The Similkameen Valley Planning Society (SVPS) is a unique collaboration between all the local governments in the Similkameen Valley.
Mayor Manfred Bauer, who is the chair of the group, says it can be a challenge to get everybody to see the importance of thinking regionally.
At the present time we have two major projects we are working on that affect the whole valley: Water, being our most precious resource tops the list. Quantity, quality and how the environment and human activity impact our Similkameen Valley watershed are some of the answers we are looking for in this non regulatory water plan. Phase 1 of the data collection is almost completed and will be made available to the public soon.
The second big project is a valley wide regional tourism strategy. Getting all the businesses and organizations to buy in takes time. A tourism advisory committee was formed with the goal to make the Similkameen Valley a world renowned tourism destination. The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association has been a major partner in this endeavor and a website developed for the whole valley is now number one on Google.
Check it out at www.similkameenvalley.com