Land Servicing well underway at Osoyoos Airport 

Major Conference Hosted in Osoyoos

Osoyoos is increasingly becoming a destination for business meetings and organization conferences. The latest evidence was the April 29-May 1 annual conference of SILGA, the Southern Interior Local Government Association. SILGA is the grouping of 36 local governments in the Southern Interior region of B.C. and includes the councils of Kamloops, Princeton, Merritt, Lillooet, Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton.

The conference was hosted by the Town of Osoyoos at the Sonora Community Centre, and Mayor Stu Wells says the three-day session brought about 175 people to town, including delegates, their partners, and conference speakers and sponsors. "The feedback from the delegates was fantastic - they just couldn't say enough about the warm welcome they received. They just loved Osoyoos!" Wells says. The mayor says about 35 resolutions were debated, and those which passed will be fast-tracked to the floor of the next Union of B.C. Municipalities convention.

Mayor Wells, who was elected to the SILGA Board of Directors, says delegates and their partners were treated to a social program which included wine tours, the NK'MIP Desert Cultural Centre, and other area attractions. He notes that Destination Osoyoos helped to reserve local accommodations for SILGA participants and provided information materials. The conference included a golf tournament and welcome reception at the Osoyoos Golf & Country Club and a gala banquet at the Sonora Centre.

Destination Osoyoos Acting CEO Glenn Mandziuk says the local hosting of SILGA was an exciting development. "We are trying hard to position our community as a place to host major conferences and meetings - and this shows that we are making good progress," Mandziuk says.

Osoyoos Volunteer Fair showcases 22 Organizations

About 60 people turned out to the Sonora Community Centre on the afternoon of Sunday, April 19 for the Osoyoos Volunteer Fair. Twenty-two community organizations hosted display booths, providing information about their services and the opportunities for local residents to volunteer to help out.

Destination Osoyoos co-sponsored the Volunteer Fair along with the South Okanagan Volunteer Centre. Destination Osoyoos' Acting CEO Glenn Mandziuk says the organization was pleased to partner in supporting the Fair. "We strongly believe in - and our strategic plan recognizes - the need to assist community organizations with the volunteer recruitment that is so critical to their success," Mandziuk says.

Survey will look at 'Accessible Tourism' in Osoyoos

The 750 million people in the world living with a disability have more than $460 billion in spending capacity and represent one of the fastest growing markets in tourism. Along with the B.C. government and other groups, Destination Osoyoos is getting involved to help 2010 Legacies Now as it develops an Accessible Tourism Strategy. The Strategy will help B.C. communities become top travel destinations for people with disabilities, seniors and others with accessibility needs - and the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are serving as a catalyst to position B.C. as a leader in accessible tourism.

The developers of the Accessible Tourism Strategy are now launching a province-wide survey to take stock of what B.C. has to offer in accessible travel. More than 3,000 businesses have already taken part in this survey, including many in the Okanagan. The survey collects information on the services that a business offers for people with mobility, visual or hearing impairments, and determines its current accessibility rating. The assessment is voluntary and gives business owners and operators feedback on how to improve the accessibility of their business. The project will also share positive rating information with consumers worldwide.

2010 Legacies Now representatives will visit Osoyoos businesses this summer to collect this survey information. They will use the information to determine the businesses' accessibility ratings for use in marketing and promotional materials. The representatives need only about five minutes of each business' time. They will approach businesses unless a business has indicated it doesn't want to participate. To do that, contact Mike Prescott at mprescott@2010legaciesnow.com . For more information about the Accessible Tourism Strategy, see www.2010LegaciesNow.com/accessible_tourism/.

One of the latest in this series of local "familiarization tours" was the recent Destination Osoyoos hosting of two officials from HIS International Tours, a company specializing in tours for people from Japan or from Japanese communities elsewhere. Jo Knight, Destination Osoyoos' Director of Tourism & Visitor Experience, says she was pleased to host Kazuhiro Shima and Taku Kawai during the Osoyoos stop on their April 14-17 tour of the region, organized by the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA). DO partnered with TOTA and Tourism BC for this tour. Knight says a highlight for the HIS officials was when she and Passatempo Restaurant owner Paul LaGrange "shared the opportunities of Osoyoos with them over a fabulous dinner!"

Knight says HIS International Tours is creating new tour packages to the Okanagan Valley, which they will sell to Vancouver's Japanese community. The theme will include wine, culinary destinations, and other local attractions - and the tours will be for small groups of 12-20 people. The tours may also be attractive as side-tours for tourists visiting Vancouver from Japan.

After the familiarization tour, Kawai emailed Knight: "I had a great experience visiting your area. I totally underestimated Osoyoos, and after visiting it, my mind was totally different - the wine, food, view and everything was great! I am beginning to envy you living there."

Osoyoos Laundromat & Dry cleaners co-owner Chris Harkness

Chris and Bob Harkness bought the Osoyoos Laundromat & Drycleaners a year ago and they have spruced it up, added professional services, and brought decades of drycleaning experience and a real focus on friendly customer service to the establishment.

Chris says she and Bob moved to Kelowna a couple of years ago, after owning and operating 11 Martinizing drycleaning outlets in Calgary for the previous 25 years. They love the Okanagan, and a year ago when they saw that the Osoyoos operation was for sale, they couldn't resist. Chris says they set about to create "a comfortable, warm, inviting laundromat" that would build up trust among all its clients. They painted and upgraded the facilities - which include 16 state-of-the-art stainless steel coinless washing machines, 11 dryers, two shower stalls, internet facilities, computer printer and scanner, and even a stand-up tanning booth. They also honoured the "easy cards" which run the machines, that people had bought under the previous ownership.

They also started Okanagan Cleaners, located in West Kelowna near the new Walmart, and Chris notes that the drycleaning for customers of Osoyoos Laundromat & Drycleaners is done at the West Kelowna location - with quick turnaround and lower prices than drycleaning at many Kelowna drycleaners. "To dryclean a two-piece suit, we charge $15.90 and in Kelowna they charge $25. A man's dress shirt is $8 to dryclean in Kelowna, and we charge just $3.75." She adds that the on-site Osoyoos laundromat facilities can handle sleeping bags, comforters, quilts and the like.

The laundromat's new owners are enthusiastic ambassadors for all the attractions and other businesses in Osoyoos. Having tourists in their premises with time to kill, they find they get peppered with questions about what to see and do in town. "Destination Osoyoos is a godsend, because they supply us with literature and information that we can pass along," Chris says.

She and Bob love Osoyoos. "The people have been open and wonderful to us." Chris and the staff enjoy interacting with their customers, and she emphasizes an upbeat, fun atmosphere in the Laundromat. "I'm looking forward to summer, when everyone has even more of that 'fun' mentality." Osoyoos Laundromat & Drycleaners is open seven days a week - 9 a.m.-6 p.m. in winter and 8 a.m.-8 p.m. in summer. It can be reached at 250-495-0747.

Born in Prince George, Deol moved to Osoyoos with his family when he was in Grade 3, when his parents went into the cherry farming business. He completed elementary and high school in town and went to the University of British Columbia, where he graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. After a few years working at marketing for a Vancouver-based mining supply firm, in 2004 Deol decided to move back home to Osoyoos, a town that he felt would be a wonderful place to raise his kids and find good business opportunities.

He bought the former Plaza Royale Courtyard Inn, a 42-room hotel just off Main Street not far from the junction of Highways 3 and 97. In 2005 he renovated and converted it into the Osoyoos Econo Lodge, part of the Choice Hotels chain. Since late last year, Deol has been directing another major renovation of his hotel and will reopen it in June 2009 as a new Super-8 hotel. And he's not sitting still - he plans to add a 30-room addition by next year, complete with a fitness room and indoor hot-tub. These new features will combine with the other amenities Deol already provides at his comfortable hotel, including a heated outdoor pool, a deluxe continental breakfast, and rooms with air conditioning, wireless internet, cable and satellite TV, kitchenettes, microwave ovens and refrigerators.

Deol, along with his wife Jessie, five-year-old son Armann, and two-year-old daughter Jiya, love Osoyoos. He says they are enjoying watching the town "grow up," and he wanted to get involved in helping the community build the services it needs. Two years ago, when he was already on the executive of the Osoyoos Hotel & Motel Association, he was asked if he would like to become a Board member of Destination Osoyoos, the community's non-profit economic development and tourism organization - and he jumped at the chance.

Deol says that despite the current worldwide economic slowdown, this area's growth of wineries, tourism and other services may not be harmed very much. "People from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton will still travel, but with the economic situation and the dollar low (compared to the U.S. dollar), they'll travel closer to home - which includes our area."

He says he favours growth in Osoyoos, "as long as it is sustainable and promotes year-round economic activity." Deol adds, "We've had a lot of commercial growth in recent years, but I would also like to see more residential growth - some new neighbourhoods - and more local shopping by residents, to buy the things you need here in town."

Deol says the current development of infrastructure and industrial land at the Osoyoos Airport, supported by Destination Osoyoos, is a positive move for the town, and he wants to support other initiatives that will improve the local quality of life. "I would like to see more local beautification projects, more green spaces in town, and more medical services here, such as walk-in clinics." He is pleased to continue to be a constructive voice in the ongoing development of Osoyoos.

Tourism Trends

• Solar BC recently designated Whistler as B.C.'s seventh official Solar Community. Whistler received a plaque and a commitment of $10,000 towards demonstrating the feasibility of solar technology in Whistler through local pilot projects, communicating its benefits for building economy and energy efficiency, and training inspectors and installers. The community has projects underway, including a Village Solar Protection Guidelines, the Whistler Green Checklist and RMOW Green Building Policy, and a proposed solar thermal installation for the Meadow Park Sports Centre. The six other B.C. solar communities are Saanich, Kelowna, Tofino, West Vancouver, Dawson Creek and West Moberley First Nation.
• In February, traveller entries to Canada through B.C. inched up 0.4% for the second straight month. Statistics Canada and BC Stats report there were slightly more American visitors (+0.2%), as same-day travel jumped (+2.5%), offsetting a decline (-0.9%) in overnight trips. Although the number of travellers from Europe was down (-2.6%), an increase in entries from Asia (+1.2%) and other countries (+5.4%) boosted overall overseas visitation (+0.8%). Travel from the U.S. to Canada was up (+3.8%) in February, tempering a slowdown in visitors from other countries (-4.4%).
• The federal government has granted $35,000 for an economic opportunities assessment in parts of the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen affected by the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation and resulting downturn in the forestry industry. It's an effort to attract commercial and industrial business to the area. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen will identify opportunities to attract new commercial and industrial ventures to help address a recent sawmill closure. The district will also reassess commercial land use and create a regional economic development strategy and a feasibility study to provide guidance for future economic development initiatives.
• The City of Surrey is establishing B.C.'s first two municipal Economic Investment Zones, complete with major tax incentives, as part of a plan to attract new investment and jobs. The Economic Investment Zones - in the City Centre and Bridgeview-South Westminster neighbourhoods - will eliminate 100 per cent of city taxes for three years period for new business developments over $10 million. In addition, projects in the Zones will receive 50 per cent off building permit fees. New City Centre business developments will also have their Development Cost Charges (DCC) reduced by 33 per cent. High-density residential development applications over $50 million in the City Centre will get a 50-per-cent reduction in building permit fees, as well as the opportunity to defer DCC payments.

Events around Osoyoos

• May 15-18, the 12th Annual Meadowlark Festival will bed held throughout the South Okanagan and Similkameen, featuring guided walks, bus tours, bicycle tours, bird watching, horseback riding, botany, geology, xeriscape gardening, First Nations cultural events, literary events, family and children's events. For events in the Osoyoos area, see website www.meadowlarkfestival.bc.ca or call 250-492-5275.
• May 16, Season opening of the downtown Osoyoos Market on Main, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. beside Town Hall. Call 250-495-3537 for information.
• May 19, June 2 & June 16, the Osoyoos Desert Centre will hold Restoration Work Parties from 10 a.m.-12 noon, with refreshments supplied.
   
• June 20-21, the fifth annual Osoyoos Relay for Life fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society will be held at the Desert Park infield from 6 p.m.-6 a.m.  Participants can register online at www.cancer.ca/relay. Join your friends and neighbours to raise funds for your team, or just come to Desert Park to enjoy the live musical entertainment and make a donation onsite. For information call 250-689-3456.