Vernon Matters file photo

By Liam Verster

Discussing Key Topics Affecting Vernon

Vernon City Council hoping to meet with several ministers at UBCM

Jun 14, 2025 | 6:00 AM

The City of Vernon will plan to meet with several provincial leaders to discuss key issues at the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) Convention.

At the regular meeting Monday, June 9, city council was tasked with creating a preliminary list of which ministers to meet and for what purpose at the conference.

After a brief discussion, council decided to requests meetings with:

• Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing: ongoing Official Community Plan work; housing targets
• Minister of Transportation and Transit: Highway 97 enhancements
• Minister of Forests: Aberdeen Plateau reservoirs
• Minister of Finance: Short term rental regulations
• Minister of Tourism: Short term rental regulations; foreign buyers ban; tourism impacts
• Minister of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship: Aberdeen Plateau reservoirs; collaborative work between area municipalities and the Okanagan Indian Band; local water system and flood mitigation work; use of reclaimed water
• Minister of Health: the downloading of funding for emergency services; Urgent Primary Care Centre funding;

Mayor Victor Cumming indicated that staff should review the topic of short term rentals and foreign buyers to provide more insight and details ahead of those meetings.

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Council indicated that representatives from the city, the Regional District of North Okanagan, and the District of Lake Country, should also meet with the Minister of Forests to discuss the reservoirs and local water supply.

Every member of Vernon City Council also expressed interest with attending the UBCM Convention, which will be held in Victoria Sept. 22-26.

Coldstream Council also discussed meeting ministers at its meeting Monday.

The district expressed interest with meeting with the Minister of Environment to discuss oversight of sewer and septic systems, and with the Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness in regards to early wildfire detection systems.

The municipalities will have until July 2 to submit their meeting requests.