Peachland property taxes going up 7%

Property taxes going up 7%

Photo: District of Peachland

Peachland Finance director Garry Filafilo speaking to council

Owners of a typical Peachland property will pay $308.80 more in taxes in 2025.

BC Assessment calculates a typical Peachland home to be worth $887,000, finance director Garry Filafilo said to Peachland council on Tuesday. Total property taxes for the typical home will be $4,675.33 — a 7.07 per cent increase over 2024.

Council gave three readings to its final budget with the tax increases on Tuesday. Final approval will be given at a special meeting next week.

The budget includes $16 million worth of capital projects, Filafilo said, but government grants and reserve funds will pay for those.

Key projects include park improvements, a pressure-reducing station, dock pilings and boat launch works, trail building, water meters and a new child care centre, now under construction.

“Federal and provincial active transportation grants are funding a significant portion of the $1.7 million for the active transportation network — the Westside trail,” Filafilo said. “Provincial Child Care New Spaces grant is funding $12 million for the child care centre.”

“The provincial child care grant and the provincial active transportation grants are a direct result of council’s efforts to meet with provincial leaders and lobby for funds,” the finance boss said.

“The number of grants that we’ve received has increased from three to nine to 23 over the past three years. This is the result of council’s efforts, plus our grant writer [communications coordinator Kirsten Jones]. I’d like to ask council to continue that because it allows us do a lot of different things and great things for the community.”

Documents noted provincial and federal grants of $13,900,000 have been received."

Peachland will not be immune from tariffs, however.

The budget includes $42,000 for a new parks mower, but with tariffs, the cost has jumped by $25,000, he said.

“We’re going to be affected by the tariffs. We don’t buy a lot direct from the U.S., but a lot of our suppliers get their products from the U.S. For example, this mower was coming from the U.S.

“We have to look at another plan.”

The budget breakdown shows the typical homeowner will pay $2,523.96 in general, police and transit taxes, $479.75 in parcel taxes and $1,671.62 to other levels of government.

General, police and transit taxes are rising by 6.08 per cent, or $144.68 for that typical home.

Parcel taxes go up 26.69 per cent, or $101.08. That’s mostly due to a $100 rise in the protective services building parcel tax from $50 to $150. Peachlanders approved borrowing money to build a new fire hall in a 2022 referendum. The project hasn’t begun.

Taxes for other jurisdictions, including schools, the library system and regional district are going up 3.92 per cent, or $63.04.

Peachland Classic Car Show returns May long weekend

Classic cars returning

Photo: Contributed

Peachland Classic Car Show returns May 18

Classic cars are returning to the Peachland waterfront on the May long weekend.

On the heels of a very successful first event last year, the Peachland Classic Car Show returns to the community Sunday, May 18.

The show, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., takes place along the pedestrian-only Beach Avenue with the breathtaking Okanagan Lake serving as a backdrop.

More than 225 pre-1980 vehicles are expected from classic cars to tracks, hot rods and vintage boats.

Vehicles from across Western Canada are expected and, while event organizers say registration is sold out, they are looking for ways to accommodate more show vehicles.

Along with the stars of the show, there will also be roving entertainment from the Blues Bros and live buskers performing.

A 50/50 draw and silent auction are also featured.

The event, presented by the Peachland Chamber of Commerce, donated $1,000 to the Peachland Elementary School music program last year.

Car show goers are reminded parking is reserved for show cars along Beach Avenue from 1st to 6th streets.

Free shuttles will be available to take visitors from Clement Crescent to the Community Centre and back between 10:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Brush fire impacts power lines in Peachland

Crews douse brush fire

Photo: Contributed

A brush fire erupted Tuesday in Peachland.

UPDATE 3:20 p.m.

The District of Peachland says the brush fire on Princeton Avenue impacted some nearby power lines.

BC Hydro is on the scene making repairs, forcing the closure of Princeton Avenue between Somerset to Lipsett, until the fix is complete.

BC Hydro is not reporting any outages in the area.

ORIGINAL 1 p.m.

Fire crews are at the scene of a brush fire on Princeton Avenue in Peachland.

The fire erupted near the Lipsett Avenue intersection at around 12:15 p.m.

Social media reports indicate that firefighters have gotten a handle on the blaze.

Bushes along the road, in front of a home, went up in flames.

Castanet has requested more information from the Peachland Fire Department.

Road sweeping on Highway 97 through Peachland will slow traffic starting Friday night

Hwy 97 road cleaning

Photo: File photo

Road sweeping planned between Trepanier Bench Rd and Seclusion Bay Rd for 4.1 km through Peachland this weekend

Travellers heading through Peachland on Highway 97 are advised to watch out for road sweepers this weekend.

DriveBC said road sweeping is planned between Trepanier Bench Road and Seclusion Bay Road for 4.1 km. throughout the night.

The work starts on Friday night and is expected to last until Sunday. The work runs from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Drivers are asked to slow down and move over. Watch for flashing lights.

Peachland council shoots down secondary suite policy

Council hung up on policy

Photo: District of Peachland

Peachland council has shot down a proposed secondary suite policy.

A second attempt to revise Peachland’s secondary suite policy has been shot down.

In February, planning staff presented council with language to add flex units to the policy.

Flex units are small secondary suites Peachland has been requiring in some new developments, although none have been built yet.

Councillors were unhappy with wording about grandfathering existing suites, that banned second kitchens – and questioned whether flex units will help resolve the housing shortage at all.

“I have a few things here that I think were missed,” said Mayor Patrick Van Minsel on Tuesday as the plan was presented again. “We did decide as a council that you had to look at summer kitchens and to allow them.”

The language to allow grandfathering of older suites that were legal when they were built doesn’t apply in Peachland, Coun. David Collins said.

“Right up to 2017, it was ambiguous as to whether a permit was even required …. and we wound up with hundreds of suites non-conforming,” he said. “Now people who want to bring them on board are getting stuck with fairly large bills to upgrade them."

Collins and Van Minsel both said they’d been inundated with emails from residents concerned about costs of legalizing their suites.

“One of the most frustrating things as a councillor is to constantly get emails from residents saying how difficult and onerous it is to legalize a suite,” Collins said.

“It’s having the opposite effect,” he said of the proposed policy. “People are going I’m either not even going to dare approach the district to licence my suite or I’m just going to stop doing this.”

Planning director Darin Schaal didn’t make much headway with his explanation that the policy is not creating new regulations, just stating how existing regulations are enforced.

“This is a policy document and it’s simply intended not to regulate but to provide some guidance to staff and the public in terms how we manage suite processes,” he said.

Councillors said flex suites should have their own policy.

Council voted to defer the proposed policy. It may be months before it comes up again.

Scarecrows will make return to Peachland fall fair

Scarecrows return to fall fair

Photo: District of Peachland

Plans are coming together for Peachland's fall fair

Peachland’s scarecrow festival is returning as part of the annual fall fair.

The 106th edition of the fair, set for Sept. 6-7, is also adding zucchini races to lineup.

Peachland hosted a scarecrow festival from 2016-18. Declining entries and vandalism problems helped kill the event.

The new version will be a scaled-down model, Daniela Evans, fall fair society vice-president, told council on Tuesday.

“We’re going to run the Zucchini 500 races. We’re going to offer an opportunity for vehicles to be made from zucchinis and to race them down a track. We’re currently designing the event, which will be held on Sunday,” she said.

“We’d also like to bring back a smaller version of the scarecrow competition – invite businesses and community groups to create a scarecrow ... to use these as decorations for our fair.”

The mayor was happy to see scarecrows returning.

“The scarecrow competition that you’re going bring back is great. I was part of the first one, the second one, and we had to stop for reasons. I think it’s a very good addition to the fall fair,” said Patrick Van Minsel.

The society has 35 volunteers planning the fair, which features new events and categories every year, Evans said.

The 2024 fair had more than 798 entries, she said.

The theme this year is “Plant a Seed,” which Evans said was inspired by two young entrants, aged 3 and 6, from last year’s fair.

The event will include live music, face painting and photos with exotic animals,

The Peachland Library will host a Plant a Seed-themed event on May 3, she said. All students at Peachland Elementary will be provided with free seeds from the library and West Coast Seeds. Organizers will hold a raffle, appear at the farmers’ market and will have a float in the Canada Day parade.

The Peachland Riding Club will put on the Fall Fair Ranch Horse Classic on the same weekend. The two groups will support and promote each others’ events, Evans said.

The fair brochure with entry details will be available soon all over Peachland and West Kelowna, she said.

There will be more pies than ever for eating, supplied by Just Pies in Penticton, Evans said.

Coun. David Collins wanted organizers to create a rule that the baker of the winning competition pie be required to produce pies for eating at the following year’s event.

Debit and credit cards will be accepted this year.

Province waits on federal election before supporting Peachland sewer upgrades

Sewer on province's radar

Photo: District of Peachland

Coun. David Collins (left) and Peachland mayor Patrick Van Minsel (right) meeting with Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma.

Provincial support for local infrastructure projects is on hold until after the federal election, Peachland politicians have learned.

Mayor Patrick Van Minsel and Coun. David Collins recently went to Victoria to lobby provincial cabinet ministers on a variety of issues.

Last week, they also met with Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Ravi Kahlon.

An expanded sewer system is at the top of Peachland’s priority list.

“We touched on that we have now a sewer master plan, and they were very happy that we have that because that was an impediment in the previous request for money,” Van Minsel said.

“The answer from our minister, Ravi Kahlon, was they’re waiting for the federal election to happen to know which government they will be working with,” he said.

Peachland has received letters of support for its funding bid from West Kelowna, the Okanagan Basin Water Board, Westbank First Nation and Ministry of Environment and Parks.

“Currently 55 per cent of the community is still on aging septic systems, which are projected to fail within the next five years. These failures could result in potential impacts to the environment, both within nearby streams and ultimately Okanagan Lake, as well as impacts to human health," wrote Kathryn Forge, assistant deputy minister, in the ministry’s letter.

"Expanding the sewer system is essential to protecting the environment and ensuring public health and safety.”

Peachland has some funding in place for the project. The water board has made a financial commitment, Van Minsel said. “That helps our case. We have put Peachland on the map.”

Climate change scepticism alive and well in Peachland

Climate scepticism common

Photo: Colin Dacre

Peachland

Sixty-nine of 257 Peachland residents who answered a survey about climate change don’t believe human-caused climate change is real.

The Peachland Climate Change Task Force surveyed the community about its views on climate change. Because of the small number of responses, the survey is not considered statistically valid, Coun. Rick Ingram told council on Tuesday. Sixty-three responses from outside Peachland were not counted.

“Our takeaway from the survey is that there is strong support for both personal and district actions to both help reduce our climate pollution and prepare for the impacts of climate change,” the task force said in a written introduction to the results.

Asked whether Peachland residents should take their own action to reduce climate pollution, 135 respondents agreed or strongly agreed with 85 opposed.

Asked what actions they were willing to take, 170 answered recycling and composting, 136 said they’d support local natural-area rehabilitation and 133 were willing to switch to energy-efficient appliances and LED light bulbs.

The vote was close on whether the municipality should act to reduce climate change with 123 saying yes and 105 against the idea.

But more respondents supported specific ideas with 145 saying Peachland should enhance recycling and compost programs, 143 saying streetlights should be replaced with LED bulbs, and 139 supporting expansion of green spaces and more tree planting.

A total of 140 respondents said they should prepare for the effects of climate change at home. Eighty-two said they shouldn’t. FireSmarting properties and making evacuation plans were the top actions residents said they could take.

Next steps in the process are focus group discussions in May and an open house in June, Coun. Rick Ingram said.

Photo: District of Peachland

Results of a survey completed in Peachland.

Crews dealing with gas leak downtown Peachland

Crews dealing with gas leak

Photo: District of Peachland

UPDATE 12:05 p.m.

FortisBC says a gas leak in Peachland was caused by "external party damage.”

“Crews are onsite making the necessary repairs. We anticipate two customer outages as a result but don’t yet have a time on when repairs will be complete,” said a FortisBC spokesperson.

FortisBC says April is safe digging month. The public is reminded to always contact BC 1 Call before digging to gather information on the location of buried gas lines and other utilities.

ORIGINAL 11:15 a.m.

Firefighters and crews with FortisBC are dealing with a gas leak between 5th and 6th Street in downtown Peachland.

A caller to Castanet’s newsroom says drivers are being directed away from the area.

“Motorists may experience traffic disruptions in the area and on Beach Avenue due to the emergency incident,” said the municipality on social media.

The leak is happening in the area of a construction site for a seniors housing development.

The public is asked to avoid the area if possible.

Peachland mayor, councillor lobbies province for sewer funding

Lobbying for sewer funding

Photo: District of Peachland

Coun. David Collins (left) and Peachland mayor Patrick Van Minsel (right) meeting with Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma.

Eight provincial cabinet ministers got an earful about Peachland issues when Mayor Patrick Van Minsel and Coun. David Collins visited the legislature last week.

The two council members’ top priority was to push for provincial funding to expand the sewer system.

While several ministers supported Peachland’s bid for extra funding, they weren’t the ones who can open up the purse strings. A cabinet minister who might have some influence there is housing and municipal affairs minister Ravi Kahlon, who Van Minsel will meet with on April 15.

The mayor plans to present a full written report on the Victoria trip, but was waiting for more feedback from the province before finalizing it. He and Collins gave some verbal impressions on Tuesday.

“We started off with the ministry of environment,” said Collins. “The strategy there was to get a letter of endorsement to help with sewer funding. And to impress that it is not something that can be let go for 10, 20 more years — that it’s urgent, especially when you have septic fields failing."

“They satisfied that request,” said Collins. “They don’t have any funding themselves unless it’s an emergency environmental situation.”

The Peachlanders also met with Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma.

“That was not our ticket,” said Collins, “but she gave us a name on the premier’s staff to connect with as far as sewer funding goes.”

“Minister of Infrastructure –– very strange meeting,” said Van Minsel. “Very good meeting, but they’re not the ministry of infrastructure, they’re called the ministry of infrastructure. Don’t ask me, I’m still pondering on that one.”

A report last year said 1,604 dwellings are still using septic tanks in Peachland..

“Capital projects such as sewer extensions are costly and Peachland's population of 6,300 cannot fund major expansions simply with taxes,” Van Minsel wrote in a letter to provincial officials last year.