Community leaders express new year’s outlook – Pt. 2

Jennifer Busmann, Executive Director of Oliver Osoyoos Wine Association (OOWA)

Businesses, whether they are wine related, smaller or larger are facing some challenges, one of them being staffing. When it comes to the wine industry we’re now working through wineries having shorter inventory on vintages because of smoke taint. All of that being said, there’s a lot of conversations around many different tables when it comes to tourism and what tourism traffic is going to look like in 2023. Are we going to get back to having international travellers, is it still going to be our ‘staycation’ kind of travel seekers? All questions we don’t know the answers to.

 I think, positively speaking, as the winery association we’ve launched announcements for our 2023 signature events. We’re celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Half Corked Marathon in May of this year and we have sold out early bird tickets to our previous participants. So despite the earlier statements we’ve moved forward with an event that we’re really excited to be planning and getting community buy-in. The temperature check at this point looks like people are really, really excited to be coming back to the Okanagan region and doing all those things that they love, so I think that’s a really positive kind of note at this time of the year.

 My desire for the community is to help solve our housing crisis for seasonal workers. We so desperately need housing. In tourism, hospitality, and agriculture that’s really challenging; those aren’t the highest paying jobs and rent is so expensive here and it’s so limited with what’s available. So for the 2023 docket for me would be to move forward on affordable housing.

Jason McAllister, Oliver Elementary School principal

Oliver Elementary School principal Jason McAllister said OES has a diverse community with more than 19 languages spoken at home.  

“Throughout the year we have been looking at ways to embrace the various cultures of our students and find ways to better communicate and include families where the understanding of English may be a barrier to feeling comfortable at the school.”

McAllister said the school has also been improving and expanding its breakfast and lunch programs to help enhance food security for students.

As far as challenges, the principal said the biggest issues they have seen over the last couple of years is housing and food security.  

“Although these issues are definitely not Oliver-specific, they seem to be amplified in a town our size. The food security issue has become much more apparent with our students this year.”

Marieze Tarr, Executive Director, Desert Sun Counselling

“It’s an open book [the new year] when it starts I always say. What we certainly have seen in our first week of our office opening, we cannot believe the amount of referrals that we have had for men seeking counselling. That seems to be a trend so obviously the stress, the financial stress that is out there is showing itself in our community. Men are struggling with the stress of the cost of living, and then that often translates into relationship struggles. 

The other problem that we’re facing is like any other work environment, we are struggling to find staff. Staffing is a huge issue and we would like to hire more counsellors, but we haven’t been able to necessarily recruit anyone. It’s very typical of the environment that we’re living in right now, all of the other organizations are going through the same kind of struggles we’re going through. 

We’re doing the best that we can, being creative and trying to help as many people as we possibly can and being there with people in these struggling times that we’re going through at the moment. 

My desire for the community would be that people work together and collaborate to look after the vulnerable people in our community like they have just done with our fundraiser. It’s been hugely successful and we reached our $75,000 target!

I just want to say thank you to both the communities of Osoyoos and Oliver for their support with our fundraiser and that they helped us reach our target which enabled us to help so many people that are in need on a daily basis.

Aimee Grice, Councillor, Town of Oliver

Oliver town councillor Aimee Grice said her informal Facebook survey uncovered some themes that need addressing.

“Many of the residents are concerned about the health and wellness of our community with issues such as affordable housing, public transportation, the doctor shortage, and food security.”

She said other issues emerged such as communication, roads, and infrastructure concerns.

“What I heard from people is they want us to help take care of them.”

Grice said one priority that stands out for her is focusing on the community’s social development. For example, helping through advocacy and assisting people through bureaucracy.

Bob Graham, Oliver Fire Chief

Oliver Fire Chief Bob Graham said community protection/citizen safety is top of mind as the department heads into the new year.

He noted they had a significant increase in call volume in 2022 due to the department starting to respond to medical calls. 

With the addition of more BC ambulance staff, it is hoped their calls for assistance will be reduced. 

Graham warily eyes 2023 as climate and weather pattern changes set the stage for an extended wildfire season. 

“In the past year, we have seen a decrease in the number of human caused fires and we hope that trend continues. 

Graham said the challenge for the Oliver Fire Department is similar to that of most volunteer departments – the recruitment and retention of members. “We have been very fortunate to have a great team that is dedicated to the department . . . the biggest challenge is to ensure that all the members are fully trained in the various courses that we have to complete.”

The chief said they are constantly adding new responsibilities and there never seems to be enough time to do all the training that is required.

Graham said the department will acquire a new fire truck later this year. He also mentioned their new training requirements will help them improve their response to emergencies.

Claudia Punter, Curator, The Art Gallery Osoyoos

We have all dealt with the effects of the pandemic and continue to deal with the flu but I think everyone is at a point where they want to go out and enjoy life.

The Art Gallery Osoyoos is our community gallery. My challenge is to make people aware that throughout every year there are artisan markets and other shows that anyone can participate in. I think often amateur or emerging artists, be it painters, potters, writers, photographers, fabric artists, (the list goes on) think of themselves as hobbyists and are too shy to share their creativity and participate in events.

A goal I have, as curator of the gallery, is to welcome you whatever your age, from two to 102 years of age, whatever your level of artistry. I love that people share ideas and projects, ask questions, make suggestions, visit our several excellent galleries, exhibitions in wineries, restaurants, and other venues, and get inspired and involved.

Be part of and share in our community. There is no one who is not good enough. And continuing to learn is so good for us all. We can help each other, work together, and have fun together. A vision for the coming year is that more artists in different mediums are willing to give short workshops, in small groups, not only for other artists but for all people in our area. Expressing your creativity should be a joy, and should be shared.

Roly Russell, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen

I am hopeful. It’s been a remarkably challenging couple of years for a lot of people on any number of fronts, not the least of which is the pandemic. So genuinely I am coming into 2023 pretty hopeful about the opportunities and the work on the horizon. 

Every day we get a lot of communication coming into the office which helps us define what our priorities are, and some of that, we have the luxury of it setting a bit of a vision for the year ahead and sometimes it is much more reactive. At times we are dealing with issues that arise and consume a lot of our energy, like the atmospheric rivers and the implications for different areas. 

Then there are other issues like primary and acute care issues in the South Okanagan which we know are front and centre and we know we are going to be putting a lot of energy into it in the year ahead. Also focusing on modernization and sustainability of our forest practices. 

I have also been working on a handful of issues with the wine sector here in the South Okanagan. How best do we align our policies to work well for people producing BC wine? Also, emergency management broadly, on the legislative side of things in Victoria there will be significant work ahead. 

Martin Johansen, Oliver Mayor

Oliver Mayor Martin Johansen said issues he thinks will dominate Oliver’s focus this year are: 

• Access to healthcare especially considering the large number of unattached patients there are in the South Okanagan. 
• Access to affordable housing which continues to be a significant challenge for residents and employers.
• Economic development to support and improve the local economy. 

“The main issue I will be setting my sights on is the development of our strategic plan for the next four years.”

The mayor said they need to build a plan that is robust and well thought out with regular quarterly reviews.

“One key desire I have for the Town in 2023 is to see construction started on the significant amount of multi-family development projects council has approved over the last couple of years.”

Estelle Pavan, Oliver Legion President

Oliver Legion president Estelle Pavan said they believe the beautification of Station Street will transform the area into a meeting place for locals and visitors alike.“Our desire is that young, ambitious entrepreneurs might find a reason to choose our town to start their working life.”

Pavan said the Legion’s mandate has always been to help and support veterans, and that will continue in 2023. She noted they have a committee that ensures ailing and sick members receive regular visits and support. She added that the Legion’s chaplain visits veterans and members who have experienced a tragedy. Donating to local charities is another goal that the Legion pursues, Pavan said.

Richard Cannings, Member of Parliament for South Okanagan-West Kootenay

I am hoping those inflationary pressures will yield throughout the year looking ahead. So my hope for the year is to focus on inflation. You know a lot of the inflationary pressures come from outside Canada so there is not a lot we can do about it ourselves without having impacts on something like jobs. The Bank of Canada has been raising interest rates to cool inflationary pressures, but there are other things impacted by those kinds of changes. So we really hope that the factors that are causing inflation around the globe will ease. But in the meantime, the government has to play a role in making sure that vulnerable Canadians can get by. 

Personally, I have two private members bills that are on the order papers in the House of Commons and one is a private members bill I started back in 2016, so it’s been a long haul but I think this year it will actually pass and become law. That’s my bill that asks the government to use environmentally friendly products when building federal infrastructure, and eventually, it keys in on wood, but it simply asks the government to look at the carbon footprint of the building materials and other environmental benefits when building federal infrastructure. So that is one bill that I think will be passed this spring. 

The second private member’s bill I have is the Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights, which is a broad bill that basically says Canadians have the right to live in a healthy and clean environment and put that into law with respect to federal legislation. We will start debating that probably towards the end of March. I am practically optimistic we will make some headway there.

Kara Burton, Executive Director Osoyoos & District Museum and Archives

This year will be an exciting one for the Osoyoos Museum Society (OMS).  The renovation project will be complete and we look forward to inviting the community to enjoy this space through the displays in the museum, the Urban Heritage Park, or presentations in the new multi-purpose room. New exhibits will be developed and stories told about the land, the people, and the industries that have shaped the Town of Osoyoos. 

We are grateful for the support received towards the renovation of the Osoyoos & District Museum and Archives through financial or in-kind donations, event support, and volunteer hours. In the coming year, the OMS will host our grand opening in the new location as well as various fundraising and open house events to give everyone an opportunity to visit, enjoy, and learn at the Osoyoos Museum.