When Acting Locally and Thinking Globally Doesn't Work

Nobody gets the message across any better than Gyula Kiss:

"I remember my mother telling me to eat all the food on my plate because some people in the World are starving. I never understood the logic of such reasoning. How could cleaning up my plate help the starving millions?"

But he's not talking about world hunger in his latest blog installment.
He's talking about water supplies, specifically in the North Okanagan.

"Conserved water will not stay here:

 it goes down to the ocean

 (some of it through Lumby

 with undesirable consequences

 (flooding) at times)."

      G.Kiss, Coldstream councillor

Greater Vernon Water officials last week ... finally ... got around to posting the updated reservoir level, and we'll repeat it here (click to enlarge):

"The following information is important when viewing the above graph:

•                  Maximum reservoir capacity is 18,300 ML/y - in most years full capacity is achieved;

•                  Annual agricultural consumption is between 7,000-8,000 ML/y;

•                  System is designed for 17,000 ML annual consumption. 

Similarly, excessive saving of water when there is plenty of it in our reservoirs is not going to help other users who are not connected to our system.

 

Using reasonable amounts of water would keep our properties a little greener, reduce our per cubic meter rates (getting more water for the same price--maximizing, without exceeding, the "tier") and keep ratepayers happier.

 

Conserved water will not stay here: it goes down to the ocean (some of it through Lumby with undesirable consequences (flooding) at times). 

Obviously, when there is a shortage, conservation is important.

 

That is why Greater Vernon Water developed a Drought Management Plan to ensure conservation is enforced when it needs to be enforced."

 

 

GVW's tenet?  OBWB's tenet?

"So why doesn't bureaucracy simply go away when rules don't need to be enforced?" asks Kia rhetorically.


Remove the word 'simply', and I'm all for it... 
 
 

Rolke: Proofread! Proofread!

The Morning Star's writer Richard Rolke penned the story "climate change response questioned", published September 18th.

The first paragraph states "There are calls for local communities to fight climate change head on, but a Vernon politician is frustrated with that approach."

The story goes on to say "We need co-operation and investment from senior levels of government," Juliette Cunningham, Vernon councillor said.

Here's where Rolke muddied the waters, with another quote by Cunningham:

"We have to allow recreation to co-exist within watersheds.
Recreation should be No. 1 and recreation way down there," she said.

Huh?
Read that line again.

Perhaps she meant "...Water quality should be No. 1 and recreation way down there."

"It's a dying art," says Kia.

Obviously.
Wonder if readership will twig on that it was incorrect.

That's all we need...more people believing RECREATION should be number one.
As though they don't already!

Hope the mud-boggers are paying attention...

Welcome back, Gyula, to the blog world

...after the devastating loss of your spouse this summer.
Yes, Greater Vernon Water customers in the North Okanagan missed you--more appropriately--your "water sanity", and were prepared to wait until the time was right for you to continue.

And you've done that now.
With a flourish!

Here, in its entirety, is Gyula's latest installment (from his blog coldstreamernews.blogspot.ca) in the area's water woes:

"

Comments on the GVAC Special Meeting, September 1, 2016

An apology!

First of all, I would like to apologize to my faithful followers for a long pause I had in maintaining my blog. My family went through a trying time and I was unable to concentrate on the water issues. I intend to restart the provision of information to taxpayers of the community even though my peers have removed me from active duty at GVAC. 

Just to reassure you that I am not a hack pretending to be an expert let me re-present to you my qualifications. I obtained a diploma in Forest Engineering and subsequently a Master of Science Degree. I also have worked on a PhD which remains incomplete. In 1967 I was hired by the BC Ministry of Forest as a Research Scientist and charged with the development of a tree breeding program for the interior spruces of British Columbia. I have completed the plans for the project in 1967 and the plan is continuing to evolve to this day by my successors.

One of the project of my plan was to develop a forest research station in the Okanagan as it was necessary for the success of the breeding program. I have encountered major opposition from my peers in the BCFS Research Branch but, thanks to my superiors trust in me, I prevailed.The resulting Research Station can be seen at the south entrance to the City of Vernon. An unintended but very important consequence of my plan is the present siting of the Okanagan College in Coldstream. Additional benefits to Greater Vernon are the seed orchards that sprung up as climatic benefit to forest tree seed production was recognized by the Forest Service and the private forest sector.

Closer to home and to the subject of water: In 1990 I was elected to Coldstream Council as an Alderman. The first major challenge I faced as an Alderman was to vote on a request from VID for a grant of $10,000 from each of Vernon, Coldstream and the North Okanagan Regional District ostensibly to investigate ways to improve  water quality to VID's domestic customers. I considered the request, did some investigation and concluded that VID could only solve its problem either by treating all of their water supply, including that used for crop irrigation, to domestic quality or separate off the domestic customers from the irrigation system and supply them by a new domestic distribution system. It was a bad business plan by VID to try to sell something they did not have: domestic water. That report can be found here.

In future reports I will try to explain why a relatively simple solution to VID's dilemma developed into such a huge project. How a less than $100 million project developed into a plan costing $200 million or more without actually resolving the problem. I will also explore way how we could return to a sane Master Water Plan with no more costs than what we are facing now. I will also continue to attempt to convince my peers to agree to a fair and equitable water rate structure.

The report below is the first one of my information dissemination effort. I will explain my interpretation of data supplied by consultants and GVWU staff. The readers should examine my position, compare it to staff's interpretation and draw their own conclusions.

Let me turn to the evaluation of the data provided by staff at the September 1st Special GVAC Meeting. The staff report can be accessed here.

Thank you!  

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

The purpose of the special meeting was to provide statistical information on water consumption patterns staff collected during  2015. They also included revenue patterns during the same period. Staff presented several charts and tables to review so I summarized the more relevant information in simple terms.

Schedule B

The first chart provided by staff demonstrates the distribution of revenues in a visual format. Note the very high percentage of base fees (referred to by staff as “Infrastructure Base Fee”) contributed by the domestic customers.

RDNO’s stated policy on rate structure is: “50% paid by base fees, 50% by consumption fees”. As illustrated by the graph, this policy is not met by the rate structure. Domestic customers pay the majority of the “infrastructure costs”. Customers using less than 80 cu. m. always pay more base fees than consumption fees. This defeats the "user pay" policy GVWU adopted.

The capacity (size) of the infrastructure must be designed to meet the maximum daily demand. That is driven by large daily consumers like ICI (Industrial, Commercial, Institutional). As the chart demonstrates none-domestic users contribute 5% of the total base fee while the domestic customers shell out 92% while they could be served by a significantly smaller infrastructure.

Another note of interest is that the variable revenues from ICI customers are derived from a preferential rate of $1.58 per cubic meter regardless of consumption. The question may be asked: Why should large users get a preferential rate? Domestic customers are discouraged increased usage by penalty rates of $2.37 per cubic meter above 80 cu. m. per quarter. All customers should pay the same rate for a cubic meter of water.

The table below the GVWU chart summarizes the revenues in a tabular form. I prepared a summary of that table and it is presented below.

Total domestic+non-domestic revenue:         $18,246,978

The above table illustrates the unequal distribution of “Infrastructure Base Fees”: Domestic customers pay 63% of total, None-domestic 14.7% of total base fees.

In an earlier report (July 21, 2016, Schedule A, page 4 of 29) staff summarized the GVW average water consumption and revenue by class (see above table). Only 17.7% of customers used more than 80 m3 of water per quarter. A rough calculation (sum of all quarter consumption of the reporting jurisdictions divided by 12) of average consumption per domestic accounts was 56.4 m3 per quarter or $2.83 per m3 for a ratio of 64% base fee 36% user fee. Hardly a 50-50 ratio.

The following questions arise again: why should domestic customers pay so disproportionate amount for infrastructure when the size and therefore cost of infrastructure is driven by high maximum daily demand for water? Also: why should domestic customers and small businesses subsidize high consuming ICI customers with consumption rates?

Schedule J

The Table: GVW Water Accounting & and Water Loss illustrates consumption and consumption distribution among GVW customers as summarized in the Table below.

For comparison the table below presents the Predicted consumption figures from Technical Memorandum #1:
 

The difference between the predicted and actual consumption is quite significant (27,260 ML vs. 14,228 ML or ~92%). The significance of discrepancy shows up in increased infrastructure cost. Part of the high infrastructure cost is due to the oversized infrastructure.

The water loss (unaccounted-for-water) is quite significant. Of the 19,000 + ML inflow only  14,000 ML is metered on the consumer end. That is a loss of almost 5,000 ML or ~35% (as a percentage of the consumed water). The value of this lost water is anywhere from $3.9 million to $12 million depending on what water rate we consider ($0.79/ m3 or $2.37/m3).

Schedule K

A great deal of effort was spent on justifying the low agricultural contribution to revenue. My concern with the agricultural subsidy is that it is spent on treating agricultural water. This has no benefit for agriculture and it is a huge drain on domestic customers' pockets. If we were to provide cash to agriculture in lieu of compensation for water licenses obtained from agriculture it would benefit both parties.

According to the Summary Table the difference between agriculture expenses and revenue is only $63,349. It drastically differs from consultants estimates of between 12 to 18% of annual costs attributed to agriculture.

Schedule L

Debt payments are listed as $2,911,957 (capital of about $41.6 M) whereas the borrowing costs in Schedule K are shown as $2,176,545 (a capital of about $31.1 M).

There is a lot of information provided in the staff report and it is hoped that Directors utilize them properly. A proper distribution of rates would significantly reduce the burden born by domestic customers. It would be a lot fairer distribution of water rates. Domestic customers do not need preferential treatment, they just need fair treatment especially those who use the least amount of water."

"Domestic customers do not need preferential treatment,

 they just need fair treatment

 especially those who use the least amount of water."

                           Gyula Kiss, Coldstream councillor

  

 

 "Democracy equates to majority rule," offers Kia, adding "so Gyula Kiss remains a lone voice against the North Okanagan's water insanity."

That's a shame.
Because we certainly have bureaucracy!
In spades.
   

Road "Dieting" Continues

As the saying goes, it kind'a creeps up on you.
Change, that is.

Whether change is for the better--or not--is a matter of opinion.

The following photo landed in the mailbox today:

30th Avenue (circa ?)

Compare that photo (looking east on 30th Avenue, up to "Suicide Hill") to this approximation of the same street/area in 2016.

The question posed by the sender was: 

"The main street pictured used to be four-lane. 

Now it's two-lane and

 traffic frequently is backed up

 through a couple of traffic lights. 

  They call that Progress."

Road diet?

"It's Road Anorexia," affirms Kia adding, "obviously a bureaucrat went to a seminar."

...or Supporting the Downtown Vernon Association?
(i.e. your car is crawling at 1 kph anyway, might as well stay and shop if you can find a place to park).

Several years ago merchants on 43rd Avenue put up such a hue and cry that bureaucrats backed off dieting the road in front of their businesses.  Business owners had stated "our tax dollars paved four lanes here and it's to stay four lanes".

Those were the days when some local governments appeared to listen to taxpayers...now and then.

Big Drone Brother?

Kiss FM's recent news story by Ron Manz was entitled: "Coldstream Backs Anti Smoking Plan", 

Coldstream council is backing the Canadian Cancer Society's push to have tobacco and vapour products banned from all outdoor public spaces in BC.

Mayor Garlick was quoted in the feature:

"How do we actually start enforcing it always. You have to have eyes and ears all the time watching and then there has to be some consequence to it so those are challenges always."

 

"What we came to the conclusion was it would have to be with an increase in bylaw enforcement.  That might not be a year around thing, just summertime and it didn't go any further than that this time.  It may come back though."

Ah...an increase in bylaw enforcement.
Really?

That's all we need...more $28.00 per hour quasi police issuing tickets.
All of whom need benefits and pensions and a desk and a computer.
All of which taxpayers need to fund.

Let's see the definition of what a public place is (taken from Edmonton's Bylaw 14614, Public Places Bylaw, consolidated March 25/2008)

“public place” means  any property,

 whether publicly or privately owned,

 to which members of the public

 have access as of right or by express

 or implied invitation,

 whether on payment of any fee or not; ..."

So is Coldstream going to enact an anti-smoking/anti-vaping bylaw?

It appears Coldstream is leaving it to individual councillors to make a motion to pursue.

"...eyes and ears all the time watching", Mayor Garlick

Kia has an idea that'd prevent hiring a whack of new bureaucrats:

"Why not do what GVW did during a drought years ago?, threatening to use aircraft (presumably rented on taxpayers' dimes) to see if people were topping up their pools,"  Kia said.

Big Brother.

Big Drone.

Big Drone Brother. 

Fear-mongering Hiatus?

This summer's ample precipitation in the North Okanagan was certainly welcome.

For more reasons than to water our lawns and gardens!

Many hoped it would, frankly, shut up the OBWB's incessant yammering about climate change and drought.

More than one Greater Vernon Water customer mentioned "this summer's frequent rain should keep the OBWB's mouths shut for a change," the individual clearly more than a tad weary of hearing their "doom and gloom stories". 

Many residents recall a water consultant's comment--"you're blessed with loads/tons of water"--during the lengthy Stakeholder Advisory Committee meetings during the Master Water Plan Review--yet nothing appeared to dissuade the OBWB's fear-mongering.

That remains true today in mid-September as the following excerpts of a Morning Star story from September 14th prove.  But this time it's a Black Press story (from one of their 112 newspapers, BP also owns the Morning Star), penned by a Kevin Parnell, headed "OBWB urges water planning". 

"...and recognize that our actions do affect surrounding watersheds in Canada, the U.S. and the world."

"...in the Okanagan...we're trying to get ahead of the problems."

"Warwick Sears (OBWB head) has considered the state of the problem in the Okanagan compared to what is happening in California."

"Use (the problems) as an example of what can happen if you don't plan properly.  We're trying to build relationships with stakeholders and different levels of government so when a crisis does happen we are a well-oiled machine."

Build relationships?
Surrounding watersheds ... the U.S. and the world?
Huh?
Are the OBWB's ambitions a bit majestic? 

Not a mention in the story about gouging residents until they can't afford to do their young family's laundry.

Not a mention in the story about bureaucrats setting unrealistic revenue goals from a decidedly-management-heavy water authority, many of whom are engineers (yet they hire engineering consultants versus using their own professional skills!)

Not a mention that the Okanagan Basin Water Board is simply yet one more arm's-length appointed committee, who themselves (~50 people?) garner more than $600,000 annually from the Regional District of North Okanagan's for wages/benefits...all of which is money paid by residents, whether via taxes or water rates.

Complicit among Greater Vernon elected officials--including two mayors--are the bureaucrats of the Greater Vernon Water Authority who appear to have forgotten to update the public on reservoir levels at the Duteau site...since May!

Well, an updated reservoir level graph has been obtained by Vernon councillor Bob Spiers, and residents thank him for spurring the bean-counters into action...

(click the illustration to enlarge).

A commenter stated: "...they were all paranoid this spring for nothing."

Indeed.
But it appeared to be good press for them not just in the North Okanagan, but in Canada, the U.S. and the world."

Cue the cheering.
And before the scene fades to black, Kia's comment is noteworthy.


"A well-oiled machine?", queries Kia, concluding "nope, the OBWB is a well-greased machine, greased with OUR money."

We didn't vote the OBWB in.
And we can't vote the OBWB out.

But there are others we can, including provincial MLA Eric Foster.

And others who believe water runs uphill.

Wanted: Ethics/Integrity Commissioner

Yessirreebob, time indeed for such a job description.

Especially in Coldstream.

Click on this image to enlarge ... and discover what's wrong.

Haven't found it?

Well, let's back up a bit then:
Telus described by Wikipedia as:  "Telus Corporation (stylized as TELUS) is a Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voice, entertainment, healthcare, video, satellite and IPTV television. The company is based in the Vancouver, British Columbia area; it was originally based in Edmonton, Alberta, before its merger with BCTel in 1999....:

So have you found it yet?

The letter from Telus, offering fibre optic service, is co-signed by Mayor Jim Garlick of Coldstream!
What the hell is an elected official doing scratching the back (condoning sale of a service) from a non-Crown corporation????

What indeed!

Sure, telus used to be a Crown corporation when it was incorporated in Alberta, but it merged with BC Tel in 1999.  And besides...other corporations offer competitive services to telus.

So was it ethical for Coldstream's mayor to co-sign the above letter?
I think not!

But Garlick likely felt a precedent--therefore, his duplication was okay--was set when Edmonton's mayor recently did the exact same thing!  Read the Hicks on Biz story here.  It's clear from some of the comments at the conclusion of that story that folks are not prepared to pay $100 a month more for the fibre optic service offered by telus.

Condoned by an Edmonton mayor?
I frankly don't care.
This "crossing the line" into providing support for a company's service is a lack of ethics, a lack of integrity.
Especially since Telus is listed on the stock exchange...

Seems I'm not the only person offended by such an action.
The topic has even been slated for discussion at the upcoming Union of B.C. Municipalities meeting (see page 68 of 130 here) which reads, in part:

  "...local government in B.C. regarding matters of questionable conduct

 and breaches of code of conduct of elected officials...

result(ing) in expensive quasi-judicial processes

eroding public confidence,

 strained internal relationships,

 and produce limited viable outcomes..."

Ahem.

It seems, though, that even the UBCM will study the topic to death, as evidenced by the same page:  "

"Rather than adopt a policy position endorsing an Integrity Commissioner concept at this time, it is recommended that the resolution be referred to the UBCM Executive. In cooperation with the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development and the Local Government Management Association of BC, additional policy work would be undertaken over the next 12 months and a full report and recommendation provided at the 2017 UBCM Convention."

Jeezzuzz! 

Let's see the definition of integrity:

in·teg·ri·ty

inˈteɡrədē/

noun

noun: integrity

1.

the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

"he is known to be a man of integrity"

synonyms:

honesty, probity, rectitude, honor, good character, principle(s), ethics, morals, righteousness, morality, virtue, decency, fairness, scrupulousness, sincerity, truthfulness, trustworthiness "I never doubted his integrity"

 

We're not saying that money changed hands (as it did with the $1 million dollars to each of 18 regional districts to coerce/support/recommend/condone the Multi-Material Recycling program--which today remains a sham!), but what Garlick is doing is wrong.
Flat out wrong.

Multi-Material B.C. is today unaffectionately called Mini-Material B.C.

"What'll we call Mayor Garlick after a review of his integrity," wonders Kia.

How about Unelectable Garlick? 

Attaboy, Peter!

It doesn't even matter what the topic is--and there are many "issues" in the North Okanagan--but Peter Moore's letter to the editor of the Morning Star, published today, hit the proverbial nail on its head with these last two paragraphs:

"We citizens, via our elected officials, should be directing provincial employees, not the other way around.

If government leaders and employees

do not follow the will of the people,

 I suggest democracy

 in the City of Vernon, the North Okanagan and

 our area of the province of B.C. has failed,

 and we should

remove these autocrats with our votes

 at the next provincial and municipal elections."

Peter Moore was, of course, referring to the Stickle Road/Highway 97 debacle. 

But the sentiment could just as easily apply to any of the myriad issues here.

Water prices, fees, spendthrift municipal (and provincial) governments, increasing bureaucracy/staff...on and on the list goes.

"The government asks us for input at public forums," says an observer, "and then ignores the majority's will."

"So why bother?",  replies another. 

Why indeed.

"Because government knows and decides what is best for you," says Kia unaffectedly, adding "they even have a government 'whip' to ensure everybody toes the line."

Maybe that whip can be employed come election time.

 

A Dangerous Precedent?

It's not that there hasn't been anything to blog about in the last few weeks...
it was just time to take a mid-summer hiatus from blogging.

Until I read the following on Bob Spiers' blog:

Saturday, August 20, 2016

City wants share of pot tax

by Wayne Moore - CASTANET Aug 20, 2016 / 5:00 am
The City of Kelowna should receive a portion of tax revenues derived from legal marijuana sales.That's just one of several recommendations city staff have provided in response to questions asked by the federal government in advance of legislation which will legalize marijuana in Canada. Local and provincial governments across the country have been asked to provide feedback to advise the government on the design of new legislation and the regulatory framework that will include a new system of strict marijuana sales and distribution.City planner Ryan Smith said staff reviewed the government's discussion paper and provided responses to several questions.  (See Bob's blog for what the responses were...)

But MY bone of contention likely mirrors the same alarm bells of other business owners...
and that is:

Have you EVER...EVER seen a tax that doesn't suddenly 

extend to other businesses?

All in the "interests" of procedural fairness? (*grin*)

Of course not.

This slippery slope of local governments wanting a piece of tax revenues from legal marijuana sales can set a very dangerous precedent.

And likely will.

People hate taxes, whether local, provincial or federal.

Tax, borrow and spend is yet another contagion that is spreading to even the lowest levels of government.

"It's absolutely stooooopid that T2 (prime minister) considers legalizing pot to be of prime importance," says Kia, "in a world full of entirely more important issues."

But what can be expected from a kid raised on a trust fund?

Probably can't even spell economics...

A precedent if ever there was one.

The Sham of "Conserving"

All it leads to is an increased unit cost to you, the purchaser.

Whether it's fuelled by outright lies--as is now known to be the case in the B.C. government's "need" for Hydro's Site C--or unbelievable bureaucratic biases whose strategy to have long-sitting politicians save face--who approved the Master Water Plan in the first place--it's become a contagion.

Government lies.
Bureaucratic lies.
Consultants manipulating data.
Arm's-length appointed committees--over whom the electorate has no control--making the rules.  Cases in point:  the B.C. Utilities Commission, to whom Hydro goes for approval of new rates, and the Okanagan Basin Water Board, who now issue provincial grants to municipalities!

Both the BCUC and OBWB have focused on conservation as a tool to conserve (BCUC) electricity and (OBWB) water.

While this blog would never ever promote wasting either water or electricity, get a load of this story in the local Morning Star today...and think of your Greater Vernon water rate increases while reading.

Its title tells it all:  "B.C. Hydro rates rise as demand slows.  (excerpts only, highlighting by blog author)

B.C. Hydro is going ahead with its planned four per cent rate increase this year and deferring more debt to future years as it revises its electricity demand forecast downward. 

The provincially-owned utility has not asked (BCUC!) for an increase in its government-imposed rate plan despite a revised demand forecast with $3.5 billion less revenue over the next 10 years.  Hydro has filed a three-year plan with the BCUC that increases rates 4, 3.5 and 3.0 per cent in the next 3 years.

That's a 10.5 per cent increase over the additional new rates we've been paying for the last four or five years! 

B.C. Hydro is seeing lower revenues (does that sound familiar, GVW water customers????) due to two warm winters and downturns in mining and forest products.

Critic Adrian Dix states Hydro should have added a sixth turbine to the Revelstoke dam (at $450 million) versus forging ahead with the Site C dam ... a $9 billion project!"


Blog readers...for a wayyyyy more accurate--and damaging expose of B.C. Hydro, and how the B.C. Liberals have been draining its coffers dry (now ICBC isn't the sole victim!), you simply must read this Site C article by blogger extraordinaire, Norman Farrell. 

Then go back to his Home Page here to learn the ongoing deceptions of the B.C. Liberals.

"There's no antibiotic that'll rid voters of the lies contagion," says Kia, adding "look at how it's spreading among politicians and the bureaucracy."

Indeed.
Sadly, they're learning from one another.

Lies, Lies, Everywhere Lies...

When Government "Misleads" the Public

Interesting letter to the editor of the Morning Star today, by Duane A. Mather:

"Public is being ignored on issue:

(Note:  highlighting by blog author because Mr. Mather's letter could just as readily apply to local officials' and bureaucrats' dealings in the GVW master water plan issue!)


While there is always more than one solution to solving a problem and certainly in the problem solving analysis, all options and opinions should be considered.

In the case of the Stickle Road issue, part of the analysis was public consultation (likely a protocol required in our provincial legislation) through the public consultation open house process.

Many people take Abraham Lincoln's words from the Gettysburg address as a definition of democracy; "Government of the people, for the people, by the people."  The open house concept sort of supports the president's decree.

It doesn't seem to apply in this case.

Point in fact, the first solution by the Ministry of Transportation team was solidly rejected by the public attending and all of our community area elected officials.  Back to the drawing board for the ministry, instead of accepting the advice of the majority of the people.

Another open house was again solidly rejected by those attending but suddenly a new position by our mayor and the elected MLA, Eric Foster, citing the need to compromise with the ministry.

I for one do not think we elected these folks to appease Victoria.  We elected them to represent the community's position as presented to them by a majority of the citizens.

At open house round three, there was another attempt to do anything but what the people want, again being solidly rejected by the majority.  In baseball, three strikes and you're out, but not if your(sic) employed in the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Transportation.

The elected officials' job is to provide fiduciary oversight and leadership to the bureaucrats, not to roll over and capitulate to their arrogance.

The ministry must not have any statistical data to substantiate their claim that a light will compromise safety by creating rear end collisions otherwise they would have presented it.

As presented in many letters to this publication, there are many such lights on Highway 97 already in existence in the valley and if there is no data to support that claim, then at best that statement is misleading.

These repeated rounds of open house consultation being totally ignored are another waste of taxpayers' money.

The most economical solution paid for with taxpayers' money, supported by a significant majority of the citizenry, simply is a light.

Unfortunately, we can only deal with elected officials' arrogance during elections and the bureaucrats who are supposedly under their control.

So if they continue to bulldoze their solution through the process, that can only be dealt with in the future.

If I was a business owner along Stickle Road, I'd be looking for other alternatives to persuade the ministry to change their view.  Perhaps a court decreed injunction might provide a more sensible review of the facts.  Recent history of the HST fiasco in this province provides evidence there are ways to deal with issues with government after being misled.

The arrogant governments in Ottawa and our neighbouring province to the east recently got an awakening to voter wrath, something to consider in the future if this stupidity continues."

Duane A. Mather

and from the same publication, same topic, a snippet of the letter from resident, Joyce Penner:

"...This is what (Mayor) Mund told me.  He is on record supporting a traffic light during the first two planning sessions with the Ministry of Transportation.  However, by the third meeting, he realized there would be no traffic light at Stickle Road.  The reason given is it would cause a bottleneck in the traffic flow and, in fact, the ministry is reducing the number of traffic lights on Highway 97.  And the issue could not be put forward for at least 10 years to the provincial government."

Stickle flip/flop with Master Water Plan?

"Yup, elected officials supporting bureaucrats is akin to an evil alliance," offers Kia "with the open house 'input' just paying lip service to the lip-servicing provincial government."

Amen to that, having witnessed the MWP process recently.