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TOTAL FIRE BAN: including campfires

TOTAL FIRE BAN: including campfires

TOTAL FIRE BAN: including campfires

With the extremely dry conditions, all open burning is prohibited until further notice.

This includes: • Fireworks • Binary exploding targets • Sky lanterns • Wood‑fired hot tubs, pizza ovens, or any wood‑fired device unless vented through a proper flue inside a building and WETT certified • Burn barrels or burn cages • Controlled‑air incinerators • Air‑curtain burners • Carbonizers

Newsletter Aug 2026

Newsletter Aug 2026

Fire Danger & Total Burn Ban

Texada Island remains under a complete fire ban due to ongoing high‑risk conditions. Please continue to stay alert and help reduce wildfire risk in our community.

Welcome to Our New Assistant Water Operator

We are pleased to welcome Shawn Rachkowski to the VAID team as Assistant Water Operator. Shawn will be supporting daily operations, system maintenance, and the ongoing meter installation program.

Water Meter Project Update

The meter pilot project remains on track for substantial completion in August. Most meters are installed and Neptune 360 onboarding continues, with additional units being prepared for activation. Individual access to meter data will be available once all meters are online — expected in September, pending final installations and system activation.

Stage 2 Water Restrictions

Stage 2 water restrictions remain in effect, as is typical for this time of year. Limiting outdoor water use helps manage summer demand and protects system capacity during peak season. Thank you to all residents who continue to follow the guidelines.

Thank You for Leak Repairs, Usage Adjustments & Reporting

We appreciate residents who have repaired leaks on private property, adjusted their water use after being notified of high consumption, and reported leaks or other system concerns. These actions make a measurable difference and help maintain reliable service for the whole community.

Volunteer Fire Department Recruitment

The Van Anda Volunteer Fire Department is seeking new members. If you’re interested in serving your community, gaining emergency response skills, and supporting local safety, please reach out to Fire Chief Mark Robert for details.

Contact Info

604 486 7035 – contact@vananda-id.ca – vananda-id.ca – WATER EMERGENCY: 1 672 882 9901

Fire Chief: Mark Robert –604-414-9662 –firechief@vananda.ca – FIRE EMERGENCY: 9-1-1

Watermain Leak – Wall Street

Watermain Leak – Wall Street

A watermain leak has been identified on Wall Street. Water will be turned off at the pumphouse while repairs are underway.

Staff are on scene and repair work will begin as soon as possible. We will restore service as quickly as we can and will provide updates when more information is available.

Thank you for your patience.

UPDATED 5.30 pm: The watermain repair on Wall Street has been completed and service is back to normal.
We extend a big thank‑you to Davis Ventures for their fast response and excellent work.

Meter Pilot Project Community Meeting Jun 25 2026

Meter Pilot Project Community Meeting Jun 25 2026

Meter Project Community Meeting  Notes

Jun 25, 2026, 4:00 pm at the Legion

Present:

  • VAID Trustees Ron Smith, Jane Waterman, Jennifer Moore, and John Colongard
  • VAID Employees Joseph Scott (Project Manager) and Sandra Haszard (Administrator)
  • 7 community members

Ron welcomed everyone and reminded the group that the grant covers all project costs. Installs are nearly complete and the project is proceeding well.

Several benefits this project has already delivered:

  • All connections are now identified — previously about one‑third were unknown.
  • Two steel pipes we didn’t know were still in use were located and documented.
  • Some leaks have been identified. Of the meters online so far, four major private‑property leaks were found. After owners were notified, total metered consumption dropped by more than half.
  • Repairing leaks will reduce treatment costs — salt, chlorine, resin, UV parts, power, and labour.

2027 will be a mock‑billing year. Rates and billing structure are still under discussion. The existing rate model will change from paying for a set volume (with extra charges for exceeding it) to paying for actual metered use.

After the project is complete, owners will pay for the meter in new connections.

Once installed, meters must be activated with a special tool. After activation, details are sent to Neptune to add the meter to the system. Currently, 105 meters are fully online, another 100 are expected online next week, and the remainder by August.

A slide show was presented with anonymized screenshots from the admin system to show how this information can be used to monitor and manage water use.

JS showed the setter, meter, and antenna. The antennas are designed to withstand being driven over, but not to be placed in the middle of the road where heavier traffic occurs.

If vandalism occurs, VAID receives an alert from the software system that detects damage.

A short video was played showing how customers access their data: https://neptunetg.wistia.com/medias/v8ys7iylct

Admin receives leak notifications daily and will alert customers to any new leaks.

SH spoke about billing – more details are in the VAID Meter Project – Report for Community Update Jun 2026

Billing – Key Points

  • Rates cannot be set yet — we still need full meter data to know total use, leakage, private vs. system leaks, and the first‑year metered budget. “Until all meters are installed and producing steady data, we cannot calculate the base rate or the consumption rate.”
  • Old Tolls & Taxes rates do not apply to metered billing.
  • Parcel Tax remains unchanged and is not tied to water use.
  • Meters already show major leaks and have reduced communitywide use significantly.
  • We need all meters online before we can measure system leakage vs. private leakage — essential for a fair rate model.
  • Mock billing will run through 2027; real metered billing begins 2028. Mock bills show hypothetical charges only — no payment required.
  • Experts recommend a simple two‑part bill (fixed + consumption) and waiting on tiered rates until a full year of stable data is available.
  • Billing frequency options: quarterly, annual, or hybrid. Frequency does not affect leak detection.
  • No decisions on rates or billing frequency will be made until meters are fully online, leakage is known, the metered‑year budget is set, and mock billing is complete.

A community member mentioned that several people have comments or concerns but prefer not to attend meetings or reach out directly. If this sounds like you, please get in touch. Your input matters, and we want to hear from you!

Newsletter Jul 2026

Newsletter Jul 2026

Fire Danger and Total Burn Ban

A complete fire ban remains in effect due to Texada Island’s unique conditions. Please stay vigilant and do your part to reduce wildfire risk in our community.

Fire Fighting Equipment Upgrades

We are pleased to share that recent CEPF grant funding has strengthened our wildfire response capacity. New equipment includes an additional forestry pump and portable water tank, wildfire-suited protective gear, as well as hoses, radios, a thermal imaging device, and specialized tools. We have also purchased a cargo trailer that will be stocked with firefighting essentials and ready for rapid deployment when needed. These upgrades support safer and more effective response efforts.

Stage 2 Water Restrictions Begin July 1

Stage 2 water restrictions will take effect starting July 1 to help manage summer demand and protect system capacity. Key measures include:

  • Lawn watering limited to one hour, once per week.
  • No watering during daytime peak heat hours
  • Restrictions on non-essential outdoor water use such as outside surface washing

These steps are necessary to ensure reliable water supply during the high-demand season. Details at vananda-id.ca/water-restrictions/

Water Meter Project

Thank you to everyone who attended the June 25 public meeting on water meter project updates. We appreciate all engagement from the community.
Meeting notes and materials are now available on our website for those who were unable to attend or would like to review the information.

System Improvements and Reduced Usage

We would like to thank residents who have taken action to identify and fix leaks. Your efforts are making a measurable difference.
Following outreach in early June—when water production was nearing system capacity—to four residences with very high usage, overall production dropped by approximately half. This reduction occurred even though the meter installation program is only about halfway complete, highlighting the impact of increased awareness and early monitoring.

Contact Info

604 486 7035 – contact@vananda-id.ca – vananda-id.ca – WATER EMERGENCY: 1 672 882 9901

Fire Chief: Mark Robert –604-414-9662 –firechief@vananda.ca – FIRE EMERGENCY: 9-1-1

Community Meeting: Thurs June 25 – 4 PM at the Legion

Community Meeting: Thurs June 25 – 4 PM at the Legion

VAID Meter Project – Community Update (June 2026)

Community Meeting: June 25, 2026 – 4:00 PM, Royal Canadian Legion, Van Anda

The Van Anda Improvement District (VAID) is holding a community meeting on June 25 at 4:00 PM at the Legion to provide an update on the Meter Project, future billing options, and how residents will access their personal water use data. This report summarizes the information that will be presented and is being shared in advance so residents can review the key points.

Download the report

Water Inspection Results

Visit our page with the most recent Water Inspection Results

Contact Us

Phone numbers, email addresses, names, mailing address here: Contact Us

WE NEED YOU!

Please call Mark Robert – Fire Chief – 604.414.9662 … see Volunteer Firefighter