Welcome to the Our Area F blog.
We acknowledge that Area "F" of the RDOS is within the traditional, unceded territory of the syilx people in the Okanagan Nation.

Hoping this is helpful, it is an unofficial list of useful links to sites like BC Wildfire, ESS, RDOS Emergency (evac orders/alerts) maps, etc. in one place. When I hear of a new resource, I will update the list. For edits or additions, please email rgettens@rdos.bc.ca or call me at 250-488-0246. Thank you, Riley https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vipnEEiu41bOUR510W6zHQ_vu4FA7u8Q79OGsJFHiK0/edit?usp=sharing

Today at 1:30 pm, BC Wildfire is schedule to provide an update. You can watch via the RDOS YouTube Channel. You'll have to click on the NEW link provided on the RDOS YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@OkanaganSimilkameen/featured

This is unofficial information, shared with you as your elected director. It is not a release from RDOS, Central Okanagan Emergency Operations, or BC Wildfire Service. For official updates, always check the links below directly. The RDOS is working on public meeting for Monday, August 10. More info to come. Where the fire stands: The Bald Range wildfire (K51490) is approximately 10,340 hectares and remains classified as out of control. Fire behaviour has been volatile since

This is unofficial information, shared with you as your elected director. It is not a release from RDOS, Central Okanagan Emergency Operations, or BC Wildfire Service. For official updates, always check the links below directly. I know you are worried about what's left, and worried about pets and animals you couldn't take with you. This is a lot to carry. If you need to talk to someone, the BC Mental Health Support Line is free and available 24/7: 310-6789 (no area code neede

Aug 8, 2026 10:15 am Greater West Bench and Red Wing are not currently under an Evacuation Order or Alert but that can change fast – the Bald Range wildfire continues to aggressively grow and remains out of control. If you have not already done so, prep your home, gather your family, check in with neighbours who might need a hand - especially anyone elderly, living alone, or without a way to get updates themselves. A few things worth doing right now: Visit Getting Ready for

RDOS Electoral Area Candidate Nomination Packages will be available online and at the RDOS on Tuesday, August 4th. Voters need options and candidates need debate. A fuller field of candidates means a richer, broader conversation about the future of Area “F” and the regional district. Area F has critical decisions ahead from sustaining water systems and protecting aquifers, to investing in community assets like trails and parks, while navigating intensifying drought and wild

The pre-feasibility study to determine the viability of a jointly owned water treatment facility is in draft form and not available for distribution currently. However, the RDOS released the following today: News Article Published: March 31, 2026 INFORMATION RELEASE As part of the Utility Acquisition Policy process, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) and the snpink’tn Indian Band (PIB) conducted a pre-feasibility study to determine the viability of a join

Below is a copy of the email I sent to citizens who I have connected with about the SMWS. You are receiving this email because you have either subscribed to the OurAreaF.com blog or we have connected about the Sage Mesa Water System referendum. I won’t send another mass email like this again and apologize for the intrusion. The sentiment that ratepayers did not create the SMWS problem and should not bear the cost is understandable, and it is a position the RDOS Board h

The province remains firm : public money will not flow to privately-owned utilities. This post compares long-term borrowing (available to local governments) vs raising rates to fund work (the province’s funding option). The province can’t borrow long-term. The Comptroller’s notice shows how this affects SMWS citizens. 2026 03 30 Update: Please note, my original post included the 'Availability of Service Charge (per year)' in the residential rate estimate. That is incorrect

The sentiment that ratepayers did not create the SMWS problem and should not bear the cost is understandable, and it is the position the RDOS Board has advocated for repeatedly at the provincial level . Our MLA, Amelia Boultbee, continues to advocate for this position. Still, the province’s response remains firm: public funding will not flow to a privately owned water utility. This provincial stance has been confirmed on the record in the Legislature (question period), in wri

2026 03 26 update: Here is the letter that has been mailed to all citizens within Greater West Bench. Today, I took a few minutes to address the Sage Mesa Water System referendum as this is the last board meeting before Advance voting takes place on April 1 st . general voting day is April 11th. Assent Voting Information . Here is my statement from the March 19, 2026 Board Meeting: I want every eligible Sage Mesa Water System resident walking into that vote with accurate inf

The McElhanney Assessment has three phases of work. The first phase, estimated at $10.1 million, covers critical distribution and reservoir upgrades that are required regardless of water source or treatment. In the second phase of work, McElhanney estimated two potential water source options and suggested a third consideration Connect with City of Penticton, tie into the West Bench Water System, estimated at $6.4 million. The 242 Sage Mesa Water System citizens build their

A 2000 RDOS Board letter is being framed as either a smoking gun or a blueprint. Twenty-six years of history tells a different story. A letter from the RDOS Board to the province, dated June 2000, continues to make the rounds in the current Sage Mesa Water System discussion. It is being presented as either proof that today's Board is ignoring its obligations, or as a ready-made template for how the Board should respond now. That framing deserves scrutiny: 26 years of history

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) is aware of an administrative error within in the Sage Mesa Water System Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 3076, 2024. While the error is unfortunate, the error does not affect the validity of the bylaw. Bylaw 3075, 2024 , the Sage Mesa Water System Service Establishment Bylaw establishes an RDOS water service for Sage Mesa. The Service Establishment Bylaw works in conjunction with Bylaw No. 3076, 2024 , the Sage Mesa Water S

Hi all, RDOS/PIB Pre-feasibility Study: The RDOS/PIB water treatment plant pre-feasibility study has been received by the RDOS and will undergo an internal review by staff before presentation to the Board. Once the Board formally accepts the study for information, the Board will direct staff to post the assessment on RDOS sites. I'll also share it through the ‘Our Area F’ blog. As a reminder, the pre-feasibility study will assess whether an RDOS jointly owned water treatm

For more information, please visit the Regional Connections website . Please reach out to elections@rdos.bc.ca or Marc Aucoin, Deputy Chief Elections Officer, at 250-490-4395 with any questions you may have. Here are some of the Q&As from the Assent Voting Information page on the Regional Connections website. How many votes are required for an assent vote to pass? If the majority of votes are in favour of the question, the vote passes. If the majority are opposed to the ques

Setting a referendum date for April 11, 2026 was a strategic move driven by Provincial requirements. In November 2025, the RDOS Board was informed by UBCM staff that the SMWS Community-Building fund application is currently classified as "High Risk" because ownership is not yet confirmed. Watch the RDOS report and debate here . To stay "in the running" for this UBCM grant cycle ($7 million maximum), the RDOS must confirm community approval for borrowing the local share of

Update: Area F was never looking at a 20% tax increase. There was a calculation error in a summary line on the requisition. The calculation did not and does not have any impact on Area F's actual tax dollars. The three parcel taxes (described below) are part of Area F but should not have been included in the 'average tax rate' calculation. For some citizens, this was confusing (and alarming!), and for that, I apologize. RDOS staff work incredibly hard to make a complex pro

Greater West Bench (GWB) residents have repeatedly expressed a desire to remain a rural residential community and to limit industrial business activity on private properties. I’d like to connect with the community to confirm that this continues to be the preferred direction (I believe it is). Conflicts sometimes arise when industrial-type activities show up in residential areas, such as auto repair, heavy equipment storage, or industrial-level use/noise. These uses have never

There is a confusing item on tomorrow's RDOS board meeting agenda. The 'Sage Mesa Water Study' agenda item is an administrative/housekeeping item and not a new discussion. This is the same recommendation identified by McElhanney (the company that assessed SMWS) as an additional consideration to review as part of the Sage Mesa Water Acquisition process. A feasibility study will help determine if a jointly owned water treatment plant is viable and cost-effective. The study does