West Kelowna

The Regional District of Central Okanagan has thrown its support behind Peachland's request for a boundary extension.

The decision was made at a special board meeting Thursday.

Peachland requested the boundary extension in order to facilitate development in the municipal Ponderosa-Pincushion Area Sector Plan.

In August, Treegroup Development Corp. successfully acquired two parcels of Crown land totalling over 30 hectares.

The land resides within the Central Okanagan West Electoral Area.

The developer is using the land as part of a multi-million dollar expansion of the Ponderosa Golf Course.

Greg Norman is designing the new course.

The municipality is asking that those lands now be included within its jurisdictional boundaries.

In other board news, the Regional Board has approved writing a letter to the Provincial Government expressing concerns about the potential impact the proposed Harmonized Sales Tax will have on local governments. The Board is concerned that local governments will only be able to recover 10.25% of the full 12% HST they pay, especially on large contracts. The letter will also ask Finance Minister Colin Hansen to take steps to rectify the shortfall in recoverable HST.

Director Charlie Hodge had been appointed Chair of the Central Okanagan Dog Advisory Committee.

Hodge fills the position previously held by Director Brian Given who passed away earlier this year.