The City of Terrace is extremely disappointed in Edison Motors’ inaccurate representation of doing business with the City in a video they posted online on December 19, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ljg61OcLO8c
Discussions between the City’s Land and Economic Development Manager and the owners of Edison Motors began in late 2023. The City’s Land and Economic Development Manager contacted the company to suggest locating in Terrace and that the Skeena Industrial Development Park (SIDP) was a potential location where the company could manufacture and retrofit trucks into electric trucks.
The company hired a realtor, who suggested the property at 5130 Highway 16 West as a potential location. This property, however, is designated for general commercial use in the City’s Official Community Plan (OCP) and is zoned as C3 - Service Commercial. Manufacturing heavy industrial trucks at that location requires heavy industrial zoning.
The City’s Land and Economic for Development Manager informed Edison it could apply to rezone the property, to allow the manufacturing of trucks, but that rezoning was not guaranteed.
City staff suggested an alternative. Council could amend the City’s zoning bylaw to allow the company to retrofit light duty trucks and conduct business other than manufacturing (such as research and development, and administrative duties) at the location, in perpetuity. The City also informed the company it could more feasibly get permission to manufacture trucks at the location by applying to Council for a temporary use permit (TUP). A TUP could permit heavy industrial use of the property for three years, with the option to renew for another three years.
Edison decided to proceed with this alternative. As per Edison Motors’ April 8, 2024, zoning proposal to Council, “Edison Motors Ltd. (Edison) is requesting a site-specific zoning amendment to allow primary uses allowed in the M1 zone, specifically, the assembly of EV conversion kits for light duty pickup trucks and the research and development of EV truck systems. A Temporary Use Permit (TUP) allowing M2 would allow the manufacturing from raw materials, heavy trucks on the premises, until which time Edison will invest in a larger facility in Terrace, BC to increase our semi-truck manufacturing capacity."
As part of their support for Edison Motors’ plans, on June 24, 2024:
• Council adopted a bylaw to amend the City’s Zoning Bylaw No. 2069-2014, by adding "Manufacturing, Light, limited to the assembly of light duty electric vehicle conversion kits and the research and development of electric vehicle systems" to the list of site-specific permitted uses in the C3 - Service Commercial zone for the property at 5130 Highway 16 West.
• Council approved a temporary use permit (TUP) to allow a M2 - Heavy Industrial use to manufacture and assemble electric hybrid heavy (Class 8) trucks on the property at 5130 Highway 16 West
Staff and Council worked diligently to support Edison Motors investment in Terrace. We took the steps needed at the municipal level to support Edison in their pursuit to purchase the 5130 Highway 16 West property, and retrofit and manufacture trucks at that location. In addition, City staff continued discussions with the company and in good faith, tried to facilitate partnership opportunities in the area by introducing the company to other businesses in the area that could benefit the business.
In July 2024, the company informed the City that their investors would not support the purchase of 5130 Highway 16 and that they would look for a different location. Still, the City’s Land and Economic Development Manager continued to suggest alternative properties in the area.
The video Edison Motors released today is inaccurate. Edison is misrepresenting the facts of its dealings with the City.
Supporting a diversified and vibrant economy by encouraging a broad range of commercial, service, technology, tourism and industrial businesses is a key focus of the City of Terrace. We are dedicated to business retention and expansion, investment attraction, sector development, and supporting related areas of workforce and community development.
Resource Documents
https://www.terrace.ca/media/3766
City of Terrace zoning bylaw. Describes the purpose and permitted uses of the various zones throughout the City include C3 – Service Commercial and M2 – Heavy Industrial.
https://terrace.civicweb.net/document/32624/
Council report related to Zoning Bylaw amendment for 5130 Highway 16 West, which includes Edison Motors’ zoning proposal.
https://terrace.civicweb.net/document/34143/
Council report related to June 24, 2024 Temporary Use Application for 5130 Highway 16 West.
For more information, contact:
Sarah Artis
Communications Advisor, City of Terrace
Phone: 250-638-4712
Email: sartis@terrace.ca