By Times Chronicle Staff
Destination Osoyoos (DO) has announced that $60,000 garnered from the Online Accommodation Platform (OAP) tax will be used to help alleviate the employee housing shortage in Osoyoos.
The funding will be channelled to the Osoyoos Employee Housing Society (OEHS), a not-for-profit society that helps to address the employee housing shortage in Osoyoos. Destination Osoyoos has committed to a total of $60,000 per year, for the next three years to the OEHS.
The OEHS was established six years ago by several local tourism stakeholders and in 2018, the society collectively purchased a 50-unit dorm-style accommodation and relocated it to Osoyoos from Alberta for tourism employee housing. The facility was named the “Orchard Residence” and unofficially “Orchard Rez”.
With the assistance of the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB), the Orchard Residence staff housing facility was moved to land located and leased from the OIB.
Due to an ongoing development project, the building will need to be relocated. The OEHS has secured a new lease and location with the OIB and funds received from DO’s financial commitment will be used towards relocating the facility, the organization said.
“The Orchard Residence has been critical in providing the seasonal housing required to bring employees into the community and has been utilized by ten different local businesses over the past six years,” says Daniel Bibby, Co-Chair of the OEHS Board of Directors.
“We are grateful for Destination Osoyoos’ commitment to assist us with the costs of relocating this resource that is vital to the local tourism industry.”
The OAP tax is set at three per cent annually for Osoyoos and consists of new Municipal and Regional District Tax revenues collected from online marketplaces that facilitate transactions for renting short-term accommodation.
These often cross jurisdictions and cover a wide range of housing such as basement suites, individual rooms, or other forms of accommodation such as trailers or motor homes.
The facility will help DO promote the town as a desirable place for the hospitality industry to live and work. As such the tourism marketing body will be collaborating with OEHS to assess and address needs, ultimately advancing the OEHS’s development projects.
“Recognizing the critical importance of affordable housing for our local workforce, Destination Osoyoos’ investment underscores the organization’s dedication to fostering a sustainable and vibrant community,” said Kelley Glazer, Executive Director of Destination Osoyoos.
Through its support of the housing society DO aims to “contribute to the long-term prosperity of Osoyoos, ensuring that those who form the backbone of our tourism industry have access to quality housing.”
