Osoyoos town hall. (File photo)

By Dale Boyd

Osoyoos Times

Local politicians and town staff have returned to Osoyoos after getting one-on-one time to lobby provincial ministers at the annual Union of BC Municipalities convention held in Vancouver from Sept. 23 to 27.

Couns. Myers Bennett, CJ Rhodes, Jim King, town CAO Allan Chabot and Mayor Sue McKortoff attended the series of meetings between the province and all municipalities in BC.

Among the highlights, McKortoff said, was meetings with Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Selina Robinson, where the possibility of more funding for victim’s services in Osoyoos was explored. As well, McKortoff and local politicians lobbied Robinson for funding to start a study to explore the possibility of combining part, or all, of Area A (rural Osoyoos) into one district municipality with the town.

• Read more: Peanut Lake development not allowed to have age restrictions

“That has been talked about many times over the few years, but we just wanted her to know it might be worth looking at a study,” McKortoff said.

McKortoff also attended a meeting with Minister of Education Rob Fleming to ensure schools continue to stay open in the community.

“Making sure he realized we want to know any changes to the (School) Act and want him to know we’re really involved in the education in our area and we want to keep our school. He was here as the opposition critic when the school had the possibility of being closed, so he understands that,”
McKortoff said.

Joining forces with the representatives from the Town of Oliver, McKortoff and Osoyoos councillors talked to the Minister of Health Adrian Dix to ensure the South Okanagan General Hospital emergency departments  stays open.

“And that we can use it as an after-hours clinic because we don’t have clinics in Osoyoos that stay open after hours. It’s an emergency room problem, but it is also walk-in clinics,” McKortoff said.

• Read more: Housing prominent theme of Official Community Plan launch

A new primary care network program from the province is going to be established in Penticton before the South Okanagan.

“It’s a really good program, but it takes a while to get these things set up and get these things organized. In the South Okanagan we have been meeting for years on these issues and they are going to put one primary care network and open it in Penticton first and learn as they do it,” McKortoff said.

Invasive species management, a meeting of the Highway 3 coalition and attending meeting with the other 13 resort municipalities who receive provincial funding under that designation rounded out the “very busy week,” McKortoff said.

The cost to the town, roughly $15,000, is well worth the face-time,  McKortoff said.

“It was a very good use of our time. The money that is spent, because we budget money to go to the conference, it’s a really good conference to go to. Lots of networking, lots of opportunity to meet people and figure out things,” McKortoff said.