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Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality held a regular council meeting Sept. 22. Below are the highlights of that meeting.
Union of BC Municipalities Convention summary
Mayor Rob O’Toole and chief administrative officer Deanna Campbell attended the four-day UBCM convention in Vancouver with various meetings throughout.
O’Toole met with other municipal mayors in a morning meeting with Minister Anne Kang. He highlighted tourism as a “nation-building” industry capable of driving provincial prosperity as B.C. aims to double tourism revenue over the next decade, while advocating for sustainable infrastructure funding rather than one-off grants.
A meeting took place with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business to discuss challenges specific to resort communities, including seasonal workforce housing, high costs for sick leave and transport logistics.
They met with Education Deputy Minister Bobbi Plecas to advocate for a brick-and-mortar school in Sun Peaks. Sun Peaks remains the number one capital priority for a new school build in School District 73, according to Plecas.
Finance Minister Josie Osborne met with O’Toole and Campbell regarding tax base balancing, tourist-funded services and updating the BC Assessment classifications for short-term or Airbnb rental properties.
Streamlined environmental approvals were requested given Sun Peaks’ short mountain construction season and O’Toole and Campbell met with BC Hydro regarding power capacity for local growth.
O’Toole thanked the Ministry of Tourism for writing support letters seeking an exemption for Sun Peaks from the foreign buyer ban. He pitched the Ministry of Forestry on how Sun Peaks’ $300 to $400 million in planned construction could support provincial trade, and met with Canada's Deputy Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Paul Halucha, expressing cautious optimism for a decision about the foreign buyer ban by the November federal budget.
Sun Peaks housing authority progress
O’Toole announced the BC Builds housing development at 1180 Sun Peaks Rd., passed the 50 per cent completion mark, remaining on budget and on track for completion in fall 2027.
Community beautification
O’Toole praised and commended Sun Peaks LLP and staff for wrapping local electrical kiosks and transformer boxes with artwork.
Bear and wildlife management
O’Toole expressed sadness over a mother bear that had been euthanized, whilst thanking Northern Bear Awareness for rescuing the cubs. He emphasized neighbour-to-neighbour accountability and education, urging residents to take personal responsibility for informing neighbours about wildlife safety, rather than social media shaming.
“We need to take responsibility as neighbors to crack a soda or a beer over the fence when that new kid moves in and remind them of what it means to live in a place like this… rather than maybe being a keyboard warrior and telling people they should be shamed and those kinds of things,” O’Toole said.
Appointment of deputy Chief Administrative Officer
Council appointed Donna Monteith as deputy chief administrative officer.
Post-deployment information
Council passed a motion to use $30,000 of the deployment revenue to upgrade Bush Truck 1 from a Type 6 to a Type 5 wildland engine.
Council approved the disposal of Engine 3, with a public auction and all proceeds going to the reserves as per the municipal asset management policy.
Instead of placing the remaining net proceeds straight to fire reserves, council passed a motion to retain the unbudgeted funds as a surplus to be evaluated during upcoming budget plan discussions. Council noted that the cost of the Sun Peaks Fire Rescue’s Work Experience Program in future years could be offset by using a portion of these funds rather than relying solely on taxpayer dollars.
Business License Bylaw
Council adopted the Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw.
Council adopted the Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw.
Letter from Edward Kolla
In a letter dated Sept. 8, Edward Kolla submitted a formal follow-up regarding an unaddressed grievance concerning municipal curb repairs on Bella Vista Drive. O’Toole apologized for the delayed response and confirmed that he has since followed up with Kolla.
The letter prompted council to discuss why the municipality is maintaining a water distribution system located inside a private strata development. It was noted that this infrastructure is typically private and owned directly by strata corporatiosn. Campbell confirmed that municipal staff, former Director of Operations Clint Burton and legal counsel have been reviewing historical land title documents and consulting with Sun Peaks Resort LLP to clarify municipal versus strata water infrastructure ownership across stratified properties in the resort.
Council formally voted to receive the correspondence for information.
Letter submitted regarding Thompson-Nicola Regional District Transfer Station rule change
A letter submitted by A. Cage, president of Top of the Mountain Accommodations and Management Ltd., outlined severe concerns regarding the proposed Thompson-Nicola Regional District transfer station rule changes slated for December that restrict or eliminate commercial waste disposal. O’Toole reported that he had spoken with Cage prior to the meeting to discuss his concerns.
Thompson-Nicola Regional District staff agreed to present a report and recommendation at the Oct. 1 upcoming meeting of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Board / Solid Waste Committee to recommend deferring the rollout of the new transfer station procedures until June 1.
Council voted to receive the correspondence for information.
Parkland dedication correspondence
Clint Burton wrote a letter to mayor and council addressing the direction given at the Aug. 25 council meeting for staff to “consider delaying any potential exemption or reduction in the parkland dedication until the Parks and Recreation Master Plan is developed and the costs of implementing that plan are known”.
Council confirmed that they were not recommending any policy changes or granting an exemption at this time.
Council voted to receive the letter for information, leaving any future policy review for the incoming council following the municipal election.
Urgent request for intervention - mother and two baby cubs in Sun Peaks correspondence
Krista Wilkes wrote a letter to council raising an urgent plea regarding a mother bear and her two cubs targeted for capture and destruction by the BC Conservation Officer Service.
Councillors noted that wildlife destruction decision making falls strictly under provincial Conservation Officer Service Authority.
Council agreed that incoming leadership should work with Sun Peaks Bear Aware to tighten local attractant policies, enforcement and fines.
Council voted to receive the correspondence for information.
Support for a minimum five-year renewal of the local government climate action program correspondence
Mark Pendergraft, Chair of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, wrote a letter addressed to Premier David Eby and provincial ministers in support of the UBCM advocacy campaign. This letter urges the BC provincial government to commit to a minimum five-year-renewal of the Local Government Climate Action Program funding starting in 2027.
Council moved the motion to receive the correspondence for information.
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