The Province of B.C. has approved funding to support a governance review in Thornhill, marking another big step in a long-standing debate about the community’s future.
In a letter dated February 25, addressed to Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine (RDKS) Chairperson Cyra Yunkws, Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Christine Boyle confirmed that the Province will fund a $30,000 restructure planning grant to support a community issues assessment in Electoral Area E, Thornhill.
This will enable the RDKS to contract a consultant to undertake an assessment of governance in the unincorporated community of 4,000 people.
This will allow Thornhill residents to receive information about their current level of governance, which level of government delivers which service, and what emerging issues and servicing demands exist in the community.
It will also allow residents, property owners, private utilities and First Nations to express concerns about Thornhill’s future.
Ministry staff will assist the RDKS in preparing the terms of reference for the study.
The funding follows a request by the regional district for $90,000 in June 2025. In its original letter to then–municipal affairs minister Ravi Kahlon, the board said the time was right to address governance in the Thornhill area amid renewed economic growth in the Terrace area.
A single electoral area director represents the Thornhill area and receives regional district services such as land use planning, water service, fire service, street lighting, and parks. It also receives some City of Terrace services, such as recreation and library services.
However, the small tax base and spread-out neighborhood of Thornhill have made the delivery of infrastructure a challenge. The lack of a community sewer system has been cited by the regional district as a growth constraint and environmental risk.
Governance restructuring for the Thornhill area has been considered several times in the past. It has been suggested that the area be merged with the City of Terrace, a local commission be established to deliver services, or be incorporated into its own municipality.
About a decade ago, the regional district conducted a governance and service study on the Thornhill area. However, the feedback received at the time was considered ambiguous.
The newly funded assessment is intended to identify the changes that have been made since then.
The announcement of the new funding also led to renewed discussion around the board table about whether Thornhill voters should be asked to vote in a plebiscite during the 2026 local government election.
The board had voted in December to ask for more provincial authority to hold a plebiscite in Area E. But with the issues assessment now moving forward, staff recommended that the request to hold a plebiscite be rescinded because it could interfere with the process of consultation.
After a lengthy debate, the board chose not to approve a motion to rescind the request to hold a plebiscite in Area E. However, the board decided to put any further action on holding a plebiscite on hold until the terms of reference for the assessment are developed.
The terms of reference for the assessment are to be developed in partnership with the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs and then presented to the board for approval before the assessment begins.
The next step for Thornhill residents will be the release of these terms, which will describe the scope of the study, the engagement process, and how input will be collected.
The assessment is expected to revisit longstanding questions about service delivery, infrastructure capacity, and whether alternative models of governance might more effectively position Thornhill to manage growth in the years to come.
