[0:31] All right, everybody. We will get started on our regular board meeting now for Thursday,

[0:37] the 19th of June. Held here in the Woodhaven boardroom. I will call this meeting to order,

[0:42] and as an open meeting, a live audio-video feed is being broadcast and recorded on rdco.com.

[0:48] Before we begin, I would like to take the time to acknowledge that we're gathered on

[0:52] the traditional ancestral unceded Tumulau of the Silk Okanagan people who have resided

[0:57] here since time immemorial. We recognize, honor, and respect the silk Okanagan lands upon which we

[1:03] live, work, and play. Can I please get a move of our agenda as presented? Please move by Vice

[1:08] Chair Ireland, seconded by Director Hodge. All in favor? Opposed? Carried. And can I get a move

[1:15] of our meeting minutes from May 15th, please? Move by Director Milsum, seconded by Director

[1:21] Mr. Kraft, any errors or omissions?

[1:22] Is the nod all in favor?

[1:24] Opposed or carried?

[1:27] Item 5.1, please.

[1:30] 5.1 is the 2024 Statement of Financial Information.

[1:33] This is an all directors weighted corporate vote.

[1:36] This is to consider approval of the Regional District

[1:38] of Central Okanagan's 2024 Statement

[1:41] of Financial Information presented

[1:42] by Tonya McCabe, Director of Financial Services.

[1:45] Welcome Tonya.

[2:04] Please.

[2:05] So, before you today to do the last piece of financial reporting for the year, it is

[2:12] a statement of financial information.

[2:15] This the Financial Information Act, in case you're not aware of it, is a provincial legislation

[2:19] that requires specified corporations and public bodies to prepare statements of financial

[2:24] information in accordance with the Act.

[2:26] The Board is required to approve this annual statement of financial information each year.

[2:31] And so to that end today, we will review the 2024 SOPHI report as we like to call it.

[2:37] So this is the financial information that is included in the Statement of Financial Information

[2:42] report.

[2:43] We have a statement of assets and liabilities, a statement of operations, a schedule of

[2:48] debts, a schedule of guarantee and indemnity agreements, a schedule of remuneration and

[2:54] expenses, a statement of severance agreements, and a schedule of payments to suppliers

[2:59] of goods and services.

[3:02] So for the RDCO, we provide the first three requirements

[3:06] as part of the annual audited financial statements.

[3:09] The 2024 audited financial statements are included in the package

[3:12] to meet this requirement.

[3:14] Oops, I forgot that part.

[3:19] And then we have the RDCO does not have any guarantees

[3:22] and indemnity agreements, so nothing is included in the report.

[3:30] The next requirement is a schedule of remuneration and expenses.

[3:34] This is provided on pages one to three and includes the amounts paid to elected officials,

[3:39] the amounts paid to employees greater than 75,000, the amounts, the total amount paid

[3:44] to all other employees, and a reconciliation of these amounts to the amounts reported

[3:48] into the financial statements.

[3:51] Two points that are important to make each year is first that the remuneration reported

[3:55] it is per T4s. It does not reflect annual salaries and includes things like taxable

[4:00] benefits, vacations earned that are taken in pay instead of time, and any overtime that

[4:04] is paid out. Second, the threshold was established in 1985, which is 40 years ago. It has not

[4:11] been increased over that time. If we were to adjust it for inflation, it would now

[4:15] be 180,000, which would reduce our list down to three people. The list continues

[4:20] continues to grow with cost-living increases. Last year it was only 60, and this year is

[4:26] now 75. And over half of the employees on the list are union employees.

[4:32] The next requirement is providing a statement of severance agreements. The RDCO has entered

[4:37] into three of those in 2024, and the required information is provided in the attached documents.

[4:43] And then the last requirement is a schedule of payments to suppliers of goods and services.

[4:47] This is included in the SOFI report document on pages 4 to 8.

[4:51] It does provide details of grants and contributions that exceeded $25,000.

[4:56] There was three organizations, a list of all suppliers who were paid more than $25,000

[5:01] in 2024, and the total amount paid to all other suppliers.

[5:06] Again, like the threshold for remuneration, this threshold has also not changed.

[5:11] And if it were to be adjusted for inflation, it would be $60,000 today.

[5:16] It would reduce the list down not quite to the same significant degree, but it would take it down to from 143 vendors down to

[5:24] 79 and

[5:25] that is

[5:27] Presentation

[5:29] Thank You Tanya any questions on the Sophie reports

[5:33] Seen not to have a mover the recommendation, please move by a dr. Milsum second by dr. Tom on favor

[5:41] Opposed carried. Thank you

[5:47] All right, just CAO, before you introduce the next two items, just a reminder to the

[5:51] Board that both Item 6.1 and 7.1 have also been circulated through the Electoral Area

[5:57] Service Committee, and now before the Board for further presentation.

[6:02] Over to you, Sally.

[6:04] 6.1 is the antenna system siting consultation policy.

[6:07] This is in all directors' unweighted corporate vote.

[6:10] This is to consider approving an antenna system siting consultation policy to set notification

[6:15] and consultation requirements for antenna systems in electoral areas, presented by Ryan Draier-Planet.

[6:23] Hi, Ryan. Welcome.

[6:25] Thank you. Thank you, Chair. Good morning, Chair Members of the Board.

[6:28] Today's presentation will discuss a proposed antenna system siting consultation policy,

[6:33] which is being forwarded to the Regional Board today for consideration.

[6:38] So the purpose of this presentation and proposal is to adopt a set of consultation requirements

[6:43] requirements for the antenna system siding policy and to implement siding and design

[6:47] guidelines within the regional district electoral areas. More specifically, the primary objective

[6:53] of the policy is to establish an increased notification distance that will require telecom

[6:58] providers to consult more parcels for input and to establish the mentioned guidelines

[7:03] that will enable the regional district and its residents to effectively participate

[7:07] in and influence the placement of antenna systems proposed within each electoral area.

[7:11] In overview of the timeline and process, the initial draft for the antenna system

[7:18] setting policy was developed in June 2024. The proposal was then sent for referral in

[7:23] August 2024 to internal and external agencies, including staff consultation with West Bank

[7:29] First Nation and the Okanagan Indian Band. After referral comments were received and

[7:34] incorporated, staff presented the policy proposal and was supported at the June

[7:38] fifth 2025 Electoral Area Services Committee meeting.

[7:42] And today, staff are forwarding this policy proposal to the regional board for approval.

[7:49] In overview of the policy, antenna systems in Canada are under the sole jurisdiction

[7:53] of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, known as ISED, who is

[7:59] responsible for the orderly and efficient development and operation of radio communication

[8:03] systems across Canada.

[8:04] While the ISED is the sole authority for permitting antenna systems, they enable and encourage local

[8:11] governments to create policies or procedures that outline notification, citing and design

[8:16] preferences to support local government officials to issue a letter of concurrence or non-concurrence

[8:21] for ISED's consideration.

[8:24] In the event that no local government antenna policy exists, proponents are required

[8:28] to follow ISED's default requirements.

[8:30] As a comparison, the RDCO proposes a greater notification distance and outlines design

[8:37] and location preferences while ISED's default policy does not address these concerns and

[8:42] has a low notification distance requirement.

[8:45] For clarity, the RDCO is not the approving authority for antenna proposals.

[8:50] The federal government has full responsibility for antenna systems and ensuring that they

[8:54] adhere to Health Canada requirements, aeronautical safety, environmental considerations and

[8:59] construction standards. And as mentioned the policy proposal was referred to both

[9:04] the Okanagan Indian Ban and West Bank First Nation who provided their

[9:08] consent and supporting conditions on the proposal which is indicated within the

[9:11] staff report and the policy proposal was previously supported by the

[9:15] Electoral Area Services Committee on the June 5th 2025 meeting.

[9:21] Finally staff

[9:22] recommend that the regional board adopt the antenna system citing

[9:25] consultation policy. Thank you and that concludes today's presentation.

[9:28] Perfect. Questions for clarity? Director Weber?

[9:34] Question for clarity. So, you know, as you mentioned, the regional district doesn't have anything to do with approving these kind of things.

[9:43] So the policy has to apply to someone. And I'm guessing it is, I'm not guessing, I'm reading that it's,

[9:48] but I want to make sure that what it is is if somebody wants a transmitter, wants to put something up,

[9:55] they're going to come to us for agreement, not permission but for what do you call it, endorsement?

[10:02] Yeah, so through the chair, the proponent would have to ultimately seek approval through ISED

[10:06] but they will have to consult with the regional district for any antenna placement.

[10:09] Yes, and so that the policy really mostly applies to that, to those people who are

[10:13] correct. Okay, thank you.

[10:16] Any other questions? Seeing none, do I have a mover?

[10:19] moved by Vice-Chair Ireland, seconded by Director Carson in comments.

[10:24] Seeing none, all in favour?

[10:27] Opposed?

[10:28] Carried unanimously. Thank you.

[10:32] Item 7.1, please.

[10:34] 7.1 is a letter to Minister of Transportation and Transit

[10:38] for Upper Finchry Community Concerns with Road Conditions.

[10:41] This is an all directors unweighted corporate vote.

[10:44] To consider authorizing the Board Chair

[10:46] to submit a letter to the Minister of Transportation and Transit

[10:49] with citing concerns of the road dust in Upper Fintry,

[10:52] presented by Corey Griffiths, Corporate Officer.

[10:55] Welcome, Corey.

[10:56] Thank you, Board Chair, members of the Board.

[10:58] Recently, the Regional District of Central Okanagan

[11:00] has received numerous complaints

[11:02] from the Upper Fintry residents regarding road dust

[11:05] and concerns that the dust is a health issue.

[11:08] The maintenance of area roads are the responsibility

[11:10] of the Ministry of Transportation and Transit.

[11:13] At the June 5th, 2025

[11:16] Electoral Area Service Committee meeting,

[11:18] Given road activities in electoral areas or outside the RDCO's jurisdiction,

[11:23] the following resolution was adopted.

[11:26] That the East Committee recommends the regional board write a letter to the Ministry of Transportation and Transit,

[11:31] citing road dust concerns and upper fintry.

[11:34] Therefore, the following East recommended resolution is before the board for your consideration.

[11:39] Thank you.

[11:41] Any questions?

[11:42] questions?

[11:44] Dr. Weber.

[11:47] To go to the minister when normally that would be the last resort I would think.

[11:52] So have we, is there a perception that any levels of authority within the transportation

[11:59] industry below the minister himself, all those possibilities have been exhausted?

[12:05] The local managers, local district officials and so on, and now we're going straight to

[12:11] the top because we haven't gotten any reaction from lower down or have we tried?

[12:16] Through the chair, staff have reached out to staff at MOTT and the regional district has

[12:23] advised all of the area residents how to contact MOTT and their contractor aim to voice their

[12:29] concerns.

[12:30] Multiple times.

[12:34] So I guess I'm just wondering whether this is the kind of request that the minister

[12:38] even responds to.

[12:42] I guess that's more of a comment.

[12:44] Any other questions?

[12:47] Do you have a mover to get that on the floor for comment?

[12:50] Moved by Dr. Carson, seconded by Dr. Dias.

[12:54] Thank you.

[12:55] Comments, Dr. Carson?

[12:58] Yeah, first off, I want to thank the board for helping out and advocating in this.

[13:07] I've received dozens and dozens of phone calls from the residents in Upper Fintry

[13:14] about the road conditions up there.

[13:15] There are all dirt roads within the area there.

[13:20] This community changed drastically during the last census there.

[13:26] There was maybe a dozen, two dozen homes in that area right up until about 2020, 2021.

[13:34] And now I understand there's over 130 people up there.

[13:37] These are nice homes.

[13:38] They're on good lots.

[13:39] but they're just buried in dust from the roads.

[13:45] I believe those are the only roads that I know of within my

[13:49] electoral area that are not paved.

[13:54] And I know the residents have been on the media several times.

[13:58] They have contacted just about everybody possible.

[14:03] And that's why I had a conversation with them and told them

[14:07] that I would bring it to the Electoral Area Services Committee to see whether or not we

[14:11] could get a letter from the regional district to the ministry to try and see if we can help

[14:16] these people in some way. Obviously, pavement is what would solve the problem. There's

[14:23] been attempts at dust suppression in there, and now you're just breathing chemicals

[14:28] us with the dust. So yeah, really hoping that we can get a letter to the minister, maybe

[14:36] help open up some eyes in Victoria that this is needed. This area is also part of the Vernon

[14:46] Ministry of Transportation office, which makes it even a little bit tougher to try

[14:51] and deal with the situation in there and make sure that they're talking to the

[14:56] moody office

[14:57] so again i want to thank it uh...

[15:00] Board, anything that we can do, I know the residents would be very appreciative of that.

[15:06] Thank you, Director Carson. And should the Board approve it, I'm always happy to reach

[15:11] out to the ministry to address residents' concerns. But I do think to the previous report that

[15:16] we saw in the committee, the whole meeting, this raises the point around densifying rural

[15:22] areas and the challenges with housing needs and outlying areas, because it just does

[15:26] put more pressure on the infrastructure that's required. So I think it's a point to raise

[15:31] with the housing minister as well. So with that, I'll ask for a vote. All in favor. Opposed

[15:39] and carried unanimously.

[15:44] Item 8.1 please.

[15:47] 8.1 is the appointment of park ranger and animal control officers, all directors, unweighted

[15:52] corporate vote to consider the appointment of one park ranger and one animal control

[15:57] officer presented by Dan Maya, Chief By-Law Enforcement Officer, actually

[16:01] interim manager of protective services. Oh wow, okay. Welcome Dan.

[16:13] The Regional

[16:13] District By-Law's Local Government Act requires the Regional Board to appoint

[16:17] staff members as By-Law Enforcement Officers, Animal Control Officers for

[16:21] the Regional District of Central Okanagan. Regional District's

[16:25] Central Okanagan Dog Control Officer, level one, Natalia Ayala Ortiz, is

[16:29] eligible for appointment by the Regional Board to enforce the Regional

[16:32] District's responsible dog ownership bylaw number 1343 and Regional District

[16:39] Central Okanagan Park Ranger Kristina Brewer is eligible for appointment by the

[16:44] Regional Board to enforce the Regional District Central Okanagan Regional

[16:46] Parks bylaw number 1427 and Community Parks bylaw number 1431. Our

[16:54] recommendation is the Board appoint both these parties.

[16:57] Please.

[16:58] Thank you.

[17:00] Moved by Dr. Stack, seconded by Dr. Dias.

[17:04] Okay.

[17:06] Dr. Carson, then Hodge.

[17:09] Yeah, I just wanted to check again.

[17:11] Are these existing employees or are these new hires?

[17:16] Through the chair, Natalia is our current casual for the dog control team.

[17:22] As we go through staff members there, we try and backfill with the casual, get

[17:27] them some experience and get them on board with us and as well Christina is a

[17:31] current employee with regional parks she's recently completed the training

[17:36] she required and so that's why we're bringing the appointment forward today.

[17:40] Okay and just one compliment for you I ran into one of your park rangers the

[17:44] other day in Killenee Beach on a noxious weed very well informed I

[17:50] was really impressed. That's great to hear. Thank you.

[17:54] Dr. Hodge. Thank you Mr. Chair. A couple questions. How many park rangers are park

[18:01] officers do we have? Through the chair, I know we have four park rangers. We also

[18:08] have some team leads that are appointed in a similar capacity. The exact

[18:13] number I would have to defer to Director Parks. Do they deal with

[18:18] in general, or what?

[18:21] Through the chair, we have our weekly wildlife reporting.

[18:25] So if we hear of bears, cougars, stuff in parks,

[18:28] there is an email that goes out to staff

[18:31] to ensure we get messaging out to the public.

[18:34] But we don't deal directly with them.

[18:36] We defer to the province and the conservation services.

[18:39] So if you have a deer in the city

[18:41] or in the outskirts of the town

[18:44] or a raccoon,

[18:47] Who do you call?

[18:49] Through the chair, unfortunately we have to phone the CO just like everybody else.

[18:54] All wildlife is a conservation service.

[18:57] So a conservation officer.

[18:58] Oh, we have a complaint.

[19:01] There's obviously just one in my yard to get rid of it.

[19:04] That's got nothing to do with what we provide.

[19:08] No.

[19:08] Through the chair, the regional district has no authority over wildlife.

[19:12] life. Okay, because I get calls and I want to make calls. So that's not to do with us.

[19:18] All right.

[19:21] That's good. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you. I have a mover and a

[19:24] seconder. Correct? All in favor?

[19:29] Opposed and carried. Thank you. Thank you very

[19:33] much, Dan. Appreciate it. And board members, I do have our committee in new

[19:39] business minutes and reports to receive as a block. I do want to raise

[19:44] attention for item 9.2 however which is a little bit different this time around

[19:50] as we've included the COEDC's quarter one progress report. During the

[19:57] presentations to various municipal councils EDC received feedback that

[20:03] councils would be interested in keeping up with their activities on a

[20:07] quarterly basis and reporting.

[20:09] Obviously, visiting every council

[20:10] every single quarter is not an achievable feat.

[20:13] So we're now including the EDC's minutes

[20:16] as well as their quarterly reports in the packages,

[20:20] both for the board, the public,

[20:22] and your respective councils,

[20:24] should they wish to review that on their own time.

[20:27] So I just wanted to bring that to your attention there.

[20:30] So with that, I would just look for a mover

[20:31] to receive, please.

[20:33] Moved by Dr. Weber, seconded by Vice to Ireland.

[20:35] All in favour? Opposed and carried. Thank you. Director Items. Any Director Items?

[20:43] Director Melsam.

[20:47] Okay, yeah, we'll go to Director Melsam and then we'll go over to you.

[20:56] Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, the family has made a formal announcement.

[21:00] Someone let the board know that one of our former West Carolina councillors passed away on Friday.

[21:07] Rusty Enzine. Yeah. Yeah. So Rusty was a westbound counselor from 2014 to 2018. He was also a

[21:17] trustee of the Lakeview Heights Irrigation District. Also, he was president of West Bank

[21:24] District Chamber of Commerce and he was a champion Royal Page Place. And Rusty was

[21:31] because our chair of our accessibility committee

[21:33] rate up until this time.

[21:37] So even though he suffered a spinal cord injury,

[21:40] himself playing rugby many years ago,

[21:42] he was a true community champion.

[21:46] And anyways, we'll miss him.

[21:48] Just want to let you know there's no news yet

[21:49] as far as services, celebration, and life,

[21:51] but I'm sure we'll hear that news in the near future.

[21:56] Thank you.

[21:57] Thank you, Dr. Mulsom, for raising that.

[21:59] and deepest condolences to his family.

[22:02] Dr. Hodge.

[22:07] So to take away from Mr. Chair, I just wanted to remind people, but through the water board,

[22:15] that if you're here or you're aware of anybody, remind them that we were on the base of muscle,

[22:22] campaign, art, and everything, to check both.

[22:26] This is a critical time of year.

[22:28] So if you see anybody here, anybody who can influence to make sure they step up the watching

[22:34] for both, it's really critical folks that we are still on top of a muscle campaign.

[22:40] So that's all I was going to say.

[22:41] Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[22:43] Thank you, Director Hodge for raising that.

[22:45] Any other director items?

[22:47] Seeing not, I will call this meeting adjourned.

[22:51] Oh, sorry.

[22:51] No, I will not call this meeting adjourned.

[22:53] I am going to ask for a mover to move us into closed, please.

[22:55] moved by Vice Chair Ireland, seconded by Director Stack, all in favor, posed and

[23:02] carried. We'll just power down our streaming and a few staff will leave the

[23:07] room and we will carry on.

Regular Board Meeting

Transcript