With more than 25,000 acres of land outside the City of Vernon in the north Okanagan, the Okanagan Indian Band has enormous economic development potential.

The Band’s current business operations are fairly limited but include Eagle Rock Aggregates, a sand-and-gravel-based aggregates operation, located about 10 minutes north of Vernon on Highway 97. It produces high- quality aggregates for ready-mix concrete, road building and subdivision construction.

However, the future seems to lie in tourist commercial development. The Band’s main reserve, Okanagan IR #1, surrounds the north arm of Okanagan Lake, a popular tourist and recreational destination.

“We are developing plans to capitalize on the huge potential for tourism within the Band’s reserves,” says Economic Development Manager Lyle Brewer, noting that much of the 18 miles of lakefront is virtually undeveloped at present. “In the past there was no overall plan for tourism-related development, but the market for tourist products and services in that area is well-established and we intend to build on this strength.”

Another priority is the expansion of the industrial and commercial land base on the reserves. “One of the major projects we are undertaking is the development of an industrial area on the Grandview Bench, about 15 minutes north of Vernon on Highway 97,” notes Brewer. “The planning area includes about 850 acres of land, so it will be able to accommodate a variety of lot sizes, including some very large industrial lots, of which there is a shortage in the north Okanagan.

“We are also planning to redevelop a parcel of land at Lake Country to provide additional land for light industrial and commercial development.” The Band’s Duck Lake Reserve near Lake Country is currently home to SRI Homes Inc., a modular home manufacturer and a major employer of Band members.

The Band has applied to Western Economic Diversification Canada for funds that would be used to conduct detailed land use planning on Band lands. It may also get involved in subdividing and developing land and leasing it out. “There’s growing interest among members in doing this,” Brewer says. “It’s something we can take a leading role in because we have a long history of developing our land for our own purposes. Developing land to support business development is a natural extension of the capacity that we have already developed.”

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