Sun Peaks’ Non-Resident Advisory Committee is working through a leadership shift following recent attempts to connect with Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM).
The committee, which is composed of four home-owning individuals, as well as Coun. Julie Kimmel, lost two representatives after a council meeting in June where it was expected to share the results of a non-resident survey conducted in December 2024.
During this meeting former committee chair, Kit Kuhn, was unable to present for the committee during the allotted time. While another member shared the committee’s findings, Kuhn ultimately felt the sentiments went unheard.
Following the meeting, Kuhn and another member, Jonathan Elsley resigned.
“We felt like we were putting in so much time for nothing,” Kuhn said. “I’ve served on many boards and committees. You can tell when you’re being tolerated versus actually listened to.”
The committee was created in 2011, and originally intended to represent the concerns of non-resident property owners.
“We were told our mission was to help the municipality engage non-residents more effectively,” Kuhn said.
The committee was tasked with developing ways to improve communication and representation of non-resident voices. One of its initiatives was to design and distribute a survey specifically for non-residents, separate from a broader community-wide questionnaire run by the municipality.
This survey, along with feedback collected during a December 2023 open house attended by 25 to 30 people, uncovered a series of concerns. Non-residents said they felt unheard, excluded from key services like the health clinic and frustrated by a lack of transparency and accountability in municipal processes.
Following the committee’s presentation, council acknowledged the survey. At the end of the meeting council shared a review is to be done of all of the committees and their structures.
“The reality is that many of [the committee’s] recommendations are not just in the scope of non-residents,” Mayor Rob O’Toole said. “They have the potential to have a positive impact on the entire community, and as far as access to council goes, the non-residents have the same kind of access that anybody else does.”
Some recommendations the committee made regard temporary housing bylaws, access to health care and municipal communication.
When asked how Sun Peaks’ governance could better support non-resident representation, Kuhn suggested simple steps: allowing more members on the committee and ensuring time for biannual reports to the council.
“Even just 10 minutes every six months,” he said. “That’s not much to ask.”
He emphasized that including non-residents isn’t just a matter of courtesy; it’s a practical necessity.
“Non-residents own about a third of Sun Peaks properties,” Kuhn said. “If the municipality alienates them, it affects everyone — including residents.”
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