Council Meeting Highlights from December 7th

A Selfless Act

Mayor Baker presented Mr. Steve Swetlishoft with the Governor General's Certificate of Commendation Award for his selfless actions in rescuing a man who had fallen through the ice last winter. Click here to view the full news release.

Tis the Season!

Skate with Santa on Sunday, December 12 from 3 to 4:30 pm at the Winfield Arena! Admission is free! The Salvation Army Christmas bus will be at the Municipal Hall parking lot from 5 to 7 pm on Tuesday, December 14^th, and the Municipal Hall will be closed on Friday December 24^th and will re-open on Monday January 3, 2011.

The Prison Issue

Rich Coleman, BC’s Solicitor General announced today that they are once again looking for a new home for a prison in the Okanagan. Consultations are underway with the Okanagan Nation Alliance and the Solicitor General is asking local governments for their feedback by April 2011. Click here to view the Castanet news item for more details.

The District wants to hear your thoughts and opinions on this issue! In the previous discussions regarding locating the prison on Jim Bailey Road, no supporting comments were received for that proposed location. We will keep our website up to date with as much information as possible for you. Email admin@lakecountry.bc.ca, call 250.766.6670 or drop your written comments off at the Municipal Hall. Please make sure to let us know if you would like a response. We will make sure that all comments are forwarded to the Solicitor General.

Historical Markers Unveiled

The first of four Historical Markers, that were a combined effort by the District, the Lake Country Museum and a whole bunch of volunteers, will be located in each of Lake Country’s wards: Carr’s Landing, Okanagan Centre, Oyama and Winfield. Each of the markers recognizes a unique heritage site and includes a view of one of the nearby lakes as seen from that ward. Each marker links each of the heritage sites, includes a map of the District and information about the municipality’s beginnings and formation under a ward constituency system. Click here for the full news release!

Regional Growth Strategy

The Regional Growth Strategy is a planning tool that will be used to guide growth and create an action plan in order to reach the region’s vision over the next 20 years. The RGS is not a land use document but is a common vision of values for the region. The RDCO wants to raise the level awareness of the RGS and will be conducting early and on-going consultation to determine the future regional vision. They will have information available on their website and in their newsletters. Click here to view the presentation from the RDCO to Council.

Early and On-going Consultation

The Development Services Department presented several items for Council’s consideration under Section 879 of the LGA. This section requires that Council consider the need for early and ongoing consultation with residents of the community, organizations and authorities such as adjoining municipalities, the local school district, and senior government affected by OCP bylaws.

Council agreed with staff’s assessment that the consultation undertaken to date has been appropriate for 2 of the 3 OCP applications. Those are, The Lakes to fix minor discrepancies between the surveyed plans and concept plans, and Compass Developments (Oceola Road) to change the future land designation of 2500m2 of land from Urban Residential to Mixed Use Commercial. These bylaws will now be forwarded to a public hearing.

The third OCP amendment which creates a new growth area applies to the Juniper Cove neighbourhood requires additional public review and will be presented to the community at an open house at the Carr’s Landing Fire hall. After the open house staff will prepare the bylaw for Council’s consideration. Keep checking our website for details on the open house!

Youth Councillors

Earlier this year, Council asked staff to investigate the idea of having a Youth Councillor attend Council meetings and help add another perspective to Council’s discussions. This has gone over well in other communities and will help to increase the youth involvement in the District. The principal of GESS recommended that 2 grade 12 students participate alternately so that they can balance their Council commitment with their academic commitments. The Director of Corporate Services will help the new Youth Councillors with background information and answer any questions they have. Keep an eye out at the first meeting in January for our new Youth Councillors!

Apex Drive Park Concept Plan

The Lakes Neighbourhood Association and the District have been working together to develop a 1 acre parcel of land on Apex Drive into a neighbourhood park. After various meetings with committees and residents and open houses, all the input, comments and ideas were consolidated and the concept plan was approved by Council. The park will be developed in 4 phases over a number of years and includes a large flat grass area, 2 playgrounds and a small amphitheatre gathering area. Click here to see the concept plan!

Gas Tax Agreement

Council is supporting the RDCO’s request to the UBCM to move from Tier 2 to Tier 1 under the Gas Tax Agreement. What does this mean? The Gas Tax Fund provides federal funding for B.C. local governments for a variety of capital and planning projects. As a Tier 2 regional district, 50% of the funds are given directly to the member municipalities within the region and 50% is set aside for regional projects through an application process. By moving to Tier 1, this would mean that local municipalities would directly receive 75% of the funds and only 25% would go towards regional priorities. For the District, this would mean an approximate increase of $150,000 in annual funding from the Gas Tax Agreement.