Changes to the Riparian Areas Protection Regulations
Some good for waterfront owners has come out of the devastating fires in 2023 that decimated Celista and Scotch Creek. After a year of pushing to get approvals through RAPR including discussions at the Deputy Minister level SWOA participated in, the province released the “New Direction” which was specifically designed to address destroyed waterfront homes in Celista, the Okanagan, and Bridge Lake. Of the 29 homes on Shuswap Lake that were lost in 2023, 22 have received permission to rebuild. Of the other 7, one didn’t need any relaxation of RAPR rules, one owner took an insurance payout and abandoned any effort to rebuild, and 5 for whatever reason, chose to do nothing.
The province also assisted the rebuild efforts by providing funding to the CSRD to pay for overtime for building inspectors to get permits issued. The CSRD was fully on board with this process which was helpful. Not so much in the Okanagan where despite this refreshing provincial approach, the local Regional District attempted to frustrate rebuilding efforts.
So what changed? I think the biggest thing was a recognition that the owners who lost their homes were not only facing a massive financial loss if they couldn’t rebuild, in some cases they faced the loss of decades of family history and shared experiences, and a recognition of the irreparable harm to the community.
This whole trying experience will help all waterfront owners as it has resulted in permanent changes to RAPR that will come into effect on January 1st,2027. A link to PDF presentation that outlines the proposed changes is presented at the end of this article. Specifically, homes located in the riparian setback areas will be easier to repair and maintain, reasonable access to the beach can be built, and any homes destroyed by fire in the future can be rebuilt on the old footprint.
The changes to the guiding legislation have been given royal assent and the regulations needed to make the changes to the Riparian Area Protection Regulation are currently under review by stakeholders.