Good morning. On a grey Saturday in March, the residents of Okanagan Falls did something no community in British Columbia has done in more than 15 years: They voted to incorporate. The margin was razor-thin, but the implications are far-reaching. Today’s dispatch is from the South Okanagan, where a town at a crossroads is trying to decide what kind of future it wants, and who gets to shape it.
In the news
Trade: U.S. President Donald Trump is floating potential tariff relief for auto companies.
Energy: Falling oil prices are weighing on Alberta’s economy, but the province’s oil industry says it’s well positioned to ride out the downturn – especially compared with struggling U.S. shale producers.
On our radar: Statistics Canada reports March inflation this morning – a day ahead of the Bank of Canada’s rate decision.
In the know
Hudson’s Bay’s court restructuring is putting disability benefits for some employees at risk
- At a glance: The company’s long-term disability payments are uninsured and paid directly from its own accounts — meaning they could disappear entirely as the retailer liquidates most of its stores.
- The context: The collapse of Canada’s oldest department store is exposing a gap in federal protections for disabled workers. Unlike federally regulated employers, retailers aren’t required to insure their benefits plans – a loophole that has already hurt workers in past corporate bankruptcies.
A Republican tax bill would spike costs for Canadians who invest in U.S. securities
- At a glance: If passed, the legislation would override tax-treaty protections and raise the effective withholding rate to 50 per cent on U.S. dividends and interest for Canadians.
- The big picture: The move is part of a broader Trump-led push to retaliate against countries that impose what Washington calls “discriminatory” taxes on U.S. companies – including jurisdictions that have implemented a digital services tax on large tech companies. Canada’s DST was enacted in 2024.
Kristy Salter has been a waitress at the new diner in Okanagan Falls since Peter Beauchamp opened it about a year ago. Beauchamp championed incorporation; Salter voted against. They get along just fine.Chris Wilson-Smith/The Globe and Mail
In focus
Why a small town (finally) voted to take control of its economic destiny
The future of Okanagan Falls was decided by a few hundred ballots on a cloudy Saturday in March. For decades, the question of whether to incorporate had loomed over the town – and always fallen short. This time, just 53 per cent voted yes. But it was enough. For the first time in more than 15 years, British Columbia will get a new incorporated town.
Incorporation means a local mayor, a council, a fire chief, and real control over how infrastructure dollars are spent. But supporters say it’s about something bigger: economic self-determination, at a time when affordability, resilience, and rural independence are back at the centre of national debate.
“This is a big step toward returning to a vibrant, busy small town,” said Matt Taylor, the community’s representative on the regional council. On the council’s map, Okanagan Falls is labelled as Electoral Area D. “It’s about having local control over local decisions.”
On a drive through town in his pickup, Taylor points out what others might miss: empty spaces where he sees new housing, industrial land where he imagines thousands of jobs. A 114-acre parcel once home to the town’s sawmill – shuttered almost 20 years ago – is now the site of an ambitious light industrial park. One of the first to buy in was Garry Peters, an entrepreneur who returned during the pandemic with an unlikely idea: a vertical lettuce farm.
“COVID made it clear how fragile everything is,” Peters said. “If you live in a small town, and you don’t produce your own food, your own power, your own anything – you’re vulnerable. Incorporation is part of fixing that.”
And with U.S. President Donald Trump again threatening tariffs, the push for self-sufficiency has gained urgency. “That lit a fire under people,” Peters said. “It’s about showing rural places can lead.”
On the town’s main strip, Peter Beauchamp sees similar signs of revival. He owns the diner, the barbershop, and a new clothing store – a trifecta of commerce on what had been a mostly shuttered street. “You need daycare, sewer upgrades, better water systems. We need money from the government,” he said. “The incorporation certainly moves us on that.”
Still, many voted no. Some feared losing the small-town feel. Others worried about rising taxes. Waitress Kristy Salter, who voted against incorporation, said she prefers unincorporated life – “Keep it small.”
Beauchamp focused less on the outcome, and more on the act itself. “A young couple, 38 and 36, came back to the barbershop and said it was their first time voting – ever,” he said. “It wasn’t about how they voted. It was about being part of the process.”
Now comes the harder part: making it work.
- Read my full story from the southern edge of B.C. here on how one community decided to bet on itself.
Charted
Life finds a way
Largely unreported, the basic measures of human well-being have continued to improve in recent decades, Marcus Gee writes. People are living longer, living healthier, and literacy rates are up. Maybe recognizing the marvels can give us the confidence to tackle the tragedies.
Bookmarked
On our reading list
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Before we say goodbye: Researchers have bid farewell to what may be the longest-running space science experiment in Canadian history.
Morning update
Global markets edged higher amid investor caution after U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs musings. Wall Street futures were little changed, while TSX futures were in positive territory.
Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 was up 1.06 per cent in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.83 per cent, Germany’s DAX gained 1.02 per cent and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.24 per cent.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.84 per cent higher, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng inched higher 0.23 per cent.
The Canadian dollar traded at 72.13 U.S. cents.