-City status could mean higher policing costs, loss of grants-

OSOYOOS TIMES-August 6, 2008-

By Chad IngramrnOsoyoos Times

What exactly is the population of Osoyoos?
The answer to this question seems to be elusive and is one that could have profound implications for the way the Town operates.
According to Statistics Canada, the population of Osoyoos is 4,752.
This is the number that was tallied following the 2006 census.
However, according to B.C. Stats, Osoyoos's population was 5,115 as of the end of 2007.
B.C. communities with fewer than 5,000 residents are considered towns, while those with more than 5,000 people are considered cities.
Moving up a category would mean a difference in the provincial and federal grants Osoyoos would be eligible for, as well as increased costs for policing.
I think the problem is we're having problems finding out our population, said Coun. Stu Wells.
Wells said he sees mail in the town office, some addressed to the Town of Osoyoos and some addressed to the City of Osoyoos.
Destination Osoyoos (DO) has Osoyoos's population listed as 6,552 on its website, although DO Chief Executive Officer Glenn Mandziuk explained in an e-mail that this number is a combination of the population of the municipality of Osoyoos and the population of Rural Area A of the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen from the 2006 census.
Of the changes that Osoyoos would experience if it is now defined as a city, the big one is policing, Wells said.
Currently, the Town pays $280,569 a year towards policing costs, an amount that represents 50 per cent of its total policing budget.
B.C. communities make contributions to the provincial government to subsidize their policing costs. The larger a community, the more it pays for policing.
A city the size of Kelowna, for example, is responsible for all of its policing costs.
Osoyoos Finance Director Jim Zakall said the province generally uses numbers from Statistics Canada when it considers these types of funding decisions.
However, Zakall said it is possible Osoyoos could soon be responsible for as much as 75 per cent of its policing costs.
We haven't heard a reply on that yet, he said.
Zakall said that with increased police spending, the municipality would gain more control over the operation of the local police force, with more input into things like staffing decisions.
You're falling out of one category and into another, he said.
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