Council Meeting Highlights for July 2, 2019

Council Meeting Highlights for July 2, 2019

Click on button to watch the video of the Committee of the Whole and Regular Open meetings.

  Committee of the Whole Regular Open
 
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING
 
Business

• Gina MacKay, Director of Planning and Development Services, presented a report to provide Council with general information regarding the proposed process for the Town’s comprehensive review of the Official Community Plan.

REGULAR OPEN MEETING
 
Water Matters

• The Director of Corporate Services advised Council on the disqualification of Kuldeep Dhaliwal from the position of Water Councillor due to the absence from meetings without leave of Council.  Information on possible bi-election to follow at a future meeting.
• Council directed staff to send a letter to the RDOS asking them to consent to a service area for water district users under an extraterritorial service agreement. If the RDOS is in agreement, Council also directed staff to approach the Province with a request to amend OIC 1870 in order to eliminate Osoyoos’ need to continue with Water Councillors, instead permitting the Town to offer the Water District services through an extraterritorial agreement with the RDOS.

 Bylaws

• Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 1085.120, 2019 was read for a third time. If approved this amendment would allow for a site specific cannabis production facility to be located at 11201 115^th Street.
• Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw No. 1230.21, 2018 and Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 1085.108, 2018 were adopted. These amendments allow for the vacant parcels at 9110 and 9120 Main Street to be developed with a multi-family town home development.

 Business

• Council directed CAO Romanko to enter the Town into an agreement with Tesla to install and maintain 8 supercharger and 4 universal electric vehicle charging stations at the corner of 87^th St and 74^th Ave.
• Council accepted the 2019-2021 Resort Development Strategy, which will be forwarded to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Once the Ministry receives the Strategy RMI, funding can be received by the Town.
• Council supported the Town of Oliver making a grant application in the amount of $100,000 to the BC Rural Dividend Program Capacity Building category for the development of a Multi-Community Indoor Pool Feasibility Study.
• Council directed staff to set up meetings with the following ministers during the UBCM Convention based on the issues identified:
  
  • Municipal Affairs – Impacts and future of Water Councillors in local utility governance and potential funding for a district municipality study.
  • Health – Availability of mental health services and South Okanagan General Hospital emergency operations (with the Town of Oliver).
  • Solicitor General and Public Safety – Additional funding for Victim Services, the revolving door of repeat offenders causing petty crimes, and a joint drug enforcement officer between Oliver and Osoyoos (with Town of Oliver).
  • Transportation – Additional funding for transit to enable connectivity.
  • Forestry, Lands, and Natural Resources – Regulation relating to milfoil harvest in Okanagan Valley and specifically Osoyoos Lake.
  • Education – Ensure that rural education funding is maintained.

Reports

• Councillors King, Rhodes, and Bennett attended the announcement of additional spaces being created for the Osoyoos Childcare Expansion.
• Councillors King, Rhodes, and Bennett attended the announcement of the new bike trail connecting Cottonwood Drive and Lakeshore Drive.
• Councillor King indicated that the Accessibility and Age Friendly Advisory Committee is looking at the possibility of installing a fishing dock for those with accessibility challenges.
• Councillors King and Bennett attended the Osoyoos Secondary School graduation ceremony.
• Councillor Bennett attended the Destination Osoyoos board meeting on June 18th.
• Councillor Bennett attended the Primary Care Network meeting on June 20th.
• Councillor Bennett attended the meeting with Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations about trails at Vaseux Lake.
• Councillor Bennett attended the School District #53 meeting.
• Councillor Bennett attended the South Okanagan General Hospital HEAT alert meeting.
• Councillor Bennett attended the 71^st Cherry Fiesta celebrations.
• Councillor Rhodes attended the last day of school celebrations at Osoyoos Elementary.
• Mayor McKortoff and Councillors King and Rhodes attended the ribbon cutting ceremony at Osoyoos Elementary School for the Natural Playground.
• Mayor McKortoff and Councillor King thanked the Osoyoos Festival Society for all of their hard work for the 71^st Cherry Fiesta.
• Mayor McKortoff thanked the RCMP and Bylaw Enforcement for their hard work during the Cherry Fiesta.
• Mayor McKortoff noted that Music in the Park broke their attendance record on June 28^th and encouraged everyone to come out and enjoy the music this summer.
• Mayor McKortoff thanked the volunteers in the community that help out with all the events in Town.
• Mayor McKortoff thanked CAO Romanko and the Public Works crew for helping out with the Cherry Fiesta.
• Mayor McKortoff thanked Frank Zandvliet for his outstanding fireworks display, which are the best in Canada.
• Mayor McKortoff and Councillor King attended the announcement at Spirit Ridge concerning the National Park Reserve.

 
Copies of reports are available within the Council Agenda packages located on the Town’s website www.osoyoos.ca.
 
The public is encouraged to attend the Committee of the Whole meetings which take place in Council Chambers at 9:00 am on the morning of the Regular Open Council meetings at 2:00 pm to learn additional in-depth information regarding upcoming business.