Cannabis, transportation, flooding high on regional directors list for UBCM

PENTICTON – Regional district directors have a long list of subjects they want to discuss with provincial ministers at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention next month

The annual convention, which takes place Sept. 10 to 14, provides an opportunity for regional governments to discuss issues and initiatives with ministers and provincial staff.

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen directors have compiled a wish list of subjects they want to broach.

Directors plan to meet with Ministry of Agriculture Lana Popham in a discussion to achieve some clarity from the ministry regarding cannabis production on Agricultural Land Reserve. A number of cannabis siting requests have come before the regional district board, and directors are becoming increasingly concerned about the loss of arable farmland being lost to these large-scale proposals.

Directors will also meet with Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Minister Doug Donaldson to find out whether or not the province dredges the Okanagan River channel. The interest comes on the heels of two consecutive high water spring freshets, and the regional district is interested in finding out more about the province’s practices related to river channel maintenance.

Minister of Health Adrian Dix will be asked to clarify the process that outlines how medical first response calls are dispatched to local fire departments. The Kamloops Dispatch Centre receives an average of 500 to 600 calls daily, and is responsible for dispatching ambulances to 98 communities in British Columbia.

An improved traffic corridor between the South Okanagan and the Coquihalla Highway is needed to improve economic growth in the south, and with that in mind regional directors will also be speaking with Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena.

Directors would like to see an overall traffic study of the valley from Osoyoos to the Coquihalla, rather than concentrating on present studies of a traffic study to re-route Highway 97 around Peachland. The completion of four-laning of Highway 97 between Peachland and Penticton should be prioritized, the directors advocate.

Directors also wish to speak to Minister Trevena about establishing a transit service between the Okanagan and Lower Mainland to replace the loss of Greyhound service through a provincially funded public ground transportation service.

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