I've been coming to Carr's Landing since I was five years old. My grandparents had an orchard in Winfield, and I spent every summer of my childhood out here working on it. I moved to the Okanagan for good fifteen years ago, and to Carr's Landing two and a half years ago, to live in the place I loved as a boy. I'm the general manager at O'Rourke Family Estate and Peak Cellars, and I've spent over a decade in the Okanagan wine industry. I grew up in Manitoba, where my mother ran a small municipality, so I've been around council chambers most of my life. What I care about here is simple: a road my kids can walk on, fire protection we can count on, water we can drink, and a council that tells you plainly what things cost and asks what you think before it votes. This valley has been good to me. I'd like the chance to give some of that back.
What Scromeda said at the Rogers tv panel. Each summary was written by AI and checked by a person. The quote under it is exact, and the link opens the video at that moment.
Asked And with that, we'll start with introductions. To the candidates, as a reminder, you have two minutes to present your introduction.
Summary Ian Scromeda says infrastructure is a big issue in Lake Country and will cost a lot to fix. Scromeda wants to help the district get funding from senior governments. Scromeda says paying for it through local taxes alone would not be sustainable.
that's where I feel I can be most effective in helping Lake Country navigate issues and obtain funding from senior government because it will be unsustainable for us to pay on our own through our taxes
Asked Do you have any comments, opinions, or observations related to housing affordability? And do you have any suggestions or innovative ideas that may contribute to making Lake Country housing more affordable?
Summary Ian Scromeda says housing costs are mostly set by the open market, including building and material costs. Scromeda wants a wide range of housing types, including secondary suites where they fit. Scromeda also wants a faster, simpler permit process that people understand from the start.
we need a streamlined process so it's easy for people to build homes, like Michael's comments. It should be a straightforward process that everyone understands going in.
Asked Do you see a challenge in engaging Lake Country's youth today, and do you have any specific actions that you would suggest to improve youth involvement in the community?
Summary Ian Scromeda wants a youth committee that meets with council regularly to share what young people need and want. Scromeda says Lake Country lacks transportation, so youth rely on parents and others to get around. Scromeda would support a system that helps youth get around town more easily.
I think the biggest thing would be having a youth committee that engages with counsel on a regular basis so they can understand what they need and want and help drive solutions towards them
Asked What strengths do you feel that you bring to complement a future council, and how do you feel that you would contribute to a balanced team dynamic?
Summary Ian Scromeda says experience working with provincial and federal governments is what Scromeda would bring to council. Scromeda would help council deal with the province on funding, support and regulation. On team dynamics, Scromeda says managing large teams at work means being used to bringing different personalities together toward a common goal.
someone who has dealt with the province, getting money, getting help, and working them on regulation.
Asked The next question, if elected, what is your highest priority item or topic that you would like to see addressed?
Summary Ian Scromeda says infrastructure is the top priority and needs a lot of work and money. Scromeda also wants to diversify the tax base, which Scromeda says is 87% residential and not sustainable. Scromeda wants smart development that attracts businesses, so residents can shop locally and businesses pay more tax.
Lake Country's tax base is 87% residential, which is shocking to me. That is completely unsustainable. We need to do something about that.
What I care about here is simple: a road my kids can walk on, fire protection we can count on, water we can drink, and a council that tells you plainly what things cost and asks what you think before it votes.
Asked Lake Country businesses often struggle to recruit and retain employees because of housing costs and availability. What actions would you support to increase attainable workforce housing?
The CAO told council we're meeting maybe half our real housing need. So the bottleneck isn't approvals anymore. It's that approved projects aren't getting financed and built.
Asked Lake Country businesses often struggle to recruit and retain employees because of housing costs and availability. What actions would you support to increase attainable workforce housing?
What I would do is leave the purpose-built rental incentive alone until we have evidence. The District brought in a ten-year municipal tax exemption for rental buildings in the Town Centre and Woodsdale in 2024.
Asked Lake Country businesses often struggle to recruit and retain employees because of housing costs and availability. What actions would you support to increase attainable workforce housing?
And in the rural wards, suites and carriage houses are already allowed on most larger lots. That's the cheapest housing we can add, and it doesn't need a developer.
Asked How would you control municipal spending and keep commercial property taxes, business-licensing costs and other municipal fees affordable?
Infrastructure comes first. Growth has to pay for itself through development cost charges so existing taxpayers, including businesses, aren't carrying it.
Asked What is your plan to attract new businesses and investment while also supporting established locally owned businesses?
my test for it is simple: the landowners and developers who profit from the park, and the District as one of those landowners, pay for the servicing through development cost charges and cost-sharing, not the residential taxpayer.
Asked How would you control municipal spending and keep commercial property taxes, business-licensing costs and other municipal fees affordable?
But we added nearly six staff positions in one year, and two of our capital reserves, Fire and Water, are projected to be in the red by the end of 2026. I don't think that leaves room for new spending.
Asked How would you control municipal spending and keep commercial property taxes, business-licensing costs and other municipal fees affordable?
But I want to see the actual numbers every year, not just the projection. I also wouldn't support taking on new debt until the reserves are back in shape.
Asked How would you control municipal spending and keep commercial property taxes, business-licensing costs and other municipal fees affordable?
On licensing and other fees, they should cover what it costs to run the service and no more. If a fee is going up faster than the cost of providing it, that's a tax with a different name.
Asked How would you address traffic congestion, parking limitations and transportation challenges affecting employees, customers and commercial deliveries?
What council can do is keep pushing and make sure Lake Country isn't forgotten when Kelowna's needs come up.
Asked How would you address traffic congestion, parking limitations and transportation challenges affecting employees, customers and commercial deliveries?
The Ministry's study said the best relief for the highway is local connections that let people cross town without getting on it.
Asked What specific changes would you support to make building permits, development applications, inspections and business approvals faster and more predictable?
Set a target for how long a building permit or a development application should take, publish it, and put the actual numbers in front of council every quarter.
Asked What specific changes would you support to make building permits, development applications, inspections and business approvals faster and more predictable?
I'd also want each file to have one person responsible for it, so applicants aren't bouncing between Planning, Engineering and Building on questions that depend on each other.
Asked How would you control municipal spending and keep commercial property taxes, business-licensing costs and other municipal fees affordable?
I wouldn't raise the business tax rate, but I do want the business share of the total to grow because the business park gets built and more people are able to open and expand here.
I'll push to get the fire flows fixed, meaning the water our hydrants can actually deliver. Not eventually, but with a date, a cost and a funding plan, starting with the areas that can't meet the standard at all.
Asked What steps would you support to improve public safety, cleanliness and security in Lake Country’s commercial areas?
I'd support the visibility patrols, because a marked car or an officer on foot through the Main Street and Highway 97 businesses in July does more for a shop owner than another investigator at a desk.
Asked How should the District work with the Lake Country Chamber of Commerce and local businesses when developing policies, budgets and long-term economic plans?
Bring the Chamber in at the beginning, not the end. Most municipal consultation happens after staff has already written the report and council has more or less made up its mind.
Asked How would you ensure businesses receive adequate notice and meaningful consultation before roadwork, construction or other municipal projects disrupt access, parking or customer traffic?
Notice and consultation are different things. Notice is telling a business what's going to happen. Consultation is asking them, while the plan can still change, how it should happen.
