INFORMATION RELEASE 

The Okanagan Falls Incorporation Study, which began in summer 2023, is moving into the community information phase over the next few months. The Incorporation Study examined how incorporating into a municipality would affect services, taxation, and governance in Okanagan Falls.

Technical analysis has been underway since fall 2023 and concluded in May 2024. Now that the technical analysis is complete, a number of events will be taking place around Okanagan Falls to share information with and hear from residents within the Study Area.

“The Incorporation Study Committee is made up of residents who live within the Study Area, and we are deeply invested in this process and this community,” said Rick Wilson, Chair of the Okanagan Falls Incorporation Study Committee. “For months now, the Committee has been learning the details about incorporation, and we are excited to share the findings with the community.”

Study Area residents have many ways to get information over the next few months:

• Information mailouts were sent to Study Area mailboxes the first week of July and again in October

• There will be an Information booth at Music in the Park (Centennial Park in Okanagan Falls) August 11 and

    25, 2024

• Open House events will be held at Okanagan Falls Recreation Centre Gym Saturday, August 17, 2:00 - 4:30 pm and Wednesday, September 11, 6:30 to 8:30 pm

•  A Discussion Panel is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8, to hear from other jurisdictions that have recently considered incorporation. Attend online or in-person at Okanagan Falls Recreation Centre Gym. The online meeting link will be posted on the project page at rdosregonalconnections.ca one week before the event

• Printed copies of Study materials can be reviewed at the Okanagan Falls Library (101 – 850 Railway Lane) and the RDOS Community Services Office (1109 Willow Street, Okanagan Falls)

• To review Study materials online, visit the Okanagan Falls Incorporation Study project page at rdosregionalconnections.ca.

Events will be advertised in Skaha Matters and posted on the project web page.

Much of the discussion about incorporation revolves around cost implications. Study Area residents are encouraged to try the tax impact estimator on the Study web page. The tool allows users to estimate the potential cost impact of incorporation for residential properties in the Study Area

Next steps for the Study

Before the end of 2024, the Study Committee will make a recommendation to the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) Board of Directors on whether it supports proceeding to a vote (referendum) on incorporation.

The RDOS Board will then make its own recommendation to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs on a referendum asking whether electors in the Study Area want to incorporate as a municipality. If a referendum is approved by the province, a vote would be held for electors within the Study Area. The earliest timing for a referendum would be spring 2025. If a referendum is not recommended or approved, Okanagan Falls will remain part of the RDOS Electoral Area “D.”

Background

In the fall of 2022, the RDOS Board of Directors approved a recommendation from the Service and Boundary Configuration Study Committee to request support from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for an Okanagan Falls Incorporation Study. The primary purpose of the study is to provide electors within the Study Area with the information and understanding required to make an informed decision on incorporation.

Under the guidance of the community-based Okanagan Falls Incorporation Study Committee, consultants hired by the RDOS have undertaken a thorough, objective, and technical examination of the incorporation option and its implications for governance and service delivery in the area. 

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More information:

Natasha Horsman
Horsman Strategies
236-594-8208 

rdosregionalconnections.ca

Contact:

RDOS Communications
250-490-4148