Watch: Local leaders talk priorities at chamber lunch

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When asked about what the city is doing to attract younger families, Cumming touted recent zoning and land planning initiatives to bring in more affordable housing projects.

But he also mentioned a major challenge that the region is facing with finding skilled workers .

“Lots of the enterprises I talk to, their number one issue is skilled workforce. There’s a whole bunch of people that are my age that don’t want to work anymore so what we are going to see is succession.”

On a question about vagrancy and crime, Cumming said that the city has been working diligently on the subject,

“We’ve invested more in bylaw enforcement, so that is in addition, we moved bylaw downtown, we’ve established a couple of other programs to deal with sharps, so I think this council is really concerned about this issue and we are putting significant effort into it,” noting that the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP recently added six new members and is fully staffed, which is rare for the organization.

Kevin Acton, RDNO Chair and Mayor of Lumby

Acton spoke about the RDNO ‘s plans to ban single-use plastics and divert organics

He told business leaders that 60 per cent of all the organics that end up in the landfill are from businesses.

He also clarified that they aren’t seeking a ban on boating along Kalamalka Lake.

“That’s just a rumor. What the challenge is, is that Vernon’s intake and Coldstream’s intake for clean water are close to the edge of the lake and when boats go by they stir up some of the sediments, so what we are looking at doing is figuring out how we can maintain recreation on the lake and maintain good clean drinking water,” he said.

During question period, Acton listed housing as a major barrier impacting economic development.

“Without houses for people to live in here we end up with people on the street and we end up with creating some animosity there.”

“We are looking for federal relief there, provincial relief there, but the reality is that it is really market driven,” he said.

OKIB Chief Byron Louis

Okanagan Indian Band Chief Byron Louis talked about improving infrastructure and their relationship with surrounding communities.

He also mentioned the opioid crisis as a critical challenge facing the region.

“We have got to realize that it’s not a war on drugs. That’s an American term and that does not fit what the reality really is. If you look at some of these young kids or if you happen to know, that’s your neighbor, that could be your cousin, that could be someone you grew up besides. Are those people to be classified as enemies or to be thrown away? No. It’s a medical issue.”

Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick

Garlick talked about recent development in the community, and called that Okanagan Rail Trail “a best buy” for getting people active.

But he admitted that the rail trail has come with its challenges.

“The problem is now we have to fit it into residential areas, the parking, the facilities,” he said.

“We bought property on Kal Road that can work as a parking lot at this time. We are going to put up facilities such as washrooms. We are also talking about possible commercial in that area, probably bike related, but we don’t know at this time,” said Garlick who added that they are seeking public input.

He also mentioned diversifying the tax base to keep up with rising growth.

Garlick said the District of Coldstream is expected to hit 15,000 people in a few years which would make the community responsible for 90 per cent of policing costs.

“When you have murders and such crimes in your communities, the province no longer pays for your investigations so you have to foot the bill completely, and these are all things that are really eye opening,” Garlick said.

He also talked about plans for a new recreational hall, which would be situated at the old Women’s Institute building.