Residential Complaints Head to Victoria...Eventually

Victoria occasionally needs ganging up on by municipalities.

Especially when the MLA--in this case Eric Foster--dragged his heels (or knuckles) and refused to handle residents' complaints.

Think of Stickle Road (which isn't in Coldstream's area...but a contentious issue nevertheless).  Residents and business owners of that area attended several public hearings where the Ministry of Transportation heard concerns and suggestions designed to improve safety where the road meets Hwy. 97N.

MLA Foster didn't even attend.
Finally explaining why, he inanely stated it was to prevent it "being all about me..." 

Huh?
All about him?

But he jumped into the Amphitheatre fray early on, and soon announced that he would tell Victoria not to allow its construction, stating that a more suitable location needed to be found...(away from all those angry voters.)
 
That's basically what the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities meetings are...communities all over B.C. attend with recommendations in an attempt to gain allies among mayors and planners and bureaucrats so that projects have an improved likelihood of success with government ministers.

Whether communities want money, more money, more money or more laws and money, they go to the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities meetings with their recommendations.  "Minister grovelling" has become downright critical to a community's goals.

Let's see what's firing Coldstream's jets this year:
(Click table to enlarge)

• Water infrastructure funding...yup, residents on the GVW water system are all, well, tapped out. Especially since they're meeting soon to discuss new water rates and furthering the Master Water Plan despite the $70 million borrowing referendum having been rejected in November of 2014.

• MMBC recycling program...FINALLY a hint that officials have been listening to residents' complaints.  Seems they're finally realizing more and more people are simply putting "un-pickup-ables" into the garbage, having given up sorting and separating previously accepted items. 

• Complaints or issues arising from ALR properties ... whether it's the bird-guns or helicopters that protect cherries from birds and rain damage, residents are wondering whether mile-high buffers are necessary. 

Back to water.
Bob Spiers' Vernonblog indicates three recommendations that are on the hot plate in the next month at RDNO/GVW:

1. Greater Vernon Water (GVW) Strategic Plan for Rates and Fees Structure Workshop – Questions & Answers - Report dated June 20, 2016 RECOMMENDATION 2 Page 1 That the requested information from the May 26, 2016 Special Greater Vernon Advisory Committee meeting regarding the Greater Vernon Water (GVW) Strategic Plan for Rates and Fees Structure Workshop be received for information and discussion at the July 21, 2016 Special Greater Vernon Advisory Committee meeting. 2. Financial Options and Considerations – Greater Vernon Water Master Water Plan - Presentation from the April 14, 2016 GVW 2012 Master Water Plan Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting FOR DISCUSSION Page 14 3. 2012 Master Water Plan Review – Stakeholder Advisory Committee Statements and Recommendations - Report dated May 2016
RECOMMENDATION 3 Page 22 That it be recommended to the Board of Directors the request from the Citizens for Changes to the Master Water Plan to hire an independent engineering consultant to undertake a peer Greater Vernon Advisory Committee Agenda – Regular - Special - 2 - June 29, 2016 review of the 2012 Master Water Plan not go forward. 

By the way, don't look for the agenda yet that contains the above.
It'll be available to we peons a few days before the meeting(s).

 

 

"What's that saying...give (some) politicians two terms...one in office and one in jail?" asks Kia.

One More Resident Pens Disgust

Bob Patmore penned a letter to the editor of the Morning Star, succinctly expressing what everyone is feeling regarding water rates here:

"WATER WOES: 
In regard to your article about the Greater Vernon master water plan defeat, I can sure see why.

"...voters have lived their lives struggling to pay

their living expenses."

Bob Patmore

For a start, the authorities came down again, like Big Daddy, saying: 'We will do this for you.  All you have to do is grant us $70 million for our plans.'

The citizens of the area, still reeling from recent high expenditures, are saying, 'Enough is enough.'

And now, Eric Foster, MLA, points out that money will not likely be forthcoming from government coffers, as they are spending the money we have given them on locations where there are more voters.

He also includes a veiled threat to put in the water system anyway.  So then we would no doubt have to pay for it.  Thanks a lot Eric.

Many of our voters have lived their lives struggling to pay their living expenses.  A figure of $70 million for a water system is beyond our belief.  The suggestion by Gyula Kiss seems to make sense, and if we used more water from our lakes, we would not have the usual run off problems of muddy surface water from the creek."

                            Bob Patmore

"We should all be grateful to Gyula Kiss...he's encouraging us to think for ourselves...a good start," offers Kia. 

                                                                                              

Baaaaah, baaaaaah.

Zerospeak

Worse than doublespeak.

"This is a community issue...those decisions need to come from the bottom up," replied British Columbia Premier Christy Clark when asked by the media whether government--in light of the citizen petition to amalgamate local areas--will force amalgamation of Vernon, Coldstream and Areas B and C.

Bottom up?

Local MLA Eric Foster recently told me "the people have to convince their Mayors/Councils that their citizens want to amalgamate, and the Mayors/Councils, and area reps then approach me.  That's the process."

Thinking of the bottom up comment, I asked him "what if our Mayors/Councils won't do that?"  Eric replied:  "Then you can express your dissatisfaction in November 2014" (during the election).

So it remains pecking order, no matter how displeased the bottom-up people are.
And local governments can then stymie the wishes of residents...at least put it off for a year.
Mayors Sawatzky and Garlick--and areas B and C directors, led by RDNO Chairman Nicol--obviously know that, and have absolutely Zero to say when asked about amalgamation.

Zero.

"The absolute silence from local municipal politicians is interesting..." offers a Letter to the Editor from Michael Tindall, adding "Are citizens to assume they would rather continue wasting taxpayers' money than ask a simple question about future governance?"

Eric added, as reported in the Morning Star, "If there is a large groundswell of support for this, it will be important for local government to take it seriously."

Large groundswell.

Redundant.

Today's the day the petition timeline ends.
"If any one area has less than 10 per cent signatures, the petition fails," Coldstream Mayor Garlick was quoted as saying some time ago.  "Not so," affirms a canvasser for the Society.

Michael's letter closes with "You were all elected to govern; staying silent is not an acceptable option."

Another citizen wrote "...I do know that I don't want to see my taxes go up because the City of Vernon cannot rein in its spending habits."

Fear...something the Society for Future Governance of Vernon hasn't been able to assuage to date.
Yet I trust the Society.

But I fear something too.

That governments--all of them--are ignoring an entire segment called Citizens.
Citizens--and not mayors and councils--are what "bottom up" means.

"The zero-speaking mayors will receive a reminder," affirms Kia.

Amalgamation isn't going to go away by ignoring it.

I don't give a rat's ass what Eric thinks about the amalgamation drive

...because he was dead against it last time, when a governance review was called by then-minister Ida Chong.

But obviously the Morning Star newspaper contacted the Vernon-Monashee MLA for a story, the first sentence in today's issue which states "Victoria will not dictate the future of Greater Vernon."

The inverse is also true.
We won't allow Victoria to dictate the future of Lesser Vernon...again.
Which is what Victoria did by ignoring calls for amalgamation last time.

Is it any wonder that people aren't contacting Eric?
He stated "I thought I would see a lot of letters...or emails to my office."  The Rolke article states "Foster would not speculate on why he has not been contacted by residents on possible amalgamation."

Gee, lemmee guess (... eyes return to first sentence...)

So let's end Eric's doe-eyed wonderment.
People haven't contacted his office because he was the hold-out last time the amalgamation issue was raised by residents and some elected officials.  There was a good chance it could have proceeded had Eric Foster NOT pooh-poohed the amalgamation concept among his colleagues in Victoria.

He is enamored and smitten--for reasons unknown--with the philosophy of regional districts.

Maybe it's because there are more meetings for him to attend.

Maybe he likes things moving in never-ending circles...if that can be called moving. 

"I have heard almost nothing," states our Member of the Legislative Assembly in the story.

Duh.
Ya think? 

Let's hope the new Minister in Victoria knows that Eric Foster can't be trusted by his constituents.

Welcome aboard, Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development minister Coralee Oakes. 

"The new minister is from the Cariboo," offers Kia, adding "none of Eric's pontificating goes very far up there."