Water Bulletin -- District of Coldstream

Here is the latest press release from Coldstream!

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Water Bulletin -- District of Coldstream

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Water issues.

I have received a number of inquiries as to the water source for Buchanan Road. Since the emails came through Google the email addresses are not included so I have to use this forum to respond.

In general Buchanan Road residents receive their water water from Duteau Creek. If you have not been contacted by emergency personnel last night your water is safe to drink.

Keep watching for further developments. If you wish to be on the contact list for future emergency messages please send me your email address and you will be on the contact list for emergency purposes. Your information will not be shared.

Gyula.

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Very Important!!!

Please note, the Boil Water Notice has been upgraded to a DO NOT DRINK Notification. ESS has been brought in to go door to door to all affected residents with the notification.

Please notify your friends and neighbours!

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Important notice -- Boil water advisory.

There has been an incident at the Antwerp Springs water pumphouse. The shallow aquifer has been compromised and GVW has issued a Boil Water Notice for all residents on the Antwerp Springs system. This includes parts of Lavington, and west, potentially as far as Kal High School, including Coldstream Elementary and Municipal Hall. District crews have switched over the water source to the deep well and will be flushing and monitoring throughout the night. At this point it is hard to determine how far in the system the contaminated water has spread, so initially the Notice will cover the entire Antwerp system.

Please advise your neighbours who might not have seen this notice!

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Learn the truth about the world!

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Coldstream and Lavington Fire Halls Annual General Meeting and Executive Elections

Both the Coldstream and Lavington Fire Halls held their Annual General Meeting and Executive Elections on Friday, January 8, 2010. The following people were elected:

Coldstream Executive (courtesy Maria Besso. More photos)

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Selected articles -- Morning Star, January 10, 2010.

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Garlick sets goals for 2010

By Brent Mutis - Vernon Morning Star

Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick has been on the job little more than a year and compares his duties to maneuvering a giant ocean liner.

“I liken the job to driving a ship. First, you have to stop going in the direction from the previous council then you turn it where you want it to go and get it up to speed.”

He wants a number of goals met in 2010 and some of them involve large infrastructure projects like the grid road plan to connect Kalamalka Road with the upper end of Kickwillie Loop.

“I want to get it completed and be as close to budget as possible,” says the 48-year-old.

“We don’t want to have cost overruns and don’t want surprises. Those happen but you want to minimize them if possible.”

Garlick also lists getting the road pavement management plan underway as a high priority. In four years’ time, roads will require $1 million of the district’s annual budget.

When Garlick began municipal politics as a councillor, it was just $250,000.

Seeing the water devolution process concluded and finding more staffing for the parks and recreation department are also on Garlick’s 2010 wish list.

Costs from water devolution negotiations are a big reason why Coldstream taxes will likely rise five per cent in 2010.

The district will also welcome a new engineer in February to take the job vacated by current chief administrative officer Michael Stamhuis last February.

Garlick’s taken heat for a perceived lack of transparency with issues like the grid road and says communication with the public is something he’d like to see improved.

He notes the district is limited in that capacity with staff, their website and media as the only ways to disseminate information.

“We have to hope more people pay attention.”

The father of two had to scale back his teaching duties at Clarence Fulton Secondary when he won the election last year.

He still handles physics and geology courses and will return to full- time teaching in May.

“It’s starting to balance out now,” he says of his two-job juggling act.

“I’ll be well-prepared for those courses (when I go back to full time).”

A Coldstream native, Garlick says being an educator helps with taking public input and teaching constituents about the governmental process.

He credits the district’s councillors for trying hard to be a cohesive unit.

“The mayor’s role is a big role, as is council’s. I think council has put in a lot of effort to get work done and not everyone agrees but that’s the good feeling of the job.

“Everyone hears what’s going on and gets a say.”

Growing up, Garlick never thought about being mayor or even on council.

It was a dispute over Coldstream Meadows retirement community expansion that motivated him to put his name forward.

He’s accepted his position on controversial issues is now on display.

“You have to stand up for your beliefs and make it known to the public,” he said.

“It’s not easy and I don’t always support friends.”

Garlick says he hasn’t decided whether he’ll run for a second term but hopes the remaining two years of his current term are smooth sailing.

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6.5 quake shakes N. California

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California on Saturday afternoon, shaking buildings south of the Oregon border and knocking out power in several coastal communities.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at about 4:27 p.m. local time about 43 kilometres from Eureka, a city of about 26,000. No injuries have been reported.

Pacific Gas&Electric Co. spokesman J.D. Guidi said power outages were widespread across most of Humboldt County, affecting about 25,000 customers.

Several traffic lights have fallen and numerous residents have reported water, gas and sewer leaks, Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services spokeswoman Jo Wattle said.

"People have chimneys down, and we're hearing about minor property damage and lots of glassware broken," Wattle said. "People are really shaken up. It was shaking pretty good, then it had a big jolt to it at the end."

Police in Ferndale, the community closest to the quake's epicentre, said the jolt caused stucco to fall off City Hall and broke shop windows, strewing the historic downtown streets with glass shards.

Televisions tumbled and objects were knocked off walls in Arcata, a small town that's home to Humboldt State University.

Arcata and Eureka are located about 435 kilometres north of San Francisco in a coastal area known for periodic earthquakes.

The quake was felt as far south as Capitola in central California, and as far north as central Oregon, USGS geophysicist Richard Buckmaster said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said there was no threat of the quake generating a tsunami.

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Coldstream Finance Committee Meeting, January 12, 2010

Anyone interested in the debate for the coming year's budget should attend.

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REGULAR MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLDSTREAM

REGULAR MEETING OF THE COUNCIL
OF THE DISTRICT OF COLDSTREAM

TO BE HELD ON MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2010
IN THE MUNICIPAL HALL CHAMBERS
9901 KALAMALKA ROAD, COLDSTREAM, BC

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING TIME CHANGES
TO THE REGULAR AGENDA:
4:30 - 5:30 PM REGULAR MEETING WILL BE CONVENED TO DISCUSS
ISSUES RAISED FOR PARKS SERVICE REVIEW

5:30 – 6:00 PM COUNCIL WILL RECESS

6:00 PM REGULAR MEETING OF COUNCIL WILL BE
RECONVENED

AGENDA

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Photo gallery: A large flock of Bohemian Waxwings. Courtesy: Debbie Gibson.

We were inundated by a large flock of Bohemian Waxwings today who came to eat Mountain Ash berries and swim in the bird bath! Here are a few photos of their hours of fun!

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Selected articles -- Morning Star, January 8, 2010.

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MP defends extended break -- By Richard Rolke (with my comments in red)

Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes doesn’t believe the suspension of Parliament is a big deal for constituents.

I wonder how the employers of those constituents would react if the constituents decided to take a month of paid absence from their jobs. Giving up a month's wages by the MLA's may appease the electorate somewhat!

He says he was received no feedback since Prime Minister Stephen Harper prorogued the House until March 3. They were supposed to head back to Ottawa Jan. 25 after the Christmas break.

“Most of them don’t even know about it,” he said of local residents.

Perhaps if Mr Mays included that bit of news in his last message to his constituents they would know about it.

“People don’t pay attention to the national media. They pay attention more to what’s written locally.”

Don’t get your hopes up Mr Mays, after this news article people will start paying even more attention!

Mayes added that Okanagan-Shuswap residents are also concerned about the economy and not political maneuvering by the opposition parties.

Mayes denies that Harper’s actions go against parliamentary procedure and are an attempt to avoid debate over its policies.

“We have been a very transparent government,” he said.

Really??

“As an example, we’ve been doing quarterly reports on the Afghan mission and letting people know what’s going on there.”

That is not what Richard Colvin testified to in front of the House of Commons Committee. Here is an excerpt of his testimony:

He said unlike the British and Dutch, Canada did not monitor their conditions; took days, weeks or months to notify the Red Cross; kept poor records; and to prevent scrutiny, the Canadian Forces leadership concealed this behind "walls of secrecy."

"As I learned more about our detainee practices, I came to a conclusion they were contrary to Canada's values, contrary to Canada's interests, contrary to Canada's official policies and also contrary to international law. That is, they were un-Canadian, counterproductive and probably illegal...” (CBC News)

Some critics have suggested the Conservative government wanted Parliament suspended so a committee would stop looking into the alleged torture of Afghan detainees. Mayes disagrees and says the issue has not been raised by constituents.

“It’s not an issue with Canadians and they have confidence that our forces abide by the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners,” he said.

Mayes says there is also a practical reason for suspending Parliament given that the Conservatives don’t have a majority of the seats.

“The Olympics are a great celebration and it would be a real conflict for MP's to be there in a minority situation,” he said, adding that could lead to the opposition having more MP's present in Ottawa.

See earlier comments.

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NORD meeting --January 7, 2010

REGIONAL DISTRICT OF NORTH OKANAGAN
BOARD of DIRECTORS MEETING
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
4:00 p.m.

REGULAR AGENDA

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DISTRICT OF COLDSTREAM MEDIA RELEASE

For immediateediate release

District Hires New Director of Engineering Services

The District of Coldstream is pleased to announce that it has hired Ms. Alanna Dean, P.Eng., to the position of Director of Engineering Services, effective February 1, 2010.

Ms. Dean is a Professional Engineer and previously held the position of Project Manager with the Township of Langley. Prior to that she worked as an Engineer in several departments within the City of Calgary.

Ms. Dean brings her many years of project management experience, hands-on technical skills, and strong environmental background to the position. Her strong interest in sustainable development practices will provide excellent leadership to the District.

Council and staff look forward to Ms. Dean joining the District’s senior management team.

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For further information, contact:

Michael Stamhuis
Chief Administrative Officer
District of Coldstream
Phone 250-545-5304
Fax 250-545-4733
Email mstamhuis@district.coldstream.bc.ca
Website www.districtofcoldstream.ca

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Water Devolution -- By Kate Bouey, SUN FM

Thu, 2009-12-31 08:50.
Local News

Vernon's mayor has shrugged off accusations that the city wants to control Greater Vernon water. The issue of water devolution is in the hands of an arbitrator.

Mayor Wayne Lippert is hopeful the water devolution controversy can be resolved sometime in 2010. In a year-end interview with SUN-FM, Lippert also denied the issue had harmed relations with Coldstream council.

Coldstream council has provisionally budgeted 100-thousand dollars for legal fees. Lippert says the city has not budgeted any extra funds for arbitration. ($220,000 legal)

- Vernon

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Mayor Lippert seems to be overly optimistic.

I, for one, have some resentment about the fact that Coldstream Council had to budget $100,000 (about 2.5% tax increase) for the arbitration process Vernon initiated.

Every proposal Vernon introduced to date towards the resolution of the issues included total control of the utility by Vernon. Knowing Vernon’s objectives that prospect frightens me. The stated objective for Vernon is to save $3.5 million on water rates. Where would those savings come from? From Coldstream and Electoral Areas B and C residents. Should this prospect not create some harm to relationships? NORD actually allocated $300,000 for the legal fees associated with the arbitration.

Technically speaking these costs should be covered by the utility as the devolution is actually an assault on the utility as it presently exists. What is the difference, you may ask? Quite a bit.

Under the present arrangement each jurisdiction is responsible for its own legal costs covered by taxation. That means that the per capita cost for Coldstream is significantly higher than it is for Vernon. The same is true for NORD as Electoral Areas B and C also have to foot their arbitration costs. Since all water related issues to date, such as infrastructure financing, water treatment, etc. were financed through water rates it is reasonable to expect that legal costs would also be covered by water rates. That would be more equitable for all customers.

The above opinions are strictly mine and I am not speaking for the rest of Council.

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Okanagan Basin Waterboard Meeting

A rare opportunity to attend the OBWB meeting in Coldstream (NORD Board Room).

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Coldstream Committee meeting -- Kalavista Neighbourhood

THE CORPORATION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLDSTREAM
KALAVISTA NEIGHBOURHOOD COMMITTEE MEETING

TO BE HELD ON MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2010
IN THE MUNICIPAL HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS
9901 KALAMALKA ROAD, COLDSTREAM, BC
4:30 PM

AGENDA

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Councillor responds

The above article appeared in the December 23rd edition of the Morning Star. The article accuses two members of Coldstream Council of having their heads buried in the sand and not jumping on the opportunity of expending scarce tax dollars on a ski tournament obviously designed for well to do skiers. As one of those Councillors being dumped on by the above reporter I feel compelled to present my side of the story.

Mr Bjorn W. Meyer speaking on behalf of the Sparkling Hill Masters World Cup 2011 Organizing Committee made the following presentation to Council at the December 21 Council meeting:

Below is my answer:

Apparently, the only people who know how to spend taxpayers’ dollars are sitting in news media offices and writing editorials about it. They know that it is far more important to spend homeowners’ money on supporting well healed skiers’ tournaments then improving infrastructures of the community, providing services, such as water, sewer, protection services and other useless items.

These sages know that businesses benefit far more from these occasional visitors than from local residents who support businesses year around. After all, they reason, some of these business owners live in Coldstream where they pay their municipal taxes. Obviously, these taxes should be spent on subsidizing rich visitors so they would come back in the future expecting more subsidies. The fact that those businesses do pay business tax to the City at 2-3 times the rate of residential taxes is irrelevant.

Some of us backward politicians have a different view. We know that fully 87% of our tax revenues in Coldstream come from residential taxpayers not from businesses. These taxpayers do not benefit from the proposed events. My excuse for “missing the point” is that I do pay attention to the facts presented to me at Council meetings. This, unfortunately, tempers my urges of spending taxpayers’ dollars frivolously. Case in point is the attached presentation by Bjorn W. Meyer speaking on behalf of the Sparkling Hill Masters World Cup 2011 Organizing Committee.

He stressed that the participants of the tournaments “...are typically above average in financial circumstances...”. This to me indicated that they could well afford the $80,000 tournament organizers budgeted for government contribution. That would only be about $70 additional cost for each participant. It seems the Provincial and Federal Governments also realized this as they provide “...poor support...” for the tournament so the organizers want local governments to step up to more downloading.

As for the “...$4-6 million” injection to local economy: I always wonder how organizers calculate these substantial pay backs to taxpayers. How could I get a few morsels from these millions?

Mr Rolke believes that I am wrong in considering taxpayers’ contribution as a subsidy. The only other definition for donating taxpayers money is “charity”. Charity should be reserved for the less fortunate of our society and not the well healed segment of mostly out of area skiers. The present hype for the Olympics provide ample opportunity for the world to see our high quality snow and facilities. Compared to that exposure this event would be of negligible exposure.

The comment “...Kiss and Firman have had no problem accepting federal and provincial infrastructure dollars to stimulate the economy” is puzzling. What is the connection? I can only say: Mr Rolke is missing the point! That money comes from the taxpayers like you and I and is being spent for the benefit of taxpayers like you and I and not for the benefit of recreational skiers coming from various parts of the world.

Come to think Mr Rolke might not be as savvy as he appears to the casual observer. If he thinks he can do better there is always the next election: he can challenge a seat on Council, express to the taxpayers his preference of spending tax dollars and hope for the best.

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Selected articles -- Morning Star, December 25, 2009

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Merry Christmas everyone!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Selected articles -- Morning Star, December 23, 2009

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Coldstream Council meeting -- December 21, 2009

REGULAR MEETING OF THE COUNCIL
OF THE DISTRICT OF COLDSTREAM

TO BE HELD ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2009
IN THE MUNICIPAL HALL CHAMBERS
9901 KALAMALKA ROAD, COLDSTREAM, BC
6:00 PM

A G E N D A

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Readers write -- New plans fir Silver Star and Big White.

New, proprietary information has surfaced which reveals that Silver Star Mountain Resort and Big White Mountain Resort, owned by Schumann Resorts, plan to expand to several times their present size, deleting yet more land from Silver Star Provincial Park and virtually eliminating the Big White Mountain Ecological Reserve.

At Big White, plans are to double or triple the size of the resort, building multiple villages, with chairlifts and ski runs planned inside the Big White Mountain Ecological Reserve. For an animated view, click here.

At Silver Star, almost all the lands deleted from Silver Star Provincial Park for the 1991 World Cup Cross Country Ski Races are slated for development into vacation properties. It is now quite obvious what the motivation for hosting the 1991 World Cup was. No mention was made at the time that these lands would be developed for fee-simple property sales.

Surprisingly, no upgrades to the dismally inadequate sewage treatment system are planned, except to log more fairways of the golf course for effluent disposal. The current system is heavily contaminating the Coldstream Community Aquifer 12 kilometers away in Lavington.

Massive subdivisions are also planned for the golf course lands, with plans to pave over several subalpine wetlands and to log almost the entire area.

There appears to be a massive disconnect between what the ski resort says they will do, and what they actually do. Will there ever be a golf course at Silver Star? Unlikely. For a quick tour of the golf course, which was supposed to open 9 years ago, check out the Golf Course Video. Notice on the map shown above that the current plan for the golf course area is to simply use it as a disposal area for sewage effluent. I suspect that this is all it will ever be, and that its only purpose will be to serve as a convenient, low-cost alternative to properly treating the sewage.

If this were truly a world-class ski resort, they would firstly put in the proper wastewater treatment infrastructure (i.e. membrane bioreactor) to ensure protection of the community watersheds. Instead, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Environment have endorsed a bizarre plan to simply dispose of the effluent on the clearcut golf course fairways. The Ministry of Environment has failed to enforce the Municipal Sewage Regulation, turning a blind eye to obvious infractions (unfenced lagoons, cattle grazing under active effluent sprinklers, contaminated groundwater around lagoons, highly contaminated streams around the lagoons, excavating the exfiltration lagoon down to bedrock, pooling effluent and saturated soils due to excessive effluent irrigation in the Phase 1 and 2 areas, etc.).

The various government bodies that have the responsibility of protecting the public interest seem to forget that the current owners of the ski resort are free to sell the resort at any time. They seem to naively believe that everything will work out fine over time. Instead of insisting that everything adhere to the highest environmental standards at each stage of development, they instead turn a blind eye to all the obvious irregularities, not realizing that the privately owned resort may only be interested in short-term profits and may leave a big mess to clean up at taxpayers' expense.

Silver Star Resort is asking for more land to be deleted from Silver Star Provincial Park, as well as adding land outside the park to its Controlled Recreation Area. B.C. Parks and Land and Water B.C. tried to delete these lands in 1991, and again in 2001, but instead deleted just the golf course lands in April 2001, knowing that by splitting the park into 2 pieces, it would be easy to delete more of the inaccessible East site in the future.

It is truly incredible how the Ministry of Tourism, B.C. Parks, the Ministry of Environment, the Regional District of North Okanagan, Greater Vernon Water, the Ministry of Health, and even the B.C. Ombudsman have turned a blind eye to the obvious irregularities that should be addressed to protect the public interest. Red flags are going up everywhere and no one is prepared to do anything about it, as it appears that the provincial government wants to fast-track ski resort expansion at all costs. Even our MLA does not respond to emails on the subject.

The Resort Development branch of the Ministry of Tourism appears to operate in an ethical vacuum, which does not bode well for the various communities that are faced with ski resort developments in their jurisdictions (i.e. Jumbo Glacier, Garibaldi at Squamish, Juliette Creek, Mount Baldy, Crystal Mountain Resort, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Hudson Bay Mountain, Cayoosh Creek, etc.).

I do hope that eventually the Wilderness Committee will insist on a public inquiry into the Silver Star fiasco, as that quite likely will be the only way to unravel the tangled web of deceit that B.C. Parks, Land and Water B.C., Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Tourism have spun in order to hand over Silver Star Provincial Park to private interests.

Kindest Regards,

Randy Schellenberg, Spokesperson
Citizens' Coalition to Save Silver Star Provincial Park
www.savesilverstarpark.org

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You must see this to believe it!

You have to read this to understand what you will see, because it's in a foreign language. Absolutely amazing.

This video shows the winner of "Ukraine’s Got Talent", Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II. Her talent, which admittedly is a strange one, is mesmeric to watch.

The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about £75,000.

She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.

It is replaced by a woman’s face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman’s face appears.

She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier.

This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house.

In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.

The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine, resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.

Kseniya Simonova says: "I find it difficult enough to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is beyond me. The art, especially when the war is used as the subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. And there’s surely no bigger compliment."

(click for full screen viewing.)

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Selected articles -- Morning Star,December 16, 2009

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Reform of Alberta water allocation system

“The Government of Alberta has provided its citizens with the opportunity to reform the water allocation system. The purpose of this paper is to inspire Albertans to participate in the discussion about Alberta’s water future in an informed manner.” August, 2009

Introduction

When it comes to water, Alberta is at a crossroads. In the twenty-first century, Alberta faces new challenges. We now know that Alberta’s water supplies are not limitless. In fact, they are decreasing. Over the past three decades, Albertans, along with the rest of the world, have come to recognize the environmental values associated with natural watercourses, aquatic ecosystems, fisheries, and wildlife. The Government of Alberta has passed laws to protect water quality from industrial pollutants, but laws to protect instream water quantity have not kept pace.

For the first time in 12 years, the Alberta government is considering whether to update their water allocation system. Increasingly, it has become apparent that there are more and more demands for a resource that is dwindling. By the close of 2005, Alberta had allocated more than 9.5 billion cubic metres of water annually for various uses throughout the province. Today, the South Saskatchewan River is over-allocated and there are strong arguments that the North Saskatchewan River is headed in the same direction.

Alberta’s current system to allocate water among all users is no longer able to fully respond to population growth, opportunities for industrial growth, reduced water flows, and the coming challenges of climate change. Without significant changes, the current water allocation system will produce winners and losers without any rational consideration of how we want water to be used for the benefit of Albertans.

Specific recommendations include the following:

1. Legally enforceable water management plans for each basin, developed using the best available scientific evidence;

2. Legally enforceable objectives that protect instream flow needs for each basin;

3. Water entitlements based on water “shares” allocating a percentage of the water available in excess of the water left instream. Water volumes allocated to each share are to be adjusted seasonally, and more often if needed, in response to predicted flows in the basin;

4. Provided water is secured for people and the environment, establish a water allocation and share trading system that facilitates the re-allocation of water from one use to another;

5. The ability of the public to hold water shares for instream purposes;

6. The use of incentives to encourage water conservation and the efficient use of water; and

7. The inclusion of groundwater in the water management system.

The purpose of this paper is to inspire Albertans to participate in the discussion about Alberta’s water future in an informed manner. The Government of Alberta has provided its citizens with the opportunity to reform the water allocation system. Albertans should participate in defining a new water future for Alberta. (more)

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Selected articles -- Morning Star,December 13, 2009

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Readers write -- THIS IS PAR FOR THE COURSE.

Once upon a time the Canadian Government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of nowhere. The Government said, "Someone may steal from the scrap yard at night." So they created a night watchman position and hired a person (bilingual, naturally) for the job. Then the Government said, "How can the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a Planning Department and hired two people; one person to write the job description and one person to do time studies. Then the Government said, "How will we know the night watchman is performing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people; one to do the studies and one to write the reports. Then the Government said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created the following positions: a Time Keeper and a Payroll Officer; then hired two more people to assist. Then the Government said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an Administrative Section and hired three people: an Administrative Officer, an Assistant Administrative Officer and a Legal Secretary. Then the Government said, "We have had this organization in operation for only one year and we are $18,000 over budget; we must cutback our overall costs." So they laid off the night watchman. *******************************************

Another explanation!

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Palin To Speak At Fundraiser For Canadian Hospital

The Huffington Post

12-11-09 11:53 AM

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has made no secret of her opinion on Canadian public health care. But she's scheduled to speak at a fundraiser for a hospital and cancer center in Canada.

ThinkProgress points out that St. Peter's Hospital is public, performs abortions, and offers end-of-life decision support.

Organizers hope to sell 1,000 tickets at $200 a plate, but raise more via photos with Palin.

When approached recently by a Canadian comedian pretending to be a conservative, Palin gave her opinion on Canadian health care:

"Keep the faith" Palin said, "because common sense conservatism can be plugged in there in Canada too. In fact, Canada needs to reform its health care system and let the private sector take over some of what the government has absorbed."

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Winter wonderlans!

Winter Wonderland

Click on "Winter Wonderland", then "Start Presentation" (top right corner)

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Embarrasing moments.

Candid Camera!

Click on "Candid Camera" then click on photos.

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Texas agency sued over Canadian whooping crane deaths

Canada's most endangered species is at the centre of a U.S. legal battle after 23 whooping cranes from a Canadian national park — nearly 10 per cent of the last natural flock in existence — died of starvation last winter in Texas due to alleged mismanagement of freshwater flows by a state agency.

The Texas-based Aransas Project, a coalition of conservation groups, has filed notice of a lawsuit against the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality citing "illegal harm and harassment" of the cranes from Wood Buffalo National Park as a result of industrial and municipal water diversions from the Guadalupe River that allegedly robbed the birds of crucial food supplies during the winter of 2008-09.

The coalition, including the International Crane Foundation, claims the restricted flow of the river into San Antonio Bay, in southeastern Texas, on the heels of a recent drought affected salinity levels in Gulf estuaries. They say the salinity levels disrupted a delicate ecological balance and caused a steep decline in the availability of blue crabs and wolfberries — key food sources for the wintering cranes.

State wildlife officers reported the worst whooping crane death toll in decades last spring, describing emaciated and "ratty" birds so exhausted and malnourished some didn't take flight from approaching humans.

Of the 270 specimens that arrived in Texas in the fall of 2008, only 247 survivors were seen heading back to Canada in the spring. Normally just one or two birds is lost during the winter season.

"There is strong evidence that the problems experienced by the whooping cranes are directly caused by the permit programs of the TCEQ that allow too much water to be taken from the Guadalupe River Basin, especially during lower flow conditions," the Aransas Project stated this week in announcing the lawsuit.

"The cranes provide us with an early warning system of the overall health of these coastal ecosystems," said Aransas Project regional director Ron Outen. "But we should remember that the whooping crane is the most recognizable endangered species in the world. Mismanagement of water in the Guadalupe River Basin is destroying the winter habitat of these magnificent birds — and killing them."

North America's tallest bird, the whooping crane's population was down to 22 known specimens in 1941, prompting a joint U.S.-Canada recovery effort that has become a global model for species conservation.

Still, there are fewer than 300 cranes in the world's only wild population, which nests in summer at Wood Buffalo — a UNESCO World Heritage Site straddling the Alberta-Northwest Territories border — before flying 4,000 kilometres to winter feeding and breeding grounds in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas.

The only other surviving members of the species belong to two separate populations with about 250 individuals in total — a captive flock in Florida and a Wisconsin-based migratory flock trained to follow an ultralight aircraft to Florida each winter as part of a unique, Canadian-led recovery project.

The Texas environment commission has 60 days to respond to the lawsuit notice. A spokesperson for the Austin-based agency said this week that an ongoing water-management review begun in 2007 "will enhance our ability to protect wildlife dependent on these flows."

A 2009 planning document at the TCEQ website, which describes the whooping crane as an "iconic" creature dependent on careful water management, acknowledges that "environmental flows, which include flows in rivers and streams and freshwater inflows to bays and estuaries, have not been addressed uniformly in water development project planning and permitting in Texas."

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New climate draft agreement at Copenhagen talks has gaping holes; 40 detained in protests

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - A new draft agreement Friday at the Copenhagen climate talks pulled together the main elements of a global pact but left gaping holes on financing and cutting greenhouse gas emissions for world leaders to fill in next week.

The six-page draft document distilled a much-disputed 180-page negotiating text, laying out the obligations of industrial and developing countries in curbing the growth of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

News of the document came as the European Union leaders agreed in Brussels to commit C2.4 billion ($3.6 billion) a year until 2012 to a short-term fund to help poor countries cope with climate change. The EU also conditionally lifted its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 30 per cent below 1990 levels over the next decade, depending on better commitments by the United States and Canada.

In the past the EU pledged a 20 per cent cut with an option increase that to 30 per cent as part of a global deal.

The draft agreement is less specific than other proposals and attempts to bridge the divide between rich and poor countries. It leaves much to be decided by more 110 heads of state, including President Barack Obama, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and most of Europe's top leadership, who are due to arrive in the Danish capital in one week for a landmark summit.

"This text will be the focus of the negotiations from now on," said Jake Schmidt, an analyst for the Natural Resources Defence Council.

The paper, drawn up by Michael Zammit Cutajar, the Maltese chairman of the conference's largest committee, says global emissions of greenhouse gases should peak "as soon as possible." But controlling carbon emissions should be subordinate to the effort to wipe out poverty and develop the economies of the world's poorest nations, it said.

It called for new funding over the next three years by wealthy countries to help poor countries adapt to changing climate conditions, but mentioned no figures. The U.N.'s top climate official, Yvo de Boer, has suggested a total $30 billion.

And it made no specific proposals on long-term help for developing countries. "That's the gaping hole," said Antonio Hill, of Oxfam International.

On Saturday, the conference president, Connie Hedegaard, was to prepare a report on the status of the talks.

Outside the negotiating complex in Copenhagen, police detained 40 people in the first street protests linked to the conference. About 200 people rallied in the downtown area where corporate CEOs were meeting to discuss the role of businesses in the fight against global warming - one of many side events to the U.N. conference that started Monday.

The protesters broke into small groups, banging drums and shouting "mind your business, this is our climate!" There were no reports of violence.

Police spokesman Henrik Moeller Nielsen said the detentions were preventative, to avoid disorder.

In Brussels, President Nicolas Sarkozy said the EU commitment of C2.4 billion ($3.6 billion) a year until 2012 "puts Europe in a leadership role in Copenhagen."

The figure was reached after two days of tough talks during which eastern EU countries - still lagging in their own development and further battered by the global economic downturn, resisted pressure to chip in. In the end, all 27 EU nations agreed to donate, but the bulk of the funds were coming from Britain, France and Germany.

"There are few moments in history when nations are summoned to common decisions that will reshape the lives of men and women potentially for generations to come," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. "This world deal in Copenhagen must be ambitious, global, comprehensive legally binding within six months."

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Tiger Woods' top 10 tips for President Obama's game -- er, that would be his golf game

The editors at Golf Digest had this great idea. President Obama has been playing a lot of golf lately. And according to a detailed report in the Wall Street Journal, not playing that well. So why not invite Tiger Woods, the world's preeminent golfer, to give the president some tips?

And, in another brainstorm, they even Photoshopped an image of Tiger Woods in a caddy outfit posed behind Obama as he judged a putt. Golf Digest's January 2010 cover, with Tiger Woods serving as President Obama's caddy

After all, Steve Rusbin explains in the January issue, they are at the top of their fields, both "prominent, multi-ethnic" African Americans, both with an older man as second lieutenant -- Vice President Biden and caddy Steve Williams.

Mostly, said the writer, the difficulty of their tasks is similar. “Shooting back-to-back 65s at Firestone Country Club is -- ask any golfer -- every bit as difficult as achieving world peace,” he wrote.

But that was before Tiger Woods was embroiled in a personal saga gone public, with so many women now stepping forward to claim a relationship with the 34-year-old golf pro that some are talking about Tiger's tally and Woods' back nine.

Now readers are flooding the magazine with complaints about Tiger's behavior, along with some choice tips of their own like, "Don't get caught!"

One interesting political note. The magazine asked readers how much golf Obama should play. Nearly 46% said "as much as he can without affecting his work," while another 8% said never -- and that was before the Woods Thanksgiving driveway stunt.

(UPDATE: The irrepressible Andy Borowitz (click) has his own hilarious take here on the Woods' situation, detailing an alleged million-woman march on Washington by many of the golfer's girlfriends.)

-- Johanna Neuman

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Duteau Creek Leak -- Kate Bouey

Thu, 2009-12-10 11:11.

It's been revealed that a valve leak during recent work to connect the Duteau Creek treatment plant led to two million gallons of water being spilled.

Greater Vernon water manager Al Cotsworth confirms the leak caused some contaminated water to enter the pipeline but insists it never entered the drinking system. He says it led to a major cleanup job -- four-kilometres of four-foot-wide pipes had to be disinfected --and it added about ten days to the boil water alert. Cotsworth says the project, although late, is still on budget.

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