REVELSTOKE SPIRIT FEST 2014 - Festival photos, listings and events inside
V
E
L
S
T
O
K
E
PM40050491
1
Weds., February 5, 2014 www.revelstoketimesreview.com Vol. 117, No. 6
50 0 1 6
TIMESReview
78195
E
7
R
The View inside
$1.25
Cliff rescue
Councillors concerned proposed B&B changes City leaders concerned proposed fix to bed and breakfast bylaw doesn’t allow for community input on new businesses in residential neighbourhoods and doesn’t recoup costs associated with rentals Aaron Orlando
editor@revelstoketimesreview.com
A Revelstoke SAR rescuer helps ease another rescuer and injured man (in stretcher) to the ground during a helicopter long-line rescue on Jan. 28. The man fell from a cliff while snowboarding in an out-of-bounds area near Revelstoke Mountain Resort on Mount Mackenzie. See page 2 for more on the story. Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Times Review
Two city councillors have objected to a staff plan to reform Revelstoke’s ‘bed and breakfast’ bylaw. As reported in the Jan. 29 issue of the Times Review, city staff are proposing changes to the bylaw after a review discovered that 22 of the 23 existing bed and breakfasts don’t conform with the existing zoning rules. Key changes proposed in a city staff report include: – legally allowing bed & breakfasts in residential neighbourhoods – currently, a maximum of four sleeping units are allowed under zoning rules, but the business licence restricts bed & breakfasts to two sleeping units. If the property provides a parking space per unit, a maximum of four units is permitted. – requiring one parking space per sleeping unit – the rules spell out a maximum of two parking spaces in the front yard – a new rule will prohibit having a secondary suite in a home that operates
Bed and Breakfast, page 5
Revelstoke food charter presented for city review
Economic development support for farmers, discouraging more big box food stores are two of many possible directions in next stage of Revelstoke food charter process Aaron Orlando
editor@revelstoketimesreview.com
After months of planning, members of a volunteer steering committee have completed and presented a proposed food charter to the City of Revelstoke. Committee member Hailey Ross presented the document to Revelstoke’s city council on Jan. 28, while about half a dozen committee members looked on. The charter, which was completed in draft form in October, presents the following vision for food security in Revelstoke:
Recognizing that Revelstoke is culturally diverse, we are committed to strengthening our food resilience to support the economic, ecological and social well-being of the community with: —Access to nutritious, safe affordable food as a basic human right for all residents —Access to food that is sustainably and ethically produced —Recognize the importance of quality food to our health and wellbeing —Increasing local and regional food production through personal, business and government actions
—Appreciating the importance of eating together. Ross told council that the process of developing the charter had been beneficial. “We feel very strongly that this is a community-driven project,” she said. “It brought us together to talk about a lot of the projects we are working on. That in itself has been very useful, very fruitful.” The document points the way towards creating a “just and sustainable” food system. To get there, it makes 13 recommendations. They include the following: –Consider potential impacts on
food resilience in all government, business and personal decisions —Facilitate household and community-based food production and preservation for self-reliance —Encourage responsible and sustainable harvesting of wild foods —Help to preserve regional farmlands and increase use of arable land for sustainable food production Ross explained the committee was seeking support from the City of Revelstoke, but it’s not a city document. “In order to truly do this we need it endorsed by our decision-makers,” she told the Times Review. She explained the food charter is a “long-term, visionary type of document” and the next step – the Rev-
elstoke food security strategy – gets down to details and makes plans. In what ways will the municipal government be directly involved with the food charter and food security plan, I asked Ross. What part to they have to play? She said the city could – potentially – exercise its powers to prevent large retailers detrimental to food security from setting up shop here. The city could discourage “the development of another large supermarket that is owned by somebody not in the community that brings in a lot of cheap food that is only cheap because it is reliant upon a disadvantaged labour force and an industrial model would not therefore be supported if we’re
Food charter, page 4
"NOBODY WORKS HARDER FOR YOU THAN RE/MAX"
101 Fourth Street East $299,000
1847-B Colbeck Road $233,000
610 Railway Ave. East $174,900
#50 - 1200 Oscar St. $65,000
901 Oscar Street $249,000
209 1st St. West, Revelstoke, BC V0E 2S0 250-837-5121/fax: 250-837-7020 revelstoke-realty.com Outstanding Agents, Outstanding Results.
"Right Agents for Today's Market" Revelstoke Realty
#16 - 241 Hwy 23 North $229,900
OMREB
Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board