Madeline Baker, Times-Chronicle
The Town of Osoyoos has added its voice to a “Call to Action” petition requesting improved wildfire, flood, and landslide protection practices from the government of British Columbia.
This petition began as a motion by the District of Lillooet and has since been joined by the Village of Chase and now Osoyoos’s own council, who voted unanimously at their February 22 meeting to do the same.
Chase council’s letter to MP Mel Arnold states in part that they would like to see “sincere intent to make meaningful changes to the forest management and wildfire protection practices in British Columbia to provide better protection for all of us from wildfires, landslides, and floods.”
Their letter was sent to MLA Todd Stone, the District of Lillooet council, and all local governments within the Union of BC Municipalities, in hopes that the Call to Action will be answered before the province enters its next fire season.
Osoyoos council will likewise pen their own letter of resolution, to be passed at a future date and sent to all relevant political figures in the South Okanagan-Similkameen.
The new B.C. budget presented on February 22 has allocated $145 million for the specific purpose of building a more proactive response system in regards to wildfire risks, including the proposal to keep BC Wildfire Service active year-round.
Seasonal worker accommodation
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) has suggested an amendment to zoning bylaws that will allow certain rural areas to build temporary living accommodations for seasonal farm workers.
A report on this bylaw referral was presented to Osoyoos town council by Director of Planning and Development Gina MacKay at the February 22 meeting.
According to the bylaw referral, housing needs for the seasonal workers on which many local farms depend cannot be met within the limitations of current zoning regulations.
It argues that Temporary Use Permits, or TUPs, could be used in certain agricultural zones to allow for construction and removal of housing each season based on the area’s assessed need.
A clear set of policies for the yearly assessment and approval of TUPs, similar to those already used for vacation rentals, is therefore recommended as a better answer for local farms than the current zoning bylaw’s allowance for size-restricted permanent “accessory dwellings.”
Osoyoos town council has approved the bylaw referral letter for consideration, and must submit any comments on the referral to RDOS by March 9.
Council favours zoning consolidation
Osoyoos town council also voted in favour of another RDOS bylaw referral presented by MacKay, which will see the consolidation of several South Okanagan electoral areas under a single zoning bylaw.
Since 2016, the RDOS has been reviewing and updating zoning bylaws across the South Okanagan to prepare for the development of what they call Okanagan Valley Zoning Bylaw no. 2800.
The RDOS hopes that adopting a single, cohesive set of zoning bylaws for the chosen electoral districts will streamline project planning across those areas.
As part of the consolidation process, the RDOS pledges to stay in close contact with town councils to ensure that the broader new set of zoning restrictions does not lead to projects with “incompatible uses” being built too close to each other across jurisdictional lines.
MacKay assured council that she is in “constant contact” with the RDOS across multiple areas of discussion, making this promise one she anticipates will be kept with relative ease.
Electoral areas “A”, “C”, “D”, “E”, “F”, and “I” have been earmarked for consolidation under Okanagan Valley Zoning Bylaw no. 2800, with remaining electoral areas “B”, “G”, and “H” left off because they lie within the Similkameen region.
