Derek Hesketh enters race for Osoyoos Council

Osoyoos Local Derek Hesketh seeks a seat in Town Council to see Osoyoos thrive for generations to come.

Derek Hesketh’s connection to Osoyoos runs deep—his family has called the community home for generations, dating back to the incorporation of the Town of Osoyoos in 1946.

His grandparents, Harry & Freda Hesketh, opened Osoyoos’ first post office where Harry served as postmaster for many years. Agriculture has also been a longstanding part of the Hesketh family story, with generations of the family involved in growing fruit. Derek’s parents continue to live in Osoyoos today.

Derek first worked for the Town of Osoyoos as a summer student in Parks Maintenance in 1992. He graduated from BCIT in 1994 as a Civil & Structural Engineering Technologist and went on to build a career in construction, survey, oil & gas and mining.

Community service is also an important part of the Hesketh family. Derek’s wife, Kelsey Hesketh, is the coordinator of the Osoyoos Food Bank and Osoyoos Food Mesh, where she serves as a full-time volunteer. Derek and their son are also regular volunteers with the programs.

“Community service is near and dear to our hearts,” Hesketh says. “My wife has dedicated so much of her time to helping people in our community, and our son and I are proud to volunteer alongside her. We believe that when you live in a community, you have a responsibility to help anyone that needs it.”

For Derek, that same philosophy is what is driving his decision to seek a seat on council: to take the skills and experience he has gained over his career and put them to work for the community he and his family have called home for generations.

His professional experience brought him back to the Town of Osoyoos in 2023, where he worked for nearly two years as Operations Technician. During his time with the Town, he was eventually placed in charge of the water meter program. Derek says that was a turning point for him.

“In good faith, I could not oversee a program that would have me charging residents for water while I believed we had not addressed the concerns surrounding the quality of that water,” “Also the timing couldn’t have been worse.” Hesketh says. “Residents had just received a substantial tax hike.”

He ultimately resigned from his position to focus on his own business and eventually taking a position at Hudbay Minerals in the Technical Services Department.

Today, Derek says the water issue is one of the primary reasons he has decided to step forward for council. He believes Osoyoos needs municipal leaders who understand infrastructure, are willing to do the technical work required to identify solutions and are prepared to lobby senior levels of government aggressively for funding.

Hesketh says he is prepared to put his engineering and infrastructure experience to work, collaborate with the mayor and fellow council members, and lobby provincial and federal governments for the funding necessary to develop a long-term water-treatment solution. But water is not the only issue he hopes to address.

Derek believes the community’s water challenges have consequences well beyond infrastructure. Osoyoos depends heavily on tourism. “Osoyoos should be accessible to families of all incomes. The traditional family camping areas have been displaced at this point. I would like to explore ways to get back some of those affordable options.”

Derek would also like to see a revitalized Planning & Development Department at the Town of Osoyoos. “The existing staff at Town Hall and Operations are amazing. I believe having a full-time Planner, GIS Technician and Building Inspector would be beneficial. Consultants and the RDOS play a huge role influencing Town decisions. The Town should regain control over planning and development. A proper Geographical Information System would be a great start. Less reliance on consultants and the RDOS.”

Perhaps most importantly, Hesketh says he wants to see a change in the way municipal government engages with residents. “The closed-door approach of the previous administration needs to come to an end,” he says. “We need transparency and collaboration, not secrets and dismissiveness.”

Derek has been married for 19 years and has one son, who is currently in his first year of university studying engineering. He says his desire to see Osoyoos thrive is deeply personal. “I really want to help make Osoyoos a place where my son can possibly raise his family. A healthy, vibrant, forward thinking resort community.’