South Okanagan

Administration:

The South Okanagan Division is within the Okanagan Valley in south central British Columbia and includes the West and East Kootenay Region predominately around Highway 3 from Princeton to Cranbrook. In the Okanagan Valley the area is dry and the grasslands and bald hills outside the town of Osoyoos are an extension of the Sonoran Desert that runs as far south as Mexico and creeps north to form Canada’s only arid desert. Beloved by thousands of visitors and inhabitants alike for the unparalleled variety of its climate and landscape, the Okanagan Valley has something for everyone: hoodoos, orchards, vineyards, mountains, valleys, lakes, highlands, ski slopes, and trails. The top grape growing region of BC is in the Okanagan Valley with some 84 per cent of BC’s vineyard acreage. In the Kootenay Region you will find enormous snowy peaks, clear lakes, and waterfalls throughout this mountain playground in southeastern British Columbia including Heli & Cat Skiing, Mt. Revelstoke National Park, Kootenay National Park, Yoho National Park.

Throughout the Division you will find first class medical facilities in the South Okanagan; Penticton Regional Hospital is a 140-bed hospital located in Penticton, operated by Interior Health, and affiliated with UBC Faculty of Medicine. The South Okanagan General Hospital is a hospital located in the town of Oliver, and in Summerland you would find the Summerland Memorial Health Centre and 45 minutes north the Kelowna General Hospital and the BC Cancer Agency. In the Kootenay region the largest hospital in the region is the East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook. There are also hospitals along the Highway 3 corridor in Creston, Grand Forks and Fernie.

Tradition and Heritage Events

The Division is committed to assisting children that have suffered a medical, physical, or traumatic crisis in their young lives.

Activities