OKANAGAN FALLS — British Columbia's government has appointed a facilitator to help create the province's first new municipality in 15 years, after residents of Okanagan Falls in the southern Interior voted to incorporate five months ago.
The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs says in a statement that the facilitator will help finalize the "letters patent" which serves as the founding document of an incorporated municipality.
Details that need to be worked out include the name of the community, with Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band saying in the ministry statement that the process should comply with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
Other issues to be addressed in the letters patent include the new municipality's boundaries, the size of council, and incorporation date.
The ministry says it expects the letters patent to be finalized by next spring, with the first election for the new mayor and council in October 2026 when local elections take place across B.C.
It says "many different perspectives" have emerged about the community's name and other aspects of incorporation during consultation with the Osoyoos Indian Band and community representatives.
The ministry says it "recognizes discussion at the local level will continue."
Louie is quoted in Thursday's statement as saying the band is committed to working with the province and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen that includes Okanagan Falls.
He says incorporation should be a process that is "compliant with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, and that addresses our priorities on the naming and boundaries of the proposed new municipality."
Campbell Watt, vice-chair of the district, says in the statement that the district was committed to working with the band and the province.
Residents of Okanagan Falls, south of Penticton, B.C., voted in favour of incorporation on March 22.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2025.
The Canadian Press
