The Mayor's Podcast District of Summerland

Rather than throw kitchen waste into the garbage, Summerland residents are being asked to put food scraps in with their yard waste. By diverting organic waste from the landfill, the District is able to reduce methane emissions, control the cost of processing garbage, and produce a high quality organic compost suitable for local farms and gardens. Mayor Doug Holmes is joined by Cameron Baughen, environmental services coordinator for the District of Summerland, to explain the changes to the cur...

The provincial government has introduced new legislation and regulations to address housing affordability and supply that will significantly impact the way municipalities plan and develop their communities. Mayor Doug Holmes is joined by Brad Dollevoet, Director of Development Services for the District of Summerland, to dig into the changes.

After eight years of planning and project management, the District of Summerland has opened the first utility-scale solar power and battery storage facility in the Okanagan. Joining Mayor Doug Holmes to shed light on the project is Jeremy Storvold, Director of Utilities.

As Summerland residents prepare to go to the polls in a referendum to decide if they want a new multi-purpose recreation centre, Mayor Doug Holmes is joined by Lori Mullin, Director of Community Services for the District of Summerland, to wade through the details of the proposal.

In the lead up to a referendum on a new multi-purpose recreation centre, Mayor Doug Holmes sits down with Jenny Kunka, President of Orca Swim Club, and Jean Munro, an occupational therapist and Executive Director of the RECOPE program. They discuss the state of the current Summerland Aquatic & Fitness Centre and the benefits of their programming to the community.

The District of Summerland is trialing a compressed four-day work week at Municipal Hall as a way to both improve service to the public and retain municipal staff. Mayor Doug Holmes sits down with Graham Statt, Chief Administrative Officer for the District of Summerland, to discuss the oft misunderstood connection between customer service and staff retention.