Year-long shutdown urged for visitor centre over virus

Lake Country service should be suspended in bid to slow spread of COVID-19, council to be told today

The visitor information centre in Lake Country should be closed for the entire year because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, town council will hear today.

Council should suspend the service, provided by the chamber of commerce through a $28,000 contract, as a way of trying to slow the spread of COVID-19, town officials say.

The centre relies heavily on “inperson gatherings and the sharing of physical space and materials,” reads part of a report to council from planning director Jamie McEwan.

“It is unlikely that this year the service can be provided with full value to the public” given the physical distancing regulations now in effect, McEwan says.

“Given the experiences around the world, Canada is still likely in the early stages of combating COVID-19 and can expect at least five to six months of attempting to limit physical interactions in public,” McEwan says.

Many tourism-related organizations are suspending promotional activities. Tourism Kelowna has shuttered its downtown information centre, and the Penticton Visitor Centre is also closed.

Popular tourism attractions in the Lake Country area include a kangaroo farm and a zip line; notices on websites for both businesses state their openings are delayed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The most scenic parts of the Okanagan Rail Trail, a long-distance hiking and biking corridor, pass through Lake Country along lakeshores and through farmland.

If Lake Country doesn’t shut its visitor centre, McEwan warns, the town could face legal repercussions.

“Funding a service that may put people at risk during this COVID-19 pandemic may present a risk to the district both legally and financially, on top of the greater community health risk,” he says. “The service is not considered essential.”

Under terms of the town’s contract with the chamber of commerce, funding for Lake Country’s visitor centre can be cancelled for any reason with the provision of 60 days’ notice.