Councillor Kiss Stays On Topic

It's the benefit residents receive from "continuity" in politics.
Thank goodness he was re-elected.

A big thank you to him for getting residents out of their lazy Christmas holiday mode and back to reality with his letter to the editor, published December 31, 2014, printed after this preamble.

The majority of residents obviously share his opinion on the 2012 Master Water Plan's shortcomings, voting mid-November to defeat the $70 million referendum.

Had he not been re-elected, the lone voice in the area's water drama would've faded to black.
Likely the scenario that bureaucrats (and directors) at the Regional District of North Okanagan had secretly hoped for.

But did bureaucrats realize what the "no" vote meant?
Of course not, as they scramble -- hats in hand -- to Provincial bosses, feigning wounds from the voter attack.  They just don't get it!


Bureaucrats have yet to "get it" that the failed referendum is not just a denial of their plan to borrow $70 million, it means (...wait for it) that their six projects, as presented, are rejected and are not to proceed.

RDNO bureaucrats probably want to teach us all a lesson...and issue everyone a $1,000 invoice for the First Quarter 2015 water base fee/consumption.  Just to prove what the result of the failed borrowing referendum is.

Debt that would've simply compounded the initial problem.

OK, enough preamble.
Gyula Kiss' letter to the editor:

"Master Water Plan:  Early residents of the North Okanagan developed the Vernon Irrigation District system for irrigation.

It was perfectly capable of supplying all of its irrigation customers with agricultural-quality water.  It needed no alteration to satisfy irrigation needs.  A mistake was made when domestic water supply was connected to the irrigation system from the late 1960s to present.  It should have been obvious that domestic customers could only receive raw irrigation water through this system.

"This is just compounding the original mistake."

                          G.Kiss                                            

The remedy should be to have the domestic water customers separated from the irrigation (Duteau) system.  This was clearly stated in the master water plan 2002.  All domestic supply should be provided from the Mission Hill (Kalamalka Lake) treatment plant by extending that supply to the current Duteau Creek customers.

Instead, we have spent about $45 of $66 million (68 per cent) on altering the perfectly functioning irrigation system.  Even after this huge expenditure, the majority of the mixed system remains and the cost of water increased exponentially.  

"Duteau water is the most expensive to treat and most of that treated water is used for irrigation."

G.Kiss                                 

We are still delivering high-cost, treated water to both domestic and agriculture customers and our water rates have increased more than threefold since 2002.  We did not resolve the problem we intended to resolve, we made it more expensive.

The 2012 MWP proposed to spend an additional $58.3 million on further altering the irrigation system.  That would make the expenditure on the Duteau system a grand total of $103.3 million by 2022.  This is just compounding the original mistake.  Those funds should be spent on the total separation of the two systems.

The Duteau irrigation system should be left for agriculture.  The above sum is only for the initial infrastructure financing.  In addition, there are the annual treatment costs at Duteau Creek between $2 to 3 million.  Duteau water is the most expensive to treat and most of that treated water is used for irrigation.

There is also the maintenance and infrastructure replacement costs of the mixed water system and the new raw water system delivering untreated water directly to agriculture crops.  That is all paid for by the domestic customers.

Another problem is the competition for water in low snow pack years between irrigation and domestic customers. 

The Aberdeen source is supplied by small, shallow lakes totally dependent on annual snow and rainfall.  There were years when Grizzly Lake almost totally dried up.

In the meantime, there are unused water licenses on BX Creek that could be utilized from Okanagan Lake (more than nine million cubic metres).

One of the recommendations contained in MWP 2012 is to reserve 50,000 mega litres (50 million cubic metres) of water licenses on Okanagan Lake.

It is obvious that the final direction is to utilize Okanagan Lake as the main water source like Kelowna does.  If that happens, all of the investments in the Duteau system will become redundant.

The taxpayers expressed their opinion on the current MWP.  We must develop a new paradigm for our future water plan.  The new direction must come from the taxpayers through their elected representatives."

Gyula Kiss, Coldstream councillor

Fortunately, Gyula has support where it counts:  residents who voted down the referendum.

But he lacks support from even his own mayor, Coldstream's acclaimed (and self proclaimed pragmatic socialist) Jim Garlick and others on the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee.

Despite this:  "We want to reconfirm the objectives about what we hope to achieve with the plan," said David Sewell, chief administrative officer, RDNO, December 14, 2014.

So what'll it take to get the bureaucrats and other elected officials to change their opinions?

Probably a task not unlike that of a dissenting jurist...or judge.

"Dissenting opinions hold a unique place in our legal system. Practically speaking, they mean nothing. They are not the law, they hold no binding precedents, and rarely have any impact. Occasionally, a dissenting opinion will become vindicated by a future majority of the same court when attitudes or societal norms shift, however, this is rare. For the most part, they go unnoticed." 

2010 Albany Law School, Albany Law Review

But still worth doing.

Because common sense must prevail.

Residents are in charge, even though residents need to be occasionally reminded of that.

A few have written their own letters (excerpts follow):

"The new water rates in my opinion are nothing short of extortion for everyone in the Greater Vernon area."  (W.J. (Bill) Ridgway, published November 12/14).

"Surely a viable water supply is a necessity to Greater Vernon and should be a top priority".  (Brian Willows, December 7/14).

"Voters rejected the projects...a lot of people presented a lot of ideas which were not included in the very limited list of options that the water board had considered and then put forward to you.  Why were the terms of reference given to their experts so limited in scope?" (Dana Mills, December 21, 2014)

"Due to unfair and extreme hikes in water from the RDNO, I am outraged that 'they will look into this'!  (Sally Gorby, October 29/14).

"What has to happen is local government has to take the power away from Greater Vernon Water...some members of council more interested in getting free medical and dental benefits than looking after the people who elected them in the first place.  When your water bill for the year is higher than all of the taxes you pay on your house and another rate hike is forthcoming in November, hello GVAC chairperson, do you get the point?"  John Hegler, October 26/14).

"Kiss also notes that Interior Health rep Gordon Moseley has stated that if the (referendum) vote fails, upgrades won't necessarily be forced."  (Jennifer Smith, The Morning Star October 22/14).

"(Mayor) Garlick...approaching the provincial and federal government for funds to assist in (water) improvements, as well as taking a 'sober second look' at the plan."  (Jennifer Smith, The Morning Star November 19/14).

"Water rates could climb"...(Richard Rolke, The Morning Star, February 16/14)

"Water rates going higher" (Richard Rolke, The Morning Star, February 21/14).

"We are already paying $2 million a year for that plant up there (Duteau Creek), now they want $26.5." G.Kiss, February 14/14.

"Could the onerous water upgrades imposed by the Interior Health Authority have been appealed (at the UBCM convention" in September/14), October 2/13, Shawn Lee.

"Doesn't feel like a Happy New Year, does it?" notes Kia.

Anyway, thanks to Gyula Kiss for waking residents up...now if only we could achieve something before bureaucrats wake up from their lengthy (and well-paid) holiday slumbers.