we’ve transferred it to the school district. Now it really is up to the province to fund the school. I know the mayor and council will continue [advocating] until one gets built.
SPIN: Do you have a favourite memory from working in Sun Peaks?
Bourke: My favourite memory is a really recent one. And it’s because I just know how much effort municipal staff put into it being a success – the first concert on the new stage in the last week [Aug. 4] That was the first time that we had to transition from regular summer operations, which have the mini golf and skate park, and the building took some reconfiguring. They worked really hard to make that quick transition. And then just to see it all, the community out enjoying a really great evening in a new venue that we didn’t have before.
SPIN: What will working in Grande Prairie and leaving your role in Sun Peaks look like?
Bourke: Grand Prairie [has] some exciting projects, including creating the first municipal police force in Alberta in 75 years, which is something that I couldn’t pass up. I know that I’m leaving Sun Peaks in really great hands. Deanna Campbell is extremely qualified, and she has a passion for Sun Peaks that will serve it well. I feel absolutely confident that she’s going to take it to bigger and better places.
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