Expect to see some unfamiliar faces bumping around town this week. 150 members of local government from across the Southern Interior will be descending on the city for the Southern Interior Local Government Association’s annual convention.
Among the largest of SILGA’s 37 members are the cities of Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon, Penticton and Salmon Arm.
City of Revelstoke director of corporate administration Dawn Low said Revelstoke is excited to host the SILGA convention, noting Revelstoke has a reputation for rolling out the red carpet.
“We’ve got a reputation for holding really good conferences, and we get a really good turnout whenever we hold them,” said Low.
“The SILGA organizers have put together a great program that should help keep everyone current about what’s happening across the province.”
This years theme is “Facing Forward” and will focus on the future and present of local governments.
Among the highlights of the convention will be a tour offered to attendees of Mt. Begbie Brewing and Monashee Spirits; a tour of the Revelstoke dam; breakout sessions on affordable housing, technology and innovation, cannabis regulation; and a talk from Mayor Mark McKee and former mayor Geoff Battersby on Revelstoke’s “boom, bust and boom economy.”
Keynote speaker David Allison will deliver an address on marketing and urban planning, and Ivan Coyote, award winning author of eleven books, will deliver an address on gender identity.
Elected officials will be voting on 24 resolutions.
Revelstoke last hosted the annual SILGA convention in 2011, and has a long history of hosting governments from around the region.
In 1980, Revelstoke was the first municipality to host a Okanagan Mainline Municipal Association (OMMA).
OMMA changed into SILGA in 2007.
SILGA is composed of elected officials from 37 cities, towns, villages, districts and regional districts in south central British Columbia.
The conference is closed to the public and runs at the Revelstoke Community Centre and at various locations across the city until April 28.
For more information see Silga.ca
