May 12 to 18 is Local Government Awareness Week! We will be sharing daily about the services we provide as your municipality.

May 17 | Community Planning & Building Compliance

Local governments govern private land use and development within their jurisdictions. They also ensure minimum requirements for building (safety, health, accessibility, fire and structural protection and energy and water efficiency) are met under the BC Building Code.

Did you know?

• Sicamous’ land area is 12.80 square kilometers in size. The municipality plays an important role in community development. Council makes land use decisions based on the official community plan (OCP) bylaw and zoning bylaw.
• In 2024, $465K is budgeted for planning land use operations and $229K is budgeted for building inspection and bylaw.
• In 2023, the development services department fielded 596 inquiries and issued 10 development permits and 95 building permits. The construction value of the building permits was $7 million.
• In the first four months of 2024, 35 building permits were issued. Currently, there are 17 development permit applications being
• Building is booming and due to the high number of applications, there is a six- to eight-week turnaround time to process applications. Thank you for being patient with us!
• The planning and development committee meets on the third Thursday of every month. The housing committee meets bi-annually. These meetings are open to the public!

More about Planning and Building! 

Sicamous Mapping

May 16 | Recreation Programs & Local Events

What would you like to do today?

In Sicamous, the community comes alive with a variety of recreational programs and events designed to energize and inspire all age groups. From fitness classes to family activities, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

• In 2023 we offered 19 different types of programs from yoga, pickleball, sidewalk art party, kids club, swim lessons and much more throughout the year.
• We also hosted eight events such as Canada Day, Family Fun Day and the Christmas Light Up.
• We issued 16 non-district event facility use permits and seven rental agreements for stage and other District of Sicamous assets.
• We have 774 accounts on our Amilia system and 1698 clients.
• In 2024, $170K is budgeted for recreation programs & community services.

We are always looking to collaborate! If you have an idea, please contact our recreation programmer at 250-836-2477 or recreation@sicamous.ca.

Learn more about Recreation & Events

Check out our Community Calendar

May 15 | Sicamous Fire Department

Did you know the Sicamous Fire Department does more than fight structure fires?

• The Sicamous Fire Department provides fire protection, prevention, public education and other related services. They train for ice and swift water rescues and will come prepared with hazmat equipment and a 75-foot aerial ladder.
• There are four fire trucks, one command vehicle and a new structure protection unit (SPU) trailer for defending structures and other sites against wildfires.
• In 2024, $612K is budgeted for fire department operations. The district is fortunate to have $200K in FireSmart grant funding!
• Currently there are 20 paid on-call firefighters. Training is every Tuesday night starting at 7!
• The FireSmart coordinator and crew of four provide home evaluations and offer curbside yard waste pick-up. FireSmart provides wildfire preparedness, prevention and mitigation through public education, assessments and mitigative work to reduce community risk from wildfires.

Learn more about the Sicamous Fire Department and Sicamous FireSmart.

Become a paid-on-call firefighter!

May 14 | Community Health Care

B.C. is made up of 161 municipalities and 27 regional districts. Municipalities provide services to more than 87% of the population in B.C. Did you know?

• Health care as a local government service is unique to Sicamous. There are 30 community-governed community health centres in B.C. A select few are either local-government-owned or funded. 
• In 2024, 80K is budgeted to fund net expenses to operate the Sicamous Community Health Centre (SCHC).
• The SCHC was established in 2021 to recruit/retain doctors and offer team-based/wrap-around care. 
• The patient panel has grown from 1,800 in 2018 to 3,090 in 2024. Telehealth and walk-in appointments are offered.
• Full-time healthcare providers include Dr. Vicki Edmondson and nurse practitioner Jennifer Post-Balfour. Dr. Lucky Kotingo joins us this fall through the Practice Ready Assessment Program! Locum physicians often provide support and coverage.
• Health providers are supported by three medical office assistants and the health centre manager.
• The SCHC team will move to the Shuswap Healing Centre (200 Main Street) once construction is complete!

Learn more about the Sicamous Community Health Centre!

May 13 | Parks, Trails & Cemetery

Did you know?

Local Government Awareness Week!