The process of working out the details for a possible Sorrento and Blind Bay incorporation is back underway.
Following an eight-month delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sorrento-Blind Bay Incorporation Advisory Committee is meeting again beginning at 6 p.m. on Oct. 29. The meeting will be held at the Sorrento Memorial Hall, located at 1150 Passchendale Road in Sorrento.
Topics covered will include emergency services, environmental services, sewer and miscellaneous items with regards to the possible incorporation of Sorrento and Blind Bay into an independent municipality. The area which may one day be the province’s newest city or town is currently within the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) Area C.
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The incorporation advisory committee has been looking into the creation of a new municipality in the South Shuswap since early 2019. Proposed boundaries for the incorporated area have been developed and the committee is discussing and gathering public opinion on a plan which will eventually be presented to the CSRD board. The public will ultimately get their say on incorporation with a referendum.
In the event the referendum is unsuccessful and incorporation does not proceed, Area C, the CSRD’s most populous electoral area, will be divided in two to make it easier to govern.
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Those interested in the incorporation process do not need to wait until the referendum to have their voices heard. The incorporation advisory committee’s meetings are open to the public.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, attendance at the Oct. 29 meeting will be limited to 30 members of the public on a first come, first served basis. Those who do not wish to attend in person but still want to be involved in the process can attend via Zoom.
There will be a 20-minute opportunity for the public to ask questions, either in person or online at 7:30 p.m.
The next meeting will be held on Nov. 16 at the Shuswap Lake Estates Community Centre.
jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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