Inn trouble: motel could lose business licence

The business licence for a Lake Country motel, where renovations have been undertaken without building permits and where police frequently attend, should not be renewed, town council will hear next Tuesday.

Town staff cite a long list of concerns associated with the Airport Inn Lakeside in recommending the licence not been renewed.

“It is primarily on the grounds of public health and safety that staff are recommending that the business licence not be renewed in 2017,” community development manager Jamie McEwan writes in a report to council that was released Wednesday.

“Secondary issues include frequent and recurring fire inspection and RCMP issues with the property/business,” McEwan writes.

The motel’s owner has been invited via registered letter to attend Tuesday’s meeting and make his case for having the business licence renewed.

Bylaw contraventions at the property, along Highway 97, date back to 1998, the staff report says. The property is not currently compliant with the B.C. Building Code, town staff say.

“The RCMP state that in recent years, the business is visited on average twice per month with respect to criminal activity,” the report says.

A site map attached to the report indicates several of the buildings on the property are not occupied, but one is rented to the public and another has long-term renters.

Motel owner Raif Fleihan could not be reached for comment.