Council meeting -- March 25, 2008 -- Notes.

REGULAR MEETING OF THE COUNCIL
OF THE DISTRICT OF COLDSTREAM

TO BE HELD ON TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2008
IN THE MUNICIPAL HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS
9901 KALAMALKA ROAD, COLDSTREAM, BC AT 7:00 PM

A G E N D A

1. DELEGATIONS

a. Request for Special Burning Permit 9242 Kalamalka Road (Miciuk) Ron Miciuk will be in attendance to speak to his letter.

b. Request for Special Burning Permit 7080 and 7060 Brewer Road (DeLeenheer) Irene and Greg DeLeenheer may be in attendance to speak to their letter.

c. Request for Special Burning Permit 10108 Venables Drive (Lowen) Helmi Lowen may be in attendance to speak to her letter.

d. Multiple Family Sewer Rates and 2008 Budget Mr. John Hegler will be in attendance to speak to this matter.

2. PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS COUNCIL (Total Time Allotted: 10 Minutes)

NOTE: This time is to afford members of the public the opportunity to address issues on the agenda dated, March 25, 2008. Issues that are not on the current agenda will not be heard by Council.

If you have items to address that are not contained in this agenda, please contact the Municipal Clerk to make a formal request to appear as a delegation at a future meeting of Council.

3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

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5. REPORT OF THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

(2) Universal Curbside Garbage Collection Services

• Report from the Director of Engineering Services, dated March 11, 2008

Recommendation

THAT the report from the Director of Engineering Services, dated March 11, 2008, regarding Universal Curbside Garbage Collection Services, be received;

AND THAT the District, in conjunction with the Regional District of North Okanagan, move to implement a universal curbside garbage collection system wherein a weekly collection service would be provided, such service having a one bag limit plus tags, with an interim two bag limit for a three to six month initiation period.

click on for more

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I am sure Council's intentions are honourable and they hope to do the best for the community and reduce the amount of waste delivered to the transfer station. However, the approach is wrong and provides little or no incentive to reduce waste production.

As a former member of NORD's Waste Management Committee (six years on the Committee, three of those as Chair) I have been involved in many discussions on the subject of waste reduction. The general consensus was that the user pay system provides the greatest incentive for reduction.

The landfill is owned and operated by NORD. We all pay for it. That is the only fixed infrastructure needed for the service. The only question remains how the garbage is delivered there. Garbage delivery is not like water or sewer service where fixed infrastructure is required for the service delivery by local governments.

Presently the service is provided by individual contractors who pick up the trash and deliver it to the landfill. They set their rate based on the number of bags they pick up from any given household. It could be regulated by NORD to instruct contractors to charge by the number of bags using tags on each bag. That would be an incentive to reduce garbage production.

Many home owners deliver their own trash to the landfill. They pay by the bag or by weight if the load is over a certain limit. These customers generally have very low volume of garbage (one or two bags per month).

The proposal by Coldstream is to have a predetermined contractor do the job for everybody. I assume, as usual, Coldstream will administer the service for NORD. That is two administrative steps.

This service is delivered by independent businesses. Why should we interfere with businesses when they are working well, making a living, providing excellent service and allow those wishing to do the service for themselves to do so?

I do not believe that the electorate is urging Council to take over the service. I am quite sure that the service would not be cheaper. The one bag limit is still not much incentive to reduce beyond the one bag per week garbage production. The attitude will be: if I am charged for a full bag regardless of what I put to the curb I might as well get my money's worth and be less careful. However, if Council believes that there is great support for the proposal, they should initiate a public input session to gage the desires of the public.

The present system is a good insurance against the effects of a potential strike. As long as we can deliver our own trash to the landfill site we can continue doing it even if some contractors decide to strike.

Since the system is not broken I don't think Council should "fix it" because chances are after their intervention it might become permanently broken.

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Lettrs to the Editor -- Morning Star

Dr. Chris Cunningham and I co-authored a recent paper looking at funding inequalities among hospitals in the Interior Health Authority. This prompted a meeting between Health Minister George Abbot and Vernon city council. The minister’s response to our paper was that it focused too much on acute care beds and not enough on community care beds that the IHA plans to open.

He did not comment on the fact that Vernon Jubilee is the only regional hospital without an on-site MRI scanner, though, we perform the highest number of CT scans. He also did not comment on the fact that we have only four operating rooms, though Trail, for example, serves half the population and has five ORs.

Absent from the discussion was the fact that in addition to the 80,000 people in the North Okanagan, VJH serves as the main referral hospital for an additional 50,000 people in the Shuswap as Salmon Arm and Revelstoke do not have specialist services such as pathology, pediatrics, spine surgery, urology, ENT, gynecology, pacemaker surgery, and orthopedics. I will not be addressing theses issues in this essay and will instead focus on acute care beds.

One of the premises of our paper was based on the following logical argument: an elderly population requires acute care hospital services; acute care services require acute care beds; the elderly populations in Vernon is growing; therefore, the requirement for acute care beds in Vernon will also grow. Follow me?

Let me rephrase using specific examples:

The two top reasons for admission to hospital for the elderly people (where elderly is defined as 65 or older - no offence to readers) are cardiovascular disease and cancer. So if you or your family suffer a heart attack, a life-threatening arrhythmia, a stroke or severe heart failure from metastic spread of cancer , you will require admission to an acute hospital bed.

If you were sent to a community bed such as a nursing home for any of these problems, you would simply die.

Now as a population needs a certain number of acute care beds to properly treat patients for all these problems is it not logical that a greater population would require a greater number of care beds?

Is it true that community beds would improve the care for patients with chronic illnesses but not necessarily patients with acute illnesses. The additional volume of acutely ill patients would not be well served by simply increasing the number of community care beds unless the intent was not to treat hem and have them simply die.

The elderly population of Vernon has been projected by the IHA to increase by 52.6 per cent by 2022.

For the past four years, Vernon Jubilee has been operating at 110 per cent capacity. That means that, on average, there are 10 per cent more patients in the hospital then there are funded beds. The recommended level of hospital capacity for optimum safety is 85 to 90 per cent. No other regional hospital in the IHA is on average over-capacity every single day. Not even Royal Inland and Kelowna General are in the same situation, according to IHA statistics.

It is a regular occurrence that surgeries are performed on patients who depend on a bed being vacated by another patient while their surgery is in progress.

This means that if for some reason grandpa is not quite ready to be discharged after his hip replacement, he might have to be put in a bed in the hallway or in a wheelchair in the waiting room so his bed can be given to a “fresh” post-operative patient. Imagine if the Vernon Lodge operated at 110 per cent capacity. You check in and your room is not ready so you are asked to have a meal at the restaurant. While you eat, someone is still sleeping in your room.

When you are finished your meal, the person in the bed is given the choice to either sleep in the hallway or take their stuff and stay at the bar for another few hours before they are ready to go to the airport so the room can be quickly cleaned for you to sleep in.

Two days later, the same thing happens to you when someone else needs the room. Would this be acceptable even once? What about every day for four years straight?

Would you be upset if there was no plan to change and there was no other hotel in town?

What it means for a hospital to run at 110 per cent capacity is that every person who works at the hospital, from the physicians to the nurses to porters and cleaning staff has to work at 110 per cent to keep patients moving through the system. By and large patients receive excellent medical care at Vernon Jubilee because staff working there really care about the patients and take pride in providing excellent care. But the hospital is at a breaking point. Disaster lurks on a daily basis. All it takes is an unexpected event such as an abnormal blood test that suggests that a patient who is supposed to be discharged may be having a heart attack or a pacemaker that malfunctions after being inserted meaning that the patient has to stay in the ICU another day, or a patient develops a blood clot in the lung after a hip fracture that now needs to be monitored on blood thinners for a few more days.

The physicians at VJH are concerned about the level of safety and the quality of care that is provided to their patients. We would prefer to work at a 85 to 90 per cent capacity environment as is recommended. This would require 160 acute care beds. We currently have 125.

Even though there is a new facility being planned at VJH, there is no plan to provide funding to increase the number of beds or operating rooms when it opens.

The building is merely a replacement not an expansion. If you think the hospital that your tax dollars pays for should provide a safe level of medical care at least equal to other facilities in Penticton and the Kootenays by providing adequate acute beds, sufficient operating rooms, equal access to MRIs and other modern imaging, please write to:

Health Minister George Abbott, Room 337, Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X4

Dr. Hamish Hwang

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Community Policing Closing -- Betty Selin, Astral Media Radio

Coldstream residents are losing their community policing office. It will close tomorrow.

Coldstream council is currently reviewing all services as part of their budget process. In a news release, the Administrator says they have decided the service doesn't meet the requirements of the District and alternate approaches for service delivery are being considered.

RCMP services out of the Vernon Detachment won't be affected and Coldstream will be asking that volunteer programs like speed watch and citizen's on patrol continue to serve the community.

The Administrator says alternate approaches for service delivery are being considered and it won't affect any of the RCMP services the community receives out of the Vernon RCMP Detachment.

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Race and America, as you've never heard it before -- by Andrew Coyne, Macleans.ca

His white grandmother could love him, but confess her 'fear of black men on the street'

I have heard, or read, some great speeches on race in America — Bobby Kennedy's impromptu plea for peace, delivered from the back of a fi‚atbed truck in Indianapolis on the night Martin Luther King Jr. was killed; Bill Bradley taking the Senate to school the day after the Rodney King riots, slamming a bundle of pencils against the podium 56 times — the number of blows from police truncheons King endured — for emphasis ("pow! pow! pow!"); any one of a dozen of the Rev. King's speeches. And I have heard candidates, at pivotal moments in a campaign, find the words to confront their critics and defuse a crisis. But I do not think I have ever heard a speech that so adroitly combined the two — that placed both the crisis, and the campaign, in the larger context of race in America — as the speech Barack Obama delivered in Philadelphia Tuesday morning.

It was honest, it was brave, it was unusually personal, but most of all it was ... sensible. It was not "inspirational," in the singsong, cheerleading style of Obama's everyday campaign speeches. If it was inspiring, it was because it was so clearly predicated on a faith in the ability of the public to absorb a complex message — or rather, a message whose central theme, woven throughout, was of complexity: that life is complex, people are complex, the United States is complex. It succeeded, I think, not just in presenting a convincing account of his relationship with his former pastor, the race-baiting Rev. Jeremiah Wright, but even of turning the controversy to his advantage.

The threat to his candidacy was real enough. Wright's speeches, widely disseminated on the Net, were not just "controversial" or "incendiary," in the careful euphemisms of the polite press. They were paranoid, hate-filled compendiums of every conspiracy theory, racial grievance or blame-America-first sentiment that ever cropped up on a loony-left website. That Obama could have been so faithful a participant in this man's church for 20 years, that he could have given him such a central place in his life — baptizer of his children, inspiration of his books — was not something that could simply be dismissed as guilt by association. If it was a stretch to believe that Obama secretly, against all the evidence, harboured the same views, the case could be made that he was willing to consort with a racial extremist if it helped establish his political standing in the Chicago black community — at once undermining the twin appeals of his candidacy, both his personal authenticity and his post-racial message of reconciliation. Clearly, Obama had some explaining to do.

He began, fittingly given his setting, with the foundational paradox of American history: a constitution that proclaimed the equality of every citizen, yet was "stained by this nation's original sin of slavery." Another black leader might have dwelled on this contradiction. Instead, Obama focused on the impossibility of that tension remaining unresolved: the ideals in the constitution themselves planted the seeds of an inevitable progress toward greater equality — though not one that could be realized without generations of struggle and sacrifice.

If it had taken too long to see those gains realized, that helped to explain the anger of men of Rev. Wright's generation. Explain, but not excuse: Wright's mistake was not to speak about racism, but to believe that nothing had changed, that progress was impossible — to elevate "what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America." Indeed, Obama's own candidacy was, he implied, the most eloquent rebuke to Wright's pessimism.

This is the theme that runs throughout the speech, a relentless balancing of opposites, a pairing of contradictory ideas. The same Wright who could preach such bile from the pulpit was also the man who taught Obama faith and love, and his community self-reliance. Is it so impossible to believe, in that context, that Obama could love the man and hate his views? That he could condemn his sermons, without disowning him? No more than that his own white grandmother, the woman who helped raise him, could love him deeply, yet confess "her fear of black men who passed by her on the street."

So it was necessary to condemn such views, but also to understand where they came from — both at the same time, not one or the other, as partisans of the right or left tend to do. In the same way, it was not enough to dismiss white resentments, but also to understand white fears. If some demagogues had exploited black rage for political gain, others had done the same, many times over, with whites. That did not make either side's anger illegitimate. But in neither case was anger enough. Blacks were entitled to press for change, for better social services and against discrimination, but also to realize "our own complicity in our condition." Whites had a right to want safe streets without being accused of racism, but also had to understand the reality of black grievances.

In the end, what was most impressive was his steely disavowal of that trite strategy of a politician in trouble, the plea to be allowed to "move on." To the contrary: you want to talk about race, Obama challenged his critics? All right, let's talk about it. Move on? Let's dive in.

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For a text of Barack Obama's speech please visit The Wall Street Journal

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Selected articles -- MS, 2008-03-21

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Landing in the Rough With Trump -- by Michael Forbes

Apparently the debate between developers and those who oppose them is universal. This interesting article was brought to our attention by Katy Vella Pace. Thank you Katy! You can read the original article by clicking on the photo. Otherwise you can read it here.

"The Donald wants to build Europe's largest golf resort. Standing in his way is a burly Scotsman."

A quarter of a century ago, movie audiences were enchanted by Local Hero, a fable about the efforts of an American oil tycoon to buy the gorgeous Scottish fishing village of Ferness and turn its beach into a refinery site.

The young company man he dispatches to this wee town finds most of the residents eager to sell out. All that stands in the way of a deal is a stalwart old beachcomber, a man content with his whiskey, his wisdom, and his driftwood shack—in short, secure from the blandishments of consumer society.

A similar yarn is playing out on a scruff of hill and sand on the coastline north of Aberdeen, the prosperous hub of Scotland's North Sea oil trade. Here, in the bedroom community of Balmedie (population 2,000), Donald Trump hopes to build Europe's largest golf and housing resort.

The proposed $2 billion project has pitted local boosters and Scottish politicians against those who complain that Trump has tried to bully his way around the country's environmental laws. Still, with the project backed by Aberdeen's press, its business leaders, and much of its citizenry, passage seems increasingly likely.

The lone stumbling block may be Michael Forbes, a quarry worker who plays the Ferness beachcomber in the updated tale. The 55-year-old Forbes and his family have lived in a huddle of farm buildings behind the sand dunes for four decades. His 23-acre farm is encircled by Trump's proposed complex: The property borders the front nine holes and sits directly between the links and the hotel.

In Local Hero, the beachcomber blocks the ambitions of the tycoon by sheer folksy cussedness, which is pretty much the attitude Forbes has adopted toward Trump, whom he calls "Slippery Sam." P.G. Wodehouse could well have been describing Forbes when he wrote: "It is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine."

Forbes refuses to sell his land. He prefers to remain on the ramshackle homestead he has named Mill of Menie, among broken tractor parts, battered junkers, rusting oilcans, and piles of discarded tires.

The burly Forbes wears a DUMP TRUMP pin on his jacket, and the most mischievous of grins. The front of his T-shirt reads: DON'T TRUMP ON THE PROTECTED DUNES. The back says: NO TRUMP.

"Slippery will have a giant red T flashing atop his hotel," he says. "On the roof of my shack, I intend to have my own flashing red letter: F, followed by a dash and O-F-F."

He says this from an easy chair in the sitting room of his mother's house, a yellow prefab bungalow—Forbes calls it a "chalet"—surrounded by roaming tribes of cats, geese, and cackling chickens. "To my mum, this place is paradise," he says. In fact, the word is inscribed on a plaque by the front door.

Amid this paradise, the main point of public contention over Trump's project has been mobile sand dunes that the government has declared a protected site. The Trump team has likened the dunes to giant sand slugs and wants to plant grass to stop them from drifting up the coast in rough weather. Conservation groups argue that such stabilization would do irreparable damage to the mobile dunes and the wildlife they contain.

"We always weigh economic impact against environmental sacrifice," says George Sorial, the Trump team's chief negotiator. "Critics have unfairly claimed that we'll destroy the dunes." In fact, he asserts, the developer merely wants to "modify" a small portion of one: "We're actually going to enhance it." And when it comes to enhancements, no one trumps Trump.

"Trump's logic—or lack of it—drives me demented," says Debra Storr, a Balmedie councillor. "If the sand dune can't move, it's no longer mobile, is it?"

By a single vote, an Aberdeenshire zoning board recently rejected the application of the New York developer, thereby infuriating the Scottish government, which stepped in and is expected to rule on the plans. "We hope all this will be resolved within three months," says Sorial.

Trump bought the 1,400-acre country property—a scenic old seaside shooting estate—for $10 million in March 2007. He envisions spas, a golf academy, a driving range, a conference center, 950 time-share units, dozens of golf villas, as many as 500 private homes, and an eight-story, 450-room Gothic hotel.

Sorial contends that the Trump International Golf Links will be a tremendous boon to the region, especially 30 years from now when the oil runs out. By his projections, the megadevelopment will generate 1,400 jobs and bring hundreds of millions of dollars in investments. Where those workers would come from is another matter: Aberdeenshire's unemployment rate—1.8 per cent—is among the lowest in Britain. (How would they get there if the oil runs out? The Eagle)

"People need to understand the impact this resort will have in terms of putting the northeast on the map," says project manager Neil Hobday. "If we're refused, nothing of this scope will ever come back to Scotland." (Hopefully! The Eagle.)

The centerpiece of the development would be two championship golf courses that Trump proclaims will be "the greatest in the world" and will one day attract the British Open. In the hallowed heart of the game—the home of St. Andrews, Royal Troon, Carnoustie, Muirfield, and Turnberry—some see this as laughable.

Trump International sits in a chilly, windy, rainy expanse with fog so thick and impenetrable that it has its own name, the Harr. "The kind of course Trump desires would be lovely in Florida or Dubai, where the sun is always shining," says Storr. "The golf season in Aberdeenshire is April to September, and even then, Gore-Tex is an essential part of your equipment."

Then again, some cynics believe the links are just a ruse. "This entire pantomime isn't about building a course—it's a marketing exercise in selling luxury homes," says Mickey Foote, a former producer for the punk-rock band the Clash, who is now spokesman for the anti-Trump group Sustainable Aberdeenshire. "Trump is really planning a wealthy town with a couple of courses attached."

As you might expect, Sorial disputes this notion. He insists the organization's intentions are strictly honorable. "Of course this is all about golf," he says. "Obviously the real estate is a part of the development. You have to justify the golf with a residential component to make the project financially viable. We've always been up front about this."

Golf, as it turns out, is anathema to Forbes, Trump's nemesis. "It's the one sport I've always detested," he says. "I can't see the fascination. And now, with this going on, I hate golf even more."

Forbes prefers fishing for salmon, as his father and grandfather did before him.

Years ago he and his dad netted 500 in a single day; last year he caught one all season. "Nowadays, the seals swim in too close," he more or less explains.

Life is slow and easy here in Mill of Menie. Time stands still. It's like Brigadoon, but without the curse. "I've never had a vacation," Forbes says. "That's how crazy I am about this place."

On this clear, sharp morning, the wind blusters low off the fields when Forbes dons his waders and stomps across the grasslands. "I walk the dunes every day," he says. "I see something new every day. Fox, roe deer, weasels, partridges, curlews, buzzards, owls, kestrels, skylarks, violets, wild purple hyacinths, sand lizards, thistles..." He insists Trump's resort would wreck everything wonderful about the place.

"Would I sell to Trump? No, never," Forbes says. "When this all began, I didn't care about the course, so long as it didn't damage the dunes. But the hotel and condos are something else again. Trump should build houses young married couples can afford, not for the rich. He won't listen, though. He thinks we're all a bunch of cabbages."

Last year, Trump visited Mill of Menie to talk turkey. Forbes sat with his wife, Sophie. His mum, Molly, served tea.

Trump told them that his late Scottish mother, Mary, came from the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. "I want to build this resort as a testament to her," he said, according to Forbes. "From the moment I saw the dramatic dunes and rugged coastline, I was overwhelmed. I've never seen such an unspoiled seaside landscape."

"So why do you want to ruin it?" asked Molly.

Trump shrugged and turned to her son.

"Michael," he said. "What's your price?"

"Donald," said Forbes. "These 23 acres are not for sale."

"Everybody has a price."

"Well, you can make me an offer and see what I say."

Trump offered him $700,000, about what he plans to ask for a small vacation home on the property.

Forbes said, "What? I could build one house on my land and sell it for that."

According to Forbes, one of Trump's minions said, ominously: "We'll make sure that never happens."

Forbes was insulted and infuriated. "I thought, So that's the way you want to play it, is it?" he recalls.

Not long after the encounter, Forbes says a letter appeared under his front door: Trump had raised his offer to $900,000. Forbes wrote on the envelope, in large block letters, TAKE YOUR INSULT AND SHOVE IT. NOT FOR SALE. Then he mailed it back to Trump.

"That's when Donald and his people started kicking the stuffing out of their teddy bears," Forbes says. "A harassment campaign began." Legal letters arrived accusing him of damaging Trump's property; humane society inspectors appeared to check on his farm animals; police grilled him about an unlicensed shotgun. "I don't even own a gun," Forbes protests.

Without naming his prospective neighbor, Trump took his case to the media. "The area is in total disrepair," he told a TV crew. "Take a look at how badly maintained the piece of property is: It's disgusting. Rusty tractors, rusty oilcans—I actually asked him: ‘Are you doing this on purpose to try and make it look bad so I have to pay some more money?'"

Sorial says he has heard that Forbes would have settled for $2 million. "He's a very smart man, and he plays a very smart game," says Trump's man in Balmedie. "But his numbers are too high. We can only make an offer based on the current market value."

Forbes, says Sorial, is Caliban—enchanted at the idea of riches.

"That's lies, all lies," Forbes grumbles. "I've worked hard all my life to get this place and to keep it. Money means nothing to me. I've got everything I need. I'm not like Trump and his hangers-on. The only thing I've ever demanded was to be left in peace."

British businessman Tony Bowman, an ardent environmentalist, has offered Forbes more than $1.8 million for the land, just to block Trump's path. "Tony told me I could keep my home and live on the property as long as I wanted," Forbes said. "It was a nice gesture, but I'm still not selling."

Sorial says the Trump project will plow ahead—with or without Forbes' acreage. "We don't need his piece of land," he says. "But we at least want him to clean up his property, as a good neighbor."

On the other hand, Trump may be growing impatient. Sorial warns that if the government doesn't approve the bid soon "what was once a good deal can go sour." He hinted that the resort could be built somewhere else. Indeed, Trump has negotiated a six-month option to buy a sizeable spread on an alternate site in Northern Ireland. Sorial dismisses suggestions that the deal was timed to scare Scottish government officials.

Whatever happens, Forbes says he will be ready. "I plan to assemble a half-dozen hovercrafts and hold races along the edge of Trump's course," he says giddily. "I imagine the clatter will be spectacular."

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Morning Star News -- Eagle's commentary

The dire warning coming more and more frequently from scientists seem to have little effect on the rapid development throughout the Okanagan. The rabid growth continues with a devil-may-care attitude.

We cannot blame the developers: they do what developers are supposed to do, try to make as much profit as possible. The politicians are the ones who are supposed to ensure that the taxpayers they represent are protected and their quality of life preserved. The taxpayers of the communities collectively decide how their communities are developed in the Official Community Plans. Once those plans are approved local governments are supposed to ensure that those goals, expressed in the plans, are carried out fairly and equitably.

Developers are just another segment of the taxpayers. They should be treated fairly but favoured over the interests of the rest of the population. They must obey the bylaws, policies and regulations set down by Councils. If those bylaws, policies and regulations are followed Councils do not have to even see the developers: staff can deal with the enforcements.

One major problem is that in order to make informed decisions politicians must have adequate data available with regards to water availability, air quality and the like. Unfortunately, those data are scarce and even when something like this water report becomes available it is treated with skepticism by those favouring development.

It is up to the taxpayers to voice their opinion because as long as remain silent politicians interpret that as tacit support. So let your opinion heard by your elected officials.

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Reader's question-answer.

Question: why could we not just carry on with the present financing model as it is and borrow instead for the replacement of the lift stations?

Answer: while this sounds like a good idea there are financial consequences. However, if we continue with the present financial model any borrowing will necessitate either a tax increase or an additional sewer rate increase to cover the cost of borrowing. Using the proposed model the present rate covers the borrowing. No increase in taxes nor in rates need to be considered. The refurbished reserves would cover the necessary upgrades to infrastructure and maintain services.

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More sewer issues.

Sewer Issues

At the last Ratepayers Association meeting members requested that I present a comprehensive review of the sewage issue. This presentation is an attempt to comply with that request.

The above link will take you to a document on Coldstream’s website. That document contains my official complaint regarding the actions of Council of 2005 in extending the sewer trunk line from McClounie to Aberdeen Road at the expense of the existing sewer customers (Sewer Specified Area 1 or SSA1). It describes what the proper procedures should have been in establishing the Specified Sewer Area 2.

In response to my complaints there is a letter from R. B. Cockburn CA, Coldstream’s Auditor, stating that according to Mr Christopher Murdy, solicitor of Murdy & McAllister, the District of Coldstream acted within its authority with regards to the sewer extension.

Notwithstanding the fact that a solicitors opinion is not necessarily the final word (if it were there would be no court cases!), there are other issues besides the legality of Council’s actions. Council also has a moral obligation to be fair to ALL of its constituents. Council did not live up to its moral obligation.

Here are my major concerns in a nutshell:

1. The sewer trunk line from McClounie to Aberdeen Roads (a distance of over 1.5 km) was constructed mainly to benefit one developer. A sum of $665.000 was removed from SSA 1 Capital Reserve Fund to cover the cost of this project. The developer in turn connected to the first sewer line via a sewer line of his own through Mackie, Pine and Giles Drives (a distance of about 1.0 km).

No taxpayer should be forced to expend funds to pay for a project that is for the benefit of a developer.

2. In their rush to award the contract for the construction of the first line before the 2005 Municipal Election Council neglected to carry out their major duties of:

a. defining the boundaries of the specified area;
b. preparing detailed plans for the entire project;
c. obtaining support from residents abutting the sewer line extension (in fact most residents strenuously opposed the plan) ;
d. prepare proper financial plans, obtain grants;
e. obtain necessary concession from SSA1 customers for financing the project;
f. obtain concession from residents along the sewer lines to pay for the project.

As a result of Council’s action they seriously depleted both the Sewer Capital Reserve and eventually the Sewer Operating Fund. Their action jeopardizes the necessary replacement of lift stations and other capital projects. It also necessitates continuous major sewer rate increases to SSA1 customers. In 2007 and 2008 rate increases totaled $60 ($32 and $22 respectively).

Another result of their action is that 87 properties abutting the sewer extensions are now responsible for an annual tax levy of $97.54 for a sewer line they did not want and to which most of them are not connected.

Here is an IMPORTANT note: had we borrowed the funds from the Municipal Finance Authority the annual repayment for the $1,390,515 cost of the project would be under $120,000. The combined annual income from the 87 residents along the sewer line and the increase in sewer rates of SSA 1 customers amounts to just around $128,000. The annual repayment of borrowing the $1,390,515 is under $120,000.

What does this mean? It means that we did not need to spend reserves to finance the sewer extension. The sewer rate increases in SSA 1 and the tax levies in SSA 2 would more than cover the cost of financing the entire project through MFA. The way it is now the reserves are gone and SSA 1 customers have to repay it via ever increasing sewer rates.

My proposal would rectify this situation: the reserves would be restored and the rate increases and taxes would cover financing charges. Continued rate increases would not be necessary.

In order to elucidate the issue please click on the attachment.

Constructive comments, critiques and observations are welcome!

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Selected articles -- MS, 2008-03-16

This is a trial run. Your comments would be appreciated. This appears to be neater but it would be good to know if the quality is acceptable.

Some good news! It's a beautiful morning in the neighbourhood!

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Morning Star News -- Wesbild announcement surprises.

It appears that Greater Vernon Services do a lot of "erroring".

They "errored" when they wrote to the Agricultural Land Commission requesting the change of use for the Spicer Block.

They "errored" when they designed Master Water Plan #1. They "errored" when they designed MWP #2. They "errored"on the design and cost calculations for the Duteau Creek water treatment plant.

Now, to err is human, but to keep making error after error which is placing increasing burden on our finances is unforgivable. "We were trying to put this (agreement) together quickly and we errored" stated the Chair of GVSC. Perhaps taking the time planning our moves would save us some money on the long run and also ensure that plans are done properly. Should we try it?

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Readers write.

Here’s a thought for the assiduous readers of the ‘Coldstreamer’ website to consider. We need to find a replacement for Andy Danyliu as the now past president of Coldstream rate payers association, perhaps some of our readers might consider stepping forward to become a spokesperson for the association. The position is a lightning rod and involves receiving much abuse from the local press and irrate residents who might happen to vehemently disagree with any position the spokesperson might advance in opposition to the Coldstream Council in power. Heck, anybody with sufficiently strong ego defenses and a willingness to stand up in public to defend the interests of the people of Coldstream should be capable of doing the job. It’s a noble cause but not a fool’s job and I would expect there should be a surfeit of suitable applicants!

There have been some really excellent contributors to the Coldstreamer Blog and we would hope some of these people might step forward at our next ratepayers meeting to offer to volunteer their services. They might also consider running for council in the next election. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if some of the people who took a strong position against the Spicer Block sports complex, were to get elected to council and thereby obtained the power to insure that we wouldn’t have to fight a similar battle in the future or to have to fight other odious proposals coming out of a development crazed council catering largely to the business community. Haven’t we had enough development with it’s attendant, congestion, pollution and environmental degradation for now? Aren’t we feed up with outrageous tax increases to pay for the building binge and City Halls largess? Wouldn't it be nice for a change to have people other than the "old Boys", the Coldstream "mafia", and Chamber of Commerce cronies running Coldstream Civic affairs for a change? In order for this to happen, honest, well intentioned people will have to step up and serve! Don't we all have civic duties to attend to? Everybody can make a difference if they contribute.

Perhaps we could come up with a slate of candidates, who all share common values and have similar visions for the community, to run in the next civic election. The defeat of the Sports Complex was a watershed event but it remains uncompleted until we rout the advocates out of council! Only then is the battle really won and we can rest easy yet remain ever vigilant.

Perhaps we can have some discussion on this blog. What do you think?

Peter Peto

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Readers write.

Okanagan Vernon NDP AGM - Corky Evans
*MEDIA RELEASE*
For immediate release
March 12, 2008
Okanagan Vernon NDP AGM - Corky Evans
Local NDP members will select a new executive Friday, March 14th at
their AGM at the Halina Centre.
Corky Evans, MLA for Nelson-Creston & Opposition Critic for Agriculture
and Lands will be the guest speaker. Always interesting and sometimes
controversial, Corky is an articulate defender of rural and Interior
interests from urban British Columbia.
Vernon Mayor Wayne Lippert will open the meeting at 7.00pm, and local
federal NDP candidate Alice Brown will also be speaking.
-- 30 --
Contact for information:
Nick Hodge
250 542-4048
media@okvernonndp.ca
Alice Brown
250 379-2559

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Vernon vies for voice in governance report -- Richard Rolke -- Morning Star.

A substantial rift could be developing over the valley-wide governance process.

The City of Vernon wants the mayors of Vernon, Kelowna, Westside and Penticton to submit their own report to Community Services Minister Ida Chong because it has little faith that the governance task force’s report will actually reflect the views of the four large cities.

“I don’t want us to come across as bullies but we need to look after our taxpayers,” said Mayor Wayne Lippert.

The city’s primary concern is that the task force’s draft report will be authored by the chief administrative officers of the three existing regional districts and a ministry representative.

Coun. Juliette Cunningham questions whether employees of the regional districts can objectively look at other governance models.

“They are in a conflict. At our North Okanagan Regional District table, that CAO wants to preserve the status quo,” she said.

Lippert goes on to say that Central Okanagan Regional District’s administrator is retiring and the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District has an interim administrator.

“I am not sure if the depth is there to put a good report together,” he said.

The perception of Vernon council is the task force’s report may only reflect the view of electoral areas and small municipalities.

“We need to separate ourselves from this report. I don’t know how we can represent our taxpayers if anything remotely close to status quo remains,” said Coun. Pat Cochrane.

Coun. Barry Beardsell insists the four largest cities have not had a chance to put forward their views.

“This whole thing has been manipulated from a regional perspective,” he said.

Most members of Vernon council favour a single regional district for the entire Okanagan Valley.

Cochrane was among the most vocal to support the four cities taking a united position.

“Their report would represent 80 per cent of the population in the area. At some point, the majority must have its say,” he said.

But the governance task force’s vice-chairman disputes the City of Vernon’s concerns.

“There is nothing preventing any separate segment of the region from providing input. But to suggest our employees are not capable of putting forward an unbiased report is not correct,” said Jerry Oglow, NORD chairman and Armstrong mayor.

“What it (task force report) looks like, what it says is presumptuous on the City of Vernon’s part. I believe the CAOs and the ministry representative will collate the facts and simply outline what the consensus is of the majority of people who provided input during the process.”

And while the CAOs will develop the draft report, Oglow points out that the task force — made up of elected officials — will have the final say on its content.

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I find it amazing. Here is a Council that craves for a valley wide, single regional district yet they have difficulty with NORD because they are not in control. In NORD they have 23% of the total membership and over 41% of the financial voting power. They would have much reduced power in a valley wide organization where Kelowna would be dictating the agenda. I am quite sure they would be very unhappy in a valley wide regional district.

Vernon Councils always preached cooperation. Unfortunately, their definition of cooperation was: do as I wish to achieve the Nirvana of cooperation otherwise you are considered uncooperative.

I have no objection of Vernon Council dictating to their own citizenry (obviously Vernon taxpayers sometimes do as demonstrated by the recent referendum result). However, every community that elected its own government and regional representative have their right to determine the direction their community wishes to go. If they are willing to pay for their government their future should be in their own hand.

The statement that NORD staff are in a conflict is absurd, they are no more in conflict then Councillor Cunningham. NORD staff represent the area outside Vernon, Councillor Cunningham represents (hopefully!) the taxpayers of Vernon.

No matter what happens conflicts will not end!

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Council meeting -- February 11, 2008 -- Notes.

Last night's Council meeting was a short one with little mostly day-to-day Council stuff. I found one unique issue of interest brought up by Councillor Mallerby. She attended the "super council meeting" in Kelowna hosted by the all mighty Ida Chong.

Councillor Malerby was quite taken by the idea of creating a valley wide single regional district. Of course, I still remember the enthusiasm Councillor Malerby showed for the Master Water Plan shortly after her election to Council. She provided a Power Point presentation to members of the Ratepayers Association explaining how wonderful the plan was. Unfortunately, the reality turned out differently as the MWP is now in limbo.

Since I did not attend the meeting I am at a disadvantage when debating the issue. However, I know that any time a larger entity incorporates a smaller one it is generally the smaller entity that will draw the short stick. Observe the MWP. While we all paid dearly for our water the ONLY beneficiary to date is Vernon. Vernon, having achieved its goals, is now in the process of trying to partially withdraw from Greater Vernon Water.

It is reasonable to assume that the center of the new super region would be located in Kelowna. The Central Okanagan Regional District was gutted by the creation of Westside. The large bureaucracy must be reassigned to new ventures. It's natural to provide them new employment as the bureaucrats of this new super region.

So how would this new super organization treat little old Coldstream, Lumby or Cherryville? Would they even know where they were, what they were doing? The answer is quite obvious. They would be very low on the list of importance. Thus, it is a mystery to me why a Councillor we elected would be so quick to sign on to something that might be quite inferior to our present system.

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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, MARCH 10, 2008
IN THE MUNICIPAL HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS
9901 KALAMALKA ROAD, COLDSTREAM, BC
AT 7:00 PM
A G E N D A

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More cash from the Cash Cows?

The following information was copied from the Vernon Blog. This is important information for Coldstream taxpayers as well.

Our politicians think that we can pay for the financing of the present financing of the Multiplex and the Theatre and also start financing the replacement of those same facilities sometime in the distant future. This is asinine. Most people are concerned with existing taxes they do not want to start paying for facilities to be built in the distant future. When those facilities are needed they should borrow the funds and pay as you go. Any time a slush fund is built up there is the danger of some bureaucrats or politicians cast their beady eyes on it and use it for purposes of their own. Just remember the sewer fund grab by the 2005 Council. If you do not wish to spend your taxes on such slush fund make sure you let your Council know about it. While it is GVSC that is doing the deed that GVSC is composed of City and Coldstream Council members with two additional members from Electoral Areas "B" and "C".

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JUSTIFY this policy on RESERVES to the Taxpayer.

"First the Regional District looks forward to receiving input from you in the financial planning process. With regards to any discussion of the issue of reserves in-camera, outside of specific legal, labour and/or land issues that may have an impact on the financial plan all budget discussions take place in open meetings.

As for the reserve balances for both the Multiplex and Community Theatre, the net transfers to reserves for 2008 are $78,143 and $96,101 with anticipated 2008 year end balances of $646,728 and $353, 388 respectively. The five year plan assumes a growth factor of 3.92% a year and assuming that this occurs at the end of five years the reserves will accumulate to $2,662,935 and $1,327,590 respectively. The plan however does not currently include life cycle costs for both facilities which are currently in the process of determining. Once staff has these costs we will be reviewing the reserve balances again.

Again I look forward to your input into next year’s financial plan."
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I received the above details from Mr Harris the CFO of NORD in a most timely fashion. They were given in response to my e-mail of the same day to the following questions:

1. The expected 2008 reserve balance for the Multiplex will be $ $376,461 of which $145,574 will come from this years budgeted transfer into reserves?

2. This does not include a further 2007 unaudited surplus of $435,840. (budget $204,974) which will be added to this 2008 reserve balance when confirmed?

3. The 2017 target for reserves in the Multiplex Account is $6,992,874 ?

4. The expected 2008 reserve balance for the Performing Arts will be $ $316,917 of which $107,721 will come from this years budgeted transfer into reserves?

5. This does not include a further 2007 unaudited surplus of $46,491 (budget $20,888) which will be added to this 2008 reserve balance when confirmed?

6. The 2017 target for reserves in the Performing Arts Account is $3,421,356?
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Don Quixote Note: It is too late this year for the public to have any effective input on this budget as it was passed at last Wednesday's NORD meeting.

Effectively it confirms the planned 2008 ending reserve totals of $646,728 for the Multiplex with a 5 year target of $2,662,935. (The operating costs in year 5 or 2012 is projected to be $1,525,931. The 5 year reserve will form 174% of that years operating costs.)

Similarly the Community Theatre is confirmed at the planned 2008 ending reserve totals of $353, 388 with a 5 year target of $1,327,590. (The operating costs in year 5 or 2012 is projected to be $290,028. The 5 year reserve will form 457% of that years operating costs.)
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The staff at NORD has presented a way of building up reserves in these two buildings on the current taxpayers dime and I have yet to hear from one Politician that sits at this table either what they will be used for or that they agree with this form of taxation. There is now indications of revisiting this budget for 'life cycle costs for both facilities' which may or may not be an euphemism for further upward revisions.

I expect these Politicians to stand up in their respective open Council meetings and explain why these large yearly tax burdens have been accepted and the full reasons for these reserves and their planned use.

Vernon's taxes at NORD are increasing by 6% or $513,344 in 2008. The reserve policy as voted on by your representatives at GVSV and NORD is a major part of that increase. JUSTIFY this policy on RESERVES to the Taxpayer.

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An old story retold.

This letter to the Editor was written in 2005. With the pending demise of Greater Vernon Water I felt nostalgic and thought it would be worth of reading it again (for those who read it the first time) or read it for the first time for those who did not read it before. The advice to Council to "...stop the backroom politics and be up front with the electorate" is as valid as it was then.

As for Greater Vernon Water: may it rest in peace! It did not do any good for most of Coldstream taxpayers anyway.

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Selected articles -- MS, 2008-03-05

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Editorial -- March 5 -- Morning Star -- No reason for secret meeting

If one were to go back to the last municipal elections in 2005, it’s likely promises were made of more open, transparent government.

But that promise was cast aside Monday as members of Vernon and Coldstream councils met behind closed doors.

And such action is highly questionable when you consider that the topic was the city’s decision to withdraw from the Greater Vernon water utility. That decision and all of the reasoning had already been the focus of a press release late last week.

Also consider that a number of politicians were willing to discuss the issue in length Tuesday. If they legitimately felt that the meeting should be in-camera under provincial legislation, they wouldn’t take the chance and provide details later.

It’s been suggested by some politicians that the meeting needed to private because of the possible legal and labour implications of the city leaving the utility. And there may be some merit to that argument, but only those aspects should have been held in-camera then, and not the entire session.

The public has a right to know what is going on with the water utility, especially when millions of dollars have been invested not only in infrastructure but in establishing a single water utility for all of Greater Vernon.

When the Greater Vernon Services Committee was formed in 2001, the politicians of the day assured residents that it would be a more effective form of governance and providing service. Now that it’s going sideways, those same taxpayers need to know what went wrong.

Coldstream and Vernon councils dropped the ball Monday, and reinforced the common perception that the public isn’t supposed to be seen or heard.

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Thank you Andy!

It is with regret to inform members of the Coldstream Ratepayers Association that Andy Danyliu has resigned as President of the Association for personal reasons. His dedication to the Coldstream Ratepayers Association will be missed by all. Hopefully, as the Past President he will continue to participate in the activities of the Association. Thank you Andy! You have done a magnificent job! We should continue our periodic coffee meetings to discuss the local political issues and shoot the breeze.

As the Vice President, yours truly will take over the position until such time as we find suitable volunteers who will be willing to stand for election. So, if anyone has any issues to discuss, feel free to contact me either by phone (545-8772) or by email (see top of this blog). I will continue to provide information through these pages and will publish emails as long as they are topical and non libelous. Keep them comments coming!

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Is this the beginning of the end of GVW as we know it?

The joint "darkside meeting" (apologies to Don Quixote) commenced at Coldstream Municipal Hall. The subject was not divulged directly but it appears that they assembled to disassemble Greater Vernon Water.

What a bunch of wasted time and wasted money! Well, not for everybody. Vernon and the developers of Vernon seem to have everything they wanted. Those of us east of Kalamalka Lake in Coldstream, the Electoral Area residents and residents of West Swan Lake only had the pleasure of paying hugely inflated water rates. Will we ever get any improvement? Only if we live to be a hundred (or more).

However, no one complains very loudly so politicians go on their merry ways debating endlessly issues like governance and overhead costs and all sorts of other useful(?) items. How much more indignities will our taxpayers suffer?

Interestingly, politicians from Vernon and Coldstream often blame NORD and GVSC without reference to the fact that THEY are NORD and GVSC. NORD has two (2) representatives on GVSC, Vernon has three (3) and Coldstream has two (2). They legislate in NORD what they hesitate to legislate in their Council and they blame NORD for the fallout. Good trick!

Well, I hope the magnificent 14 had an excellent, fruitful meeting and we may even see some of our money returned. I wish!

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Special in-camera-meeting of Council.

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Readers write.

I wish to comment on the sad and surprising resignation of Andy Danyliu as president of the Coldstream Ratepayers association, at its most recent meeting on 1 March, 2008. We will miss his honest and wise leadership during his term of office for representing and advocating the common interests of Coldstream ratepayers. His efforts certainly stand in sharp contrast to the narrowly focused business interests of the majority on Council. Here is a guy, new to the community, who just wanted to reach out and give a helping hand to Coldstream, ran as a mayoral candidate in the last election, narrowly lost, and went on to become a spokesperson for the ratepayers as a kind of critic, along with Gyula Kiss, in order to keep Council honest and accountable to the Coldstream public. For his well intentioned civic service he has been trashed and vilified in the Corporate press [Morningstar] by half-witted apologists and propagandists working for the propertied and business classes. Without the ratepayer association with Andy Danyliu or Gyula Kiss, who will challenge the narrowly focused business interests of the local managerial class in our municipal governments?

Now, to add insult to injury, nobody has even thanked him for his efforts as ratepayers spokesmen. Apparently he has received a lot of hostile phone calls over the Megasports complex issue, as well as some bad press, which he has unfortunately taken to heart, but I can’t really blame him for trying to avoid any further odious abuse. I don’t doubt for a minute that he was a deliberate victim of a smear campaign by vested interests that saw him as a dangerous threat to their hidden agendas and are now rejoicing at his resignation. However I am confidant that some one else will pick up his banner to lead the charge for honest and accountable local government!

It’s worth bearing in mind we live in a dysfunctional democracy which can be easily hijacked by corporations and wealthy individuals because of public apathy, disinterest, ignorance, gullibility and compliance. It takes actively engaged, informed citizens to run a functional, people centred democracy. Sadly most people shirk their democratic obligations but nobody can accuse the people of Vernon and Coldstream Ratepayers association of shirking their civic duties! Thanks for being a good citizen Andy!

Peter Peto

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Selected articles -- MS, 2008-03-02

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