The Town of Osoyoos has agreed to join the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) as members of a regional heritage fund.
Local taxpayers will pay a small fee of 34 cents per year – which equates to $20,000 in annual funding – to promote heritage conservation across the region.
The town was considering establishing its own heritage conservation fund, but staff recommended that pooling regional resources would create benefits beyond what the town could create on its own.
Alain Cunningham, the town’s director of planning and development services, told town councillors Monday that the RDOS currently has a heritage bylaw which applies to five of eight electoral areas, including Area A near Osoyoos, but no municipalities currently are members.
Establishing a full regional service requires consent by all parties and Penticton, Keremeos and Oliver have all recently approved joining and it’s expected the RDOS board will vote in the remaining electoral areas very soon, said Cunningham.
“Obviously a large amount of work and thought have already been invested in this venture,” he said. “The many heritage conservation initiatives envisaged include community education, improving inventory, listing and in some cases registering heritage resources, promoting and marketing heritage attractions and creating a Regional Heritage Commission.”
These measures should generate worthwhile benefits such as increasing regional and community pride, promoting cultural tourism, which is a huge draw for visitors, and connections and support for local museums and heritage societies, said Cunningham.
Kara Burton, the manager of the Osoyoos Museum, sees numerous benefits through regionally linked promotional activities and workshop-sharing opportunities, he said.
The RDOS requested two months ago that the town consider supporting establishment of heritage conservation as a regional service across the whole region.
Lindsay Bourque, an RDOS regional projects officer, followed up with a presentation to town council in the middle of November.
Coun. C. J. Rhodes said he’s all in favour of this new initiative, but he wanted assurances the interests of Osoyoos residents in promoting heritage events would be considered and respected by the RDOS board once the regional service is operational.
Cunningham said Mayor Sue McKortoff and Rhodes, who both sit on the RDOS board, would have to “be vigilant” in voicing the concerns of local residents and ensuring this community gets it fair share of funding and exposure with the regional heritage plan.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
