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Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality held a regular council meeting Sept. 8. Below are the highlights of that meeting.
Mayor's report
In his report to council Mayor Rob O’Toole acknowledged Sun Peaks Bear Aware for everything the organization has done recently to advocate for wildlife in Sun Peaks.
O’Toole also paid his respects to former Kamloops councillor Dieter Duty who has passed away.
Chief administrative officer's report
In her report to council, chief administrative officer Deanna Campbell shared that the Sun Peaks Community Health Association is no longer affiliated with the municipality, as it is an independent-led organization.. O’Toole and Campbell will be meeting with the health association to find the best ways to support the work being done.
Clint Burton had his last day on Sept. 8 working with the municipality as the director of operations. Campbell expressed her sincere gratitude and appreciation for Burton as he begins his new journey.
Campbell reminded folks interested in running in the Oct. 17 general election to submit nomination packages by Friday, Sept. 11 at 4 p.m. More information can be found on the municipality’s website or by contacting Campbell or chief election officer Donna Monteith.
O’Toole and Campbell will both be attending the UBCM convention in Vancouver next week with eight different meetings about infrastructure, environment, health, emergency preparedness, tourism, forest finance, BC Hydro and the resort community collaborative.
Campbell also acknowledged Sun Peaks Bear Aware for all that they do and reminded folks to be aware of all bear attractants and to keep it with any garbage or recycling in a secure location.
”We need to have a larger and broader community conversation about what more we can all do,” she said.
Fire skid unit donation
A second fire skid unit has been donated from a partnership between GlobalMedic and Canadian Red Cross to the Sun Peaks Fire Rescue. A motion to send a thank you note was passed.
Sun Peaks Class 8 Tax Allocation
Sun Peaks currently taxes recreational properties under Class 8 at the same rate as residential properties, with most of the Class 8 assessment coming from recreational lands such as the golf course and ski hill. Staff found that nine of 14 B.C. resort communities use a higher recreational tax rate and proposed gradually increasing Sun Peaks’.
Council decided not to approve the Class 8 rate changes during this meeting. O’Toole and council members noted that they had previously requested a comprehensive review across all property classes and voted to receive the report for information before making a decision.
Municipal staff are awaiting detailed assessment data from BC Assessment and further discussions regarding split-classification before bringing a complete taxation review back to the incoming council during the 2027-2031 financial planning process.
Emergency Management Program and Organization Bylaw
Council approved the motion to formally establish an emergency management program and organizational bylaw.
The full bylaw can be found here.
Business License Bylaw and Short Term Rental Policy updates
Council gave first, second and third readings to Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw, Bylaw Notice Enforcement Amendment Bylaw and approved Short-Term Rental Policy.
All bylaws were passed with the intention to amend the policy including the neighbourhood caps and on-mountain contacts and licensing requirements. Council voted to maintain the single 25 per cent neighbourhood cap for now, keeping a single licensing category rather than doubling capacity. Staff were directed to build random monthly spot-checks into administrative procedures.
Questions from the public
There were a number of questions from the public, which we have cut from this newsletter for readability. To hear all questions asked at the end of the council meeting, watch the video here.
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