Photo Gallery - Enjoy -Debbie

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MOU signed - Councillor Besso

It was quite a historic meeting yesterday- The Greater Vernon Recreation Facilities & Programming MOU was signed after many months of hard work by staff and politicians.  This brings us one step closer to the stated goal of streamlining, responsibility, authority, capacity, and accountability in an effort to deliver the best possible service at the least cost to Greater Vernon ratepayers. 

Now we have two MOU's, one signed  (Nov. 21st, 2012) for the establishment of a Sub-Regional Parks Service, and as of yesterday, this new MOU (Sept.12, 2013) for a Recreational Facilities & Programming Service.  

This leaves Arts, Culture, and Youth, for now, under the umbrella of  the same Bylaw that governs Sub-Regional Parks (this will be the amended present 1648 Bylaw).   This, as you know, has been a long time coming, and now opens the way to the discussions necessary to iron out the final details of of Service Delivery of Sub Regional Parks, Arts, Culture and Youth at RDNO. 

Next steps will include, senior staff from the Regional District, Vernon, and Coldstream,  getting together to bring back options for service delivery models and budgets for the Sub-Regional Parks, Arts, Culture, and Youth Service that will remain at RDNO.  This is very crucial and necessary piece of the puzzle that needs to be completed quickly in order to inform, and allow the individual jurisdictions to make critical decisions, about budgets and service delivery, for the parks that now fall under their 'local' responsibility. 

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Coldstream’s ‘friendly deer’ put down

 
 

A deer who has become a familiar sight in the community of Coldstream has been put down.

Stuart Bertrand with Ministry of Environment confirmed to Global News in an email Tuesday afternoon that the animal that became affectionately known as the ‘friendly deer’ in the community was euthanized by the Conservation Officer Service “in the interest of public safety.” (more)

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I, for one, am very upset by the action of the so called "conservation officers". Every time they appear in the news one or more animals are killed. I have met above deer several times and enjoyed his company. The executioners seem to believe that there is no other way to manage wildlife but to kill them. I would not report the presence of a bear or any other animal if it was sitting at my kitchen table knowing what their response would be. Shame! They don't seem to be able to think outside the box. We could hire a robot trained to kill animals and it would be cheaper. I expect some humanity from our "conservation" officers.

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From conception to birth - The story of a human embryo!

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Petition targets amalgamation vote

Bruce Shepherd (left) and Peter Moore, with the Society for the Future Governance of Greater Vernon, sign a petition calling for local and provincial politicians to pursue a process to bring Vernon, Coldstream and the two electoral areas together. Jennifer Smith/Morning Star

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star

 
Published: September 08, 2013 1:00 AM

 

There’s pressure to place Greater Vernon’s future in the hands of residents.

Until October 31, a petition will be circulated asking local and provincial authorities to develop a plan to combine Vernon, Coldstream and Areas B and C into a single entity to provide a more efficient use of taxes.

“We want the citizens of Greater Vernon to say if we are one community or not,” said Bruce Shepherd, president of the Society for the Future Governance of Greater Vernon.

The petition is being published in The Morning Star and is available at www.greatervernongovernance.ca.

The goal is to have a referendum on the ballot in each jurisdiction during the 2014 civic elections in regards to governance.

“If they (voters) say no, at least they said it,” said Peter Moore, society director, adding that those opposed to amalgamation should be interested in a referendum proceeding.

“It would be wise for them to ask to have the question on the ballot so they can vote no once and for all.”

The society was first formed in 2005 with a primary focus on the entire North Okanagan, but nothing materialized and efforts ceased. However, earlier this year, a group of eight to 10 people from all four Greater Vernon jurisdictions decided to resurrect the group and narrow the scope to just Greater Vernon.

“Our members are concerned about the duplication of services and inefficiencies,” said Moore of two municipal councils and two electoral area directors as well as parallel bureaucracies for 58,000 people.

As an example, the society points to water and parks, recreation and culture being handled by the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee but any decisions must then go before the Regional District of North Okanagan board. In some cases, processes must also be ratified by Vernon and Coldstream councils.

“There’s too much time spent going from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and committee to committee,” said Shepherd.

“The speed of decision-making has slowed down and the infighting has increased,” added Moore.

Moore says that Coldstream’s population grew 10 per cent between 2000 and 2010 but per capita spending, adjusted for inflation, climbed 32 per cent, while in Vernon, the population increased 13 per cent and spending per capita went up 53 per cent.

“Spending is far outstripping the ability to pay so where will the dollars come from? Either taxpayers dig ever deeper or services will be cut. To avoid this, we must find cost savings in how we operate municipal government.”

As part of a recent city core review, consultant KPMG indicated amalgamation would generate efficiencies and reduce costs. Vernon council decided not to take action on that recommendation.

There have been previous attempts to move towards amalgamation but Moore is confident this new process will move ahead positively.

“We are getting a sense that there’s a silent majority of residents that want the issue addressed,” he said.

The society is not indicating if it has a target for how many signatures it would like on the petition by Oct. 31.

“The provincial government has no magical number either but it needs to be a significant number of residents to call for the question,” said Shepherd.

Before launching the campaign, the society consulted with provincial government representatives, including Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster.

“They asked about the process and how the province would move forward if they get the numbers on the petition they believe they will get,” said Foster.

“We (government) do not force amalgamation on anyone. I am pleased someone is going on a fact-finder  but we do not take sides and we are not initiating the process.”

While the society favours amalgamation, Shepherd insists the priority of the campaign is to simply explore options.

“It might be amalgamation or it might not, which is why it’s important for citizens on both sides of the issue to sign the petition and get the question on the table for formal discussion with facts,” he said.

“Local and provincial politicians won’t take the initiative to find cost and efficiency savings in governance unless taxpayers demand it.”

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How many "Anonymous" Greater Vernon Citizen can vote and how often? So far I counted 21. A petition usually has a bit stricter rules, among them that one "citizen" can only vote once. Even Mr Moore voted twice, an oversight I hope. I have nothing against a petition but it should have rules that no one person can stuff the ballot box. 

For those interested in amalgamation consequences here is an interesting link: How Rob Ford's Meltdown Could Save Toronto.

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Letters to the Eitor - Morning Star.

It seems the Morning Star is short of letters from its readers. Sunday's crop (September 8) appears to be a carbon copy of last Wednesday's letters. Readers should help out the Morning Star.

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Coldstream Council Meeting - September 9, 2013.

Note: The September 9, 2013 Council Meeting will be held at the Lavington Fire Hall at 6:00 PM!

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Cultural Referedum Gets Green Light

Written by Peter McIntyre Thursday, 05 September 2013 10:26

Local politicians have given their support for holding a referendum next spring for a new Vernon Art Gallery and expanded Greater Vernon Museum.

The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee passed that motion in a 5-2 vote today, with the directors for Areas B and C opposed, feeling more information is needed on the costs and participants, before committing to a vote.

The two cultural organizations will be required to pay the extra $50,000 to hold the referendum next spring, as opposed to next fall in conjunction with the civic elections.

RDNO staff had recommended the vote be put off for up to two years to get more details, and to give the projects a better chance to succeed.

The gallery is looking to build a new facility on the former Flower Shop site on 31 Ave across from Cenotaph Park, while the museum would expand at its current site in the civic complex.

The two projects could cost around 17 million dollars.

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"GMO OMG" - A Documentary by Jeremy Seifert

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Egypt suspects bird of being a spy: Stork Detained By Police

By Jason Marin · Sep 4th, 2013 · 0 Comments Follow Us

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Egypt suspects bird of being a spy: Stork Detained By Police (photo courtesy J.M.Garg)

Egyptian Security Detain Migratory Bird Over Espionage Concerns

Cairo, Egypt – In an action that mirrors the words from Country Singer Eddie Rabbit’s 1979 #1 hit song “Suspicions” with the refrain “I’ve got these suspicions”, Egyptian security in the Qena governorate detained a migratory fowl which had an electronic apparatus attached to it for possible espionage. It turns out that after the July 3rd military overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood-backed government, suspicions are everywhere both among the government and the electorate. Presumably, the security officer who decided to detain the bird suspected that it was part of Israeli Mossad. Well, it turns out that while Mossad is good, they’re not that good.

The bird had a legitimate tracking device on it which monitored its flight patterns over French airspace. Once the bird cross the French border, the device shut off. It took the head of veterinary services in the Qena governorate to make that call. Now, it could be that he too was in on the espionage plot which would be “suspicious”. However, barring that scenario, the bird was declared no spy.
For the time being, the bird remains detained in a cage and no date has been specified for its release. The bird is believed to be a swan.

No wonder they suspected the bird of being a spy if it could suddenly change from a stork to a swan. LOL

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GVAC Meeting - September 5,2013

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RDNO Board of Directors Meeting

 

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Coldstream Hires New CAO.

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Fire destroys West Kelowna community hall.

An early morning blaze has consumed the Westbank Community Hall.

The fire, which broke out a little after 8 a.m., easily made short work of the aging structure, which was built about 1930. The first alarm was called in about 8:30 am at which time smoke and flame were already visible.

Multiple firefighting units responded to the stubborn blaze and by 9 am had the situation under control, though it was too late to save the landmark building.

"We checked it at 9:30 last night and everything was fine," said building manager Judy Ingram who was on the scene almost from the start.

In addition to its uses as a community gathering place, the hall was also home to the Red Cross equipment loan facility and also housed a youth centre downstairs.

"It's well used," said Ingram.

Cause of the blaze is currently being investigated.

Fire crews are still on the scene. Currently three fire engines and one ladder truck are on scene, with 20 fire personnel.

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Readers Write - Mark your calendars!

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Coldstream Winter Farmers Market

Coldstream Farmers Market

Every Wednesday

2:30 pm – 5:30 pm

September 2013 – April 2014

@ The Vernon and District Riding Club

8408 Aberdeen Rd. Coldstream, BC

 

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Photo Gallery - Release of 4 Great Horned Owlettes from the Bishop Wild Bird Sanctuary. The birds were hand reared by SOORC. - Debbie

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Current Duteau Creek reservoir level.

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Coldstream CAO retires.

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Coldstream Council Meeting - August 26, 2013

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SPrKL News - Come celebrate!

Come Celebrate One of Our Regional Gems!

 
The Society for the Protection of Kalamalka Lake invites everyone interested to join us on

Labour Day Monday, September 2, 2013
for
SPrKL’s Second Annual Kalamalka Lake Spirit Paddle
 

Please meet us at Kal Beach

(side closest to the Kal Lake Store)
at
10 am.

 
Bring a non-motorized craft of some sort and a picnic lunch.

Don’t forget life jackets, towels, sunscreen, hats and other weather appropriate clothing!

 
We plan to enjoy a peaceful, scenic voyage together to Jade Bay where we will eat lunch and socialize before heading back around 2pm.

Please Note:
If those times don’t work for you - join us when and where you can.

Also…

 
SPrKL welcomes Kal Park hikers to pack a lunch and join the fun at Jade Bay!

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Kalamalka Lake nominated one of the "Best Places in Canada"

VOTE!

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Florida Insurers Are Now Free to Screw Consumers and Must, By Law, Blame Obamacare

Wendell Potter

Posted: 08/20/2013 10:49 am

First do no harm. That's a tenet of medical ethics that future doctors worldwide are taught in medical school.

If only the people we elect to represent us were required to take such an oath when they're sworn into office.

Because they aren't, folks in Florida are facing having to pay far more for health insurance over the next two years than necessary. And health insurance executives will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Florida state lawmakers, in their ongoing efforts to block the implementation of Obamacare in the Sunshine State, recently passed a law that will allow health insurance companies to gouge Floridians more than any corporate boss dreamed was possible.

And if that weren't bad enough, insurers will actually be required by law to mislead their Florida customers about why they're hiking their premiums.

Republicans, who control the governor's office as well as both houses of the Florida legislature, were confident the U.S. Supreme Court would declare the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. Not only did they vote to prohibit the state from spending money to implement a law they just knew would be overturned by the high court, they refused to accept money from the federal government that would have enabled the state's department of insurance to do a better job of regulating health insurers and enforcing new consumer protections in the law.

When the Supreme Court shocked Obamacare opponents last year by upholding the law, Florida lawmakers were in a pickle.

Their response? They passed a bill that prohibits the state's Office of Insurance Regulation from protecting consumers from unreasonable rate increases for two years.

I learned about what is essentially a "first, do as much harm as possible" bill in a letter the nine Democrats in the Florida congressional delegation sent to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius earlier this month pleading with her to step in to protect Floridians by taking an active role in regulating rate increases in the state.

The lawmakers said intervention by HHS was urgently needed because of a law signed in May by Gov. Rick Scott that specifically prohibits Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty from doing his job of reviewing rate increases and rejecting those he and his staff determine are unjustifiably high.

Until the passage of SB 1842, McCarty had the power to do that. Florida state lawmakers who voted for the bill, including a few Democrats who seemed to think HHS has more authority than it does, took the position that since the federal government was requiring insurance companies to be more consumer friendly, the federal government should assume the responsibility of enforcing the new consumer protections in Obamacare. The problem is that Congress gave the federal government no such additional powers. As a consequence, HHS really can't take over what is still a state responsibility. And since Florida turned down the federal money that McCarty would have used to do his job, Floridians appear to be out of luck.

Last month, McCarty's office said insurance premiums for individuals in Florida would be significantly higher than they are now. In their letter to Sebelius, the state's congressional Democrats wrote that those increases are "not a coincidence, but rather the product of a cynical and intentional effort by Gov. Scott and the Florida legislature to undermine the Affordable Care Act and make health insurance premiums on the Florida Health Insurance Marketplace more expensive by refusing to allow the insurance commissioner to negotiate lower rates with companies or refuse rates that are too high."

As PolitiFact noted in a recent analysis of the charges made by the Democrats in their letter (which PolitiFact ruled are true), the states that have authority to approve or disapprove rates were "able to extract significant reductions." PolitiFact cited a Palm Beach Post story which noted that Maryland's insurance department had used its regulatory powers "to push rates for next year's premiums down by as much as a third."

As Florida CHAIN, a state advocacy group, pointed out when Scott signed SB 1842, the law not only blocks McCarty's office from protecting consumers, a provision in the law actually requires insurers to send deceptive and misleading notices about rate increases to consumers -- and to blame Obamacare for them.

"The only 'public education' of any sort authorized by the Legislature related to the ACA (Affordable Care Act) is a requirement ... that insurers send extremely biased and incomplete notices this fall about the ACA and its effect on policyholders' rates," Florida CHAIN said in a statement.

"The sole purpose of the requirement is to create 'sticker shock' that can be blamed on the ACA. There will be no mention of the many uncertainties or any other relevant factors, such as past rate increases or how actual rates will be reduced for many by the availability of premium tax credits (to low and middle income earners.)"

So not only will many Floridians be harmed by SB 1842, they will, by law, be misled about who caused the harm.

Maybe it's time to rethink the oath of office for people we vote to represent us.
 

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