STATE OF THE BASIN REPORT 2016 OKANAGAN VALLEY INTERREGIONAL MONITORING AND EVALUATION FRAMEWORK Regional Districts of North Okanagan, Central Okanagan, and Okanagan-Similkameen May 5, 2017 Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . 2 INTRODUCTION . 3 INDICATOR FRAMEWORK AT A GLANCE . 4 CONTEXT . 6 POLICY AREA 1 URBAN CONTAINMENT & RURAL PROTECTION . 10 POLICY AREA 2 AGRICULTURE . 12 POLICY AREA 3 WATER STEWARDSHIP . 15 POLICY AREA 4 ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL LANDS . 27 POLICY AREA 5 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT . 31 POLICY AREA 6 TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE . 34 POLICY AREA 7 HOUSING . 37 POLICY AREA 8 CLIMATE CHANGE & GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS . 40 POLICY AREA 9 COMMUNITY HEALTH & WELLBEING . 43 POLICY AREA 10 GOVERNANCE & SHARED SERVICES . 47 CONCLUSION . 52 Executive Summary The State of the Basin Report is the product of an inter- The “Indicator Framework at a Glance” lists all indicators regional initiative to develop a monitoring and evaluation represented in the State of the Basin Report and uses framework intended to track progress on matters which symbols to identify how well each regional district is doing are important to the Okanagan Valley as a whole. Partners in relation to various Policy Areas. in this initiative include the Regional Districts of North Okanagan (RDNO), Central Okanagan (RDCO), and Each Policy Area addressed in this report presents the Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS). indicators and data using graphics and tables for ease of reference. Given the myriad of factors influencing a The monitoring and evaluation framework addresses the regional district’s performance in any given Policy Area, following Policy Areas: this report does not speculate or suggest rationale behind the data presented. The results presented in the 1) Urban Containment & Rural Protection State of the Basin Report should not be interpreted as a 'scorecard' of performance as each Regional District is 2) Agriculture impacted by a multitude of variables, many of which are beyond local government control. However the results are 3) Water Stewardship intended to help guide local government decision-makers 4) Environment & Natural Lands as they consider priorities for further attention in their communities. 5) Economic Development Preparation of the State of the Basin Report was made 6) Transportation & Infrastructure possible with funding assistance provided by the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia and the Okanagan 7) Housing Basin Water Board. The partners also acknowledge and 8) Climate Change & Greenhouse Gas Emissions appreciate the professional consulting services provided by EcoPlan International Inc. and assistance provided by 9) Community Health and Wellbeing the South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program, the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program, the 10) Governance & Shared Services Interior Health Authority, and numerous other agencies and individuals who contributed their time and expertise The 36 indicators represented in this report are supported to this project. by data from a variety of sources to identify trends, commonalities, and distinctions evident between the three Okanagan regional districts. The results reveal both successes and policy areas that may benefit from additional attention. As this is the first concerted effort to establish a uniform series of measures applicable across the three Okanagan regional districts, several indicators are populated with ‘baseline’ data representing a single point in time. Over time, as data for each indicator is gathered year to year, baselines will be replaced with comparable data and trends will be revealed. 2 | State of the Basin Report - 2016 Introduction About this Project The Okanagan Valley is home to a diversity of ecosystems, The scope of the South Okanagan RGS includes Electoral communities, and political jurisdictions. At the same time, Areas A,C,D,E,F and the municipalities of Osoyoos, Oliver, there are a number of valley-wide systems (ecological, Penticton, and Summerland. However, data limitations economic, and social) that link these diverse places often required collecting data for the entire RDOS. together. With development pressure growing across the valley and new stresses resulting from climate change, Data was analyzed to establish baselines and, where alterations to these systems could have major implications possible, identify trends. Results have been assembled as for economic, ecological, and social goals. Developing part of this State of the Basin report. It is expected data a cohesive picture of changes across the Okanagan is will be collected on an ongoing basis and the State of the increasingly important for coordinating decision-making Basin report will be updated on a five-year cycle. More and planning initiatives to address common sustainability details about the process for developing indicators can challenges. be found in the Okanagan State of the Basin Indicator Project: Process Summary Report, which will be available With support from the Real Estate Foundation of British from the Regional District of North Okanagan or online Columbia, the Okanagan Basin Water Board, the Regional at rdno.ca. This Process Summary Report provides Districts of North Okanagan (RDNO), Central Okanagan information on the approach and process taken in (RDCO) and Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) developed developing the State of the Basin Report, as well as project a framework for monitoring change across the entire challenges and recommendations. Okanagan Valley. While an ambitious project—with no direct precedents in B.C. or Canada—participants With the exception of 2016 population data, the most recognized the significant potential benefits in supporting recent Census data available for this Monitoring & a more collaborative approach to sustainability challenges Evaluation framework was from 2011. Given that that traverse the entire Okanagan Valley. the release of 2016 Canada Census data is occurring periodically until late 2017, consideration should be given Monitoring has long been recognized as a best practice to updating the State of the Basin Report in 2018. Looking in the field of planning. By exploring the development ahead, the next comprehensive update of the State of of transferable frameworks for monitoring changes at the Basin Report should be initiated in 2022-23 in order to the regional and interregional level, this project may also access 2021 Census data provide other districts and areas with the tools to more easily incorporate this critical element of planning into Without the use of indicators, Policy Area 10 - Governance their work. and Shared Services provides an overview of the many, and diverse, collaborative efforts currently undertaken by The final framework has 36 indicators monitoring multiple local governments and other partners throughout performance across the following 9 planning Policy Areas: the Okanagan Valley. • Urban Containment & Rural Protection This project was made possible by generous funding • Agriculture support of the Real Estate Foundation of B.C. and both • Water Stewardship monetary and in-kind support from the Okanagan • Environment & Natural Lands Basin Water Board (OBWB), RDNO, RDCO, and RDOS. • Economic Development Extensive input was also received from representatives • Transportation & Infrastructure of the OBWB, Okanagan Collaborative Conservation • Housing Program, the South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation • Climate Change & Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs) Program, the Central Okanagan Economic Development • Community Health and Wellbeing Commission, and the Interior Health Authority. For each indicator, data was collected for each regional It is hoped that the collaborative process by which this district wherever possible, with the exception of the work was conducted will be maintained in the future and RDOS, where data collection was focused on the study will encourage continued cooperation between local and area for the South Okanagan Regional Growth Strategy. regional governments across the Okanagan Valley. State of the Basin Report - 2016 | 3 Indicator Framework at a Glance The intent of the "Indicator Framework at a Glance” table is to provide a quick overview of the report. To fully understand what each indicator represents we recommend that the reader reviews the more detailed data found in the body of the report. = increase = decrease = little or no change = change in desired = change in undesired = neutral direction direction How are we doing? Indicator RDNO RDCO RDOS, SOUTH OK Policy Area 1: Urban Containment & Rural Protection 1.1 Change in percent of new housing located inside designated areas 1.2 Hectares of OCP revisions and amendments from Baseline Baseline rural to more urban designations Policy Area 2: Agriculture 2.1 Percent change in Agricultural Land Reserve annually and cumulatively 2.2 Percent of total land base that is actively farmed Baseline Baseline Baseline 2.3 Agriculture farm receipts: total value of gross farm receipts 2.4 Profitability (% gross margin) for all agriculture Policy Area 3: Water Stewardship 3.1 Water consumption per connection Baseline Baseline Baseline 3.2 Water consumption per use Baseline Baseline Baseline 3.3 Unaccounted for water Baseline Baseline Baseline 3.4 Percentage of observational wells that show declining levels 3.5 Total number of water systems registered with health authority per jurisdiction 3.6 Annual days on advisories per regional district Policy Area 4: Environment & Natural Lands 4.1 Hectares with conservation rankings ‘very high’ Baseline Baseline