Having spent $68 million in a controversial water plan and considering an additional $110 million investment in it should deserve a second look. Any local government would be crucified letting a multimillion dollar contract to a sole source contractor. It seems this principle is not being observed by the majority of current Directors of GVAC and the RDNO Board of Directors.
I have not yet met any politician nor bureaucrat who was infallible, including myself. We have had these firms working on our MWP since 2001. All of the financial reports were prepared by the same individual with wildly differing valuations. The original estimate for total domestic separation was $35 million. Since then we completed two major domestic separations valued at $10-12 million. Yet the new estimate for the remaining separation is estimated at $81 million. Could there be a mistake somewhere? I believe so.
My submission to the Committee can be accessed here.
When we are requesting the electorate for the approval of $70 million we better have an ironclad plan that will not end up in additional wasting of taxpayers funds. Yet we can already identify such wastes in the plan.
It is up to the voting public to decide the fate of this plan. Make sure you make the right choice!
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4 comments:
Gyula, can you please post the names of the directors that support the peer review?
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
Albert Einstein
The lack of quick response to the possible zebra mussel problem will go down as one of the worst cases of too little too late that we will ever see in this province. If this invasive species is allowed to cross our borders and infest our lakes it will be both an environmental and economic.catastrophe. I urge you Mr. Kiss to please take this on and help stop this from happening. Your knowledge of local water problems should allow you to spearhead this issue and help expedite a solution before it is too late. It may already be too late as boats are crossing the border from the states and Alberta already infested. The case referred to in this following article is just one that luckily was stopped from making it into our local lakes. This issue is the most crucial one facing the area and demands immediate action now! If we wait until next year it will be too late and we will lose our beautiful lakes and the Eco-systems they support to the zebra mussel. Please please please tell me that you will take on this huge threat to our way of life in the Okanagan!
Please read the following article that appeared in today's Morning Star:
by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star
posted Apr 6, 2014 at 1:00 AM
Local politicians are being urged not to stay silent over zebra and quagga mussels.
Director Juliette Cunningham asked her Regional District of North Okanagan colleagues Wednesday to personally lobby area MLAs and MPs to push for action against the invasive species.
“There has been some dialogue with the MPs in the south (end of the valley) but there must be a concerted effort from all of our politicians in the region,” she said.
“All levels of government must take this on.”
The mussels are indigenous to Europe and since arriving in North America, they have spread across the continent, clogging water intake pipes and boat motors.
They also deplete food sources for fish, produce toxins that contaminate drinking water and razor-sharp shells spread across beaches.
A sense of urgency has developed after a truck at the Osoyoos border crossing was found to be transporting a boat infested with the mussels March 12.
The border guard didn’t have the legal authority to stop the truck from entering Canada, but he was aware of the concerns about mussels and asked the truck driver to co-operate. The boat was decontaminated before heading to its moorage spot on Okanagan Lake.
Cunningham`s plea came a day after the Okanagan Basin Water Board decided again to ask the federal government to allow border guards to prohibit entry of any contaminated vessels. It also wants the provincial government to create an inspection program.
“The longer you prevent them from arriving, the more potential there is of dealing with them,” said Cunningham referring to research looking at how to stop the spread of the mussels.
“It`s a wise investment to delay them from arriving. The cost of inspection stations is less than what we would have to pay for the consequences of them being here.”
OBWB has estimated it could cost $43 million a year to manage the mussels if they arrive in the valley.
To comment 1.: Voting record is available in the Minutes of the Meeting. So far two Council members in the combined Vernon/Coldstream Councils expressed support for the review.
Mr Pearson, you give me too much credit. If I am unable to convince my peers with the wealth of evidence what can I expect from higher levels of governments. However on this issue all local politicians are on board.
One thing is for sure: we might slow invasion of the mussels but it would be almost impossible to stop them. They don't need passports and our waterways are connected with US waters. There is a possibility that these mussels can cross the borders in connecting waters.
We'll do our best but miracles might be needed to keep the zebras out of our area.
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