Osoyoos aims to become Canada's Safest Community

As its brand states, Osoyoos already offers "Canada's Warmest Welcome" - and now the community has launched a major initiative to provide the country's safest welcome, too.

On Nov. 25, Destination Osoyoos held a public event at the BC Visitor Centre @ Osoyoos to announce that it will partner with St. John Ambulance on an innovative first-aid project to have the most citizens trained in CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) per capita of any community in Canada within the next three years.

As the town's tourism and economic development agency, Destination Osoyoos will now offer its popular SuperHost customer-service training program with added options in First Aid and CPR. The courses available will range from WorkSafeBC Level 1 to Basic LifeSaver. CPR with Automatic External Defibrillation will also be available.

The program will extend beyond the business and tourism sector to community groups and seniors organizations. The Rotary Club of Osoyoos and Destination Osoyoos are also sponsoring training for high school students.

St. John Ambulance officials at the event noted that Osoyoos is the first community in Canada to pilot a project of this type with the first-aid organization. It is a model both groups hope other towns and cities across the country will adopt.

"As one of the most popular destinations in British Columbia, Osoyoos welcomes more than 350,000 visitors every year," Destination Osoyoos CEO Glenn Mandziuk said at the program launch ceremony. "This new initiative is part of our community's commitment to take total care of our guests. We want to provide not only the warmest welcome in Canada, but also the safest welcome in Canada."

A 2004 study by Dr. Ian Stiell of the Ottawa Health Research Institute showed that a person's chance of surviving a heart attack nearly quadruples if they receive CPR within the first few moments of the attack - but too often that doesn't happen. With only 15 per cent of Canadians knowing CPR, tens of thousands die each year from cardiac arrest.

Larry Odegard, CEO for St. John Ambulance in BC and Yukon, told the launch ceremony, "St. John Ambulance is pleased to be a part of such a worthwhile initiative. Since we know that 80 per cent of all cardiac arrests occur around family and friends, this community commitment will empower residents with the knowledge of how to save a life." He said 112,000 British Columbians are trained by St. John Ambulance in first aid and CPR each year.

At the program launch, representatives of a number of organizations - including Destination Osoyoos, St. John Ambulance, the Town of Osoyoos, the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB), the Rotary Club of Osoyoos, and others signed a banner signifying their support and participation in the new initiative.

Osoyoos Mayor John Slater said, "Osoyoos is a community with strong civic spirit and pride. We want to be proactive and not wait until a tragic situation occurs to start getting prepared. It is a perfect fit for our community, combining great customer service and healthy living."

The Osoyoos Indian Band and its award-winning Nk'Mip Resort are also embracing the new program as a pillar of its long-term customer service and safety program.

"We work very closely with the Town of Osoyoos and we recognize the benefits of an integrated approach to customer service and safety at our resort and business operations. Our staff will be participating in the new courses and we are proud to join Destination Osoyoos on this important initiative to encourage enjoyable and safe visits," OIB Chief Clarence Louie said in a message to the launch event.

The event included demonstration of CPR and Automatic External Defibrillation equipment by members of Penticton's St. John Ambulance Brigade.

Mt. Baldy celebrates 40 years as Local Ski Area

Hot on the heels of celebrating its 40th anniversary last Saturday, the Mt. Baldy Ski Resort, 50 minutes northeast of Osoyoos, has announced it is getting set to open for the season on Friday, Dec. 19.

The Dec. 13 anniversary marked 40 years since the first T-bar. The festivities from 4-9 p.m. featured an indoor community pot-luck dinner at 6 p.m., complete with a birthday cake, and dancing to the ski resort's band, Long John Baldy.

As part of ongoing anniversary celebrations throughout the season, Mt. Baldy will offer "Two Can Ski for $42" lift tickets every Friday from Jan. 2-March 27 and on the last two weekends of this ski season. Also, it will offer special $12 individual lift tickets for Sunday afternoons from Jan. 11-March 29.

Mt. Baldy, renowned for its fluffy deep powder snow, features the McKinney T-bar, the Eagle double chairlift, and last year's newly added Sugarlump quad-chairlift, which opened up 10 new trails and glades. The hill also has a magic-carpet lift for youngsters and beginners, a terrain park for skiers and snowboarders, and a six-kilometre groomed cross-country ski trail. For more information call 250-498-4086 or see www.skibaldy.com.

The resort is also promoting its recent expansion of real estate development on the hill - inviting public inquiries about property in the new McKinney subdivision. Single-family home lots start at $149,000 and soon-to-be-released quarter-share pre-sales on Mt. Baldy bungalows have prices starting at under $75,000.

Board Member Profile: Alina Lovin

Alina Lovin brings energy, professionalism and an optimistic "can do" approach to her role as a member of the Destination Osoyoos board of directors. Being on the front lines of Osoyoos' growth through her work with new residents and business people moving into town, she is enthused about its bright future and she wants to help build the community.

Lovin brings impressive experience to Osoyoos. Born and raised in Romania, she earned a university degree in Mechanical Engineering there before moving to Vancouver in 1991. She obtained training in real estate from the University of British Columbia, earned her license from the Real Estate Council of British Columbia, and in 2001 began her sales career with Re/Max, selling properties mainly on the west side of Vancouver.

Lovin excelled at sales, client relations, and the professional aspects of real estate. She has taken advanced training in a number of real-estate specialties, including: Certified Residential Specialist (CRS); Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR); Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHM); Residential Construction Certified (RCC); Certified New Home Specialist (CNHS); and Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES). She works hard to remain at the forefront of her profession, honing her skills in areas such as internet marketing, virtual tours, and advanced strata property law. Lovin's emphasis on personal integrity and building open, honest relationships has impressed everyone she has dealt with. Clients often write to her with accolades for her professionalism and thanks for her outstanding personalized service. And, her outstanding performance has been recognized - she has won both the Re/Max President's Club Award and the Re/Max 100% Club Award.

Lovin and her husband, Adrian Capeneata, fell in love with Osoyoos a long time before they moved here. Capeneata, a sales representative for major brands of fitness equipment, had wanted to start a winery. After coming to Osoyoos for a number of years for summer vacations, the couple made the move in late-2006. They bought the former Lavender Farm, on Highway 97 south of Oliver, and Capeneata has been building their winery. It will open in the spring of 2009.

In January 2007, Lovin joined the Re/Max Realty Solutions office in Osoyoos. Her high-energy approach quickly made her a leading realtor in the area. One of the first things that struck her when she moved here was all the activity by Destination Osoyoos to help the town develop. "I really want to be involved in the growth of the community, and I was so impressed by what Destination Osoyoos has done - they're so active, like in their efforts to attract doctors," she says. It was a natural move for her to volunteer for service on the Destination Osoyoos board of directors, beginning in May 2008. "I wanted to join and help."

Lovin is optimistic about the future of Osoyoos. "I'm happy that more and more young families are moving here. They see that we don't have the traffic and some of the other problems that bigger cities have, and that Osoyoos is a safer place to raise their children." She wants to help develop the community for its growing population, with improvements like increased medical services and airport facilities. "The biggest challenge we face here is finding qualified, reliable workers." With Lovin's enthusiasm and ability now helping to steer Osoyoos' future, the town is likely already well on its way to solving that problem.

The Colours of Osoyoos

After they have yielded their fruit during summer, the orchards of Osoyoos produce another crop in the fall - a visual display of bright reds, greens, browns and yellows. Jackie Fredrick, Director of Sales for the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), recently took this photo from the northwest corner of Osoyoos, looking east towards the lake and Anarchist Mountain.

Tourism Trends

Kelowna ranks as one of the Top 10 cities in Canada adopting sustainable transportation practices . It placed tenth in the second annual Smart Transportation Ranking Report. The City of Victoria placed first, and Vancouver placed second. The study monitors 17 indicators in four policy categories - air quality, public policy, transport policy and technology adoption. Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd says, "Kelowna improved the most among the 27 cities, jumping to tenth from 14th, and it ranks higher than a number of larger cities across the country." Kelowna received high marks for its green municipal fleet which boasts four hybrid vehicles and 18 smart cars. It is one of only four cities to have 100 per cent of its transit buses running on alternative fuel.

Statistics Canada reports there was a 2.1-per-cent  increase in the total number of visitors to Canada in September 2008 over August, to a total of 2.26 million in September. However, this figure is 12 per cent lower than the 2.55 million visitors recorded in September 2007.  Overnight car travel from the U.S. increased 7.2 per cent in September 2008 over August. But the 746,000 single-day car visits recorded in September 2008 were 1.1 per cent down from the number recorded in August, 2008. On a more positive note, international travel to Canada from non-U.S. areas in September 2008 increased by 2 per cent over September 2007. There were increases in overall travel to Canada from France, Germany, Australia, Italy, Mexico and India year-over-year.

Everyone is invited to follow the latest tourism and vacation trends by checking out two online publications prepared by the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) and the Conference Board of Canada. CTC's research department has just released two new reports. The first, the Tourism Intelligence Bulletin, monitors the tourism industry around the world. The current issue features tourism data gathered in September and October 2008. The bulletin is a partnership between CTC and the Conference Board of Canada. The second publication, called Tourism Snapshot, focuses on the CTC's nine key markets ? Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the U.K., and the U.S. You can link to these online publications at: http://mediacentre.canada.travel/content/ctc_news/TIB_and_snapshot.

The provincial government has announced that the RuralBC Secretariat, a part of the Ministry of Community Development, has launched a new website - www.ruralbc.gov.bc.ca - to help rural communities access the tools to ensure their continued success. The website provides references, resources, and program funding information for B.C.'s rural communities, with emphasis on planning and development, workers in transition, and economic diversification. The Secretariat aims to provide a service and information link between the communities and the government.

Events around Osoyoos

Dec. 20 Gingerbread house judging will be held at the Osoyoos Sears at 3 p.m. Drop in at 7611 85th St. or call 250-495-6655 for information.

Dec. 31, the Osoyoos Senior Centre will host its New Year's Eve Dinner and Dance . Advance tickets are available at the Centre (17 Park Place, 250-495-6921) for $25 each.

Watch for the "People's Choice" Showcase Osoyoos event in January, which displays more than 30 local groups and activities in the community; and the Osoyoos Winter Carnival coming in February.