Former director to run again

Photo: Colton Davies

Bill Schwarz plans to once again seek a seat at the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen board table this fall, after spending the past two terms in retirement.

Schwarz was the Area D director in the RDOS from 2002 to 2011 and has resided in OK Falls since 1999, where he moved after a career in Vancouver with ICBC. 

"I'd always kept my finger on the pulse of what was happening. And I feel there are things that need to be looked at," the 80-year-old Schwarz said on his decision to run again.

"I think our budget for Area D has gone way up high, and it's a concern because the tax base has gone down."

Schwarz also thinks the multi-million Skaha Estates sewer expansion project should be shelved, noting "it's something that's important but way too expensive, and it should not be pursued until we get sufficient grants to make it financially feasible for the occupants that live there."

He added that increasing the supply of rentals and affordable housing in the OK Falls area is a high priority, especially with plans for a new medical marijuana facility which will likely employ close to 250 people once it opens.

"That's going to bring a lot of workers to the area, and they're going to need a place to live."

The RDOS received provincial approval in May to split Area D, the region's most populous rural area, in half. The new Area D will include OK Falls, Skaha Estates, Heritage Hills, Upper Carmi and Vaseux Lake, and the change will come into effect for the Oct. 17 municipal election.

Schwarz is the second candidate to announce he'll be running for the Area D seat this fall — the other being Heritage Hills resident Ron Obirek, a lawyer who has volunteered with the OK Falls Parks and Recreation Commission since 2016.

Obirek could not immediately be reached for comment.

Current Area D director Tom Siddon announced in February he will be "hanging up the spurs" and retiring.