Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Council stays firm on tax hike – By Jennifer Smith - Morning Star - January 30

The Eagle's comment: Right on John Hegler! Let's not forget the Nord hike of 7%, sewer rate hike of 5.2%, water rate hike of ?% (I was not allowed to ask how much the water rates will go up) etc. In addition, those taxpayers, whose assessment went up way above average will feel the real impact of 9.17% tax hike.

Councillor Malerby made a passionate speech expressing how hard they worked to come up with only 9.17% increase. Council is lucky, they are not on a fixed income as taxpayers pockets are deep. Had they have to survive on a fixed annual income they would have have to find some items to be postponed for later consideration. It takes willpower and dedication to manage other people's money as you would do with your own.

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Sunday, January 27, 2008

Articles of interest -- Morning Star, January 27, 2008.











Click on these articles from the Morning Star and enjoy them. Note the problems facing our politicians: increasing taxes and more wishes for facilities.

They reduce the size of some sport facilities, at the same time they want new ones (bike skill park, college site).

They are trying to convince our citizens to take advantage of public transportation and at the same time making it more difficult to access it.

Coldstream and NORD appear to be in competition
as to who can increase taxes higher. So far Coldstream is the clear winner.

Perhaps the most interesting fact is that the "less important" issue (water treatment for most of Coldstream and the residents of NORD) is getting further and further away. I wonder how much extra
the new Duteau Creek treatment plant will cost with the additional cost of environmental assessment and time delay! Our "experts" should have been aware of this environmental study long before now but they ignored it.

Remember the rhetoric: "The risk of a waterborne-illness outbreak is a serious one...." (click on article on right)? To date the only improvement realized is in the City of Vernon yet we all have been paying higher and higher rates for water since 2002. I guess our politicians recognize what is important and what can be put on the back-burners.

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Saturday, January 26, 2008

Vernon Civic Complex Referendum results.

First results: 2112 total, 549 (26%) YES, 1563 (74%) NO. Three polls reporting. Huge victory for the NO side!!! The Taxpayers have spoken again loud and clear!

Final toll: 71% NO (3984), 29% YES (1619).

Council meeting and Public Hearing Agendas -- Jan 26, 2008





Monday's Council meeting is preceded by two Public Hearings. Agendas for the Public Hearings are attached as well as the first page of the Council meeting Agenda. Full Council Agenda is available at this site.

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Friday, January 25, 2008

Sports field debate reignited at GVSC -- By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - January 25, 2008

The sports complex debate is back on Greater Vernon’s agenda.

The Greater Vernon Services Committee has reignited discussions about future sports fields, including during a closed-door session Thursday. “We have a couple of things we are discussing but nothing of the magnitude of the previous one,” said Gary Corner, GVSC chairman.

GVSC had originally proposed constructing a sports complex on a portion of Coldstream Ranch on Aberdeen Road. However, a December referendum resulted in a majority of residents preventing Coldstream council from sending a land use application to the Agricultural Land Commission. The concerns of residents varied, but the primary one was using quality farm land for sports fields, and that could lead to traffic problems and increased urbanization.Corner was unwilling to get into the specifics of the current discussions.“It may be one large site or a few around the community,” he said.

Corner added, though, that an outstanding issue is finding large chunks of property not in the Agricultural Land Reserve. One site that has been suggested by some residents is farm land just to the north of the Multiplex and Kin Race Track.

Earlier this month, the City of Vernon requested that GVSC hold a meeting with it to discuss sports facilities in the area. No date has been set for that meeting, but Corner is open to pursuing the matter with the city. “We will certainly talk to the city and the city has three representatives at this committee,” he said. Vernon city council will also meet internally to discuss land issues regarding potential sites for new fields.

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Hopefully, this time they might take into consideration input from the general taxpayer who will ultimately pay for the play.

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Thursday, January 24, 2008

UBC Discovery Unlocks Tree Genetics, Gives New Hope For Pine Beetle Defense -- UBC Alumni

A note of interest: in the late 1980's I have studied the genetic basis of spruce weevil resistance and reported in the Canadian Journal of Forest Research (1991). At that time it was difficult to convince my peers of such genetic control. (The Eagle)

UBC researchers have discovered some of the genetic secrets that enable pine and spruce trees to fight off pests and disease, uncovering critical new information about forests’ natural defense systems.

Assoc. Prof. Joerg Bohlmann says this genetic analysis will allow forest stewardship programs to reinforce a forest’s inherent strength, breeding trees that could in time repel insects such as British Columbia’s notorious mountain pine beetles.

Bohlmann and his research associate Christopher Keeling explored the genetic makeup of oleoresin within spruce, discovering a sophisticated ability to produce complex blends of chemicals that continuously evolve to protect the tree from changing conditions and challenges.

“Conifers are some of the oldest and longest living plants on the planet,” says Bohlmann. “We’ve opened the book to understanding how they can survive in one location for thousands of years despite attacks from generations of insects and diseases.”

Their study examines the molecular biochemistry of conifers interacting with genomes of bark beetles and bark beetle-associated fungal pathogens. Bohlmann’s study appears in today’s edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Figuring out how these naturally occurring defenses work has important implications for the long-term sustainability and health of our forests,” says Bohlmann, who’s working with the B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range, the forestry industry and the Canadian Forest Service.

Bohlmann is also co-leader of the recently announced $4-million project that Genome BC and Genome Alberta is funding to investigate the mountain pine beetle infestation at the genomic level.

Insect pests and pathogens cause annual losses of billions of dollars to conifer-based forest economies in North America and Europe. In B.C., the mountain pine beetle epidemic has killed about 40 per cent of the pine forests since its first appearance in the mid 1990s.

This is the largest recorded bark beetle outbreak in Canada, leaving B.C. with 13 million hectares of grey and red dead pine – an area four times the size of Vancouver Island and a volume of dead timber equivalent to 530 million telephone poles.

Bohlmann is leading UBC’s and international research programs on forest health genomics. In 2006, Bohlmann and a team of international scientists completed the world’s first physical map and sequencing of a tree genome – the third plant ever sequenced.

He is based at UBC’s Michael Smith Laboratories, a multidisciplinary research facility. Bohlmann also holds teaching appointments in the departments of Botany and Forest Sciences and is an associate at UBC’s Wine Research Centre.

Bohlmann and study co-authors are members of the Treenomix project, Canada’s first large-scale forestry genome project. Their work received support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Genome BC and Genome Canada.

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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Is this for real?

Youth’s condition improves -- By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - January 23, 2008

The condition of a Vernon youth injured at Silver Star Mountain is improving.

Bryant Gronemeyer, 12, has gone from critical to fair condition at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.

“His vital signs are stable and in normal limits,” said Lubna Ekramoddoullah, a communications specialist with the hospital.

He has also resumed consciousness.

“The indicators are favourable. His doctor says he is continuously improving,” said Ekramoddoullah.

Gronemeyer, a Grade 7 student from Harwood Elementary, was injured while taking part in a school field trip to Silver Star Mountain Resort Jan. 17.

He was preparing to get off the midway station on the Summit chairlift when his helmet strap got caught on the chairlift. That resulted in some choking occurring.

Gronemeyer was treated on the mountain, transported by ambulance to Vernon Jubilee Hospital and then transferred to Vancouver.

Ekramoddoullah believes Gronemeyer’s parents are handling the situation as well as can be expected.

“They are doing much better because of the improved conditions,” she said.

Silver Star and the B.C. Safety Authority are investigating the accident, as is the Vernon School District’s insurance firm.

The Summit chairlift is open but the midway station is closed during the investigation.

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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Beetle Wood Put to Use.

Pine beetle wood will soon be used to generate heat and electricity for several buildings in Prince George.

The federal, provincial and municipal governments have announced plans for the community biomass energy system.

Work begins on the biomass burner this spring and it's expected to be in operation by 2009.

The annual cost is estimated at 305-thousand dollars but the program will generate gross revenues of about 685-thousand dollars a year.

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New Rates Coming From ICBC

Future I-C-B-C rate increases may have a lot to do with where you live and what you drive.

I-C-B-C spokesman Doug McClelland says the insurance corporation now has permission to set variable rates as much as six per cent above or below the provincial average.

McClelland says the variable rates would cover risks posed by certain types of vehicles, such as motorcycles, or certain regions of the province -- such as rapidly growing suburban areas where more cars translate to more crashes.

Starting May 1st, I-C-B-C will also charge 25 dollars to list additional drivers on a vehicle's insurance, but the fee only applies if the secondary driver does not own a vehicle and has less experience or a worse driving record than the main driver.

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Sunday, January 20, 2008

Readers write -- "Give me lipperty AND give me debt!"

In ostensibly democratic countries like ours, individuals run for election to help actualize societal needs.

It should be assumed that they have put their own agendas on hold to strive for the provision of community needs. A country’s needs supercede the wants of individuals and collective groups. Many times, the collective actions of our elected representatives seem more driven by their dedication to cater to self-interest groups.

Recently, in Coldstream, GVSC (Got Very Stupid in Coldstream) and its proponents were stopped from the attempted Spicer block pillage.

I have been wondering how such a proposal almost became a reality.What approach did GVSC use to determine the public’s need for such a thing? How many citizens felt that a dog agility area was an asset that would make Coldstream even better? As for the walking paths, no one consulted my neighbours or me whether we thought driving to the park to take a walk was a sane activity.

Now I see that GVSC has been approached to fund a bicycle skills park - another important need in the community !!!!

Well now, I come from the old age pensioners’ segment of the area. How do we, a very large group, make our needs become reality? Surely an indoor dog walk, one like the Marshall indoor soccer facility, is as viable as a bicycle skills park. Often I read or hear that the addition of such facilities is good for business; more tourism, more malls, etc. Whose good? Surely the good of the majority is more important than the bacchanalian Fun Fest that profits only a small number of greater Vernon folks.

If business needs it, let business build it.

Perhaps the more barbaric aspect of this primitive concept is that some expect the rest of us to finance the realization of their utterly hedonistic fantasies.

Our local hospital needs funding to better meet the medical needs of the community but some of our local public servants prefer parking lots and regulation football fields, and art galleries. Last summer, while shopping at London Drugs, I noticed an elderly man sleeping behind the mailbox by the door. A few minutes later a RCMP member moved him out. I don’t know the fellow’s circumstances but I know his well being is more important than a bicycle skills park.

Our elected council members must embrace the reality that they are public servants - people who choose to serve rather than to pander to the unrealistic wants adherents. The philosophy that the only three important people on earth are Me, Myself, and I is monstrous.

Tyranny takes many forms and ignoring the needs of the people is one. Way back in American history, Patrick Henry, in speaking about England’s tyranny towards the colonies, said, “ Give me liberty or give me death!”

When I consider the Vernon scene and especially now that we need a new Civic Centre, might it now be rephrased as, “Give me lipperty AND give me debt?”

GB
Lavington.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Budget blues.

Apparently "The majority of those attending understood and accepted the rationale for tax increase...". Perhaps so, but a ten minute review of the budget does not give much time for anyone to fully understand and assess the intricacies of the budget and its affects on the family budget. The magnitude of the increases will not hit home until the bill arrives, especially for those whose assessment jumped 25-35%.

In addition to tax increases we must look at increases in fees. We don't know yet the magnitude of water rate increases but we probably get a 5% increase. That present will come from Greater Vernon Water (of which our Mayor is chair).

The sewer increase is well documented in the budget.
Since we had "too much money" in the sewer reserve previous Council graciously relieved us of the burden to the tune of $667,060 leaving a meager reserve of $92,417. These funds helped out the developers of Coldstream Meadows so that they would have a lighter load when connecting to the sewer system.

In the late 1990's Trintec Enterprises developed a subdivision off Sarsons Road (Inverness Drive). The entire cost of extending the sewer s
ystem to 15th Street, constructing a holding storage and lift stations was the responsibility of the developer. Why were the requirements for this development different?

T
his year an additional sum of $264,000 was spent to further lighten the load of Coldstream Meadows by buying out the latecomer fees. Nice gesture! Who pays for this gesture? We, sewer customers do.

The consequences are showing up in the present sewer budget. The rich customers of the existing sewer system will now pay 5.2% ($568 compared to last year's $540) more than last year for their sewer fees.

Those r
esidents along the route of the new sewer line are also unhappy with the additional annual tax load of $97 just for the privilege of residing along the line even though they don't have to connect. They should be happy, at least they are not burdened with the $568 user fee. Incidentally, those taxes are parcel taxes. When Council deliberated on financing options for the Fire Halls they decided that parcel taxes were unfair and opted for using the general taxation option based on property values. Why is it unfair for the Fire Hall but fair for the sewer line?

As the Director of Finance said:
"To date ... the District has not received any letters of opposition to the budget therefore it is anticipated to be adopted in its original form." If everyone is happy with the tax and fee increases then no action is necessary. However, if you feel that a nearly 10% tax increase and escalating fee increases are not helping your personal budget then you should let Council know about it! You can only be heard if you speak up!

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Lavington road upgrades.


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Thursday, January 17, 2008

Sports complex revisited.



Interesting discussions in Vernon Council. The January 26th referendum is still pending yet Council is discussing another potential major expenditure. We must be loaded with money to find all sorts of "needed projects" on which to spend taxpayers money
on the brink of a recession. If they find a place to put the complex we would be on the hook for nearly 20% of the costs (or perhaps even more depending on the future of GVSC). Things are humming!
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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

New centralized business licence takes shape - December 20, 2007

There’s growing questions as to whether the new valley-wide business licence for the Okanagan is part of a convenient plan to centralize an Okanagan-wide business inventory in the central Okanagan as part of the new super regional district initiative.

One by one valley municipalities have joined the proposed initiative seeks to establish a system for mobile businesses to obtain one licence valid throughout the valley, instead of having one for each individual jurisdiction.

The initiative is managed from the offices of the Central Okanagan Regional District.

The Village of Lumby gave the green light to a valley-wide licence for mobile businesses that allows the village to participate in the program that covers communities throughout the Okanagan, as well as the Shuswap and Similkameen.

Mayor Eric Foster believes the new program is just a simple expansion of an ongoing program that the village had been part of already.

“We’ve had it in the North Okanagan for two years,” he said.

For an extra $100, North Okanagan businesses have been able to get a licence for Armstrong, Coldstream Enderby, Lumby, Vernon, Spallumcheen and Salmon Arm.

The new valley-wide project would be similar. For $150 a business could gain access to all of those market areas plus the Central Okanagan Regional District, Lake Country, Osoyoos, Kelowna, Peachland, Keremeos, Oliver, Penticton, Princeton and Summerland.

Most recently, Vernon’s mayor Wayne Lippert presented information on the single business license. After his presentation, the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors unanimously passed a motion supporting the establishment of a single business license for mobile businesses.

The chamber believes the creation of a single business license will have a positive impact on the economy of Vernon, and will still preserve the City’s ability to regulate business activity within their jurisdiction.

Foster told media that he is not concerned a single business licence will allow large Kelowna-based contractors to pursue projects in Lumby and take away work from local residents.

“For those big outfits, what difference does it make if they have to buy a $150 licence?” he said.

“I have never heard anyone say they won’t come to Lumby to paint houses because they have to pay for a licence.”

The new valley-wide program is for a one-year trial period. “At the end of that year, if it’s not working the way it’s supposed to, change it,” said, Foster.

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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Hospital patients, staff hit with virus -- By Roger Knox - Vernon Morning Star - January 13, 2008

Visitors to Vernon Jubilee Hospital are being asked to either stay away or take precautions upon visiting patients following an outbreak of the Norwalk Virus.

Peter du Toit, Interior Health’s Health Services Administrator for North Okanagan, said the virus hit on the hospital’s medical wards.

“It started with an outbreak of gastro symptoms at the end of last week,” said du Toit Friday morning. “On Thursday, we had 12 patients and 10 staff that were impacted. We put the patients with the symptoms together to help prevent a spread of the virus.”

Visitors to the hospital are greeted with a sign right in the front lobby, explaining that an outbreak of vomiting and diarhhea has occurred, and people are being discouraged to visit patients at this time.

If you do go to see someone in the hospital, you’re encouraged to wash your hands before and after the visit, or after making contact with a patient.

The hospital is monitoring the situation on an hour-to-hour basis.

“The staff and everyone at the hospital is doing a great job to make sure the virus doesn’t get out of hand,” said du Toit. “The Norovirus is extremely contagious.”

Medical information from a website says the Norwalk virus is a common cause of vomiting and diarhhea in winter, and is often called the stomach flu.

The Norovirus group causes viral gastroenteritis predominantly during the winter in temperate climates.

Outbreaks of Norwalk virus usually occur in schools, nursing homes or in group settings, such as banquet halls and cruise ships.

A Norwalk virus infection usually results in illness 24-to-48 hours after exposure, and symptoms last from 12-to-48 hours. The illness is characterized by the quick onset of vomiting and diarrhea. Abdominal cramps are common, and many patients report headache, nausea, and low-grade fever.

Norwalk virus infection is more frequent in older children and adults than in infants and toddlers.

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Sunday, January 13, 2008

Important sewer issues.

This discussion is extremely important to Specified Sewer Area 1 (SSA1) customers.

The urgent, last minute decision by the outgoing Council in 2005 of
awarding a contract to construct a sewer main extension from McClounie Road to Aberdeen Road has major ramifications for those of us in SSA1. The reason is as follows:

Coun
cil reasoned (oxymoron?) that since the original sewer customers only had to pay 7% of the total costs any future sewer customers should pay the same rate for establishing their system. That would have been fine if they also waited for grants from senior governments for the project but they were in too much of a hurry. One might wonder what the urgency was (Coldstream Meadows come to mind, future reduced connection costs to some Council members as well). Nevertheless, they decided that 93% of the funding for the project should come from SSA1 customers and confiscated $665,000 from the sewer reserves and a further $265,000 from the sewer operating funds. I will discuss these issues at length later but I just want to inform sewer customers how gravely this decision will affect them now and in the future if they are not going to fight this decision.

If Council demonstrated urgent need for extending the sewer line at that time they could have convinced senior governments to participate. In fact, they would still be eligible for the Ok
anagan Basin Waterboard’s 18% grant, as we have been taxed by the OBW for decades for that grant. I understand even the City neglected to claim that grant by oversight (personal communications).

Council is embarking on major extensions of the sewer system. They will try to convince and/or force new customers to hook into these new extensions. However, the precedence was set that all new customers will only have to pay 7% of the costs. Who will pay the rest? You guessed it! It will be US, SA1 customers. Our sewer rates will skyrocket. Is this fair? Of course not! What can we do about it? We must fight it every way we can.

By law Council was supposed to follow certain rules and regulations (designate a specified area for the sewer extension, public hearings, agreement from potential new customers, ident
ifying costs and designating who will pay, timelines etc.). They should have done a pre-design study to identify if there is a real urgency. They have not done that. In fact, they just commissioned a $35,000 study to try to rectify the omission. Mayor Corner implied:

“The one study will TRY (?) and determine the cost of servicing areas to the north and south of the 2006 sewer extension, including Whetzell, Bonavista and DeJong drives. ‘We want to know exactly how to do it,’ said Corner of the possible expansion of the sewer system and the cost. (MS, October 7.) ”

That should have been done before the project started!

Council argued that previous Councils had commissioned and completed a Wastewater Management Plan in 1994. Wh
at they neglected to ad is that this study was done to investigate the feasibility of constructing Coldstream’s own sewage treatment plant. Sewage would have been flowing from west to east, treated and disposed on designated lands in Coldstream. It was abandoned and Coldstream continued to send sewage to Vernon. What is the difference? Lots!

Greg Betts, Clerk/Administrator of Coldstream provided a report examining the consequences of continuing to send effluent from the Di
strict to the City, a flow from east to west. His report stated the following:

“If the district intends to maintain the current system of sending all effluent from the District to the City via the existing collection mains, prior to reaching the full development of Middleton Mountain, expenditures in the order of $2 million will be required to upgrade the existing mains. In addition, there will be costs to upgrade the transition main beyond the District’s boundary to the City of Vernon plant. A request has been sent to the city to confirm the order of magnitude of these costs; however, this information has not yet been received.”

This huge problem should have also been addressed before the sewer main extension was carried out.

Now that Council has dangerously depleted the sewer reserves and dipped deeply into our operating funds as well they are eager to replenish the treasury at our expense. The proposed budget set the new sewer rate at $568 per year, 29% more than my calculated reasonable rate should be ($440 per year).

I am presently in contact with officials in Victoria to try to get some resolution of the matter. However, it might be that a court action might be necessary. The long term consequences of Council’s action would be huge cost increases for sewer customers. This is not fair and a remedy must be sought wherever possible. It is your money!

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Friday, January 11, 2008

Coldstream Council meeting - January 14

REGULAR MEETING OF THE COUNCIL
OF THE DISTRICT OF COLDSTREAM

TO BE HELD ON MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2008
IN THE MUNICIPAL HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS
9901 KALAMALKA ROAD, COLDSTREAM, BC
AT 7:00 PM

A G E N D A (partial) (full agenda)

1. DELEGATIONS

a. Kalamalka Road WW2 Memorial Ginnala Maple Trees

Mr. Fred Wilson may be in attendance to speak to this matter.

b. Comments on the 2008 Proposed Budget

Mr. Gyula Kiss will be in attendance to speak to this matter.

2. PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS COUNCIL

(Total Time Allotted: 10 Minutes)


NOTE: This time is to afford members of the public the opportunity to
address issues on the agenda dated, January 14, 2008. Issues that are not on the current agenda will not be heard by Council. If you have items to address that are not contained in this agenda, please contact the Municipal Clerk to make a formal request to appear as a
delegation at a future meeting of Council.

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Budget blues - should it be $568 or $440. Your choice!

Some of you might be wondering why I am neglecting my blog. In fact, I was busy critically reviewing the budget as it relates to sewer rates and I am producing my first interesting observation on the subject. It seems, the trend of "milking" sewer customers is continuing and it demonstrates that we must stand up for our rights.

Just to tickle your interest I present two documents. The one on the left of the "Cash Cow" was presented at the budget open house in the Municipal Hall on January 7th. It shows the "fixed costs" for the sewer as envisioned by the Director of Finance, a whopping $612,817. A generous $150,000 reserve (about 25% of the "Total Fixed Costs) was added to the total bringing it to $762,817.

Upon reviewing said document I found that ($266,654) was included that was part of the "treatment and disposal bill" the City of Vernon submits to Coldstream. That has nothing to do with fixed Coldstream costs. Removing that sum brings the Total Fixed Costs to $341,100, 25% of which ($82,275) is added as reserve. This is how I arrived at the Base Costs of $423,375.

Using the number of connections (2012) the annual fixed cost per connection (or customer!) is calculated as $210 or quarterly $53.

The City of Vernon submits a bill to Coldstream quarterly. The annual bill from the City for 2008 is estimated at $460,000 (give or take). This figure divided by 2012 is $230 in round figures ($57.50 per quarter).

The base cost of $423,375 plus the treatment and disposal cost of $460,000 totals $883,375. Based on these figures the flat sewer rate for 2008 should be $440 annually or $110 quarterly.

Compare this figure to that proposed by the Director of Finance ($568) and you'll see why Coldstream's sewer customers are considered to be "Cash Cows". Council wants to replenish the Sewer Reserve Fund and we are the best subjects for the project.

Your comments, critiques, as always, are welcome. I will present these findings along with other comments to Council at the next meeting on January 14, 2008 at 7:00 PM at the Municipal Hall. Anybody interested in the subject is welcome.

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Rural directors raiseconcerns over process - By Richard Rolke - January 11


Rural politicians are stepping up pressure against an Okanagan-wide governance review.

The North Okanagan Regional District’s five electoral areas have written a letter to the media expressing concerns about the government-initiated process and the negative impact they believe it could have on communities.

“We have a responsibility to our residents and to the regional board. We need to advise them of what’s going on,” said Herman Halvorson, rural Enderby director, of the decision to issue a letter to the media and the public.

In the letter the five directors claim that a valley-wide change in governance structure could decrease representation for rural areas.

“Specifically, decisions would be made at a centralized level without the appropriate opportunity to fully consider the needs, goals, services and community values of our rural residents, and representatives of urban areas could control the votes,” states the letter.

“We have grave concerns that the governance review currently underway does not provide, in our opinion, for complete and comprehensive public consultation and also, that the province has imposed a timeline that does not allow for meaningful public consultation.”

The directors are also calling for residents to vote on any potential governance changes.

Cliff Kanester, BX-Swan Lake director, believes all residents should take an interest in the current process.

“If we don’t, this thing will be jammed down our throats,” he said.

The governance options vary, but include having one single regional district in the Okanagan or rural areas being annexed into municipalities. Not on the table is maintaining three regional districts as occurs now.

“The provincial government says status quo is not an option but we believe it is an option,” said Halvorson.

NORD’s chairman is disappointed that the electoral directors have issued a letter to the media.

“It’s premature,” said Jerry Oglow, who sits on the committee looking at governance.

“We are only starting the consultation process with elected officials. They are also losing sight of opportunities to deliver a higher level of service that we’ve yet to discuss.”

Oglow also points out that the electoral directors have suggested their areas should form a single municipality or multiple municipalities.

“This (process) could be an opportunity to put this on the table,” he said.

While no public input meetings will be held, Oglow insists the review committee wants to hear from residents.

“We are receiving letters from interested individuals and we will have a Web site set up,” he said.

Politicians from across the Okanagan will meet at the Best Western Vernon Lodge today at 9 a.m. to discuss the governance review.

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Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Don Quixote's "Winner of the biggest Political Blunder of 2007 Trophy"

Thanks to Don Quixote!

WINNER OF 'What was the biggest Political Blunder of 2007' TROPHY ANNOUNCED


The Blunder of 2007 Title was a close contest but after an exhaustive tabulation of votes our Bean Counters and lawyers Dewy, Cheetum and Howe have certified that Coldstream Council has received 75% of the ballots cast and win the Prestigious Dumb as a Dodo Political Blunder Trophy for 2007 for their perseverance in having a referendum on the Non Farm use of ALR Land.

In second place with a 69% rating for their counter petition ploy for the Library/Civic Centre was the Vernon City Council.

The Bronze medal for third Place goes to NORD for their higher than cost of living pay raises who received a 42% rating.

Technically Vernon City Council with their Residential Tax increase and Business tax decrease did receive a 45% rating and was higher than the NORD blunder but the strict rules of the competition do not allow any Council to win more than 1 medal so as to save Political face and embarrassment.



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Monday, January 7, 2008

Vernon and District Taxpayers Association

Vernon & Districts Taxpayers' Association Public Meeting
January 8, 2008

7:00 pm

Schubert Centre
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Sunday, January 6, 2008

Budget Open House reminder!

Open House -- Coldstream Council Chambers, January 7!

Time: 5-7 PM

Make sure you attend and express your views!


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Budget process should be open -- Editorial

We completely agree!
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Tax hike in Coldstream.

(Click on News.)Mayor Corner believes there is no room to scale back the 9.17% increase in taxes. Could we convince him otherwise? Think of your 20% or more increase in assessment and how it will affect your taxes in 2008! Your presence and input at the budget open house on Monday, January 7th from 5-7 in the Municipal Hall could be vital. Remember also that we do not know what water rate increases will be and we know that they are recommending a further 5.2% increase in sewer rate.

If you have money to burn you do not need to appear. However, if you value your hard earned money, come and make your views heard!



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Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Corner cornered – Comments on Mayor Corner’s year end interview.


Mayor Corner’s comments in his year end interview by Jennifer Smith deserve some in-depth rebuke. The Mayor is quoted:
“...all the debate around the once proposed sports complex on Aberdeen Road is a sign of a healthy, democratic community, says Mayor Gary Corner.”
That s
ounds almost to be true. However, we remember the attempt by Mayor Corner to have an end-run around Council and the entire community of Coldstream by authorizing a letter to the ALC (Land Commission) requesting permission for the alternate use of the land in question (click on letter). That does not sound very democratic to me. I am sure I am not the only one thinking that way.

When his ruse did not work he tried to ram the request through Council. Fortunately, some Councillors objected publicly and the Ratepayers Association responded. The meeting organized by the Ratepayers had a huge turnout and the tremendous opposition subsequently forced the majority of Council to reject the plan of sending the request to the ALC.

That did not suit the Mayor and he brought the issue back within the month (which was his legal prerogative). By this time one Councillor changed her mind and decided to opt for a referendum. The
reason offered for this flip flop was a petition presented by the "yes" side and included such names as Dr Suzuki of the Suzuki Foundation (ironically, the signer did not know the correct spelling). The Councillor insisted that she compared the names to the Voters’ List (turned out we have no voters’ list) and found around 600 legitimate names. Was this a real democratic process?

The Official Community Plan already laid down the law that Coldstream protects agriculture land. We did not need to reconfirm that just because some people from Vernon questioned that plan. So we spent probably up to $30,000 to get the “democratic decision”. Too bad it still bothers the Mayor as he “...is disappointed with the loss of the sports complex opportunity this year”. Our Mayor appears to love democracy – if it suits him!

Water appears to be a reluctant subject for the Mayor, unde
rstandably so. He states: “The plan always was to upgrade that plant (Duteau Creek) sometime”.

Not so fast Mr. Mayor. The original plan (2002 Master Water Plan) only mentioned the Duteau Creek plant in passing and rejected it as inefficient and too expensive and discarded it. That MWP was “...developed by some of the best water engineering minds in Canada...”(Mayor Harvey, click on Letters) yet they did not like the DC plan. That plan was not always “on the books”.

Furthermore, the second MWP (presumably developed by lesser water engineering minds most of whom have already gone to greener pastures) produced a plan that was used to browbeat taxpayers to vote for the borrowing of $35 million. This plan detailed where these funds were to be expended complete with timelines. According to those timelines
(click on image on right) that plant should have been completed by 2006 an
d should be providing second rate treated water to the former VID customers. This “We’ll hopefully start construction this winter” is a poor excuse and instead of boasting, major apologies should be in order. Mayor Corner, a major promoter of the plan and present Chair of GVS, and the rest of the proponents have never accepted any responsibilities for misleading the public and not delivering the goods.

Note that the sale pitch set the cost of the DC plant at $16 million (not $19 million). There was no mention of it being a “basic plan”. Let’s not invent terms not used in the sales pitch. Today’s projected cost of $28.6 million is a
lmost 80 percent higher. The buck should stop with the politicians but it seems like the only buck that stops there is the buck that comes from us (300% wage increase! NORD increased the base salary for the eight municipal directors from $1,523 to $6,240 a year).

One more tidbit: there is no plan in place yet to improve the water for customers residing on the west side of Swan Lake. Should the Chair of GVS not address that issue?

“Corner says the delay is not a result of politicians.” ‘They just think we’re dragging our heels but we’re moving as fast as we can.”

Not so. GVS has been debating the governance issue ad nauseam spending countless staff and politicians time, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars, without resolving those issues to date. Resolving the water problem after Vernon got everything they hoped for seemed to be a secondary or even tertiary issue. If this is the speed they can generate when they are “moving as fast as they can” I would hate to see them dragging their feet. The 300% wage increase was a reward for ineptitude.

I grant the Mayor that the Centennial Park development was a positive move that we all appreciate.

Unfortunately, the sewer issue is another stinker (pun intended). It seems the Mayor and his cohorts believe that those sewer customers who led the way in environmental protection by paying for the “Specified Area 1" sewer system should now foot the bill for the sewering of the rest of Coldstream. To this end they confiscated a total of nearly $900,000 of the funds (unwillingly) accumulated by those sewer customers to extend the sewer line from McClounie to Aberdeen Road so a favourite son could have a shorter connection line to carry out his multi million development. I will elaborate on this issue in future reports. Suffice to say that an audit was requested by this writer and awaiting the results of that audit.

It is interesting that the Mayor and Council admitted their error by belatedly initiating an environmental assessment two years after they awarded the contract for the sewer line extension. Results of this environmental assessment will be suspect as the major pollutants are farms in the upper reaches of Coldstream Creek but it may give Council a belated excuse for the sewer extension.

I am not opposing sewer extension if it is warranted, however, I am adamantly opposed to the idea that the present sewer customers should fund the sewer projects for the rest of Coldstream.

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Corner anticipates new fire halls -- By Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star - January 02, 2008

The end of a controversial referendum in Coldstream may have left some outsiders with the impression of a divided community.

But all the debate around the once proposed sports complex on Aberdeen Road is a sign of a healthy, democratic community, says Mayor Gary Corner.

“It’s just like anything else, anytime you hold a referendum there’s always differing opinions, that’s democracy.”

Even the district’s own politicians have been split over this issue and many other issues. But, again, Corner says there’s nothing wrong with a council that well-represents its community.

“We have a council that has differing opinions and that’s fine, that’s what a council is supposed to be all about.

“I think we work really well together.”

That could all change next year with the municipal election, which Corner will not say whether he will be running in again.

While Corner is disappointed with the loss of the sports complex opportunity this year, Coldstream still has a pair of key projects to look forward to in 2008.

Both the Coldstream and Lavington Fire Departments will be able to move into new halls this year.

The Lavington hall is being built on the existing site and the Coldstream hall is under construction near the existing hall on Aberdeen Road, next to the public works yard.

“Hopefully they’ll both be done by late spring,” said Corner.

Another service residents can look forward to is water that looks, well, like water.

The Duteau Creek water treatment plant has long been on the books, but construction is anticipated soon.

“The plan always was to upgrade that plant at sometime,” said Corner, who is also Greater Vernon Services Committee chairman. “We’ll hopefully start construction this winter.”

The new treatment plant has been a sore spot for some residents, who have seen prices skyrocket from the original $19 million to the newest price tag of $28.6 million.

But those original cost estimates were on a basic plan, says Corner, and since the plan has been enhanced the project has also received a $13.8 million grant from senior government.

Residents have also been tapping their fingers waiting for the project to evolve.

Corner says the delay is not a result of politicians.

“They just think we’re dragging our heels but we’re moving as fast as we can.”

The start of construction work has been pushed back because of the federal government’s requirement for an environmental assessment.

It’s hoped that construction can still be completed by early 2009, with it fully operational in April of that year.

One service residents have been able to enjoy this past year is the new Centennial Park at the Sovereign House.

While the park still needs a few touches for completion, it offers residents beach access, park space and access to a historically prominent site.

Sewer extensions are also on the books for the future. The next phase of sewer is to continue off the line installed in 2006. It would continue up Giles Drive and head towards Coldstream Creek.

A recent environmental study has shown that septic tanks are having a negative environmental effect in that area. The district has applied for grants to do the design for the sewer line and is crossing its fingers awaiting a response.

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Coldstream Ratepayers News! All Coldstream residents are ratepayers!

The opinions expressed by "Coldstreamer" are strictly his own and do not represent the opinions of Coldstream Council!

Because I value your thoughtful opinions, I encourage you to add a comment to this discussion. Don't be offended if I edit your comments for clarity or to keep out questionable matters, however, and I may even delete off-topic comments.

Gyula Kiss
coldstreamer@shaw.ca;

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About Me

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I have been a resident of Coldstream since 1976. I have had 15 years of experience on Council, 3 years as Mayor. As a current Councillor I am working to achieve fair water and sewer rates and to ensure that taxpayers get fair treatment. The current direction regarding water supply is unsustainable and I am doing all I can to get the most cost effective water supply possible.