Thanks for the memories! Courtesy Craig Broderick.

Here are a couple of shots of the demolition of the oldest part of the Coldstream Elementary School.

**********************************************************

Grid Road progress photos - Phase 2 excavation for railroad underpass.

First phase is well advanced: road paved, sidewalk-bicycle path are being prepared for paving.

***********************************************

Finance Committee Meetings, November15, 2010.

A reminder for those interested: sewer rates for 2011 will be discussed!

***************************************************

Photo Gallery -- Coyote hunting on Coldstream Creek Road. Courtesy: Debbie Gibson.

*************************************************************

Selected Articles - Morning Star News

-----------------------------------------------------

I have assembled a partial review of the proceedings relating to the Parks Review. Note that for all appearances City negotiators were on side most of the way. It was a surprise to Coldstream Council members to see the negotiations suddenly going astray. I apologize for the quality of the document but it took a lot of manipulation to bring all those documents together. To access the document please click on Parks Review and download the document.

***********************************************

Finance Committee Meetings, November15, 2010.

A reminder for those interested: sewer rates for 2011 will be discussed!

***************************************************

Selected Articles - Morning Star News

----------------------------------------------------------------

******************************************************

Parks and Recreation negotiations clarified.

The electoral Area's Directors and Coldstream Council released their position papers on the Parks negotiation prior to the November 9th joint meeting. The documents are attached below.

There are two major concerns for Coldstream:

1. Taking over operation and maintenance of sub regional parks within the boundaries of Coldstream, and

2. Ensuring that one jurisdiction cannot dictate to the rest of the jurisdictions (the governance issue).

Coldstream Council's major concern with the governance issue is that following the next census Vernon might get an extra vote and with their majority they can make financial decisions that would drag Coldstream into expansion of facilities, and consequently into greater financial expenditures, without their consent.

In the past Vernon demonstrated dictatorial tendencies in negotiations. The original sewer agreement in the mid 70's were quite amicable since Vernon was desperate for Coldstream's support in securing the necessary funds for the new sewer plant and spray irrigation system.

Years later the contract was up for negotiations and Vernon refused to negotiate the contract renewal under the same terms. They eventually went to court requesting an injunction to prevent further connections to the sewer system by developers in Coldstream.

Vernon insisted that Coldstream did not pay enough for policing, although Coldstream satisfied legislated requirements. They demanded an escalating extra policing cost to0 be included in the contract starting from $40,000 and increasing to $200,000 plus cost of living increases. The majority of Council eventually voted to accept the contract not wanting to go to court. Sometimes it is better to settle contentious issues in court once and for all.

Another example of muscle flexing was in the late 90's when a developer's offer to build a multiplex in Coldstream was rejected by Vernon (the Electoral Areas were not supportive either). The developer would have built and operated the twin ice sheet facility, one of which with 2,000 seats, at his own expense and only requested GVPRD to purchase $500,000 worth of ice time a year . That ice time could have been sold at reduced rates to minor hockey.

Lastly I point out the change of heart by Vernon with regards to Greater Vernon Water, specifically their demand to withdraw from the distribution system. That would increase water rates in Coldstream and the Electoral Areas and significantly reduce the rates in the City.

These are my reasons to insist on a fair resolution of the parks review. I believe we must ensure that Coldstream taxpayers get a fair deal and in the future.

***********************************************************

Clearing up the confusion about the increase in sewer rates.

There is some confusion about the sewer fee increases in the last Coldstream's sewer utility bill that needs to be clarified. I will attempt to do so.

When we received the first quarter bill from the city of Vernon on May 3rd we had a surprise. The bill was approximately $150,000 higher than expected.

The short fall was the result of two factors: the increase in the cost of treatment and disposal of sewage from $1.26 to $1.54 per cubic meter (cu m) and the increased volume from the expected 100,000 cu m to 180,000 cu m
.

This increase, along with the expected increase for the remaining three quarters, would have resulted in a major shortfall in our sewer budget and the Director of Finance brought the issue to Council with recommendations to remedy the problem. His recommended solutions were:

1. to cover the shortfall from the sewer reserves which were just enough to cover it with little reserves remaining, or

2. to cover half the shortfall from reserves the other half from extra billing customers, or

3. to cover all of the shortfall from directly billing it to customers.

The majority of Council opted for option 2 above resulting in the third quarter increase in the sewer bill. In order to make the increase legal Council had to approve an amendment to the Sewer Rates Bylaw.

In the meantime staff succeeded in negotiating an amendment to the obviously faulty sewer volume reading of 180,000 cu m resulting in a $118,000 credit by the City. This reduced our budgetary deficit from about $300,000 to $180,000.

In order to prevent future problems resulting from faulty meter reading Coldstream intends to install a second meter that would ensure double checking of sewage flows. This meter installation would cost about $20,000. Deducting this cost from the $118,000 would leave about $100,000 credit. The question is how should Council divide this credit received? Should we divide it equally between the reserve and the customers or should we credit the entire sum to customers leaving the reserves with a shortfall of about $150,000?

These alternatives will be discussed by Council at the next Finance Committee meeting on the 15th of November. Everyone is welcome to attend Finance Committee meetings. If you wish you could express your preference with an email to me or to Council. I would also welcome any questions.

Gyula Kiss
Councillor

*********************************************************************

Some more thoughts on garbage.

Back in July I promised to discuss further the issues relating to garbage. It is budget time for local governments so I can no longer procrastinate about this important issue.

During the 1990's when I was on the NORD Board I was also member of the Waste Management Committee. This Committee was responsible for the management and planning for waste management. One important policy dictated by the Ministry of Environment at that time was to set aside funds for the closing of the Landfill site at the end of its usefulness. Closing procedures are very elaborate and require large sums of money. Recent estimates run at $25 million. By the end of 1999 there were about $3 million in the reserve account. Unfortunately, the money seems to have been used for other purposes between 1999 and 2009.

Whatever happened to those funds is of little consequence: the fact is that monies are needed to operate the landfill and for the closure of it when it is filled. My concern is how these monies are collected.

The city of Vernon collects the funds through mandatory garbage collection fees. For the quarterly fees each household is permitted to dispose of up to two bags of garbage each week. Coldstream was urged to use the same system. I consider this system totally unfair. Here is why.

We all purchase our garbage as it is part of the our goods we purchase. Obviously, the more one purchases, the more one pays. So why should we pay the same for the disposal of that garbage regardless of how much it is? Some households may dispose of one bag of garbage a month, while others religiously dispose the maximum two bags a week.

The fair system would be to pay for what we contribute, the user pay system. We need to set a fair access fee and beyond that we should pay an appropriate rate for each bag at the curb side. This would be fair to all and it would also encourage reduction of the waste stream. If one has to pay a per bag fee one would be more inclined to remove the recyclables from the garbage ensuring a longer life for the landfill.

Increased garbage fees are inevitable. What we must do is to make sure that the fee structure is fair to all.

Your comments, as always are welcome.

***************************************************************

Council Meeting, November 8, 2010 - Budget highlights.

******************************************

Selected Articles - Morning Star News

------------------------------------------------------------

**********************************************

Council Meeting, November 8 and 9, 2010

**************************************************

Kalamalka Lake Road closure reminder.

************************************************************

Notice of Road closure -- Kalamalka Lake Road!

KPR will be working on the trestle over Kal road at husband Road. The work will require that the road be closed from 7am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. The detours will be inconvenient – either Aberdeen or Hwy 97. Notices have gone in the paper and will be played on the local radio stations over the weekend starting Friday. Emergency services and transit have been notified. Also there will be a series of warning signs posted at strategic locations to provide timely notice to motorists. We are in the process of our final review of the traffic management plan submitted by KPR.

******************************************************************************

Alphabetic order may decide kids' surnames in Spain

Thu Nov 4, 7:56 AM

MADRID (AFP) - A new law in Spain could lead to a boom in children whose main family names start with the letter 'A'.
Until now, Spanish kids have carried both parents' surnames -- their fathers' always in first place and their mothers' in second. In every day use, many people give only the first surname.

But legislation submitted to parliament on Wednesday would give mothers equal rights to fathers in deciding which parent's surname goes first.

If they can't agree, it will be alphabetic order that decides.

"Names like Abad or Alvarez have a promising future in Spain," said the conservative daily ABC.

"For others like Zurbano or Zamora, survival will be more complicated."

The leading centre-left daily El Pais said the Spanish government simply wanted to extend the principle of equality to the symbolic social realm of family names.

The legislation will be examined by the Justice Commission of the parliament's lower house until November 10 for possible amendments. It could be two years before it comes into force.

****************************************************************

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell steps down

Wednesday, November 3, 2010 | 11:51 AM PT

CBC News

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell announced his resignation on Wednesday morning in Vancouver. B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell announced his resignation on Wednesday morning in Vancouver. (CBC)

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell is stepping down and has asked his party to hold a leadership convention.

The premier's leadership of the B.C. Liberal Party had been under attack since his introduction of the HST and there were rumours he had lost the support of a significant portion of his cabinet in recent weeks.

Campbell made the announcement during a surprise news conference on Wednesday morning in Vancouver, accompanied by his wife and children.

The news comes amid reports that several Liberal MLAs were planning on calling for Campbell to step down at an upcoming caucus meeting.

*************************************************************

Photo Gallery -- Deer in their winter coats. Courtesy: Debbie Gibson.

*************************************************************

Canada Reports Huge Jump in Immigration - The Borovitz Report

November 3, 2010

Over 55,000,000 Requests for Citizenship Since Tuesday Night

OTTAWA (The Borowitz Report) - Canadian immigration officials have reported a huge increase in the number of requests for Canadian citizenship in the past twenty-four hours, with over fifty-five million such inquiries pouring in since late Tuesday night.

Of those fifty-five million requests, well over 99.99% of them came from U.S. citizens, with a particularly large number coming from residents of Florida and Kentucky.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said that he was “flabbergasted” by the fifty-five-million-plus requests for Canadian citizenship, adding that it was difficult to pinpoint the precise reasons for the staggering increase.

“My only theory is that after the 2010 winter Olympics, the sport of curling is finally starting to catch on,” he said.

He cautioned, however, that it is impossible to know exactly what is sparking the sudden interest in America’s frozen neighbor to the north: “People answering our immigration hotline say that it is hard to understand many of the American callers because they are sobbing uncontrollably.”

In other news, responding to last night’s election returns, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters, “I’m so stoked I just turned the tanning bed up to eleven.”

But former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin struck a more somber note, saying that despite several key victories, “it was a tough night for Tea Party voters because it involved so much math.”

************************************************************

Another half billion well spent!

New BC Place roof can't close in rain!

Monday, November 1, 2010 | 4:11 PM PT

CBC News

Construction continues on the $450-million renovation of BC Place, including the new retractable roof. Construction continues on the $450-million renovation of BC Place, including the new retractable roof. (BC Place)

The half-a-billion dollar retractable roof on BC Place Stadium will not be able to close in the rain when it is completed next September, CBC News has learned.

Howard Crosley, the general manager of BC Place, said the operators will have to make a decision to open or close the roof based on the weather reports, but they won't necessarily be able to close it if they make the wrong call.

"The way the roof actually works, it's a gathering material that comes into the centre and because of that, if it's raining or high winds, we won't be able to open or close it," he said.

When it is finished, the roof will be the largest cable-supported retractable roof in the world and will take about 20 minutes to open and close, according to officials. But fans will stay dry no matter what because the 55,000 seats in the stadium are covered by a fixed section of the fabric roof, Crosley said.

BC Place Stadium is run by the B.C. Pavilion Corporation, which is owned by the provincial government, and overseen by the Minister of Tourism.

The $565 million renovation to the stadium will be completed in the fall of 2011, well before the Grey Cup, which Vancouver is scheduled to stage Nov. 27, officials announced Monday.

The stadium will be the home field of the CFL's BC Lions and the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer. Both teams will start their season at other locations but expect to end them at BC Place.

Both North American football and soccer are traditionally played in all weather conditions.

*********************************************************************

Letters to the Editor -- Morning Star News

The following letter appeared in the Morning Star on October 31, 2010:

Water bill stirs up issues

Published: October 30, 2010 12:00 PM

Dear Coldstream officials. If I thought I might be successful by legally disputing the water bill I just received, I would withhold payment and do just that, but I am sure you have figured out how to legally milk your constituents before you raised the already high rates. I have enclosed payment in full so that you do not charge unfair interest on your already unfair charges.

I suggest you should consider, that you do not own the water flowing through theses pipes, but rather, provide a delivery service (like the gas people do) and yes, sometimes condition the water to a state where it is acceptable for drinking and showering (sometimes, although not reliably in recent history). With that perspective, I'm sure you would agree that the service you provide is worth but a fraction of the charge.

If water was a privately-managed service, there would be fair competition and pricing would be much lower. Private companies would not be allowed to "double dip." The water I use on my lawn flows back into Coldstream Creek and down to Kalamalka Lake, where you suck it up again and charge the rest of city residents. Water is a renewable resource and the lakes are full of it. This whole scarcity theme you promote is a self-serving methodology to attempt to justify huge charges.

As for the balance of services you purport to supply, such as fire protection, I will again remind you (as I do nearly every year) that I do not have a fire hydrant within 1,000 metres of my residence. The house has been there for 35 years, but I'm sure you'll get to it sometime. Meanwhile, as I am in a forest interface area, I will continue to sprinkle my lawns to keep the fire hazard down. Unfortunately, at your inflated water rates, I will probably not be able to keep up the practice.

Your inability to provide adequate water services has forced my family to pack water jugs from grocery stores for drinking and has cost me several hundred dollars per year in extra fire insurance charge, yet somehow you think you deserve a raise in pay for the water you do supply.

I do sympathize with council, though. I know you have had the unforeseen costs in water management and infrastructure. It's a shame you spent all your reserved funds on a new municipal hall a few years back (after we'd voted no on doing so). If that money hadn't been spent, perhaps you would have seen clear to reduce taxation during the current economic depression, knowing that many people are struggling just to keep their homes.

So please accept my $500 quarterly water payment and know that you have helped me immensely with my decision on the next municipal election. I will be voting for a wholesale change in leadership.

Geoff Wight

My personal response to Geoff Wight:

Thank you for your comments on your water bill. I was not thrilled with mine either: it amounted to $445. I accepted it since the costs are the consequence of the 2004 referendum for the borrowing of $35 million for water quality improvements and approved by the majority of voters.

Coldstream is not the manager of the utility: it is owned and operated by the Greater Vernon Water Utility through NORD. NORD directors ultimately set the rates.

The utility actually owns the water through water licenses granted by the Province. It’s not any different than the oil companies owning the oil the Province licensed to them or the timber companies owning timber licensed to them.

In order for you to receive acceptable quality drinking water much has to be done, including but not restricted to building a distribution system, treating the water and maintaining the system. There might be some adjustment to pricing but the total costs are in the ball-park.

As for privately managed water service: let me just point to the water you purchase in bottles and compare those prices to the prices you pay for your water service. There is no comparison. Private companies must make a profit, local governments are not allowed to.

If your irrigation water flows back to Coldstream Creek than you are using way too much water and that is part of the reason for your high water bill. If you don’t believe there is the risk of shortages, I am sure I cannot convince you. Some people believe all of our resources are limitless. I know it is not so.

Fire hydrants are installed annually but we cannot do them all at once. I am not sure where you live but if you petition Council with a number of your neighbours you might get a faster service.

The Municipal Hall was replaced by a previous Council. However, the money spent on the Municipal Hall would have nothing to do with the water budget. They are separate entities and the water utility would have no call on those funds.

This Council is trying to do the best for the community but if you think you can do a better job by all means, brush up on your facts and run in the next election. I, for one, try to base my decisions on facts.

Gyula Kiss
Councillor

****************************************************************