Letter to the Editor -- Morning Star

I thought you might want to put this letter to the editor about the park proposal on your web page. I was hoping to see it appear in the Morning Star, but it looks like the letter won't make it in. Hope you enjoy it. And thanks for all your good work.

Sincerely,

Allan Smith

Much has already been said about the proposed sports complex on Highway 6 and Aberdeen Road, but I’d like to offer my own take on why there’s such a strong, emotional resistance in Coldstream to that proposal.

Most of us know how, one after another, beautiful rural areas are destroyed. Usually, commercial enterprises are proposed as benefits to the community. The motive is profit, but the proposal is portrayed primarily as an effort to meet a need in the community, be it for more shopping, housing, seniors’ care—what have you. Of course, proponents talk forcefully about benefits while doing their best to ignore or minimise the drawbacks. If there’s resistance from the community itself, those who object are often criticised for being selfish “NIMBY’s” or as reactionaries who are against “progress.” Too frequently, legitimate concerns of these people are overlooked or dismissed for the sake of “the greater good.” The proposal is accepted, the project carried out, and the profit made. And project by project, bit by bit, an area once characterised by its natural beauty becomes another example of urban sprawl.

This is a simplified view of what happens, but it describes the basics of how beautiful hometowns are eventually “improved out of existence.” This is why the resistance to the sports complex is so entrenched in Coldstream: many of us see this proposal as the start of the same process that’s damaged so many other communities.

Look at the proposal and what’s gone on so far, and the similarities are obvious. One: The proposal is presented as something to meet public needs. Although it would be publicly funded, this is a commercial enterprise meant to attract business to the area. Two: Although the complex is portrayed as a huge benefit to the community, that portrayal is marred by disregard for hard facts. (For example, much has been made of the need to provide these sports facilities for the sake of children while statistics show that the number of children in the area is shrinking and is forecast to continue shrinking for years.) Three: People in the community who oppose the proposal are sometimes criticised unfairly for being selfish.

All this is bad enough. But what really galls me and, I think, a whole lot of the people around me, is the audacity of this proposal. The people pushing it want us, the residents of Coldstream, to pay to help local businesses exploit the natural beauty of our home by building a facility in Coldstream whose long-term benefits are dubious, whose cost can only be guessed at, and whose presence and functions are bound to detract from the rural beauty and character of our community.

I do wish that local politicians wouldn’t require us to defend our quality of life here against such ridiculous intentions. Most of us living here appreciate what we have and understand that to keep it we must be very careful about how the community grows. That’s why so much goes into crafting the Official Community Plan. If we vote in favour of this park proposal, we’ll show a lack of commitment to careful planning and intelligent development that preserves rural living here. And it will only be a matter of time before Coldstream is just another place that used to be beautiful.

The referendum date is December 15^th. At least I won’t have to agonise over my decision until then.

Allan Smith

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Letter to the Editor -- Morning Star

Food Security is an issue that is of great importance but unfortunately seems to be off the radar screen for most citizens of the affluent West. We assume that we have access to ample food sources and we can’t imagine our own future regarding food scarcity. We are all aware of the regions of the world with famine (which is often not environmentally caused but due to political situations.) Guess what, folks. We are not immune to food scarcity or higher prices due to availability or higher transportation costs. We are entering an era known as “Peak Oil”. What does this have to do with ‘parks’ or ALR lands? Plenty. While some short-sighted politicians may see ‘green parks’ as a positive ‘green’ or environmental bonus to the citizens of Vernon/Coldstream, this is a farce. I think we can all agree that food security is a higher priority than playing fields (and 1000 parking spaces) for our children and future generations. Let’s not get distracted by cunning politicians’ ‘green’ language or sports tourism promoters signs.

The FAO (the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization) wants us to focus on what they refer to as “Self Reliance” and “Local Agriculture”. What a concept! This isn’t far-fetched science fiction. Senior researchers at the National Research Institute on Food and Nutrition in the U.S. warn that the U.S. would have to reduce its population by 100 million immediately in order to become self sufficient in food crops. Can we assume that our food from China, the U.S., South America, the Caribbean , etc. will always be available and at prices that we can afford?

We all like parks, but food security for future generations is of greater importance. Please consider how you may vote on Dec. 15th and really think about the big picture and how future generations may look upon this decision.

Yours truly, P.E. Szeliga.

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Ranch owner speaks out -- Editorial -- December 09, 2007

Less than a week before “The Vote,” aka the referendum in Coldstream on whether an application for non-farm use on a 118-acre parcel of agricultural land should be forwarded to the Agricultural Land Reserve, it’s nice to hear from the man who has made the 118 acres available.

Keith Balcaen, landowner at Coldstream Ranch, told The Morning Star that his original intention of selling the parcel in order to have a sports complex built on the property has become, in his words, “a mockery.”

Balcaen said okay to a request from Greater Vernon Services to sell that 118 acres to GVS for parks.

“I thought it would be a real asset to the community,” said Balcaen. “I think for our children down the road, it’ll be the nicest thing.

“The whole park is for family use. Isn’t a park a family thing?”

So, we now have the owner of the property coming out and saying he thinks the parcel of land in question, located on Highway 6 and Aberdeen Road, is perfect for parks. And sports fields.

If the owner of the land thinks it can be made available for such use, and that future generations won’t starve because some agricultural land is replaced with recreational facilities – and let’s be clear here: the facilities will be used by all residents, not just adults – doesn’t that speak volumes?

Ultimately, Saturday’s vote will be up to the people of Coldstream.

If the referendum passes, the application must still go before the ALR, and there’s no guarantee that they’ll approve the application.

It would seem that the ALR knows what it’s doing when making such decision.

But it was still nice to hear the owner end his silence.

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"If the owner of the land thinks it can be made available for such use, and that future generations won’t starve because some agricultural land is replaced with recreational facilities – and let’s be clear here: the facilities will be used by all residents, not just adults – doesn’t that speak volumes?"

It certainly speaks volumes of the logic of the writer. Obviously, the seller is not going jeopardize his sale by using negative connotation about the property he is about to sell.

Second, it is unlikely that the seller is the best authority as to whom, when and why will starve in the future. In fact, there are huge numbers of people who are already starving although not necessarily because of the disposition of this particular piece of land. As climate change progresses these numbers will likely increase.

Lastly, I am sure that there will be throngs of people who will not use these facilities as there are more suitable facilities in their immediate neighbourhoods.

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Ranch owner voices concern -- By Jennifer Smith - December 09, 2007

Keith Balcaen’s the type of guy who calls a spade, well, a spade.

He tells it how he feels.

Therefore the Coldstream Ranch land owner is fed up with how the potential sale of his property for a proposed sports complex has gotten out of hand.

“People have not got the facts straight on the intent and what it’s for,” said Balcaen.

Earlier this summer Balcaen agreed to a request from Greater Vernon Services to sell 118 acres of agricultural land, known as the Spicer Block, to GVS for parks. The land is proposed to be used for a sports complex, but will first go to a Coldstream referendum for voters to decide if they approve forwarding an application to the Agricultural Land Commission for non-farm use on the property.

“I thought it would be a real asset to the community and it’s become a mockery,” said Balcaen, frustrated with how the proposal is being perceived by some.

The sports complex proposal includes a variety of sports fields on upwards of 80 acres.

“I think for our children down the road it’ll be the nicest thing,” said Balcaen.

But some people don’t see children benefitting from the project.

Al McNiven, Greater Vernon Services parks and recreation administrator, says: “I think the message is coming across that this would be purely an adult site and that is not correct.”

He points out the usage of the various fields in the proposal. The track would be used mostly by school track and field athletes, the football field would allow minor football (made up strictly of children) a space to practice and hold hometown games on, the baseball fields are strictly for children while slo-pitch fields are for adults and the soccer fields make up a mix of adult and children users.

The whole park, adds Balcaen, is for family use.

“Isn’t a park a family thing?”

Concerns have also been raised that the site will be used to host major sport-related festivals, such as Funtastic.

Funtastic is involved in the application – it had input into the concept drawings and it has joined the Greater Vernon Outdoor Sports User Group with a commitment for the project of $1 million.

Funtastic has said it has no intention of holding its annual music festival at the sports complex, as it intends to continue hosting the event at the DND grounds.

A continuing lease at DND is uncertain by both Funtastic and GVS because of a year-to-year lease. That is also part of the rationale behind the need for the proposed sports complex.

But Terri Jones, a member of the Greater Vernon Advocates Committee which is against the proposal, refutes this argument. As a former MP executive assistant, Jones worked with DND on land use requests. Using her contacts she confirmed with DND that it has no intention of cancelling its field leases to GVS.

That’s good news for Funtastic, said McNiven, because it can continue to host its event at DND. But he is not as equally confident.

“The government of today might say no, the government of tomorrow, who knows?”

Other community concerns have been raised that if this project does not go ahead it could be turned into housing.

As owner of the ranch lands, Balcaen says these are just speculation and he has no intent on putting a subdivision on the land.

“I’m not after that. I’m not a developer.”

He re-iterates the fact that he is selling this property to become what it is set to become – a sports complex.

And in his words “an asset to the community.”

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Coldstream ranch

KEEP IT GREEN!

Coldstream Referendum - Facts vs. Fiction - Press Release to All Media

We are at a critical time in our community and we have to decide if our family and friends health and recreation are important....I can't stress enough that we are MAXED out for field space. This was the 1st year soccer ran out of field space for their youth programs. Please forward this to all your friends and encourage them to vote "YES"! www.aberdeenpark.ca

E-mail claim:

1,200 Coldstream residents play soccer

Facts:

The GVS application, pg. 66 says that according to the Dec. 2005 stats there were 2,000 youth soccer players and 700 adult soccer players = 2700 soccer users.

If 1,200 are from the Coldstream, which has 18% of the Greater Vernon population (9,465 people), the Coldstream has a whopping 44.4% of the players.

The North Okanagan Youth Soccer Association stats say there are 2,223 youth soccer players (likely more recent stats).

If 1,200 of the total 2,223 are from the Coldstream it would mean that 53% of all soccer players come from the Coldstream.

According to the 2006 Census, Coldstream only had 2,090 youth aged 5 to 19. If 1,200 of them are playing soccer that means 57% of all kids in the Coldstream are registered in the Soccer league.

We all know these stats cannot be correct.

E-mail claim:

Coldstream only has 1 regulation sized field.

Fact:

We are not sure how many regulation size fields there are in Coldstream, but we do know this:

• There are 4 soccer fields at Creekside Park, 2 at Coldstream Elementary School, 5 at Kidston Elementary School and 1 at Lavington Elementary School. (There is one extra soccer field in Lavington that only has one goal post. They have been lobbying GVS to replace the other one for a long time with no response.)

• They have the capacity for approximately 240 players per use (12 fields x 2 teams @ 10 players for each team. With 1 use per weekday evening and 5 uses on Saturday, the fields can accommodate 2,400 players per week. (240 players x 10 uses per week).

Therefore even if there were 1,200 Coldstream players – Coldstream fields alone could accommodate them all.

• 
  
• Young kids do not need a regulation size field. There are lots of schools that do not have regulation size gyms, or courts. That does not mean kids can’t play the sport properly.

E-mail Claim:

Coldstream has not built a playing field in 20+ years.

Fact:

Coldstream has 27% of the sports fields of Greater Vernon with only 18% of the population. Why do they need to build more fields?

E-mail Claim: “we are MAXED out for field space.”

Fact:

GVS application (pg. 60 & 61) state there are 51 sports field in Vernon. 17 are in parks and 34 are in school fields. ‘Vernon has a sports field supply of 1 for every 996 people.’ “This is a very high supply.” “Using a conservative estimate…. The field use in relation to capacity is 43% for school fields and 73% for fields in parks.” The estimate is conservative because it only counts capacity to 3 pm on Saturday – and everyone knows that teams play into the evening during the spring, summer and fall as well as on Sunday which is not counted in at all.

Lavington resources have also been totally left out of the stats.

Contact:

Terri Jones for more information. Home phone: 545-6405. Cell Phone: 550-0338

Greater Vernon Advocates Committee spokesperson.

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Attention CRA and Advocate members!

Just so you know…

There may be some misinformation coming through a telephone near you!

Tonight my husband Paul and I received a phone call from a female “YES” campaigner. When I told her she was calling the wrong person, as I was a solid “NO” voter, she politely asked, “May I ask why?”

I of course, said that it’s just wrong to use prime agricultural land like the Spicer block for the purpose of a mega sports complex. Before I could go on any further, she interrupted me and said something to the effect that, I should know that the land has been slated for development for a long time and that it will just go to housing if we don’t put a park there and that the ranch owners have said they are willing to consolidate parcels of the ranch.

At this point I put speaker phone on and asked her to repeat what she had said. She did so. Then Paul asked her where she had heard that. There was a pause. Then Paul said something to the effect, that he is a member of the Coldstream Advisory Planning Committee and that the members were told that the ranch ownership was not interested in consolidation.

Further, he said that if she didn’t know what she had said to be fact, she was being deceitful and shouldn’t be telling people that.

There was dead silence for at least 5 seconds, then she said, “Ok, goodbye."

Paul called Al McNiven immediately and asked him if what she had said was true. Al said that he had not heard that information.

If you get a call from the “Yes” side and he/she uses that unproven information, please get their name and number and call me at 542-9109.

Louise Christie

Hope to see you tomorrow night, after 5pm, Thursday, Dec. 6 at the 4^th Annual CRA Pot-luck at the Women’s Institute Hall!

Please bring your own plate, cutlery and liquid refreshments as well as some food to share.

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Books, movies and websites.

One of our readers compiled an impressive array of books, movies and websites that could help us all become informed on some of the the issues surrounding food security and climate change. We provide this list with thanks to the compiler.

The end of food : [how the food industry is destroying our food supply-and what you can do about it] / Thomas F. Pawlick.

Animal, vegetable, miracle : a year of food life / by Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver.

The omnivore's dilemma : a natural history of four meals / Michael Pollan.

The weather makers : how we are changing the climate and what it means for life on earth / Tim Flannery.

The 100 mile diet : a year of local eating / Alisa Smith & J. B. MacKinnon.

Eating fossil fuels : oil, food and the coming crisis in agriculture / Dale Allen Pfeiffer.

Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed / Jared Diamond.

The end of oil : on the edge of a perilous new world / Paul Roberts.

Food politics : how the food industry influences nutrition and health / Marion Nestle.

Stolen harvest : the hijacking of the global food supply / by Vandana Shiva.

Heat : how to stop the planet from burning / George Monbiot The way we eat : why our food choices matter/Peter Singer, Jim Mason.

MOVIES ( all available through the local library)

Manufactured landscapes [videorecording] / National Film Board of Canada ; Jennifer Baichwal.

An inconvenient truth [videorecording Seeds of change [videorecording] : farmers, biotechnology & the new face of agriculture. The end of suburbia [videorecording] : oil depletion and the collapse of the American dream WEBSITES http://truecostoffood.org/ http://www.sustainabletable.org/

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GVSC drops the ball -- By Richard Rolke - December 05, 2007

It’s interesting to listen to the pro-sports complex forces bash the no side. They absolutely insist that the opposition is spreading misinformation about the scope and costs of the proposed facility on Aberdeen Road.

And that may possibly be true, but nobody knows for sure because the public is operating in an information vacuum.

And that vacuum is completely the responsibility of the Greater Vernon Services Committee.

Since the District of Coldstream opted to go to referendum on the land use issue, GVSC has completely sat on its hands. Officials have been so quiet you’d think they’d discovered Velcro.

Barely a peep has been made about the design of the facility, and even less has been said about the cost to purchase the land and construct fields and other structures there.

As a result of the lack of details, residents have been allowed to speculate or come up with their own interpretation of what is planned. Some of it may be accurate, some of it may not.

Certainly sports user groups have attempted to state their case for a complex, but the reality is that they’re technically not in the loop.

All decisions rest completely with GVSC and only that agency can answer to the matter at hand.

Recently, chairman Gary Corner defended not providing more information prior to the Dec. 15 referendum.

“The problem we have is this really isn’t a GVSC issue right now,” he said.

But Corner tends to ignore the facts.

It was GVSC that put together the idea for a complex. It was GVSC that offered to purchase a chunk of land from Coldstream Ranch. It was GVSC that made a preliminary approach to the Agricultural Land Commission about changing the land use on Aberdeen Road. It was GVSC that ultimately sent an ALC application to the District of Coldstream, which triggered community debate and the referendum.

For Corner to say it’s not a GVSC issue is a joke.

And ultimately the joke is going to be on GVSC because the lack of information and the perceived arrogance of officials could lead to a resounding no vote Dec. 15.

There’s been some talk about GVSC putting together an information campaign now. But it’s too late. The damage has been done.

GVSC has allowed the opposition forces to take control of the issue and any wrong information has taken on a life of its own. At the 11th hour, it is highly unlikely that any effort would be effective.

The only thing that could save GVSC’s bacon is the sports users rallying their troops and residents of a like-mind. Dec. 15’s vote is going to become a numbers game and it’s going to be crucial for both the yes and no sides to get their people out.

And while the divide within Coldstream is pretty deep, there is a small group of residents who are undecided. They see the merits to a sports complex, but there are concerns about the loss of agricultural land. Their ultimate decision could send one side over the top.

But no matter what happens during the referendum, one thing is clear — GVSC has bungled the matter completely and avoided its responsibility to those who pay the bills — the taxpayer.

Group rallies against complex -- By Jennifer Smith - December 05

A common interest in agricultural land preservation has banded a new group together to fight for what they believe in.

The Greater Vernon Advocates Committee is a newly formed union of 20 members in Coldstream. They have come together in opposition to the proposed sports complex on Aberdeen Road.

“One of the main purposes of our group is we’re trying to get out the facts, by ad, brochure, website, signs and word of mouth,” said member Terri Jones, adding that the committee is divided into sub-committees focusing on aspects such as costs, farm land issues, due process, research, demographics and sports tourism.

They have a wealth of information, theories and concerns which they hope to share with residents prior to Coldstream’s Dec. 15 referendum.

All of them agree that parks are great, but that what is being proposed is not suitable for the location – 118 acres of agricultural land which the Coldstream Ranch is prepared to sell to Greater Vernon Services Committee for the project.

“All kinds of people are taking an interest in it because there’s all kinds of issues that arise,” said Richard Enns.

Members question the need for the complex, which proposes fields for soccer, slo-pitch, football, rugby, baseball and dog agility.

Referencing the 2004 Greater Vernon Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Denise Berlinski points out that there are already 34 ball diamonds and 51 sports fields.

“In their own words we have a very high supply of softball diamonds and baseball,” said Berlinski, adding that the report shows these numbers are high compared to other B.C. communities.

Greg Ockert wonders if they’ll ever even be a future need with an aging population and demographics showing that schools are facing declining enrolment numbers.

“Plus, the people who come to this area now are not youthful, they’re older people,” said Ockert. “We have enough fields, we’re going to have a lot of under-utilized greenspaces for decades.”

Since the parks master plan says that many school fields are in poor condition, Ockert suggests efforts instead be put into revamping these spaces.

“You want a football field – Fulton. You want a track – VSS.”

Kelly Tymkiw agrees and says she’d rather see her kids walking or biking to schools, where most of their sporting activities already take place.

“As a parent, for me that’s important.”

These factors have led Jones and the others to believe that this project is all for sports tourism. The proposed project could host a number of tournaments and events but Jones says without hotels and restaurants nearby, this is not the place for it.

“You do not put sports tourism in the middle of an agricultural field, in the middle of an agricultural community.”

Another concern is what this complex could do to the agricultural land, which according to the Canada Department of Agriculture, is class two land (class one being the best).

“This field can grow almost anything,” said Berlinski, citing a list of produce. Plus, she adds, the land has a long season with 150 frost-free days per year (which is considered a high number).

“If we keep diminishing the agricultural land we hurt an economic engine in this community,” said Enns. “Every time you take away a piece of property you diminish that.”

Not only does the group have concerns about how the agricultural capability of the land could be impacted if developed with fields and facilities, but what the potential of a land-use change for the project could mean in the future.

“The real risk now is if it goes to non-farm use, it means they could build houses,” said Maria Besso, pointing to the non-farm use designation Coldstream Meadows was granted, which now houses a seniors’ facility.

Another concern the group has is how the general public was left out of the planning process for this project.

“Our mayor must have been aware of it because he’s the chairman of GVSC, but nobody in Coldstream heard about it,” said Gyula Kiss, who is a member of this new group as well as the Coldstream Ratepayers’ Association.

“It’s the whole cart before the horse – they haven’t asked: do we want to head in that direction?” adds Berlinski.

Along with being left out of initial planning, the committee doesn’t understand how the public can support a project with no firm details or costs associated.

“It’s completely backwards,” said Jones.

Mark Korral has come up with his own cost theory, after looking into building and servicing costs.

He says a rough $8 million figure was presented by GVSC at a Sept. 11 meeting, but did not include site servicing or landscaping.

“I would say (the actual cost would be) double or more of this figure they’ve put out there and that’s very conservative,” said Korral, adding: “we’re all guessing because the project’s a moving target.”

For more information about the Greater Vernon Advocates Committee visit their website: www.complexfacts.com.

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Councillor signing off after this term -- By Jennifer Smith, December 05

Nearly 200 council meetings, nine years and countless memories later, a veteran politician has announced her last term. Coldstream Coun. Carol Williams says she will put the same interest and enthusiasm into the rest of her term, but will not seek re-election in November 2008. “I have no intention of running again,” said the 76-year-old Williams. “I want a little more time to myself in my retirement.” Williams and her husband recently moved out of Coldstream, but she says whether she moved or not, she had not planned on seeking another term this time around. “I’ll have served nine years, that’s three terms, that’s pretty good for an old lady,” she laughed.For the rest of her term, Williams intends on giving the same commitment, including her past 30 years of volunteer time and support since moving to the area. “I’m still enthusiastic,” said the wife, mother and grandmother.

That commitment will not include any appointments to boards or committees, following the mayor’s recommendations which were made at Monday’s council meeting. Williams formerly served on the Okanagan Regional Library board as chairman, but her time on that board has run out. Coun. Mary Malerby is the newly appointed member, with Jim Garlick serving as an alternate. Bill Firman had been recommended for alternate duty but he declined. “I think I would be uncomfortable serving on the library board,” said Firman.

The rest of the appointments remain virtually the same. Mayor Gary Corner will continue to represent Coldstream at the North Okanagan Regional District and Greater Vernon Services Committee, with Glen Taylor as alternate. The Traffic Safety Committee appointment remains with Malerby and alternate Firman. Garlick continues his appointment on the Agricultural Advisory Committee and on the Advisory Planning Commission, with alternate Doug Dirk. On the Finance Committee Williams has been switched with Malerby, who will serve along with Corner, Garlick and Taylor. Malerby and Taylor will also serve on the Fire Halls Building Committee. The Pubic Works Facility Committee consists of Garlick and Taylor.Continuing on the Fire Department Liason is Dirk and alternate Taylor. While she has no role in these appointments, Williams says she will continue to show an interest. “I do attend committee meetings whether I sit on the committee or not,” said Williams.“I certainly do not intend to back away from any committee meetings.”

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World Faces Food Shortages -- by Emma Graham-Harrison and Ben Blanchard

BEIJING - The world is eating more than it produces and food prices may climb for years because of expansion of farming for fuel and climate change, risking social unrest, an expert and a new report said on Tuesday.

Biofuel expansions alone could push maize prices up over two-thirds by 2020 and increase oilseed costs by nearly half, with subsidies for the industry effectively constituting a tax on the poor, the International Food Policy Research Institute said.

Global cereal stocks, a key buffer used to fight famines around the world, have sunk to their lowest level since the 1980s due to reduced plantings and poor weather, said the institute’s director general, Joachim von Braun.

“The world eats more than it produces currently, and over the last five or six years that is reflected in the decline in stocks and storage levels. That cannot go on, and exhaustion of stocks will be reached soon,” he told a conference in Beijing.

Countries such as Mexico have already experienced food riots over soaring prices, von Braun added in a report released at the same meeting, held by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.

“The days of falling food prices may be over,” said von Braun, lead author of the “World Food Situation” report.

“Surging demand for food, feed and fuel have recently led to drastic price increases … climate change will also have a negative impact on food production,” he added.

Growing financial investor interest in commodity markets as prices climb is fueling price volatility, and world cereal and energy prices are increasingly closely linked.

With oil prices hovering around $90 a barrel, this is bad news for the poor, who have already suffered “quite dramatic” impacts from a tripling in wheat prices and near-doubling in rice prices since 2000, the report said.

More investment in agricultural technology, a stronger social welfare net with particular support for children, an end to trade barriers and improved infrastructure and finance opportunities in less-developed countries, could all help improve food security.

Although increased trade, a key demand of many developing world nations in global talks, would bring economic gains, in many cases it would not significantly reduce poverty, the report added.

Warming, Biofuels Loom
Global warming could cut worldwide income from agriculture 16 percent by 2020, despite the potential for increased yields in some colder areas and the fertilizing impact on plants of having higher carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere.

“With the increased risk of droughts and floods due to rising temperatures, crop-yield losses are imminent,” the report said.

It warned that Africa would be hit particularly hard by changes in weather patterns, in which scientist say man-made gases pumped into the atmosphere are an important factor.

“When taking into account the effects of climate change, the number of undernourished people in Sub-Saharan Africa may triple between 1990 and 2080,” the report said.

Biofuels also threaten nutrition for the poor. Under current investment plans, and assuming expansion in nations with high-potential but without detailed plans, maize prices would rise a quarter by the end of the next decade.

Under a more dramatic expansion, prices could climb up to 72 percent for maize and 44 percent for oilseeds, the report said.

Even when next-generation biofuels that use feedstocks such as wood and straw become commercially viable, competition for resources from water to investment capital may continue.

Global food demand is shifting towards higher-value vegetables, diary, fruits and meat as a result of rapid economic growth in developing countries including China and India.

But it can be difficult for smaller farmers to take advantage of the trend because of large retailers’ growing grip on the market and their high safety, quality and other requirements.

(Editing by Ken Wills and Jerry Norton)

Parks Master Plan -- Executive Summary

Some people seem to believe that this destination sports complex is part of the Parks Master Plan. To clarify the issues relating to the Master Plan let’s look at the recommendations in the Executive Summary of the Plan.

Recommendations

The Master Plan provides a summary of existing conditions, an analysis of strengths and weaknesses, and recommendations for all components of the parks and recreation system. The following is a summary of the plan’s recommendations for the 10 year time frame. More detail on the recommendations and their proposed phasing and costs are included within the plan document.

City-wide Parks

• Acquire 40 ha for a new major destination park in the north Vernon area to meet the current deficiency and future needs.
• Develop park facilities at Swan Lake.
• Upgrade Polson Park.
• Secure the DND land, and continue to develop it as an athletic park softball tournament facility with appropriate support facilities.
• Develop Kin Park as a tournament-level field sports facility.
• Develop outdoor gathering spaces along with any new central recreation facilities.
• Renovate the City Hall/Museum/Library complex plaza.
• Renovate other urban parks.
• Encourage developers in the urban area to provide plazas.
• Develop facilities on land north of Kin Beach Park.
• Acquire additional properties around Paddlewheel Park.
• Develop new facilities on the expanded Paddlewheel Park.
• Upgrade and add new facilities to Kal Beach Park.

Community and Neighbourhood Parks

• Acquire 19 ha for new community and neighbourhood parks to meet current deficiency, and another 16 ha (10 year) to 34 ha (20 year) for new community and neighbourhood parks to meet future needs.
• Develop new community parks as development proceeds (assume 1 every 5 years).
• Develop new neighbourhood parks as development proceeds (assume 1 every 3 years).
• Upgrade existing parks.

Natural Areas

• Adopt a regional approach to natural area acquisition.
• Acquire or otherwise protect large interconnected natural areas (target 40 ha per year).
• Protect Swan Lake.
• Designate motorized use areas.
• Support environmental groups.
• Enhance communication with brochure, Web site, interpretive signs.
• Encourage environmental protection in planning.
• Naturalize and restore existing parks.

Trails

• Develop a trail implementation plan.
• Acquire trail corridors (target 3 km per year).
• Develop trails along acquired corridors.
• Negotiate for trails through development parcels.
• Develop park and trail signage system and implement over time.
• Work with property owners on trail acquisition.

Waterfront Access

• Adopt a waterfront acquisition policy and implement it consistently with the interests of the entire GVPRD in mind.
• Ensure waterfront parks and trails are provided in new waterfront developments.
• Acquire waterfront land on the north shore of Okanagan Lake to serve population growth in this area.
• Acquire or otherwise protect the cattail beds in the Okanagan Landing area.
• Evaluate all waterfront road rights-of-way and sell where appropriate.
• Continue acquiring Lakeshore Drive lots.
• Acquire a new boat launch site if possible between Paddlewheel Park and Kin Beach.
• Discuss with B.C. Parks their plans and opportunities for enabling appropriate public access to Kal Lake Provincial Park beaches.

Ball Diamonds

• Work on partnership agreements with the School District to enable GVSC to renovate and maintain school fields to a higher standard and to enable access to washrooms.
• Focus on minor fastball at Grahame Park.

Sports Fields

• Work on partnership agreements with the School District to enable GVSC to renovate and maintain school fields to a higher standard.
• Upgrade or develop 2 to 6 additional fields in parks or at schools the next 10 years (depending on artificial turf at city-wide park or not).
• Support the development of an indoor soccer facility.
• Develop a new fieldhouse with washroom, concession and storage at any proposed major new field complex.
• Develop a package and staff support to encourage tournaments in the community.

Other Park Facilities

• Support the user group in covering or at least adding lights to 4 tennis courts, preferably at Marshall Park.
• Add 4 new tennis courts to one new park within the next 10 years,at Marshall Park if possible.
• Add play areas to all new city-wide, community and neighbourhood parks.
• Upgrade play areas at a rate of 1 to 2 per year to maintain safety.
• Add hard courts to parks if desired by the community.
• Add one more youth park.
• Work with the community to determine locations and policies for dog management.
• Provide picnic facilities in 2 of the new parks.
• Provide 1 to 2 new spray parks, geographically distributed.

Aquatics

• Introduce play toys and large inflatables.
• Allocate an equipment replacement fund.
• Add a climbing wall at the aquatic centre.
• Provide “play leader” training for staff.
• Add retail services to the lobby.
• Add health, wellness, rehab services.
• Upgrade Lakeview outdoor pool.
• Consider alternative management for delivery of aquatic services (private operator or community society).

Arenas

• Develop an Ice Allocation Policy.
• Review the management contract for arenas.
• Develop a leisure ice surface.

Fitness / Wellness Facilities

• Provide space for fitness, wellness and rehabilitation services by renovating the Auditorium.
• Provide accessible weight room equipment for seniors and people with disabilities in new facility.
• Consider partnerships with developers to include fitness, weight room and community spaces.

Indoor Sports Facilities

• Develop a clear policy on community use of school gyms.
• Provide capital funds to the School District to enlarge the size of elementary school gymnasiums.
• Provide capital funds to the School District to twin secondary school gyms.
• Develop a new multi-purpose community recreation facility.
• Partner with sport organizations to build permanent indoor facilities (groups to fund building construction costs).
• Renovate the auditorium to a fitness, health and wellness centre.
• Develop a partnership to build a gymnastics facility.

Cultural Facilities

• Coordinate an Arts and Cultural Network.
• Develop a policy on art in public places.
• Develop a sponsorship package for sculptured art in key public locations.
• Consider supporting the relocation of the Vernon Public Art Gallery to the existing Vernon Public Library building, pending the library location decision.
• Develop a new policy and criteria for funding to community groups.
• Develop a Cultural Plan with arts, cultural and heritage organizations.

Recreation Programs

• Adopt a “community development” approach to recreation programming.
• Form an “Association of Community Planners” representing all community groups providing recreational programs.
• Provide satellite recreation programming in public schools.
• Develop a Community Diversity Action Plan which addresses diversity issues.
• Coordinate a workshop on cultural diversity for community groups.
• Maximize usage of Halina Senior’s Centre by offering intergenerational programs.
• Liaise with youth organizations and support the Teen Junction with their plans to build a new teen centre.
• Encourage social services agencies to provide recreation programs for people with disabilities.
• Investigate and consider a financial assistance program.

Future Recommendations

The following recommendations are provided for consideration beyond the 10-year time frame of the plan:

• Acquire land for a third major destination park.
• Acquire large properties to replace athletic facilities at DND and Marshall Park in the future if necessary.
• If the Civic Arena site is sold, require an urban park component as part of the site’s redevelopment.
• Consider road relocation around Kal Beach Park.
• Upgrade the aquatic centre.
• Provide a new community centre, including an aquatic and fitness/wellness facility.
• Provide additional ice surfaces to replace the Civic arena in 20 years.
• Plan to provide additional programs for seniors in the next ten to twenty years.

Implementation Strategy

The implementation strategy focuses on the primary elements required to successfully implement the Plan, including:

• The role of partnerships, including a proposed community development approach to provision of parks and recreation services, the importance of marketing, and coordination among agencies,
• Needs for human resources as part of the new delivery model,
• Needs for new policies to support the Plan’s recommendations,
• Tools and recommendations for financial planning, and
• A phasing and capital plan for proposed parks and recreation facilities and services.

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