File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)
Shuswap Watershed Council

CSRD, Sicamous voters to decide funding future of Shuswap Watershed Council

May 24, 2023 | 10:34 AM

SALMON ARM, B.C. — The Columbia Shuswap Regional District Board of Directors wants voters to decide the future of the Shuswap Watershed Council.

At a meeting held last Thursday (May 18), directors voted to request a referendum on the continued use of a parcel tax to fund the council’s activities permanently.

The request will now go to the province. If approved, the district will finalize voting details such as dates and locations.

According to a CSRD news release, the Shuswap Watershed Council is “a non-profit group focused on protecting, maintaining and enhancing water quality and promoting safe recreation in the Shuswap.”

In addition to the CSRD, members of the council include the Thompson Nicola Regional District, the Regional District of North Okanagan, the City of Salmon Arm, the District of Sicamous and the Secwepemc Nation. The referendum on funding would only apply to five electoral areas within the CSRD, as well as residents of Sicamous.

Right now, the council receives funding through a flat rate tax of $9.02 per parcel of land per year. A new maximum parcel tax rate is estimated at $9.64 per parcel annually.