College Amphitheatre Plans Dead

It was the wrong location.
The lack of parking, environmental protection of an extremely sensitive gully of glacial origin, as well as the vehement opposition of residential housing owners a stone's throw away were clear at the outset.

A commenter on Castanet today suggested Polson Park should be considered for the amphitheatre...sure there are parking issues there too, but certainly no more than at the original College location.  Many people could walk or bus to the Park to attend!  Besides, the burned-down Bandstand could finally be replaced and again be home to music during summer.

The swift and "forceful" (described by a delighted Coldstream councillor Cochrane) rejection of the site by the Provincial government--when Okanagan Summer Festival Society head Diane Bond said that the group hadn't yet gotten to the stage that the government had been asked for permission to use the Crown land--surprised some.

Today's Morning Star newspaper stated "The government nixed plans for the amphitheatre after consultation with Eric Foster, Vernon Monashee MLA."

In the same issue, the Editorial quoted Foster as saying:  "I made my feelings, and the feelings of local residents, clear to the Ministry of Advanced Education..." but the editorial added "However, while government's ability to listen to the public over the amphitheatre issue deserves praise, its inability to do the same with Stickle Road can't be ignored."

"Through three public meetings and countless letters and e-mails, the Ministry of Transportation has been told to put a traffic signal in at Stickle Road and Highway 97.  But instead, it has cast that input aside and gone in a completely different direction," the editorial adds.

Foster didn't even attend the public meetings concerning Stickle Road.

To this cynic (and others), the reasons are simple:

1.  The next provincial election is scheduled for May of 2017.

2.  Foster has announced he will run for a third term.

3.  There are many more residences--voters--near the now-failed site of the Amphitheatre than are affected by the MoT's lacklustre decision on Stickle Road, which "does nothing for the residents and RV park on the west side of Stickle Road, closest to Swan Lake," as reporter Rolke stated.

So maybe Foster simply exercised his Party Whip position with Victoria?
Nah.

Why not?

Because he would've earlier had quite the opportunity to practice it...but then again, it's definitely dicey to practise on the province's actual Leader of the government, Christy Clark.

Blogger par excellence Laila Yule explains it, no holds barred, here. 

Seems there's a certain cheque for $150,000--for which no records exist--donated by Foster's boss in an indigenous community in Massett on Haida Gwaii, B.C.
Turns out Clark's brother may benefit from the donation that will see a feasibility study completed for a new gym for the native school (and aren't they under federal jurisdiction?)

Clark's former boss, Gordon Campbell, about to wind down his duties as High Commissioner to the U.K. apparently "decries global corruption", according to The Tyee.
Campbell was quoted as saying corruption should be driven out. 
And Tyee's story "Why Do So Many Liberal Operatives End Up In Trouble?".

So maybe it's a good thing Campbell's coming home.
So he can tune up his successor Clark?

Nope...to teach Foster how to perform his Whip duties within the party, which is his job.

"The only thing that keeps Libs in power is the NDP, who self-destruct regularly," offers Kia.

Yeah, we've already had two reigns of terror by the NDP.

Maybe Campbell will help drive Clark...out.

It shouldn't require a new Class 5 license.