Five months after Okanagan Falls residents narrowly voted to incorporate as their own municipality, frustration over stalled progress has pushed the province乌鸦传媒檚 new Municipal Affairs Minister to agree to meet face-to-face with local leaders.
B.C. Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Christine Boyle will meet next week with Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) Area D director Matt Taylor and other senior officials to discuss how to get the process back on track. Boyle乌鸦传媒檚 office has not yet confirmed whether the talks will take place in Penticton or at the Ministry乌鸦传媒檚 offices in Victoria, but Taylor said he and his team are willing to travel.
乌鸦传媒淎s long as they give us 24 to 48 hours notice, we乌鸦传媒檒l meet them anywhere,乌鸦传媒� Taylor said Friday.
The meeting was confirmed less than 48 hours after a tense, standing-room-only Town Hall at the Okanagan Falls Community Centre. More than 300 residents packed into a gymnasium Wednesday to hear why little has happened since the March 22 referendum, which saw 588 residents vote in favour of incorporation and 512 vote against.
The mood was heated. Many in the crowd expressed anger over the lack of progress, and several said they no longer support incorporation at all. Taylor acknowledged the frustration, saying he shares it, but called the upcoming meeting with Boyle 乌鸦传媒渁 clear sign the Province is finally listening.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淢y message to residents and First Nations is we have hit a few speedbumps here and those are to be expected in a process like this,乌鸦传媒� he told the crowd. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 very grateful the Minister has reached out to meet with us next week. I think there is a real opportunity, with her assistance, to move through some of these challenges.乌鸦传媒�
Years in the making
The path to incorporation has been long. Discussions about turning Okanagan Falls into its own municipal district date back more than 40 years, with more serious talks over the last decade.
In 2018, Area D was split in two to give Okanagan Falls more local control. A community association was formed soon after, with a goal of reversing the area乌鸦传媒檚 population and economic decline by encouraging housing, job creation, and a more vibrant local economy.
In late 2020, the association sent a draft motion to the RDOS board asking it to request that the Province initiate incorporation discussions. The Province agreed in 2021, launching a formal study.
An advisory committee eventually supported incorporation, leading to the fall 2024 provincial approval of a referendum 乌鸦传媒� held in March of this year.
Taylor said that when the vote was called, 乌鸦传媒渢here was no mention乌鸦传媒� of any First Nations consultation requirements. That issue, he said, has since become one of the major factors slowing the process.
What hasn乌鸦传媒檛 happened
since the vote
Under typical timelines, Taylor said, incorporation could be finalized in four or five months. The next step would be for the Province to appoint an interim corporate officer 乌鸦传媒� a provincially funded position responsible for helping organize an election for a Mayor and Council, and representing the new municipality in negotiations with the Province. That appointment still hasn乌鸦传媒檛 been made.
A draft letters patent 乌鸦传媒� the document setting out the name, boundaries, services, and incorporation date 乌鸦传媒� has also not been issued. Taylor said letters patent are usually 乌鸦传媒渇airly straightforward乌鸦传媒� but remain in limbo.
Boyle乌鸦传媒檚 Ministry has hinted at forming another advisory committee to assist the future Mayor and Council once elected. The existing local committee already supports electing a Mayor and four councillors.
The delays are compounded by the fact that no new municipality has been incorporated in B.C. for more than 15 years. Taylor believes the Province乌鸦传媒檚 inexperience with recent incorporations, combined with compliance requirements under the Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), are adding months to the timeline.
The First Nations factor
Taylor said DRIPA requirements appear to be the main reason for the holdup. He understands that First Nations requests so far include removing certain Crown lands from within Okanagan Falls乌鸦传媒� proposed municipal boundaries, and possibly renaming the municipality using the First Nations interpretation of Okanagan Falls.
乌鸦传媒淲henever there is a development in an incorporated community, there is a process to inform First Nations to determine if they have an interest,乌鸦传媒� Taylor said. 乌鸦传媒淭his must also be ironed out.乌鸦传媒�
Taylor said the Province has asked the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) what it wants, but the RDOS has not seen the requests in writing. It remains unclear what the Province intends to do.
The Okanagan Falls area sits on the former Dog Lake Indian Reserve No. 2, once part of the OIB乌鸦传媒檚 main reserve before being removed by a Royal Commission between 1912 and 1916. A negotiated settlement between the OIB and federal government was reached in 1982, but Taylor said it乌鸦传媒檚 possible the Province may want to revisit land-related matters as part of reconciliation efforts.
Rumours have circulated about requests for Crown land parcels to be excluded from the new municipality乌鸦传媒檚 boundaries, including trails popular with residents and tourists. 乌鸦传媒淭hose are trails we use to promote people coming to Okanagan Falls,乌鸦传媒� Taylor said. 乌鸦传媒淥nce again I ask, what is the process we乌鸦传媒檙e getting after the referendum? We don乌鸦传媒檛 have it in writing.乌鸦传媒�
The possibility of a name change is also in play. While Taylor believes a compromise is possible 乌鸦传媒� keeping 乌鸦传媒淥kanagan Falls乌鸦传媒� but adding a First Nations equivalent on signage 乌鸦传媒� he warned that an extreme change would have economic impacts.
乌鸦传媒淚t doesn乌鸦传媒檛 cost the Province anything, but it costs our businesses and tourism significantly,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淥kanagan Falls is a unique, iconic community. We want to grow it to be sustainable, and changing the name too much would hurt that.乌鸦传媒�
Frustration boils over
At Wednesday乌鸦传媒檚 Town Hall, Taylor and RDOS Chief Administrative Officer Don Zaffino fielded questions for 90 minutes. The frustration on Taylor乌鸦传媒檚 face was clear as he explained why the process had stalled.
He told residents the RDOS has been asking the Province since the spring to outline its requirements for incorporation under DRIPA. 乌鸦传媒淥ther than telling us what the process is, they乌鸦传媒檙e not doing it,乌鸦传媒� he said.
In early July, the Province first signalled that a name change might be considered. 乌鸦传媒淚 said I have to talk to the people of Okanagan Falls,乌鸦传媒� Taylor recalled. 乌鸦传媒淚 can乌鸦传媒檛 negotiate, and we shouldn乌鸦传媒檛 be negotiating. It乌鸦传媒檚 the Province乌鸦传媒檚 process, and they need to respect our needs as well as First Nation needs.乌鸦传媒�
Some residents voiced outright opposition to incorporation, saying their views had changed since the referendum. Taylor acknowledged their perspective but reminded them that 乌鸦传媒渢he majority voted in favour, and that乌鸦传媒檚 how democracy works.乌鸦传媒�
Provincial response
Boyle, who became Municipal Affairs Minister on July 16, did not attend the Town Hall. In a letter read aloud by Zaffino, her office cited scheduling conflicts but said she 乌鸦传媒渞ecognizes the community乌鸦传媒檚 concerns about the timeliness and path towards incorporation.乌鸦传媒�
The letter said her Ministry 乌鸦传媒渉as and will continue to work with the RDOS board and senior staff, as well as the OIB and Chief Clarence Louie, towards completing the incorporation process as quickly as possible.乌鸦传媒� Boyle said she understands the urgency and has asked staff to arrange a brief, direct meeting with the RDOS and OIB to discuss next steps.
That meeting, confirmed Friday by Taylor, is expected to happen next week. No date or location has been set.
Why the timeline matters
Taylor warned that if major steps aren乌鸦传媒檛 completed by early 2025, the new municipality could face 乌鸦传媒渞eal implications乌鸦传媒� for how it collects tax revenue in its first year. If incorporation is delayed past the start of the tax year, the RDOS would have to continue collecting taxes on behalf of Okanagan Falls 乌鸦传媒� a stopgap that could strain staffing and administration.
乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 why getting this done in the near future is necessary,乌鸦传媒� he said.
What residents can expect next
Taylor plans to continue bi-weekly progress updates with Boyle乌鸦传媒檚 office, alongside Zaffino, RDOS board chair Mark Pendergraft, and vice-chair Campbell Watt. He pledged to share all developments with residents.
He also emphasized the limits of local authority. 乌鸦传媒淚ncorporation is the Province乌鸦传媒檚 issue 乌鸦传媒� that乌鸦传媒檚 theirs. That乌鸦传媒檚 the letters patent. That乌鸦传媒檚 appointing an interim corporate officer. That乌鸦传媒檚 what they need to do,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淎ny reconciliation discussions with First Nations need to be spearheaded at the municipal level once we have an elected Mayor and Council.乌鸦传媒�
For now, Taylor is pinning his hopes on next week乌鸦传媒檚 meeting. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 confident it will be very productive and lead to the incorporation process moving much faster than it has so far,乌鸦传媒� he said.
An interim corporate officer needs to be appointed, but the municipality is facing hurdles related to DRIPA compliance, and First Nations consultations.
And there isn乌鸦传媒檛 much of a playbook, since no new incorporations have taken place in B.C. in over 15 years.
