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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:
Public hearing
No members of the public spoke regarding the rezoning amendment for 1376 Burfield Dr. Once the council meeting started, the amendment was adopted and the restrictive covenant lifted from 1376 Burfield Dr. to allow an auxiliary unit.
Sun Peaks Health Association update
The Sun Peaks Health Association currently only has the municipality as a member, and the board directors includes all members of council and one community member, Alice Muirhead, who was recently appointed as non-voting member, chief administrative officer Deanna Campbell informed council.
“In their capacity as the health association board, [they] have been in discussions and work is currently underway to transition the health association to an independent, community-led health association with a newly appointed board of directors,” she explained.
The first step in that process is to amend and register the association's bylaws, which is underway with the support of municipal staff.
“The expectation is that the health association would play a role in getting the health centre reopened,” Campbell said. “Those details and what that looks like would come forward in the future.”
Tourism initiative updates
The municipality receives Resort Municipality Initiative Funding for projects that increase visitation and enhance the visitor experience. Some of that funding is going toward improvements to the Sun Peaks Centre. These improvements include electrical upgrades, building access improvements, kitchen improvements and additional landscaping.
“Most of this work is being led by tourism Sun peaks and is currently underway,” Campbell said.
The municipality is leading a medicine trail project in collaboration with the three neighbouring Indigenous bands, Adams Lake Indian Band, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and Neskonlith Indian Band.
This project will involve construction of a trail in location with traditional Secwépemc medicinal plants that will include interpretive panels and associated content.
SPMRM will convene a working group with the three bands, Tourism Sun Peaks and Sun Peaks Resort LLP to get that moving along.
Official Community Plan referral comments for areas L and P
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) sent a referral for comments on the Rivers, Peaks and Grasslands Official Community Plan (OCP).
The OCP includes Electoral Areas “L” and “P,” and local government legislation requires consultation on the OCP from neighbouring jurisdictions for input before adoption.
The draft shared with council makes several mentions of Sun Peaks as a “commercial and
industrial centre... for accommodating major development.”
However, according to Demitri Hofer, director of development and community services, it may not be accurate to describe Sun Peaks as an “industrial centre” as the current OCP and Sun Peaks Resort Master Development Plan provide limited land designated for industrial uses and there is very little industrial land available for public use.
Most of the current light industrial land is already occupied by municipal utilities, public works operations and Sun Peaks Resort mixed-use staff housing. Adding additional industrial land would require support from Sun Peaks Resort and will be a discussion point for the upcoming Sun Peaks OCP update.
“I think it is worth clarifying in the report that we are essentially a tourism hub, and that the industrial land that we do have is intended to support the resort nature of what we are,” Coun. Len Hrycan said.
Council moved to respond to the TNRD stating the municipality’s support of the draft OCP, with the clarification on the industrial centre language.
Asset Management Plan update
SPMRM is undergoing an asset management plan to assess an extensive range and amount of assets under the municipality’s ownership.
“Asset management is an ongoing exercise of continuous improvement that is tailored to the specific needs of individual local governments,” the report to council stated.
A recent Asset Replacement Forecast done in 2025 contains 4,476 assets, totaling over $160 million in replacement value, of which 621 assets with a replacement value of over $6 million are potentially strata-owned.
In his report to council Burton shared a number of areas where the municipality is providing insufficient funding, and indicated that staff time and energy will need to be dedicated to the work of asset management in order to make it effective.
“Really happy to see the council has highlighted this as a strategic action, really keen to move forward on it,” Burton said. “I just want to highlight where we are in process…the work to be done is significant.”
SPIN is working through this report and will share more in the coming weeks.
2025-2029 financial plan amendment
Council gave first, second and third readings to 2025 2029 financial plan amendment, bylaw number 228, 002.
Key changes include the use of contingency and reserve funds, adjustment to the municipal surface water pipeline project and additional new and revised capital projects.
This will come up for adoption at the next council meeting.
Parking and Traffic Amendment Bylaw No. 009-003 adoption
Council adopted the parking and traffic amendment bylaw to 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,” Hofer said at the March 24 council meeting.
Public questions
Resident Kenny Dale spoke regarding an agreement between SPMRM and Sun Peaks Skate Park Foundation requesting support and to “get the ball rolling,” on establishing a skate park that has been in the works for a number of years.
“It’s another unique situation in Sun Peaks where [the municipality has] a license of occupation for that portion of the land from the school district,” Campbell explained. “But the Skate Park Foundation is going to be responsible for constructing the skate park, and then the municipality is going to take on ownership and liability on that asset.”
“So we have been working towards getting an agreement in place that outlines that partnership and what that would look like going forward, recognizing that unique situation.”
Council requested Sun Peaks Skate Park Foundation return to council with more information in an official capacity as this topic was not on the agenda for this meeting.
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