Apex Property Owners Association

APOA AGM MINUTES

Held March 25, 2023 @3PM in the Gunbarrel Dining Room 23 Members pres.

Representing the Executive: Arnie Erickson – President, Barry Leigh – Vice President, Diane Pew – Treasurer

President’s Report – Arnie Erickson

It’s been another wonderful ski year.

Another community organization, the Apex Community Association, is moving forward with initiatives to meet the community’s needs.

We haver seen our property values increase – an indication of the quality of the ski resort and the lifestyle afforded Apex residents.

We have a short agenda with little activity involving mining and we are still dealing with forest harvesting issues. There has been a change in the way logs are being transported due to on site processing and this has posed an increased risk to the public on the Apex road.

We are losing board members and are hoping members will come forward and offer to take a place on the board.

Treasurer’s Report – Diane Pew

As of March 25, 2023 our accounts contain the following:

Checking account $2001.65

Savings $30.62

Term deposits of $14837.50 came due and reinvested into one $10,000 3yr term paying 5.5% and one 12 month cashable of $4933.98 paying 3.25%.

Expenses for the year totaled $2104.65

Road Report – Gord Reum

Unavailable – report to be given by Subrina Monteith

Guest Speakers

James Shalman – Apex Resort

This summer’s fire event had the potential to be a serious threat to the village. The crews of the BC wildfire service did a phenomenal job protecting the community. We were also fortunate that snow melt and rain earlier in the season increased the amount of moisture at higher elevations and winds during the fire were favorable in limiting its advance.

Apex like other ski hills has been dealing with a lack of available staff and have had difficulty recruiting personnel. Conditions were amazing for the start to season. Revenue for the year was up 23% but expenses were also up. The Resort’s safety record is better than the industry average. Up-coming work activities include summer grooming, painting of the lifts and generally sprucing up the village.

There are plans to purchase a new groomer.

A new water treatment system is being installed which will result in a rate increase for users.

Questions from the floor:

• Is a portion of payments collected set aside in a contingency fund for repair and replacement? Shawn Whittey’s answer was “yes”
  
• How is the water system maintained?
  Shawn replied that maintenance was ongoing.
  
• What other entities are associated with the Apex water license?
  Shawn answered that the license for water is in partnership with the cattleman.
  
• Regarding fire mitigation, could there be fire-smart work be done in the area below the waste transfer station and along the creek?
  James replied that work was planned and that some of those areas no longer posed a risk.
  
• Would a portion of the rate increase go to a reserve fund?
  Shawn Whittey responded that the rate increase would go into a reserve fund for future repairs to water system.
  
• Regarding rumors of effluent getting into Keremeos Creek.
  Shawn replied that the creek is routinely monitored for water quality and has always been within required standards.

Subrina Monteith -Area I Director RDOS

Everyone is encouraged to Join Voyent Alert. Working on getting Apex our own postal code. For now property owners should mark their location with a “pin” in Voyent Alert to ensure that they get alerts. This summers fire event showed the value of the fire dept at Apex. Mutual aid from other fire departments was available because we now have a certified fire department.

Waste Transfer Station issues, Subrina reminded everyone of the scheduled large item pickup.

Questions from the floor:

• Could it be scheduled earlier for those who live out of town?
  The RDOS will consider doing that but the greater amount of snow at that time will make it more difficult.
  
• Where can condos place the large item for pick-up?
  Refer to the handout or look on the RDOS website
  
• There are problems with people not properly sorting their recycling
  Efforts are being made to educate users but if compliance does not improve, changes will be made to the program. So far no organization is interested in taking on a bottle drive with the wine and beverage bottles that have been collected.
  
• Regarding road maintenance: Let Subrina know if you have positive comments that she can pass on about the snow clearing work done by AIM.

Fire Hall – out to tender for design. Construction will possibly begin this summer.

Arnie then commented on the safety issue of dangerous encounters with logging trucks – log hauling has changed – now tandem trailers are being used. He wondered if there could be a role for pilot cars Larry Richardson stated that pilot cars are not feasible. He felt that education of drivers using the road would help improve safety when encountering logging trucks.

James said that there have been incidents involving Resort personnel and he has talked to the company He said that the company is concerned and wants to know when there is an incident. James said that he also wants to be advised of incidents involving logging trucks.

Stuart Seigel asked if there was anyone who did snow removal from roofs. No one was aware of any such service.

Elections

Arnie: One board member left and there is another possible departure which would leave us one short of our required number. He is asking members to seriously think about coming forward.

Meeting Adjourned

The Electoral Area “D” Governance Study Committee met with Leftside Partners, the consultants who the committee has retained to conduct the Electoral Area “D” Governance Study.

In an effort to understand the diversity of the Electoral Area and the varying needs in each part of the Electoral Area, the consultants joined various committee members in touring the Electoral Area on September 21 and 22, 2015. Tour sites included Upper Carmi, Heritage Hills/Lakeshore Highlands, Skaha Estates, Okanagan Falls, Kaleden, Vaseux Lake, Twin Lakes/St. Andrews and Apex Mountain.

The committee and consultants look forward to engaging with citizens regarding the governance study in the coming months. Fact Sheets detailing each service provided by the Regional District are being created and will be distributed widely. Governance Forums will be held in the various areas, and surveys will be provided in central locations and on the webpage. Information and updates on the study will be posted to local neighbourhood bulletin boards.

Citizen input is critical to this process and it is hoped that people will come out to the various forums and meetings, write or email to the contacts provided in the coming weeks and have their say!

The committee would like to emphasize to citizens that all committee meetings are open to the public. Meetings details can be found at www.rdos.bc.ca, go to popular links an Area “D” Governance Study or call the contact below for more information.

For further information, please contact Christy Malden, Manager of Legislative Services, at (250) 492-0237 or info@rdos.bc.ca.

Gov Study Article & Ad – Oct-15

The Forest Practices Board is seeking your feedback to improve their work as the public watchdog for forest and range practices in BC. We encourage you, your family, and friends to share your views via the link below. The survey should take about 10 minutes. The section at the end is where you can provide your “What should be fixed” suggestions.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FPB_Survey

Tips for Writing a Letter to a Public Official

Government officials receive numerous messages by letter and e-mail each week. A poorly written letter may cause offence, confuse the issue, or simply be ignored. The following tips are based on an article entitled “How to write a letter to your MP” by Sandy McMurray, a freelance writer in Toronto. Her advice is transferable to writing an MLA, or any public official.

• Brief is Better – Keep to one side of a page
• Clarity is key – State clearly in the first sentence the purpose of your letter.
• Get personal – Use examples to support your point; this makes your letter more memorable.
• You get points for style – Handwritten letters or those signed by hand seem to be more effective than form letters and e-mail. If you go with e-mail, put the subject in the subject line.
• If you are from that MLA’s constituency, include that in the letter.
• A male MLA should be addressed as “Mr. , MLA”, female as “Ms. , MLA”, and a Minister as “The Honourable ”.
• Ask for a response – If you feel confident you know what the response should be then request a specific action. Otherwise ask what the recipient plans to do to address your concerns. Close with “I look forward to your response.”
• Sign your name and include your return address.
• If you receive a response to your letter, write to say thank you!

The following summary of the issues presented at the February 28, 2015 APOA Public Forum may assist you in determining the subject matter of your communication with public officials.

There has been too much harvesting in too short a time. This is impacting the tourism and recreation values of the Apex – Nickel Plate area. There has been insufficient time for regrowth between harvesting of adjacent or nearly adjacent cut blocks. The cumulative impact is that Nickel Plate Nordic Center, Nickel Plate Lake, Okanagan Vista Trail System, and Apex Village are all being encroached upon by increasingly large contiguous clear cuts.

Planned harvest volumes by the multiple companies harvesting in this area appear to maintain or even accelerate the annual rate-of-cut in this area into the future. This has and will continue to result in:

• Significant degradation to the visual quality of this important tourism area.
• Increased opportunities for motorized vehicle access without adequate plans to manage the changing recreation mix of motorized and non-motorized users.
• Potential expansion and enhancement of recreation in the area is being restricted for several generations of recreation users.

In October 2013 the APOA submitted comments on the Skul’qalt Forestry FSP. APOA explicitly stated that local stakeholders should be consulted before Skul’qalt undertakes harvesting in this designated Intensive Recreation Area. This crucial consultation was bypassed yet MFLNRO (the government forestry department) issued Skul’qalt cut permits for 40,000 M3 in this area. A separate but related concern is there are referenced (planned) cut blocks that either fully or partially overlap the Nickel Plate Nordic Center trail system. These blocks are Sn’pink’tn Forestry (CP4-1, APE-58) and Weyerhaeuser (APE-27, 34, 48). These issues have raised local stakeholder concerns about relying on the current Professional Reliance Model when harvesting is being done in a recreation area. It also calls into doubt whether MFLNRO is willing or able to prevent inappropriate harvesting practices in recreation areas.

All this harvesting has (mainly) been compliant with current regulation and accepted industry practices. This has lead the APOA Forestry Advisory Committee to conclude that changes in regulation and/or present forest industry practices are required to protect recreation areas from degradation. We believe this has become an issue that requires a political and regulatory solution.

Provincial Government Contact Information

The Honourable Christy Clark
Premier of British Columbia
Box 9041
Station PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8W 9E1
250 387-1715

Download the pdf “Logging in the Apex-Nickel Plate Recreation Area.”

We will be putting much more information up about the current logging issues around the Apex area.  For now, here are two important documents for you to review regarding the current state of affairs.

APOA-P3_Forestry Report Slideshow   (.pdf file – 7.57 MB)

APOA-D1-Forestry Report (Detailed)   (.pdf file – 1.93 MB)

In British Columbia the timber harvesting activities of those licensed to perform industrial-scale logging in a recreation area:

…should be compatible with recreational values… Maintain a naturally appearing landscape, both foreground and viewscapes, that is compatible with the recreational value…

– from the Okanagan-Shuswap Land and Resource Management Plan

In general, the BC Ministry of Lands, Forests, and Natural Resources no longer performs detailed local inspections and oversight, so from a local stakeholders’ perspective much of the forestry industry is essentially self-regulating.

In practice this means that local stakeholder consultation and oversight is essential. It ensures appropriate, recreation-compatible timber harvesting practices are followed. In a recreation area such as Apex, stakeholders include property owners, local businesses, First Nations, and recreation users in general.

However, local stakeholders have been overwhelmed by:

• multiple, geographically overlapping harvest license holders, each with their own forest practices and harvest plans;
• no definitive, long-term strategy to integrate forestry and recreation in the Apex Recreation Area;
• no organization or government body tasked with creating and overseeing a long-term strategy;
• ad hoc or non-existent consultation between local stakeholders and the individual license holders;
• new participants entering the forestry industry, specifically BC Timber Sales and First Nations license holders;
• a bewildering array of broadly worded regulations and guidelines, many of which are acknowledged to be “subject to interpretation”; and
• a seemingly ubiquitous industry panic over the Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak, leading to what appears to be a “harvest now, plan later” mentality.

The Apex Recreation Area is experiencing an unprecedented level of timber harvesting. In particular, clear-cut logging in the Keremeos Creek Valley at the foot of Apex Resort has surprised many Apex residents and recreation users.

In 2010 a new harvest license holder began operating in the Apex area: the Penticton Indian Band’s Sn’pink’tn Forestry. Sn’pink’tn is partnered with Gorman Brother and is currently licensed to harvest over 47,000 m3 of timber. That is approximately 1200 logging trucks worth. The ongoing harvesting of the Keremeos Creek Valley and the Shatford Creek Valley is being done under those licenses.

In December 2012 the APOA Board of Directors created the APOA Forestry Committee to investigate and report on the timber harvesting occurring in our area. The committee discovered that harvesting is planned in areas considered integral to maintaining a quality recreation experience:

• the western flank of Mt. Riordan to the edge of Nickel Plate Lake,
• the upper Keremeos Creek valley north of Whitetail Road (an area spanning both sides of Nickel Plate Road north of the village), and
• the backside of Beaconsfield Mountain, running down to the Nickel Plate Nordic Centre.

We say “discovered” because these harvest plans were found on Gorman Brother’s website when the committee was investigating the source of road and cut-block demarcation flagging on Mt. Riordan. Further investigation revealed there has been no substantive local stakeholder consultation concerning these new cut blocks, a situation we are actively seeking to address.

The 2016 BC Winter Games are coming to Apex Mountain Resort and Nickel Plate Nordic Centre. This is an opportunity to showcase the beauty and diverse recreation opportunities offered by the Apex Recreation Area – a goal many argue is incompatible with existing logging practices and plans.

The good news is that local consultation is not optional, especially in an “Intensive Recreation Area”, which is how the Apex-Nickel Plate area is classified. To restate what has already been said: local stakeholders have both the responsibility and the right to be consulted AND listened to; it is how forestry in BC is intended to operate.

At the March 9 APOA Annual General Meeting (2 PM at the hotel) the forestry committee will publicly present its initial report. We will describe:

• How we got to where we are today.
• What is currently planned by the key harvest license holders.
• The steps needed to ensure the integrity of the Apex Recreation Area is maintained for future generations.

How important are our forests to your lifestyle and recreation activities?

Hope to see you on March 9!

Agenda

1417 Apex Mt. Rd. (Valenti’s) 4 p.m.

1. Call to order

2 .Review/adopt minutes of last meeting

3. Additions to agenda

4. Treasurer’s report—Barry L.

5. Argo report—Phyllis M. (snow left on rd. at Creekview Crossing

6. Membership Report—Phil R. (brochure reprint/counter brochure holders in village)

7. Jane’s letter to Joan E. about storage bins on properties

8. Herald publicity for Apex report—Geri S.

9. APOA articles in Apex Matters—Julia V.

10. Weyerhauser meeting/RDOS trails report—Barry L., Denis O’Gorman, Jeff Brown

11. Weyerhauser reps, RDOS trail reps presentation to APOA membership:

A. Feb. 9th. out—this is Apex Ski Club fundraiser date

B. Mar. 9th. tie-in to a planned social event on the hill being initiated by the Gunbarrel

C. At our A G M Mar. 23rd.

12. Discussion—who is running again for Board/how to get new blood

13. Adjourn for potluck