To The Editor, The Morning Star
2015 Mar 29
I'm a member of the
Citizens
for Change to the Master Water Plan group. The Morning Star editorial posted March 25 by
Richard Rolke raised some very good points and questions. I'll give my personal point of view on some
of them. I'm not speaking on behalf of
the CCMWP; that's Terry Mooney's job.
I mention this because the citizens'
group is a very loose association. So
far we're quite informal but might have to change as more and more people want
to join. Some of us are technical, some
political, some radical, some financial,
some managerial and entrepreneurial, some environmental, some have public
health concerns, but all are genuinely interested because of gut feelings that
things are wrong here. BTW we'll soon be
on Facebook - please spread it around.
My views aren't supported by the entire
group. I'm one of the few (so far) who
does not want to shut down the Duteau water treatment plant, but I'm with the majority who believe it
should not be further expanded. At least
not in directions that the current Master Water Plan proposes to go. I lean towards low cost, passive and
environmentally friendly methods of potable water treatment; a shift in trend
that will occur more and more over the next couple of generations. All it will take is public pressure and a
little more research to speed this up, though.
The process leading to the failed MWP
referendum (all the detail focused workshops, etc.) was developed by a select
panel comprised of politicians, bureaucrats, and hired consultants. The special interest of agriculture was also
continuously represented and other select delegations were periodically
invited.
In the editorial Councillor Cunningham
is quoted, "We can’t
assume one group is speaking for all of the community". She's absolutely right, but does she actually
think the politicians on the panel knew the wishes of the majority when they
developed the current MWP? Obviously
they didn't. The referendum was defeated
for whatever reasons.
Not much information is made readily
available to the public about the technical reports as they are being discussed. The politicians involved really had no idea
if their constituents actually supported the directions that they were taking
in developing their master water plan.
The first and most important of their
discussions were about which water sources should be secured and treated, but
public input to the technical plans was open only after almost all decisions
had already been made.
Going forward, you must make the best
with what you have.
The Citizens for Change is no more or
less relevant than any other group or individual, but may be able to evolve
into an umbrella organization which really can represent the wishes of the
broader sectors. Focused on one issue,
and (if nothing else) continuously auditing the decision making processes
leading to a revised master water plan, we may be able to sway delegated
politicians if we feel they are once again being pushed off course. As the bureaucrats and consultants do their
thing, we would certainly issue general progress reports through various
methods and persist in soliciting and accepting all feedback. Remember, what happens now continues to leave
a significant legacy.
If I was to individually approach the
RDNO and ask to be included in formal discussions leading to a revised master
water plan, they would say no. After
all, who am I? They are the experts they
will say, and the politicians they select are there to make sure the wishes of
the majority populace are paramount.
Ratepayer wishes are foremost, aren't they Ms. Cunningham?
If any established group was to ask the
same of the RDNO it would be much more difficult for them to say no without
incurring public backlash. Just a
thought and, of course, degrees of participation would need to be vetted to
avoid malicious disruption.
So...
Join us, friend us, or form your own group. Get involved as an individual. Let your views be known. Write letters to the Editor, call in to a
radio station, email your politicians, establish a blog, or link us on
Facebook. Establish your own Facebook
account. Talk with your friends and
acquaintances. By all means make use of
our Provincial and Federal resources too.
Say what's on your mind even if it disagrees with my position.
Better yet, go to the source and make presentations to
Vernon, Coldstream, and even RDNO Councils.
Hope you have a thick skin, though.
Their initial response will be vicious.
Believe me, I know.
Dana Mills
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