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An agenda for this meeting is available on the SPMRM website, and you can view a recording of the meeting via the municipality's YouTube channel .
Here are the highlights of the meeting:
Housing Accelerator Fund update
Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM) is at risk of losing a portion of the $1.5 million Housing Accelerator Fund grant unless targets are met by 2027.
The grant funding, allocated by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), is earmarked to improve the local housing supply, and while a number of initiatives have been successfully completed, one key factor – meeting a housing supply growth target – is still lagging.
The municipality has received three installments of the grant since it was awarded in 2024, with $381,449.65 allotted in the final instalment.
Those growth targets include 281 permitted housing units, an additional 184 missing middle housing units and 69 other multi-unit housing units. The municipality’s agreement with CMHC also stipulates that 38.74 per cent of the housing supply growth will be affordable units.
According to the HAF funding update brought to council March 24, 115 total net new units have been permitted, 166 short of the agreement. Of those, one is a single detached unit and 114 are affordable units. Four of the 114 affordable units are categorized as missing middle units.
Read more here.
Parking and Traffic Bylaw amendment
Council gave first, second and third readings to the Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality Parking and Traffic Bylaw amendment to update the permitted parking areas in summer months and implement housekeeping changes.
The amendment will restrict parking along Valley Drive to prevent parking on the walking path.
In 2025 the walking path from the daycare to the cul-de-sac at the end of Valley Drive was paved, resulting in a conflict between vehicle parking and pedestrians.
The proposed amendment will also restrict parking along each existing and future arterial road, including McGillivray Lake Drive and Sun Peaks Road between Valley Drive and Bella Vista Drive, to support egress in the case of an emergency.
“There's no room for parking. We can't park on the road and have the walking path and have vehicles drive by. It's just not wide enough,” Demitri Hofer, director of development and community services said.
Resident Ines Popig, who was present at the meeting, voiced signage would be needed.
“Generally, I think it's pretty accepted that our parking signage is a bit lacking and needs to be reviewed. It's something we're working on,” Hofer said.
Adding that there have been discussions around signage, Clint Burton, director of operations. acknowledged they are expensive, at around $450 for sign posts and concrete bases, not including installation.
“As we made this adjustment around clarification of parking, something that we haven't had in place in the summer before is working with the resort on access to P4 at heightened times of parking needs,” Mayor Rob O’Toole said.
Coun. Julie Kimmel stated she believes the majority of folks parking outside of Crystal Forest are renting there, rather than attending events, to which Hofer said he’s working on requiring operators of short-term rentals to provide clear parking directions to renters.
Correspondence
City of Prince George requests petition support
Council reviewed correspondence from the City of Prince George requesting the municipality support a petition calling on the federal government to “strengthen public safety measures.”
These include amending the Criminal Code of Canada to strengthen bail requirements for prolific and nonviolent offenders. Other provisions of the petition include:
• Appoint more judges, crown prosecutors and paralegals to end court backlogs
• Provide funding and resources for Crown Counsel to increase capacity and decrease delays in preparing and bringing cases to court in a timely manner
• Provide funding and resources to provincial correctional centres and support services to increase capacity for detention of individuals, as well as providing rehabilitation and release planning services
Council moved to accept and support this petition.
“I think it's a fair ask,” Coun. Kelly Dye said. “We don't see it as much up here, but other places have a lot more issues than we do with these things. I don't think our support is going to hurt us in any fashion, and hopefully it helps a little bit.”
City of Abbotsford on pipeline valuation changes
The City of Abbotsford shared the province directed BC Assessment to postpone changes to the valuation methodology for Gathering and Transmission Pipelines, and requested the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, of which Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality is a member, urge B.C. to direct BC Assessment to restart an engagement process with local governments and regional districts regarding the pipelines.
Council did not move any way with this correspondence, but acknowledged it.
“No need to send a letter at this particular point in time, but for those attending the [Union of British Columbia Municipalities conference], certainly put it on the radar for consideration of support,” Coun. Len Hrycan said.
Resident letter regarding health centre consultant process
Council received a letter from Sun Peaks resident Marj Knive, who expressed concern in the municipality considering a consultant to lead the process of finding a new operator for the Sun Peaks Community Health Centre.
“From a governance perspective, this approach appears to extend beyond the municipality’s core mandate,” Knive wrote.
Due to the resources and time needed to quickly reopen the health centre, municipal staff have recommended sourcing a consultant to take on the renewed search for an operator to ensure there is a dedicated team responsible for the process.
“The previous process took up a substantial amount of staff time and resources which has led to the delay and or inability to advance a significant amount of other work and move forward on other critical priorities,” a staff memo to council, shared during the March 10 council meeting, stated.
In the letter, the resident requested council consider returning both responsibility and associated funding to the non-profit Sun Peaks Health Association.
“As the facility's original proponents and funders, the [Sun Peaks Health Association] is intended to be the appropriate body to lead recruitment efforts, subject to strengthening its board capacity through broader community representation,” she wrote.
Council is considering reinstating the Sun Peaks Health Association, Hrycan said.
Knive also encouraged council to “evaluate available zoning tools as a practical and proactive measure,” and “ensure that public interests are properly protected through formal registration,” stating that to her understanding the clinic building is not registered within the Land Title system.
Speaking to the complexity of the land, Campbell clarified via email to SPIN that Sun Peaks Community Health Centre building is legally stratified into two strata lots registered on title.
Sun Peaks Resort LLP (SPR) is the registered owner of the second/top floor and the municipality is the registered owner of the entire bottom floor, including the health centre space and the ski patrol space.
SPMRM is also the registered owner of the addition that includes the multi-purpose amenity room and an ambulance bay, which was constructed through a federal-provincial grant fund.
“The challenge is that addition sits on a portion of land that is Crown land and leased to SPR,” Campbell said. “We need to work with the province and SPR to correct that as it doesn’t make sense for us to own that portion of the building but not own the land.”
There have been discussions around the possibility of further stratifying the building to have ski patrol, the ambulance bay and the amenity room as a separate strata lot, as Sun Peaks Resort may wish to purchase those spaces as one in the future, Campbell explained.
“They currently lease those spaces and they are critical to their operations,” Campbell added.
However, further stratification cannot happen without addressing the issue of landownership in regards to the portion of the building that sits on provincial owned land – the ambulance bay and amenity room.
Those spaces can also not be included in any sale.
“The provincial-federal grant fund used to construct the addition does not permit the sale of the addition to a private entity, business or corporation for a period of five years,” Campbell said.
“It must remain owned by a public body or non-profit unless permission is given from the grant funder [which is] the province and federal government.”
There is also a covenant registered on the building limiting its use, and SPR has a right of first refusal for purchasing the space.
“I would respectfully encourage council to exercise caution in assuming responsibilities or incurring costs that fall outside its primary mandate, and instead to work collaboratively with community stakeholders to support a sustainable, community-led solution for the health centre,” Knive wrote, concluding the letter.
Read more about why council is considering a consultant.
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