Selected articles -- Morning Star, April 30, 2010.

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Courtesy Don Quixote

Serious Coffee and A&W join HST fight

Andrew A. Duffy, Times Colonist

The southern Vancouver Island segment of the provincial Kill HST campaign has reached agreements with both Serious Coffee and A&W restaurants on the Island to set up petitions within the store locations. "Right now we're just working on the logistics -- when we can ensure we will have canvassers there on site," said campaign organizer Brad Slade, who hoped details would be worked out by mid-week. The agreements will allow canvassers with petitions to set up shop within the Island's 25 Serious Coffee locations and eight A&W locations to collect signatures. The exceptions will be stores within shopping malls.

Posted by Don Quixote at 4/30/2010 0 comments

Scary story - not.!

Check out this scary grizzly bear!

Click "Start presentation.

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You are needed for a good cause!

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Message from the Society for the Protection of Kalamalka Lake

*SPrKL*

To all who are concerned about the water quality of Kalamalka Lake:

Monday May 3rd, 2010 from 7:00 -9:00 pm at the Women's Institute Hall, there will be an Open House organized by Coldstream Council and the Environmental Advisory Committee. This meeting is part of Phase 1 of Community Involvement in Creek Action, and will include a brief presentation of the results of the Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping (SHIM) that was done on Coldstream, Brewer, and Craster Creeks last summer. You will have an opportunity to view the maps, to ask questions and to find out what you can do to help protect the Creeks, and ultimately... to help improve the quality of Kalamalka Lake water.

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Selected articles -- Morning Star, April 28, 2010.

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Off Road Activity and Unauthorized Structures Provincial Contacts for Enforcement

With the recent approval of the Shared Services Plan for the Thompson Okanagan Management Area for all Natural Resource Ministries, development of the Okanagan Shuswap, Compliance & Enforcement Implementation Plan is underway. Two of the key priorities in the plan are:

1) Off Road vehicles causing environmental damage.
2) To address unauthorized structures such as cabins, homes, constructed
bike trails, docks and any other structure that has not been authorized by
government (ie) ILMB, MFR, MTCA).

While C&E is aware of some structures and sites we, by no means, have a full picture of known structures and ORV (off road vehicles) sites. To that end I am asking if you could take some time out of your day to assist us in addressing these priorities.

I have established contacts within the Okanagan Shuswap Field Unit, that will aide in this collection process.

For the ORV Environmental Damage, the contacts will be Randal Kohlhauser (Randal.Kohlhauser@gov.bc.ca) for the South; and Dan Krywonos(Dan.Krywonos@gov.bc.ca) for the North. For the abandoned/unauthorized structures, the contacts will be Don Lemp (Don.Lemp@gov.bc.ca) for the South; and
Todd Smith (Todd.Smith@gov.bc.ca) for the North.

If you come across or are aware of these sites, take the time to send to the respective contact, the following information:

i) geographic location
ii) nature of the site impacted
iii) directions on how to get there if required
iv) GPS coordinates if you have them
v) Any significant environmental, social(safety) economic issues you have noted

Another helpful method would be to pinpoint the location of the site on Map view and send a copy, with some detailed information noted above

Give some thought to the potential, positive impacts that your information may have. We all know there are issues with squatters, environmental damage and the like occurring in scattered locations across the district. With recent authorities that C&E staff have been issued (Special CO and Lands Officer status) we now have additional “tools” available to effect some positive outcomes related to these unauthorized activities.

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Master Water Plan issues.

I will be making a presentation to Council at tonight's meeting on Master Water Plan Issues. The draft of my presentation can be accessed at MWP

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HST, HST, HST!

He just found out about the HST.

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Congratulations, Craig!

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Photo gallery - Creatures of the Grey Canal trail! Courtesy: Debbie Gibson.

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Selected articles -- Morning Star, April 25, 2010.

Click on article to enlarge!



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Council Meeting, April 26, 2010

Note the start time: 5:00 PM to accommodate Randy Schellenberg's presentation on "Killing Kalamalka Lake". All interested people are welcome.

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Why does NORD employ solicitors?

So, NORD Directors decided that they are better solicitors than the ones they hired! Here is the solicitor’s letter to NORD:

“Dear Mr. Betts:
File No.: 200034
RE: City of Vernon v. Regional District of North Okanagan et al. S.C.B.C #5-102268 - Vancouver Registry

Enclosed is a copy of the Petition filed by the City of Vernon and the supporting Affidavits. I have filed an Appearance on behalf of the Regional District and emailed you a copy of the Appearance and the letter delivering that Appearance to counsel for Vernon.

The Petition does not set out the grounds upon which the application is being made as required by Section 14 of the Judicial Review Procedure Act. I have invited counsel for the City of Vernon to amend the Petition in order to comply with that requirement. I attach a copy of the letter which I have sent to Mr. Hildebrand and I will advise you of his response. At this time there is no date set for the hearing of this application.

I would recommend that the Regional District oppose the application by Vernon since it seeks to overturn the Arbitrator's decision on the lack of jurisdiction which was based on the Regional District and District of Coldstream interpretation of the legislation and application to the Arbitrator.

I look forward to receiving your instructions.

Yours truly,
GM/si
Enclosures”

NORD opposed the city’s attempt to a partial withdrawal from the water utility. They won. Now the city appeals that decision and NORD Directors (the majority, including the three from Vernon) are unwilling to stand up and defend the appeal. Should the city succeed Coldstream and B&C customers would be paying significantly higher rates than city customers. Here is the city’s claim submitted to the Court as sworn to by Mr Leon Gous (in part):

“Vernon believes it has reasons which are both proper and practical for wanting to administer and control water distribution within its municipal boundaries. Vemon believes that water rates currently set by NORD are unfairly prejudicial to Vemon residents, and result in Vernon residents paying approximately $2.5 million more per year in aggregate than they would pay if Vernon controlled its own water distribution. In addition, control of water distribution creates operational difficulties in the administration of Vernon's other activities. Examples of this include the following:...”

Obviously, if the city can save $2.5 million then the rest of the customers have to make up that $2.5 million. That is not what the spirit and the letter of the utility establishment agreement intended. They agreed that all domestic customers would pay the same rate. In fact, they all pay the same even though Coldstream and B&C customers have been receiving inferior quality water. Even after the Duteau Creek treatment plant is put into operation the water from this source will continue to be inferior. There will not be ultra violet treatment such as the one Kalamalka Lake water customers receive. Had the Directors understood the ramifications of their action they might have voted differently. Why did they even support arbitration in the first place if they were not willing to follow through? Now Coldstream has to bear all the costs of defending the action by the city but electoral area residents will share the benefits when Coldstream achieves victory.

Apparently, logic is a scarce commodity among local politicians!

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Selected articles -- Morning Star, April 23, 2010.

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Some important issues from Wednesday's NORD meeting.

Two important issues surfaced at Wednesday's NORD meeting: the status of the Duteau Creek reservoir and the progress of the Duteau Creek water treatment plan.

Staff reported that reservoir levels are at an all time low: as of April 19 water volume in the Duteau Creek reservoir was 2,500 acre feet (about 3,100,000 cubic meters). Previous low registered at 4,700 acre feet (about 5.8 million cu. meter). The situation is desperate at present. So, prepare your plants for the bad news. Stage three watering restriction are likely to proceed immediately and a number of drought emergency measures will be instituted.

Reporting on the Duteau Creek treatment plant we are told that it is about 80% complete and appears to be within budget. The bad news is: it is three months behind schedule. So far $22.3 million were paid out to the contractor.

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Selected articles -- Morning Star, April 21, 2010.

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Free cxomputer monitor.

Anyone interested in a 16 inch Samsung analogue computer monitor should drop me an email to coldstreamer@shaw.ca. First come first serve! I'll post it if it's taken.

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Pollution -- Kalamalka Lake.

Randy Schellenberg will make a presentation to Coldstream Council at their next Council meeting on April 26. All interested residents are invited to hear Randy's presentation. To review his brief summary please click on the picture below.

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