A standard room in the “camp” meets basic accommodation requirements. (Contributed photo)

A 49-room “camp” for seasonal hospitality workers is on its way to Osoyoos shortly.

“We are moving ahead with the camp and have secured it,” said Daniel Bibby, executive director of Spirit Ridge Hyatt, who represents the Osoyoos Employee Housing Society (OEHS), a non-profit group.

“We are just currently working through details on the utility connections with the Town of Osoyoos and the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB), so that piece is not quite finished yet.”

Bibby said his society has an agreement with the town and the OIB allowing them to store the camp on site, but they can’t occupy it or hook up utilities until there is formal approval from council.

Council next meets on Monday, May 7.

Bibby said OEHS is hoping to have the rental units available by May 15, though he acknowledges that might be optimistic.

The “camp” will be located on OIB land to the west of the Nk’Mip Corner Petro Canada station, but set back from Highway 3 among orchards.

The half-acre of land is part of a larger area that was purchased by OIB and added to the reserve.

The town and the OIB need to agree to an exception to a covenant that prohibits erecting a building on this land in order to protect it for future development. The mobile building would only be there during the three- to five-year period that the land is leased.

In an interview on Friday, Bibby said the plan is to assemble the camp this week.

“It takes 12 trucks that will be bringing pieces of it down,” he said, noting that it is assembled on site. “It’s a modular housing development.”

The camp was last used by Suncor for its oil workers in northern Alberta.

The initiative to purchase the camp came about because a shortage of rental housing for seasonal workers in the hospitality industry has been a serious problem.

The OEHS includes some key players in the local hospitality industry, including Ingrid Jarrett, general manager of Watermark Beach Resort. The initiative has support from Destination Osoyoos and the Osoyoos Hotel and Motel Association.

The housing shortage is exacerbated by vacation rentals through Airbnb and VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner), OEHS says.

Each room in the camp provides basic private accommodation for one person and there are men’s and women’s washrooms, shared laundry facilities and a gathering area for residents.

“I think it’s a great initiative for our community,” said Bibby. “I think we’ll very shortly have an additional 49 rooms to help house employees in the area, who desperately need it. I know a lot of the hotels and restaurants are very anxious to have this up and running.”

This is the fourth camp in two years that OEHS has attempted to buy for this purpose. The previous three fell through because they couldn’t move fast enough with the purchase.

This time, rather than lose a camp that seemed well suited, they took a chance and purchased it before all approvals were in place.

“There’s definitely a risk associated, but both my colleagues at the Watermark Beach Resort and ourselves felt that if we were going to move on this camp, we didn’t want to lose this opportunity,” said Bibby. “There’s a bit of risk, but I think it’s for the right reason.”

RICHARD McGUIRE

Osoyoos Times