Something to talk about

The City of Penticton is hoping that by bringing together four very different topics in one open house, they’ll get people talking.

“I’m thinking that people are coming for one topic in particular, so there is hope they will review some of the other topics while they are there,” said JoAnne Kleb, the city’s engagement consultant. “It’s definitely an experiment. If it is too much and people need more on any one of the topics, we will definitely make that happen.”

The four topics on offer at the Aug. 28 open house are the cannabis legalization framework, the parking study, the proposed new building bylaw and a review of wastewater solids handling processes. It all takes place at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre from 4 to 7 p.m.

“With three out of four of the topics, they’ve been heavily communicated and people have been involved all along,” said Kleb. “For a lot of people, it is going to be reporting back on input they’ve already provided. We’ve been very busy communicating with the different groups about the topics and the material we are going to be sharing.”

The discussion around the cannabis framework is to guide the introduction of retail sales and public use of legalized cannabis in Penticton. City staff are looking for public feedback as the city prepares fo rather upcoming legalization.

“We’re definitely in very good shape with the work we’ve done, but we are not going to rush. We are going to take our time to make sure we do it right,” said Kleb. Oct. 17 is the date the federal government has set for legalization.

“Applications (to operate retail outlets) are already being received by the provincial government, so they’re in the midst of the intake process. We won’t see any applications until they complete their checks and then refer applications to us that meet their requirements,” said Kleb.

Parking is another hot discussion in Penticton. The city has finished collecting data on parking use and options; now they are looking for feedback on the options before city staff started developing recommendations for city council.

Over the past few weeks, the city has been releasing relevant studies, findings and reports for each topic to help residents prepare for the open house.

“Residents now have the same information that staff and council are considering as the work moves forward,” said Kleb. “We wanted to give interested citizens as much time as possible to consider the material.”

All of the display materials and feedback forms that will be featured at the ‘juicy’ topics open house Tuesday are available at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca.