Regional district directors angled for further information regarding discussions with the District of Sicamous around the community's recreation centre.
In December 2024, Sicamous Mayor Colleen Anderson asked the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) board for an official service review of management at the Sicamous and District Recreation Centre.
“District of Sicamous (DOS) council feels that the needs of the community and area are not being met regarding the management and operation of the Sicamous & District Recreation Centre," she said at the Dec. board meeting. "The district has met with the user groups, listened to their concerns raised in these discussions and developed a summary of these concerns as well as providing recommendations on how to address these concerns.”
That review made it to a second meeting between the DOS and the CSRD, at which "the participants did not arrive at a consensus for change."
"An impasse was declared and the service review was closed," reads a written report from CSRD board chair Natalya Melnychuk, provided at the May 15 board meeting.
Regarding next steps, administrator John MacLean said the regional district would continue to operate the CSRD-owned recreation centre as it has while continuing to work on addressing concerns. As for the DOS, it could initiate a service withdrawal.
Area F director Jay Simpson asked, "if there will be any kind of report coming out of this," adding "it would be very interesting to see the comments or discussion from both sides."
"We just don’t really have any context to determine what’s going on there," said Simpson.
MacLean said there was no requirement for anything further, and that if the board wanted a formal report, it could be provided at a future in-camera session. He said a service withdrawal would follow a similar process, and that the board as a whole would not be part of that discussion.
"If we go through that process and those negotiations take place, it would be presented to the board as a negotiated result that would resolve in the withdrawal from the service," said MacLean.
"It just seems like there’s a certainly a disagreement going on between Sicamous and the board, or at least the CSRD, and it would be, I guess, interesting to know the various parameters of that discussion," replied Simpson.
Anderson thanked Melnychuk and MacLean for "a very respectful conversation," and for the report.
" I will take this to my council and… we will be having a conversation again. Thank you for getting us… to this point," said Anderson.
Other directors also expressed an interest in the discussions between the CSRD and the DOS. Area C director Marty Gibbons questioned the viability of Area E residents picking up the "entire tab of running an arena."
"My concern would be the board, this may come back to the board with, is it feasible to continue having an ice rink in Sicamous with only the limited tax base of Area E funding it, and then we get into that horrible discussion where we charge residents different rates based on what street they live on," said Gibbons. "I do appreciate the process here and I understand it’s Sicamous’ right, but I think as a board this may be back on our doorstep… hopefully the parties can work out some sort of reasonable solution to this."
City of Salmon Arm director Tim Lavery asked that the board, at some point, receive a verbal report.
The board voted to receive Melnychuk's report and the service review conclusion.
