A six month study on the future direction of the three Okanagan Regional Districts is underway. The Central Okanagan Regional District has appointed three members to the study committee, including chair Robert Hobson, Peachland Mayor, Graham Reid and Central Okanagan East Electoral Area Director, Patty Hanson. "Each of the three districts has appointed three members, a large city rep, a medium city rep and an electoral area rep," says Hobson. "We'll be developing a work plan over the next few months for consultation with elected officials and others in the valley, around issues of governance and service delivery."
Hobson says the committee was struck after consultations with the Minister of Community Services, Ida Chong, and Okanagan-Westside MLA, Rick Thorpe during the recently concluded UBCM Convention in Vancouver. "They asked us to look at governance in the valley with a deadline of producing a report by March of next year, so we are moving fairly quickly." He says while there is no preconceived outcome, there is some interest by the province in bringing the three regional districts together. "Whether that means we have one regional district or three with shared service delivery will be a question we get answered through the process."
Hobson says the three Regional Districts already work together on environmental issues such as the Water Board and Air Quality Board. He says it could work well in the areas of growth management, environmental and transit issues. "There is already evidence we can get together and the province thinks it would be good to have one voice for the valley." The Central Okanagan Regional District has suggested a first meeting date of November 2, however, that won't be confirmed until representatives from the North Okanagan and Okanagan Similkameen Regional Districts are appointed.
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