A standard room in the “camp” from Housing On Demand meets basic accommodation requirements for one person. (Contributed photo)

A group representing some key players in the local hospitality industry is promoting a plan to establish low-cost seasonal housing for tourism and hospitality employees.

The shortage of employee housing, has meant that tourism industries can’t attract the seasonal employees they need and this has limited business growth, said the Osoyoos Employee Housing Society (OEHS), a non-profit group.

Meanwhile, the OEHS faces a time crunch in which they could lose a 49-room oil worker “camp” if they don’t grab it this week, while at the same time the Town of Osoyoos needs to explore legal issues before giving the green light.

Representing the group at town council Monday were Daniel Bibby, executive director of Spirit Ridge Hyatt, Glen Harris of Osoyoos Shoreline Developments, and Ingrid Jarrett, general manager of Watermark Beach Resort.

Other directors are Joanne Muirhead, chair of Destination Osoyoos and owner of Jojo’s Cafe, and Debra Gillis, human resources director at Spirit Ridge.

The society is partnering with the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB), which will lease to the group a half-acre of land to the east of town for the “camp,” a mobile building used by Suncor for its oil workers in northern Alberta.

The lease would be a “Buckshee lease” of three to five years. A Buckshee lease is an often informal lease by an Indian band.

The land for the camp is north of Highway 3 between Rattlesnake Canyon and the Nk’Mip Corner Petro Canada and is set back from the highway.

The society had two requests for council – to help the group get a temporary exception to a covenant that prohibits erecting a building on this land, and an unspecified break on the fees for sewer and water connections.

Councillors were supportive of the initiative, which would help to resolve the problem of lack of housing for seasonal workers, but both requests required legal advice and drafting of agreements, said Barry Romanko, town chief administrative officer.

Council doesn’t meet again until May 7, he added.

OEHS has previously lost three other camps this year and last because it has been unable to act quickly enough and the deals have fallen through.

Bibby said they’ve put a deposit down on this one, which is ideal, but they stand to lose it at the end of this week if they don’t finalize the deal.

“We will have to take some risks, there’s no question about it, if we want this particular camp,” he said, adding that they wanted to get a sense of council’s level of commitment and interest before taking that risk.

Council gave administration direction to pursue the legal questions and to meet with the OIB about getting an exception to the covenant.

The society provided support letters from Destination Osoyoos (DO) and the Osoyoos Hotel and Motel Association (OHMA).

In a letter to council, the society said it was formed due to the lack of employee housing from May through to the end of October each year.

“As a result, the growing tourism economy is at risk,” the letter said. “The tourism economy is the single most important industry for Osoyoos and the Thompson Okanagan Region as a whole.”

The tourism industry is experiencing a critical shortage of qualified employees throughout the province and the competition for employees exacerbates the shortage in Osoyoos, said the letter signed by Bibby, Harris and Jarrett.

The shortage of short-term rental housing is hindering the recruitment of seasonal staff and this shortage is being exacerbated by vacation rentals through Airbnb and VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner), said the letter.

“There [is] literally a fraction of the necessary housing available to operate at capacity for our tourism businesses,” said the letter.

The society said its goal is to have the employee housing project ready for use by this spring. Despite the short time frame, they believe that goal is achievable with the partnerships working together.

The “camp” has 49 private rooms, male and female washrooms, shared laundry facilities and a gathering area for residents.

The budget to relocate the camp is $125,000. The project is intended to break even over time, the society said.

In a letter of support on behalf of DO, Muirhead noted that the lack of affordable housing impacts the ability of the community to grow its economy.

“The challenge is exacerbated in the resort-style communities such as ours in which many of the residents are seasonal workers earning minimum wage or just above minimum wage,” said Muirhead. “Accommodations suitable for this type of tenant are almost non-existent, forcing individuals interested in seasonal employment to find their own solutions in housing situations that are in some cases not even meeting provincial tenancy standards.”

DO calculates that Osoyoos and its surrounding area employ more than 3,500 people directly related to the tourism industry. That industry generates $33.2 million annually by hosting about 70,000 visitors, Muirhead said.

RICHARD McGUIRE

Osoyoos Times