Community leaders express new year’s outlook – Pt. 1

Clarence Louie

Clarence Louie, Osoyoos Indian Band Chief

Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie said not everyone agrees what the focus should be in 2023.

“Now from me, and me alone (aside from council), every business owner knows every year you want to create more jobs and make more money.”

Louie said the band hopes to lease out and develop the remaining property on Tucelnuit Lake. He noted if that land was privately owned, it would have had residential development on it years ago.

“I hope we get some of our old reserve back which is genuine reconciliation as the former premier once told me.”

Louie said their focus is land in Okanagan Falls and along Black Sage Road between Oliver and Osoyoos. “That is my key desire for this year.”

David McBean

David McBean, General Manager, Watermark Beach Resort

I feel that we will have another really positive year in the Okanagan Valley as far as the hospitality industry is concerned.  The pandemic provided a lot of new awareness to Canadians about what the Okanagan Valley has to offer and we’re already seeing a really great booking pace for the upcoming season.  

More specifically to the Watermark Beach Resort, we’ve taken advantage of the off season to make a lot of really great upgrades to the resort on everything from meeting space, to guest room hallways, to a bedding upgrade, to restaurant upgrades which will just further cement Watermark Beach Resort’s position in the market as a premium luxury hotel experience.  

Historically the challenge in the South Okanagan has been having enough employees to service the business we have rather than having the business. 

We’ve been working hard to use as many government programs to bring in workers from around the world to ensure our team is well prepared to welcome our guests this upcoming season which in turn will lead to a great experience that will have our guests continue to choose our property when choosing a vacation destination.

Bev Young

Bev Young, school district superintendent

Superintendent of Schools Bev Young said the biggest area of focus in 2023 will be the new strategic plan for the district. 

She noted they have completed the public engagement phase and will be sorting through the myriad of data from staff, students, families, and partners to identify areas of priority for the next 10 years. Once these are identified, staff will put them into an operational plan to present to the board.

The superintendent said she anticipates that mental health and well-being of students will be prominent issues this year.

Urs Grob, Fire Chief, Anarchist Mountain Fire Department

Anarchist Mountain Fire Department is located in a high to extreme risk area for wildfire.  Knowing this, our community has been proactive in education for FireSmart.  We have a dedicated program that has been running for 11 years now, and it made all the difference during the Nk’Mip wildfire in 2021.  No structures were lost, which is a huge achievement in such a high-risk area.

In the past year, we have seen the formation of the Anarchist Mountain Fire Rescue Society which is a non-profit organization that has charitable status.  This was formed outside of the fire department so that we can have focused programs that receive financial support for training, equipment and fire prevention initiatives that are not funded within our tax base.

The annual Silent Auction is a big financial support for AMFRS and as a charitable organization, we are looking towards other funding avenues to further increase our wildfire protection and resilience in areas that go beyond private homes and properties.

In 2023, my desire is to see increased awareness and practices of FireSmart of our residents that are new to Anarchist Mountain, as well as neighbouring communities to help keep our land, properties, and most importantly, people safe.  Everyone, no matter where they live – in town or up on a mountain –  needs to be FireSmart.

Denise Blashko

Denise Blashko, South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce 

“2023 is looking pretty good for our region.  Many of our non-profits, municipalities, and organizations, including our Chamber, have been proactive in applying for funding and successfully bringing money into our local economy. 

 If we all have a ‘think local first’ mindset, get out in real life, truly work together, and enjoy what our South Okanagan communities have to offer – we will all benefit.

Investing our time, money and attention in our neighbours, our communities, and our businesses is going to be key for all of us to increase our chances at having a successful year. ” 

Joanne Bray

Joanne Bray, Oliver Lion’s Club president

Oliver Lion’s Club president Joanne Bray is frank when asked what issues will be top of mind for them in 2023.

“Needing new members before we have to fold our club.”

Bray said the challenge is not having enough members to meet the concerns of the community. 

She noted the club would like to do more fundraisers to help children who suffer from health problems.

Zach Poturica

Zach Poturica, Osoyoos Councillor 

I believe water quality and housing will continue to be important issues facing our community as we welcome the new year.   

As we continue to plan for future water infrastructure improvements I’m optimistic we can begin looking forward to significant investments to address the demands on our current systems. 

I’m hopeful that changes to our zoning bylaw including addressing short-term rentals along with a number of new housing starts will help the community to start seeing some relief on the housing challenges we currently face.

Scott Tremblay

Scott Tremblay, OSS principal

It is a really exciting time to be in education. Over the last two years, there have been many changes taking place in the areas of curriculum and assessment. 

Both changes will definitely provide more opportunities that enhance learning, such as the inclusion of an Indigenous perspective course as part of the graduation requirements. 

Additionally, the introduction of the proficiency scale as the main assessment tool in grades 8 and 9 has encouraged more emphasis on self-assessment and improved reflective practices. 

By improving the quality of education at OSS, we hope to see improvements with students’ health and well-being.

Sally Franks

Sally Franks, Oliver Sagebrushers

Long-time artist Sally Franks from Oliver Sagebrushers said 2023 is bringing a year of hope. 

“It is my hope that the citizens of Oliver will take the time to explore all the amenities that we have here before shopping elsewhere. Many new shops have opened and they need our support.”

Franks said the new park on Station Street will bring many more community events to enjoy. She also noted her amazement of the ambience and setting at the District Wine Village.

“We are very fortunate to have a strong arts community in Oliver. This year I would like to see the Art Walk resume as well as painting in the downtown area.”

Franks said Oliver Sagebrushers’ gallery on Main Street will be featuring artists and will host receptions for the public to enjoy. 

“My desire for this community is to keep its reputation for being a very friendly town and to see the Main Street filled with cars to show that they are supporting shopping in Oliver.”

Ian Lobb

Ian Lobb, Oliver Tourism executive director

Ian Lobb, executive director of Oliver Tourism, said he is optimistic for 2023, especially coming from a pandemic and a few natural disasters (to learn from) along the way.

“I think everyone is excited for travel in 2023 and seeing the positive impacts from tourism in the local economy.”

But Lobb admits the challenge of the past few years remains staffing and housing, which create barriers for execution and delivery of products in all sectors. 

“Across the valley, the province and the country, we have all faced staff shortages and have issues with affordable housing making it a struggle for businesses to stay afloat.”

Lobb said he believes 2023 will be another year of people coming to Oliver and the South Okanagan for festivals and events. He predicts a larger number of visitors from the US and other countries.

“Collaboration with our Indigenous communities, local partners and regional teams will again be paramount to making our region the destination of choice.”

Beata Tolley

Beata Tolley, Winery Manager, Moon Curser Vineyards

2023 is likely to be a challenging year for us and the Okanagan and BC wine industry. Like just about any other business in the country we’ve had to deal with ongoing supply chain disruptions and substantial inflation causing significant increases to the costs of supplies such as glass bottles, winery and vineyard equipment. Shipping costs have also increased both for the deliveries of our supplies as well as shipments of wine to our customers. Our customers’ purchasing power has also been decreasing as a result of ongoing inflation – that is likely to impact both how much wine is purchased and also future plans for travel to the Okanagan. Tourism is such an essential component to BC wineries’ success – any significant drop in its levels would impact our financial results.

On a more positive note though, the BC wine industry has weathered economic storms before and come out stronger and better in the end – there’s no reason to think that will not happen again. South Okanagan continues to be both a beautiful place to visit and a phenomenal location for growing world class wines – that will continue to remain the solid foundation upon which we have created our thriving wine culture and reputation for excellence in winemaking. All our wineries continue to grow, refine and make amazing wine – as a result, we enjoy an enormous level of support and affection from BC and Canadian wine consumers and we’re confident that will continue as well. At Moon Curser, we’re very excited about the quality of 2021 and 2022 wines currently in tank and barrel and we’re  looking forward to sharing our wines with the world at large over the next year. 

On balance, we continue to be optimistic about the future of Moon Curser Vineyard and BC wine industry but we’re buckling ourselves in for a bit in anticipation of temporary economic turbulence over the next while. Onward and upward!

Sue McKortoff

Sue McKortoff, Mayor of Osoyoos

Mayor of Osoyoos, Sue McKortoff said about heading into 2023 that there are five council priorities: mixed housing strategy, updating zoning bylaws (in particular short-term rentals), public engagement (possibilities include a Facebook page, radio, a electronic town bulletin board, etc), water master plans, and helping out medical professionals.

But for her personally, McKortoff wants to champion getting outdoor fitness equipment and moving the weather station to a better location if there is an economically viable way to do it.

Lyle Kent

Lyle Kent, President, Royal Canadian Legion, Osoyoos

President of the Osoyoos Legion Lyle Kent said that purchasing and in-stalling a wheelchair lift to the second floor is the big thing that the Legion is pushing for this year. Upstairs is off limits at the moment to anyone that requires a lift, so they are planning on fundraising to open up that space for bingo and other events to make the building more accessible. In addition to this project, the Legion is looking to keep fundraising steady to continue to provide for the people of Osoyoos.