District Municipality – Is it time?

When people ask where you live, do you say Oliver, Rural Oliver, or something  else?

Oliver is a gem of a place to live, but it is more than just the Town of  Oliver. It is a vibrant area from Deadmans Lake in the south to Vaseux Lake in  the north. As the area grows and changes we must look at changing the way we are  governed.

Presently the town population (4,800) has a council of five and two additional councillors dedicated to our water system. A water system from McIntrye Bluff in the north to almost Road 22 in the south.

The rural Oliver population (3,500) has one  director on a board in Penticton.

In many areas of B.C. governance of larger areas is done through District  Municipalities,. Examples would be, District of Summerland, District of Lake  Country and most recently District of Clearwater. These districts were created  by the Provincial Government when it made sense to have local representation  over a large area of shared services.

The District of Oliver is now reaching that point. We presently share many  services with the rural area of Oliver, some are administered by the Town, some  by the Regional District, some by other parties. Examples would be the water system, our school system, Parks and Recreation, fire  department, police department, garbage collection and soon to be, Frank Venables  Auditorium.

While it is believed by many that a District of Oliver would automatically  raise taxes, until a proper study is done, this is unproven.

When a home owner in rural Oliver needs a building variance or permit, should  that be decided locally or should directors from Summerland to Osoyoos and  Naramata to Princeton decide?

Is it time to have services administered from Oliver instead of  Penticton?

Maureen Doerr, rural resident