BACKGROUND: The South Okanagan-Similkameen Transit Future Plan was adopted by the RDOS Board in April of 2015, in consultation with several stakeholders, service groups and the public.

This plan guides and prioritizes future investment in the transit systems, sets ridership targets, identifies key transit corridors and identifies the fleet, service hours and infrastructure needed to support the transit network. Transit Future Plans support local and regional land use objectives and decision-making. Transit Future Action Plans are conducted every five years following a Transit Future Plan (TFP) to refine those transit priorities and to guide transit decision making over the next 5 years for the transit system. Given that it has now been five years since the Transit Future Plan was adopted, BC Transit is facilitating the implementation of the 2020 Transit Action Future Action Plan with the collaboration of municipalities in the South Okanagan Similkameen and the RDOS.

The project scope will include itemizing the (TFP) progress to date; identifying and prioritizing transit service and infrastructure options; and building on relevant local plans and policies. The first phase of the consultation for the plan will begin in early March with an on-board customer satisfaction survey to gather feedback directly from the users of the system. The second phase of consultation will begin in early April, which will include open houses throughout the South Okanagan Similkameen to gather input from current and potential users of the system. An open-house will be held on April 1 at the Oliver Community Centre, from 8:30am to 10:30am.

An online survey will also be included in the consultations for phase 2. A presentation of the draft Transit Future Action Plan priorities to elected officials of direct partners for endorsement (in our case to the RDOS) will be completed this summer with the Transit Future Action Plan completion scheduled for fall/winter 2020. Currently, Route 40 (Osoyoos/Penticton) runs two times a day, with pick up in Oliver at 7:35am and 12:50pm from the Kootenay/Co-Op and Oliver Hospital stops.

These busses return later in the morning and afternoon. A PDF map has been attached showing the routing and stops. Some of the questions to be discussed during the engagement sessions are:

• should a local Oliver service be created? What would the route look like, where would the stops be, and at what frequency?

• should services be increased between Oliver and Osoyoos? • should the Route 40 bus (Osoyoos/Penticton) be increased to four trips during the week rather than two?

Should a Saturday trip be introduced?

The RDOS has approved their portion of funding to expand the two midday trips on the Route 70 Penticton/Kelowna to operate every weekday starting in September 2020, and planning work is currently underway for this expansion.

This will mean that South Okanagan Transit riders will be able to access the transfer bus to Kelowna in Penticton Monday through Friday.

Source: Report to Council – Town of Oliver

The pipeline blockade is into its second week and the signs are the demonstrators are losing momentum.  There are some good reasons for that.   The organizers lost control of their own agenda.

While it was a pipeline blockade that was the central issue it had cautious support in many parts of society. Then blocking the rails became the weapon of choice and the would be environmental movement went silent.  It is now perceived as a bunch of lawless people without a sense of direction being disruptive.

The perfect plan would have been to have the police use a heavy hand and have the situation escalate to rail and others areas.  What has happened is the escalation started without provocation.

It is not a case of the steam blowing out of the movement it is a case of people losing sight of their objective and overplaying their hand.  The government didn’t pit them off against each other they have isolated themselves.  As a spectator with some knowledge of how these things work, I was convinced by Wednesday they did themselves a disservice.

I remember a couple of times when a small group within the organization I represented wanted to block a bridge to protest.

My approach was to negotiate a better deal in a less confrontational manner.  It proved to be far more productive.

For what its worth, yes decades ago I did spend time on a picket line.  In another situation I was a general manager as well.  Problems don’t get solved overnight.  When things heat up both sides let the situation play out with a strike or blockade.  It is far better to have a blockade than a potential violent confrontation.

The problem here is the demonstration and blockade has lost its focus and relevance and it is time to end all blockades and it is also time for the government and companies to talk to the hereditary Chiefs something they did not properly do in the first place.  It should also serve as a thought provoking question.  What does in the public interest really mean?  How much clout should government and corporations have to bend the will of the people who are affected at ground zero when these decisions are made?   I believe it was Dave Barrett who once said.  Opinions vary depending on who’s ox is being gored.

Fred Steele

Just how liquid are your investments? If you don’t know the answer to that question, it’s time to find out.

Many people evaluate their investment options by how much return or growth they can reasonably expect and don’t look at other important factors. In addition to asking how safe your investments are, you should also be asking how liquid they will be.

The definition of a liquid investment is “an asset that can be converted into cash quickly and with minimal impact to the price received”. For an asset to be considered liquid, it needs to be bought and sold in an established market with enough participants to absorb the sale without significantly impacting the price.

So why is the liquidity of your investments so important? For one, if it cannot be easily sold or if your money is “locked in” somehow, you may not be able to access it when you need it. If there is not enough volume to absorb your intended sale without impacting the price, you may be forced to either hold onto something you no longer want or alternatively sell the asset for less than it’s supposed to be worth. Either, or both of these issues, can have a significant impact on your investment portfolio’s value and your income needs.

To help illustrate how the lack of liquidity can be an issue I’m going to highlight a couple of examples:

A client had RRSP holdings in a Mortgage Investment Corporation (MIC).  When the client turned 71 he had to convert his RRSP to a RRIF.  Every year he receives a T4RRIF for the RRIF minimum, which he must withdraw.  However, he does not actually receive the money, but instead the organization does an in-kind transfer to a non-registered account in his name.

He has repeatedly tried to cash in the investment but there is no money available to pay investors.  He is left holding an investment that he can’t access, never receives an income from and has to pay taxes on.

Another example is an ill-fated development project is in the South Pandosy area of Kelowna. Several individuals “invested” $200,000 of their hard-earned money in 2011 to buy a “bond” to help finance this joint residential and commercial development. After the original developer ran out of money, a second developer took over.

While they had expected to be paid back roughly $250,000 in March of 2013, the second developer also failed to finish the project and it ended up in front of the courts. 20 months after they had expected to be repaid, the courts finally accepted a lowball offer from a third developer to take the project on.

Where did this leave the investors who’d each put in $200,000? You guessed it; they were too far down the list of those owed money and ended up with $0.

If an investment looks too good to be true it probably is. Think of a MIC invested in mortgages that pays the investor 10 per cent per year and claims to be in “safe mortgages just like yours”. What do you pay in interest on your mortgage, maybe three per cent? The math just doesn’t add up…

So, what should you learn from all this? In addition to researching what type of returns you might earn and how risky an investment is, make sure to also ask how liquid it will be. Your hard-earned money needs to be safe, secure and accessible when you need it – and there is no reason why you should accept anything less!

This column is brought to you by Michelle Weisheit CFP, IG Wealth Management and presents general information only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments.  Please contact your own advisor for specific advice about your situation.

Avro Oil (Terry Feeny) application to ALC

Application Type: Conduct a Non-Farm Use activity within the ALR – 3 legal lots 2.5 hectares

ALC Decision

Refused – Recently ALC said all of the land must be restored with soil taken away and that the land cannot be used for storage and the owner had until the end of this month to clear it.

The ALC has now extended that date till June.

Original Application

What is the purpose of the proposal?

To have an outdoor storage facility on this small highway frontage property.

The entire property is ALR

Does the proposal support agriculture in the short or long term?

This is a very small piece of property located in primary residential area. There is a need for outdoor storage in our area.

Land Use of Parcel(s) under application

Quantify and describe in detail all agriculture that currently takes place on the parcel(s).

The property housed a mechanical shop and single residence for years. Prior to that a convenience store.

Quantify and describe in detail all agricultural improvements made to the parcel(s).

No agricultural improvements have been made. There isn’t water to the property.

Quantify and describe all non-agricultural uses that currently takes place on the parcel(s).

Outdoor storage

****

Letter to Publisher:

Noticing by showing

Boughb is an odd duck. He notices that the sound of ‘bough’ in the word bought sounds like the middle of his name, Bob. So he starts spelling his name Boughb. Yes, an odd duck for sure thought Mary. Mary started to bug him about that and would spell his name Boughbb to represent Bobby. Not well received. And not to be outdone, he came back with Boughb Beigh. Mary admitted that was a gotcha

Boughb says he is a pro at noticing. That is another way to say that he is a present moment person. Mary says that Boughb does not notice everything. That would be impossible. He chooses what to apply his attention to and is then vigilant about it. That is what Mary noticed. Paying attention to noticing one thing almost shuts down all noticing of other things. That was a gotcha for Mary. Boughb just said ‘oh…’

Boughb was growling around the kitchen. “What’s going on?” asked Mary. “I thought my car was so awesome and so unique and since I picked it up yesterday I have started seeing the exact same car, even the same colour, everywhere. Ahhhhhh!”. Mary nodded, waited a bit, and then explained, “that is your Reticular Activating System doing that.” “Wha…?”, was all Boughb could manage in response

Mary was tired of being just Mary. She wanted a fancied up version like Baughb. So she decided to start noticing the sounds of syllables, something that most people would not put attention toward. “I like the word ‘fair’ and how that sounds like the first part of Mary”, she said out loud. Lots of syllables sound like ‘e’ and Boughb had taken the sound of Leigh. What about in the first syllable of Beatrice. Ha!

Mairea was delighted to spell her new name out loud every chance she could. So it might be true that ‘noticing’ can find us anything we want? It birthed Mairea for Mary. Very exciting. Those syllables were not manufactured by the Universe because of her noticing quest. They have always been available but Mairea had never given effort to noticing them. Her world was brand new by just noticing.

Joseph Seiler

Time 11:20 pm Thursday
Location: Black Sage Rd (bottom of the hill – Louie Corner)
What: Discovered by a security company driving by – wood pole barriers on fire at the former entrance to back road at river. Report of gasoline or some type of liquid accelerant used to promote the fire.

Police requested to attend, Oliver Fire Department cleared the scene 37 minutes later.
No injuries, damage limited.

Vandalism? or something else.

Despite nippy overnight temperatures –  these drops want to get growin’

Snowdrops that is,,,,

Banner above is witch hazel

Time 2 pm Thursday
Location – just north of Mike Autobody

EMS, police and fire department on scene
Southbound traffic being diverted at Tucelnuit Drive and Leighton (Update full traffic restored at 3:15)

Those in vehicle not thought to be seriously injured
Vehicle apparently northbound went off the road at a wide bend shearing off pole and proceeded north again but ending with front facing south as seen in pictures

Source: Oliver Parks and Recreation Society, Manager Carol Sheridan

Dark-eyed Junco “Oregon”

Bill Greer

Plaque on a marker (cenotaph type) north of Osoyoos

Where is it?

In modern times there have been three formal government buildings at the 49th Parallel south of Osoyoos. Back in the cowboy days there was at least 3 other locations that the border crossing was set up – most of them in the days of cattle drives – not tourists driving in the area. AND none of them at the 49th parallel. Where were these custom houses erected?

This picture taken prior to 1951

In 1930, Canadian customs finally made its way to the 49th parallel. The building was located near the present day entrance to the American-Canadian boundary. It shared space with the Department of Immigration which started in 1929. The building was in use from 1930 until 1952.

In 1952 the customs facilities at the 49th parallel were revamped. The facilities consisted of two separate buildings. The western building was used solely for touring or passenger cars coming and going. The eastern building was designed to handle trucks and buses. Warehouse space, cells with barred windows, and search rooms made up the more than 12,000 square feet of floor space.

Vaping and mental health a concern for Okanagan adolescents

McCreary Centre Society today released the Okanagan regional results of the 2018 BC Adolescent Health Survey.

The survey was completed by over 38,000 of the province’s Grade 7–12 students, and included all school districts in the region. Bucking declining national trends in sports and physical activity participation, Okanagan youth were more likely to meet Canadian physical activity guidelines than five years earlier, and were also more likely than their peers across BC to engage in informal sports (such as hiking and biking) and extreme sports.

However, reflecting patterns across the province, there was an increase from five years earlier in local students who were struggling with their mental health and in those who had not accessed mental health care when they felt they needed it.

McCreary’s Executive Director Annie Smith explained: “At a time when more Okanagan youth are reporting conditions such as Anxiety Disorder, Depression and PTSD, it is concerning that 1 in 5 did not get mental health care that they felt they needed. It is particularly worrying that for 62% of the youth who missed out on care, a primary reason was not wanting their parents to know.”

Smith went on to say “Vaping also stood out to me as an issue of concern locally as 29% of Okanagan students had vaped in the month before they took the survey, but the results also gave us lots of positives such as the percentage of local students who reported having caring adults in their life, who felt safe in their community and who felt skilled and resilient.”

The most common topic Okanagan youth reported they would like to learn more about and see included in school curriculum was mental health.

Festivals and fireworks to get RMI funding

Two prominent community groups got substantial grant approvals today under the resort municipalities initiative (RMI), although one of them received substantially less than it was seeking.

The Festivals Society and the Canada Day Fireworks Committee each were approved for $7,000 for this year at this afternoon’s council meeting. The fireworks group had asked for $10,000, but staff recommended the $7,000 figure.

Mayor Sue McKortoff and Councillor CJ Rhodes were in favour of granting the requested amount to the fireworks committee, but were out-voted by Councillors Brian Harvey, Jim King and Myers Bennett.

The mayor pointed out that this will be the twenty-fifth anniversary for pyrotechnics specialist Frank Zandvliet and that the extra money might help him do something extra special.

The committee does substantial other fund raising through the year for the Canada Day show.

This year the Festivals Society will host he 26th Easter Eggstravaganza, the 72nd Cherry Festival and the 32nd Christmas light-up.

The RMI is a provincial program that provides funding to 14 municipalities whose economies depend largely on tourism. The two organizations “can be classified as visitor enhancement activities,” according to a report from community services director Gerald Davis.

Community garden approved for Sonora Centre

Council authorized going forward with a proposal from Desert Sun Counselling for a community garden adjacent to the Sonora Centre.

The garden will allow people to learn about gardening by growing their own produce.

According to a report from community services director Gerald Davis, Desert Sun will operate the garden with a smaller role played by the town. The town will also provide the land – a 180-square-metre plot just east of the rear parking lot at the Sonora Centre.

Desert Sun will provide the garden’s wooden boxes, which will be made through the men’s shed program.

Dragsters and model airplanes at the airstrip 

A model airplane club and a drag racing group were each approved to use the Osoyoos air strip for their activities this year.

The Wine Country Racing Association (WCRA) got the nod for five weekend dates of drag racing on the runway starting in April and ending in September, plus a weekend in October for possible rain-outs.

The agreement is for this year only.

In December, the WCRA asked council to consider making a 10-year commitment to the organization to provide stability for planning and infrastructure improvements.

Mayor Sue McKortoff told the group then that town staff would look at its proposal and report back some time in the new year. No mention of such a report was made today.

The Penticton Model Aviation Club has received permission to use the airstrip to fly model airplanes every year since 2013. This afternoon council approved their request for another year.

New museum on Main will open June 13

The Osoyoos Museum Society’s development permit for its new home in the former Home Building Centre was approved this afternoon, even as work continued in preparing the building to be a museum.

Society president Mat Hassen told ODN that interior work is proceeding in anticipation of the new museum’s opening on June 13, “come hell or high water.”

The process of relocating the museum from its Gyro Park Quonset hut began nearly a decade ago when the regional district purchased the Main Street site as the museum’s new home.

Hassen said opening hours at the old building have been reduced to one day a week between now and the move.

By ROY WOOD

Save for the musings of the chief administrative officer, Osoyoos council agreed to support the Osoyoos Indian Band’s bid for a gaming centre with zero discussion on the potential negative impacts associated with gambling.

The OIB is seeking provincial approval for a 6,000-7,500-square-foot facility to be built across the street from the PetroCan station on Highway 3. According to a report to council from CAO Allan Chabot, plans call for 100 to 150 electronic slot machines, 100 electronic bingo machines, an off-track betting area and a 50-60-seat pub/bistro.

The band was seeking a letter of support from the town for their application to the province.

Because the facility is to be built on OIB land, the town is not entitled to any of the “host local government share” of the revenue, which will go to the band.

However, Chabot’s report said: “The gaming centre would result in local construction employment and expenditures and casino service provider jobs, once it (is) operational. A gaming centre may also result in increased hotel/motel and food service revenue, overnight stays and retention of gambling revenues that currently leave the community for other venues.”

The CAO noted that since the facility is on band land, the town will have limited tools to mitigate the potential impacts of gambling. “(So) it will be necessary to maintain good relations and communication with the (OIB) to manage any negative impacts, should they arise,” his report said.

Departing from the prepared text, Chabot said to council members: “The availability of casino-style games and gambling opportunities in our society has become rather pervasive and I don’t know if that’s a justification for more (of them). But it’s certainly an activity (whose) impact is widespread and felt by most communities. …

“It seems as though this (proposal) provides some positive economic benefit that could potentially more than outweigh any negative socio-economic impacts.”

Chabot continued, “I do note that a full assessment of the potential socio-economic impacts of a community gaming centre being located in Osoyoos is far beyond the scope of this report.”

Following Chabot’s report, Councillor Jim King moved that the town “provide a letter of support to the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Brach” in support of the OIB application for a licence. Councillor CJ Rhodes seconded the motion.

Mayor Sue McKortoff asked if members of council had any concerns. No one did. The motion passed unanimously.

Pictured is handler Heidi Gervais with ‘Polly”
February 11th – New York city