SOSCP and Local Government Collaboration Achieves Recognition

After a highly successful first phase, SOSCP’s environmental planning collaboration is being lauded as an innovative and creative approach to sustainable land and resource planning. Both the Waterbucket.ca website and the Communities in Transition blogspot are featuring numerous articles and interviews with individuals involved in the SOSCP “Local Government Ecological Standards and Practices Capacity Building Initiative”. What are planners and administrators saying about the initiative?

“What makes the South Okanagan distinctive is that several local governments have pooled our resources to share the services of an environmental planner. This has resulted in consistency and a ‘made in the South Okanagan’ approach to a proven planning tool,” – Tom Szalay, Chief Administrative Officer with the Town of Oliver.

“Almost 2,000 hectares of land have this permit designation which allows for careful consideration of ecological values during the development application and approval process. This is the culmination of 10 months of cooperation, learning and sharing resources.” – Don DeGagne, District of Summerland Chief Administrative Officer.

“We could never have accomplished our OCP work without the support and leveraging of this partnership. The highlight of this project is my new understanding of the uniqueness, sensitivity and importance of the natural environment of the South Okanagan.” – Ian McIntosh, District of Summerland, Manager of Development Services.

Hear from others about the initiative led by SOSCP and partners, and funded by the Real Estate Foundation of BC, Habitat Stewardship Program and South Okanagan municipalities in Waterbucket “Convening for Action”, and in the CITinfoResource blogspot here. Stay tuned as we move forward with Phase II/Year Two.

OKwaterwise web site launched

Check out www.okwaterwise.ca designed for Okanagan Valley households, businesses and school groups. Chock full of facts, water-saving tips, and water news, the site is designed to increase awareness among valley residents about water issues and the fact that we all share the same water resource.

Biodiversity Loss a Significant Business Risk

The July issue of the Environmental Leader online magazine reported on a survey of businesses and consumers on the loss of biodiversity. According to the survey, more than half of businesses see species loss impacting their bottom line in some countries, while about 80 percent of consumers said they would stop buying products from companies that do not take biodiversity seriously. Overall though, only 25 percent of CEOs said they considered the loss of biodiversity to be a strategic business issue. Rio Tinto, Walmart, Coca Cola and BC Hydro are some leading companies that have made commitments to reducing or eliminating their industry’s impact on the environment. Read more here.

August 2010

July 2010

July 2010 Newsletter

Oliver Council adopts new environmental and riparian development regulations

Excerpted from Penticton Herald, July 16, 2010

“Eager to protect the town’s remaining sensitive ecosystems from potentially damaging development, Oliver council adopted a new set of environmental and riparian development regulations on Monday. Council’s decision followed a 90 minute public hearing during which several speakers expressed concerns that the new regulations would do little more than cost developers time and money.”

“In fact, the bylaw passed by council on Monday contained several amendments introduced to address those concerns. For example, at council’s request, the irrigation channel was removed from the environmental development permit area – although connected to the Okanagan River, the channel is not a fish habitat.”

“Before Monday’s vote, the town’s environmental development area included only the wetland oxbows along the Okanagan River Channel. By changing the Official Community Plan, it has added sensitive ecosystems such as grasslands, wetlands and mature forest. Oliver’s riparian areas include Tuc-el-Nuit Lake, the Okanagan River, wetlands and other watercourses throughout the town. Proposed amendments to these areas include establishing setbacks on watercourses that support fish and fish habitat. Environmental and riparian development areas are seen as an effective tool for protecting environmentally sensitive areas on private lands within communities.”

District of Summerland adopts Environmentally Sensitive Development Permit Areas.

On June 28, 2010 the District of Summerland Council voted unanimously to adopt the Environmentally Sensitive Development Permit Areas and all the supporting mechanisms into the Official Community Plan (OCP). Almost 2,000 hectares of land have this permit designation which allows for careful consideration of ecological values during the development application and approval process. This is the culmination of 10 months of cooperation, learning and sharing resources,” reports Don DeGagne, Chief Administrative Officer. Read the full article in Water Bucket

Nature Conservancy of Canada receives support from Quail’s Gate Winery

On June 24, 2010, Quail’s Gate CEO Tony Stewart announced a commitment of $75,000 over three years to support NCC initiatives. This is part of the winery’s long-term strategy to incorporate sustainable practices that benefit the environment into the company. Okanagan Program Manager Barb Pryce thanked the Stewart family for their support for conservation work within the Okanagan Ecoregion.

BC Conservation Foundation

BCCF is dedicated to the conservation, enhancement and restoration of fisheries, wildlife and forestry resources. The organization provides project management services to other organizations to administer, implement and deliver conservation projects. BCCF supports training and employment opportunities for first nations, students and displaced forestry and fisheries workers on conservation projects. Through the Habitat Sustainability Fund, the foundation has provided money to help purchase several properties including some near Vaseux Lake in the South Okanagan.

BC Lake Stewardship Society

The BCLSS promotes stewardship, understanding and comprehensive management of lakes, reservoirs and watersheds. They act as a communication and information distribution network between public lake interest groups, government and industry. Through organizing projects, educating the public, and building resources and tools BCLSS hopes to assist in the preservation of BC’s water resources. Locally, they have been working together with landowners to restore lakeshore habitat.