By ROY WOOD
Some wind will spill from the sails of an afternoon public hearing in Osoyoos after the town reported a controversial supportive recovery centre operator has abandoned plans to open in Osoyoos.
Town chief administrative officer Barry Romanko told council early in this afternoon’s meeting that Brandon Jansen, a foundation based in Penticton, has been the subject of complaints it was illegally operating a drug recovery operation in Osoyoos.
Following “first-level enforcement action” by the town, he said, the town received assurances from Brandon Jansen that it is not operating a facility in Osoyoos. Any plans to develop a supportive recovery facility in the town have been abandoned, Romanko said.
Today’s 4 p.m. public hearing is not specifically related to a supportive recovery facility. However, residents concerned about the reports of such a centre on Harbour Key saw the hearing into the so-called “house-keeping” bylaw amendment as an opportunity to object..
Letters sent to the town ahead of the public hearing generally objected to the presence of a drug rehab facility in a residential neighbourhood near parks and school.
Coverage of the public hearing will appear later today on ODN.