By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle

The new Osoyoos Town Council was sworn in at its inaugural meeting on Nov. 1 following the election which saw incumbents Mayor Sue McKortoff returned along with Councillors Myers Bennett and Jim King, as well as newcomer Councillors Johnny Cheong and Zach Poturica.

Much of the first meeting involved filling the seats of standing and select committees of Council and liaisons to other regional groups. A schedule for acting mayor duties was also approved.

Council also voted to disband the Traffic Safety Committee which was established as a Pedestrian Safety Committee for the Highway 3 corridor in March of 2012 at the behest of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI).

According to the committee’s terms of reference, it was established “for a short project completion” with a scope including identifying “opportunities to improve pedestrian and traffic safety within town boundaries, including highway and neighbourhood corridors.”

Town staff recommended disbanding it based on the fact that pedestrian and traffic safety is something now covered by the Operational Services Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC) and MOTI. 

“It is further supported by traffic management reviews, Active Transportation Network Plans as well as good engineering practices,” said Director of Corporate Services Brianne Hillson. 

“The Town enjoys an excellent working relationship with the RCMP, MOTI and ICBC and will continue to foster those relationships without the need for a committee.” 

Should there be a need in future then a new set of terms of reference should be created, she said. “The broad scope outlined above does not provide the committee with any achievable metrics to demonstrate that the committee is being effective.”

Committees

Accessibility & Age Friendly Committee

  • Council: Jim King and Johnny Cheong (alternate)
  • Public: Mike Stiles, Sarah Lindley-Jones, Cheryl Wheaton, Margaret Ann Turner, Sue Terada, Pam Jensen, Jasmine Calisto, Interior Health Authority Liaison
  • Town Staff: Gerald Davis


Advisory Design Panel (ADP) 

  • Zach Poturica and Myers Bennett (alternate)
  • Public: Roger Horton, Julie Hamilton, Bob Stubbs, Joanne Hebig, Herb Wycherly
  • Town Staff: Gina MacKay

Community Services Advisory Committee

  • Jim King and Johnny Cheong (alternate)
  • Public: Mike Stiles, Michelle Quail, Howard Rensie
  • Town Staff: Gerald Davis

Project Management Committee 

  • Zach Poturica and Myers Bennett (alternate)

 

Regional Liaisons

Highway 3 Coalition

  • Sue McKortoff

The coalition is made up of mayors and chairs of communities along the Crowsnest Hwy. 3 from Hope to the Alberta border. Meetings are typically held in Castlegar as it is roughly the central point. The Coalition works closely with the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure with  many of the changes on Hwy. 3 – such as work to improve cell phone connectivity – initiated by this coalition, according to McKortoff.

 

Municipal Insurance of BC

  • Myers Bennett and Jim King (alternate)

School Board Liaison

  • Zach Poturica and Johnny Cheong (alternate)

Council has maintained a sharp focus on this board since 2016 when Osoyoos almost lost the high school to funding cuts. “Council has felt it important to have a representative at every meeting,” McKortoff noted. Sometimes this means an Osoyoos council member is the only person outside of staff attending the meeting, she added.

 

Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS) Board

  • Sue McKortoff and Jim King (alternate)

It has been a practice of the Town that the RDOS appointment be the mayor and the alternate being another member of Council.

 

Destination Osoyoos Board 

  • Zach Poturica and Johnny Cheong (alternate)

Okanagan Regional Library Board

  • Myers Bennett and Jim King (alternate)