Jim Bodkin Letter to the Editor re: NORD

Vernon resident, Jim Bodkin, submitted a thought-provoking letter to The Morning Star, published July 28, 2010, that deserves reprinting.

"It was sad to read that NORD (North Okanagan Regional District) turned down supporting a second bus from the Kalamalka campus of Okanagan College to UBCO and the airport despite the obvious need.  I am glad that Vernon stepped up and decided to underwrite the necessary bus subsidy on its own.  Why support was not forthcoming from Coldstream and Areas B and C completely baffles me.  Surely they too have live-at-home students attending UBCO and travellers interested in accessing the airport via bus.

Perhaps the time has come to take a hard look at the viability of the North Okanagan Regional District and its worth to local taxpayers.  The compensation of politicians reported recently shows heavy five-figure double dipping by both Vernon and Coldstream representatives at NORD.  We taxpayers pay for this double dipping from a single pocket but service on NORD is an integral part of a Vernon and Coldstream politician's job and taxpayers should not be billed for it twice.  Surely it is excessive to pay each of these reps from $10,500 to almost $15,000 extra to represent Vernon and Coldstream at NORD.

I was amazed to read that the head staff honcho at NORD is paid more than Vernon's head guy.  NORD embraces a huge area but the vast bulk of the population is in Vernon and there is far less complexity in the NORD job.  There are lots of other $75,000 and up jobs at NORD too.  Do the citizens of Vernon and Coldstream really need them?  Does it not makes sense for NORD to just deal with the rural/village areas where there is more commonality than exists with urban centres?

Both Vernon and Coldstream have issues with NORD over parks, especially the creation and maintenance of tot lots, small urban green spaces and play areas in city neighbourhoods.  The rural NORD directors think these are just urban fripperies that are expensive to keep up so they refuse to have NORD fund them.  Likewise, some of them opt out of funding for historic sites such as the O'Keefe Ranch and leave the cities to bear the brunt of the cost.

Vernon got so frustrated at NORD lack of action regarding Polson Park and its long ago burnt down grandstand that it finally took matters into its own hands and forced a confrontation that led to something being done...a 'something' that will dig deeper into the pockets of Vernon taxpayers than it should and something that should have happened years ago if the NORD parks and recreation was not so dysfunctional.

Remember the sports complex fiasco that NORD initiated in Coldstream then washed their hands of once a controversy started?  NORD parks and recreation stepped back to observe the fireworks from the sidelines saying it was up to the locals to decide despite NORD being the initiator and largely responsible for the whole mess by doing such a poor planning and presentation job in the first place.

At present, Vernon and NORD are at war over water.  Legal action has been initiated by Vernon to get out of what it sees as NORD-created extra costs on the management of the water distribution system in the city.

NORD has spent millions getting Duteau Creek water, water that was never originally intended for human consumption, to look better, taste better and get rid, hopefully, of the ongoing boil water advisories.  Next they will come looking to dig deeper into taxpayer pockets to spend more to raise the dams, build better weirs, etc. to get some more quantity into the Duteau system.  Virtually none of the mega bucks spent to date have added to our water supply.  Time to change gurus from my way of thinking or at least get the NORD fuddle duddlers out of the picture.

All things considered, it seems prudent to put NORD under a microscope and see what makes sense from a taxpayer point of view.  Cherry picking opting out or collective vetoing by the various rural NORD entities is too expensive for the city taxpayers of Vernon and Coldstream to continue to tolerate.  The rural-urban differing viewpoints have degenerated into an unacceptable waste of taxpayer dollars for all concerned.

NORD costs too much, does too little and is too animosity prone."  Jim Bodkin
     
"Mr. Bodkin for Mayor," offers Kia!

...of Coldstream!, suggests Kia's owner. 

10 kw Wind Turbine...operational again

Again operational, after two months and four days of downtime! 

Shown (at the right of the two) in the photo, this is the third Aurora inverter installed.

The first--slow to start up even when its parallel partner at the left was sending electricity to the grid last year--failed around midnight on May 19th, 2010. Sent back to Power One in California, after three weeks they had no answer as to why it failed. So the contractor asked for a replacement inverter to be sent. After several weeks it arrived and was programmed and wired parallel, only to discover it had an "internal fault". Power One was again contacted by Paul Wende of Energy West Power, who insisted a new 6 kw Aurora inverter be put onto Air Express to mitigate this lengthy downtime.

The third Aurora 6 kw inverter arrived Thursday, was immediately programmed, then installed Friday.  We're finally up and running again.

Of the changes made, contractor Paul Wende stated "we have implemented an independent braking function so that when the controller senses either a certain RPM, or voltage, or windspeed, or turbine head temperature, that it will apply the 10 kw dumpload in parallel with turbine output, thus loading the turbine and dissipating excess energy." He added: "We basically installed four new wires."

And early the next day, Paul said 16 kilowatts had been produced since Midnight.

"Thank goodness we have another fan going in this heat," pants Kia.

Coldstream Council Noise Bylaw

They've done it again.

And this Coldstream Bylaw No.1570--a bylaw to regulate or prohibit the making or causing of noises or sounds in the Municipality--will likely draw as many chuckles as did Coldstream's Weapons Discharge Bylaw

Many communities have a noise bylaw.

Apart from the fact that Coldstream's is mute on decibel ranges, this bylaw will no doubt stand out because it regulates or prohibits movement.

What?  Movement!  Movement?  Really?  Really?
 Yep.  Here's their definition:

  (iv)  "Noise" includes any loud outcry, clamour, shouting or movement, or any sound that is loud or harsh or undesirable;"

It's subjective, too.
"General Regulations: (B) No person being the owner or occupier or tenant of real property shall allow or permit such real property to be used so that noise or sound which occurs thereon or flows therefrom, disturbs or tends to disturb (italics mine) the quite (sic), peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort, or convenience of any person or persons on the same property or in the neighbourhood or vicinity.  (italics mine).

Movement?  Tends to disturb?  Entirely subjective.

The capacity at Highlands Golf, a commercial recreation facility within Coldstream, is 129 patrons.

Coldstream Council--despite having two lawyers aboard as councillors--obviously doesn't realize that legally-acquired commercial zoning and the patron capacity that results from that zoning does not require patrons to be invisible or whispering while they are at the premises.

"Yet another moronic bylaw from Coldstream's Mayor and Council," whispers Kia.

Speak up, I didn't hear you!

Duteau Creek Reservoirs at 94% of Previous Low

To address issues surrounding Stage 3 water restrictions (imposed end of April) raised by residents and the business community, the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee has created a Drought Response Team, comprising 3 elected officials, 1staff, as well as Fisheries and Environment reps. 

"There will also be a group of stakeholders -- including residents and businesses -- that will present information to the core task force," states Richard Rolke's article in the June 4, 2010 edition of The Morning Star.

The article states:  There's some concern the process could become cumbersome with so many people involved.

Really?  REALLY?  No kidding, Kermit!

Had directors on the water board and bureaucrats been acting on our behalf -- whether 10 years ago or 20 -- we would not have to remind them today that we exist.

Is it any surprise that golf courses, turf farms, car washes, hotels, restaurants, landscaping and swimming pool contractors need water?  

This isn't rocket science, boys.
And some of these boys have been around a long time, undoubtedly privy to the study 10 years ago which indicated that Duteau Creek's water storage needed to be increased for a growing community.

Yet today, "we have $100,000 in this year's budget for a(nother) study," stated Al Cotsworth, water manager, recently.

"We have a lot of bureaucrats covered but the general public isn't," said old boy and water director Doug Dirk.

Well, Doug Dirk is certainly part of the problem, having served on Coldstream Council for at least 12 years, and a water director as well.   Had Doug Dirk managed to, even temporarily, remove the gigantic bias hat he perennially wears, he would already have been representing business.  Businesses would not today need to join a committee.

So why are businesses and residents being invited to join the "drought response team"?

To spread around the blame? 
To drag things out for 18 months? 

"I can't see having that amount of people meeting over 18 months and having as good a result," said director and Vernon Councillor Patrick Nicol.
As good a result as what?
As what the present boys have achieved?

They've achieved bugger-all.
Pardon the colloquialism. 

So what have directors and councillors been doing?
Certainly not representing business.

In an 8-minute drive-radius, there's the North Okanagan Regional District (home of the water authority), there's Coldstream Municipal Hall, Vernon City Hall and, naturally, also Eric Foster's MLA office, as well as Colin Mayes' MP office.

Over-governed and under-served.
Yup, that's us.

Now more and more people will sit on committees, and form additional committees (the Okanagan Basin Water Board and the Okanagan Water Stewardship Council come to mind, to name only two).

It is your duty to represent us.  All of us.
Not just to receive our property tax dollars.
We would happily voluntarily reduce (to use the water authority's phrase) our property taxes by 20 per cent.  Would you then realize we businesses are here in your community?


In the case of Highlands Golf, we possess a 55 gpm water allocation, bought many years ago with hard-earned dollars.
Isn't it illegal for the water authority to take money for something they cannot supply?
Imagine a business doing that.
It's called fraud.

So how could directors and bureaucrats have planned without the need for all these committees?
By drilling wells (and no, Antwerp Springs is NOT the only spot to drill wells), and increasing upland reservoir storage.

To this businesswoman, six half-empty reservoirs would be considerably better than the current two.
Sounds simple to me.
But then I'm not a water director or a bureaucrat or a councillor.

"They need to muddy the water," offers Kia.

They're already halfway there. 

Freak Storm Damages Wind Turbine Components

It was very sudden.
Just before midnight on Wednesday, May 19th, peaceful sleep dramatically ended with an intense sound...actually two intense sounds.

The sound of a horrendous wind nearly tearing branches from 30-foot fir trees not far from the open bedroom window had us immediately sitting up in bed, listening intently.  In the dim light of a clear sky I could see long branches being whipped like a flailing octopus from the west (or northwest).

The wind was quickly second in importance as the virtual roar of the wind turbine's blades reached a crescendo previously unheard.  My husband and I looked at one another and both said "It's not turning out of the wind," referring to the 10 kw wind turbine's blades.

The next morning at breakfast we tried to describe the wind turbine noise and couldn't exactly get it right.
"Like a jet engine," offered my husband, "increasing in intensity."  I nodded in agreement and looked out the window at a now-gentler breeze over the property.

"The turbine is dead, not turning at all," I admitted, "something's wrong."

Within five minutes I had opened the shop door and looked over the components.  Did the heat-dump go on?  I felt its exterior, it was cool.  I looked at the user panel, windspeed reading was 4 meters per second, yet the blades were not turning.  And RPM read zero.  Odd, it was even facing into the wrong direction.
Dogvane read Normal, no errors.  I glanced at the two 6 kw Aurora inverters.  No power lights were on, nothing was showing on the inverters.

Paul Wende, contractor was called and arrived mid-morning.  Inside the controller box he examined the "rectifier block", adding that "it's fried."  Minutes later, the prognosis was "no it's not, it's fine...but both  inverters are fried."

Paul assured me that both inverters will be returned to the manufacturer and that they're under a five-year warranty.


Downtime!


 "I always thought downtime was a good thing," intones Kia.

Not in this case!

Fortunately, no fire ensued.

An inch of rain and hail...yet tight water regulations remain

Monday's thunderstorm--despite its intensity--was a relief from hot dry windy conditions.
And the water authority's "tough love" rules for residents.

We didn't even mind the temporary flooding as eavestroughs were quickly overwhelmed and spilled their contents, one-inch gravel moved from slopes onto lawns, and thunder's intensity was immediately matched with clanging and bouncing hail. 

Numerous reports of flooded basements, driveway washouts and early-crop damage were heard, yet everyone ended their story with "...but thank goodness we received rain."

Less grateful, apparently, are officials at Greater Vernon Water, as reported in The Morning Star on May 21st.

Story by Richard Rolke, Morning Star Staff:
Restrictions have evolved, but Greater Vernon remains firmly under stage three water rules.

Rain has translated into some new snow at higher elevations, but there's still a concern that drought conditions may develop because of low reservoirs.

"We want to leave it where it is for now," said Arnold Badke, the North Okanagan Regional District's engineering general manager, of stage 3.

"We are very close to going into stage two.  We will look at reservoir levels next week.  If we are getting some ways into stage two, restrictions may change."

Badke believes weather conditions could change again so there is a need to be cautious.  "If things don't happen as we expect, we could be in trouble.  We still have to preserve water for July and August," he said.

On Wednesday, the NORD board approved a bylaw to regulate water use in Greater Vernon.  But prior to  adoption, directors made some changes to stage three rules in an attempt to minimize the impact on residents and businesses.

"I think it will address most of the concerns," said director Wayne Lippert.  "We had input from the landscape and pool industries.  We heard from agriculture and there's been changes to meet their needs."

Filling, refilling or topping up of pools will now be permitted for two hours per day, one day a week, from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. before June 15 and after August 31.  Between those dates, only topping up will be allowed.

The bylaw had previously suggested that pool filling could occur between midnight and 6 a.m., while a ban on all filling originally occurred.  "I am glad someone listed to some common sense and research," said Lee Kazmar, owner of Pools, Ponds and Waterscapes.

Under stage three, no new permits for newly seeded lawns will be issued but renewals of permits issued under lesser drought response stages will occur before June 15 and after August 31.

Placement of sod may take place until June 15 and after August 31 with a permit for a period not exceeding two weeks.

"It looks like we'll be able to work through stage three regulations," said Bonnie Leibel, owner of Lavington Turf Farms.  Leibel was concerned the old rules would keep people from purchasing turf because they couldn't irrigate.

The regional district will now establish a drought response team to prepare for future situations.

"Shouldn't the drought response team have been formed--and met--before stage 3 restrictions were issued?" questions Kia.

That would have required a modicum of planning...entirely foreign to our area's bureaucrats!

And a little birdie told us that our area (and our water board) remain "the laughing stock" of two of Kelowna's water districts.   "Why don't they (water authority) just drill new wells?  We did and we're in good shape."

Many people want that question answered.

Creating our own water woes

An excellent Letter to the Editor by resident W. Lightfoot concerning "the water issues".

I wonder if we are being hoodwinked.  Canada and B.C. in particular have more fresh water than anywhere in the world.  Billions of gallons a minute get flushed into the ocean.  It seems that we have a collection and distribution problem in Vernon.

I have lived here for 22 years and always abided with restrictions that were not onerous while my in-laws in Kelowna have never had restrictions.

I wonder why, when their population in the same time has added the population of Vernon to its usage.

I might add they pay half the rates we do as well.

This seems to be confusing as they live in a drier part of the Okanagan.  It seems Vernon does not have enough water for its present propulation never mind forecasted increases.  No one seems to have addressed the problem, which appears simple.

We spent some $40 million to hook onto a "creek" while Kelowna saw a rather large lake to draw from.  Vernon is very good at conserving water as evidenced by the early 90's implementation of water meters which reduced consumption to the point where the city raised water rates because they didn't receive the dollars projected.

Does that not sound like water is a commodity?

I wonder if this colossal error in using a creek instead of the lake is just being brushed aside with the pretense that we are the Sahara desert and everyone should only shower weekly while our good neighbours in Kelowna use what they wish.

Nice rocky landscaping will increase household temperatures so that most will increase use of air conditioning, increasing carbon footprint, etc.

Pipelines carry oil all over North America, why not water to the Okanagan from Mica Dam or the Fraser River or...?

I also wonder if the present level of Okanagan Lake is more due to someone guessing wrong and letting out more at the south end to prevent floods than due to usage.  Kelowna treats water used and returns it to the lake.

I would also bet that the lake will come up two to three feet by the end of July.

My family has a cabin on a lake on Vancouver Island and it can drop/rise 15 feet in a year due to keeping water in the rivers below for fish and I assure you no one worries about the lakefront owners.

It appears that Vernon/Coldstream has created its own problem and the only solution they have even contemplated is "let them eat cake".

It is time the 'powers that be' addressed the long-term problem of water as there is no doubt that folks will be coming from all over Canada to live here and will not put up with onerous rationing.

Take it from Okanagan Lake now and make the problem regional which will quickly make it a provincial problem and hence solvable.

By W. Lightfoot, reprinted in its entirety.

"I love that man," beams Kia.

  

Water restriction changes have merchants boiling

Reprint of The Morning Star, May 19, 2010, story by Richard Rolke

Attempts to address concerns about water restrictions have triggered a flood of complaints.

The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee and the North Okanagan Regional District will meet today to consider a new water restrictions bylaw for Greater Vernon.

"Hopefully it will be suitable and have solutions that will work for now," said Wayne Lippert, VGAC chairman (and Vernon Mayor).

"I expect you will see a modification of restrictions so we can manage resources better."

Greater Vernon has been on stage three water restrictions for a month because of low snowpack and reservoir levels.  The most contentious component has been not allowing pools to be filled.

The proposed bylaw -- under stage three -- would allow for pools to be filled, refilled or topped up for two hours per day, one day a week, from midnight to 6 a.m. between June 15 and Aug. 31.  Outside of those dates, only topping up would be permitted.  Filling or refilling would be allowed during the annual spill at the headgates reservoir but NORD would determine when that occurs.

"To make a person get up in the middle of the night to fill their pool is ridiculous," said Lee Kazmar, with Pools, Ponds and Waterscapes.

"There's no evaporation when you put a hose into a pool.  It doesn't make one drop of difference to water usage."

Kazmar doesn't believe the new rules will deter people from filling existing pools when they want, but it may prevent people from ordering new pools which will negatively impact businesses like his.

Opposition to the bylaw is also coming from turf producers.

"The current revision states that no new permits will be issued for new turf and it changes hand-held sprinkling for turf to once per week from every day," said Bonnie Leibel, with Lavington Turf Farms.

"This ensures that we sell no turf now.  Under stage three restrictions, every business in this community will be able to operate at some capacity except us."

The proposed bylaw also indicates that indoor commercial car washes will only be permitted if they use a minimum of 75 per cent recycled water.  Recycling systems must be in place by June 1, 2011.

"The amount of water a hotel uses is going to be more than a car wash," said Wade Cantalope, with Silver Star Car Wash.

Cantalope says he's investigated recycling systems but the installers aren't interested because his water volume is too small.

"They have bigger fish to fry."

Cantalope has not been contacted by NORD about the potential rule changes.

"They're looking for headlines but will they solve the problem?"  he said of water management.

The proposed bylaw was drafted after a drought management workshop last week.

It's anticipated stage three water restrictions will continue no matter what directors do with the bylaw today.

"We've had some rain but I can't see that changing drastically," said Arnold Badke, NORD'S engineering general manager.

Vernon Water Woes ... History

reprint of Letter to the Editor by L.J. Lewis, Morning Star, Sunday, May 2, 2010

Once upon a time, there was a fair but dry valley.  So, the farmers in this valley banded together to irrigate their fields and make the valley bloom.  They called the work of their hands the Vernon Irrigation District (VID).

And it came to pass that there were those who wished to develop the land and provide homes for those who found this now-blooming valley.

But there was not water.

Those who would develop said to the VID, "Let us tap into your water that the customers may drink."

The VID said, "No, for the water is dark and torpid and your customers would be displeased."

But the developers said, "Fear not, for they will be grateful to have water at all."

So the VID relented for the greater good.

And it came to pass that the VID had been correct for the people were peeved.

But the developers had changed and could not be found.

So the people got together and cleaned up the waters which were provided by the farmers' toil and sent the farmers the bill.

For it is the law of the land that no good deed goes unpunished.

Excellent!  Thanks for that!

VID History on the Greater Vernon Water website. 

"The new developers pay DCCs (Development Cost Charges), hopefully the money will be used to dig deep wells," offers Kia as a solution to the area's water woes.

Pool Police

Has this year's Greater Vernon drought situation created a new bureaucracy?  Apparently, it's been planned for years as part of scheduled activities, reports the Greater Vernon Water Authority.

Yep, flying soon over your backyard will be the Pool Police.

Pool companies and landscapers are seeing contracts cancelled, and crews laid off because it is now illegal to fill swimming pools.

Responsible for the inane ("s" intentionally omitted) end-of-April situation is our very own Greater Vernon Water Authority, whose lack of planning has placed the sizeable investments of homeowners, golf courses and a myriad of other businesses in jeopardy.  Busy with the Duteau Creek Water Treatment plant over the last two years--which is today three months behind schedule but on budget (an oxymoron to any business person)--the water authority last year made a feeble attempt at increasing water storage by raising the height of one dam. 

The snow didn't arrive this winter.
Or very much the year before, and April reservoir levels are at their lowest in 40 years.
Spring rains have been hit-and-miss, yet weather systems arrive daily at the Aberdeen Plateau where water storage is concentrated. See photos of the almost-daily weather systems over the plateau (taken from Highlands Golf).

Add to that the 200+ homes previously on Antwerp Springs wells 1 and 2 that were immediately contaminated by a late winter rain on frozen ground (which sent livestock feces into the shallow wells) are now, presumably, on the Duteau Creek source.

Back to pools.
The immediate Stage 3 water restrictions have created the "unpopular" ban on filling of pools, so described by water utility manager Al Cotsworth.  In a 5 p.m. phone call Friday to Highlands Golf, Al Cotsworth stated "golf course watering" was very unpopular among the public (and while he didn't say so, Highlands Golf isn't unaware of one Coldstream Councillor--who also sites on the water board as a director--who never was keen that Highlands was built, evidenced by his opposition last year to the new liquor licence application).  Not so among the golfers here during the weekend, many of whom encouraged a petition "to hold the water authority's feet to the fire".   Petition here.

One golfer added "And no more expensive water studies."  (Note:  this year's water authority budget included $100,000 for yet another study...yet another of many undertaken.  As far back as 10 years ago, the first of such studies identified that water storage should be increased.)  See story (reprint of) "20 Year Old Interview with Brian Harvey of Vernon Irrigation District".

Another outspoken golfer stated "I've lived here for 36 years and the community has grown 400 per cent, with no corresponding increase in storage."  He'd likely be interested in the North Okanagan Regional District's request for public input into its regional growth strategy.  "Surveys and open houses will be held later on in 2010, and all residents of the North Okanagan are encouraged to get involved in the discussion," said Anthony Kittel, regional growth strategy coordinator.  You can bet that WATER will be at the top of any list after this year's debacle.

As reported in Sunday's newspaper, "Pool parties are hard to dismiss and we'll be doing an air photo flight soon," Al Cotsworth said.  He added that regulations will be enforced, as they will become aware of filled backyard pools.

"I'll bark at low-flying flights," offers Kia.

Not necessary, Kia.  We're watering the vegetable garden with the water in the pool's winter tarp!

Oh yes...almost forgot to offer a gigantic welcome to a fabulous website:  VernonCentral.ca
Offered is free classified advertising (for 90 days), and features our local Vipers hockey team as well as--you guessed it--our water woes, and many other topics.  (Some features are still under construction).

Suddenly, water RATES aren't really the issue!

Stage 3 Water Restrictions...

As the newspaper announces, "unprecedented measures are being taken to preserve Greater Vernon's dwindling water supply."  And it's only April!

Greater Vernon's reservoirs currently have about 2,500 acre feet of storage, while it's usually 4,500 at this time of year.

Drought response planning was initiated in early March, and the measures have included looking at restrictions as well as other water sources that can be utilized if required.  Meetings have also been held with agricultural users because 70 per cent of our water goes to that sector.

How will Highlands Golf be affected?
In a 5 p.m. telephone call on Friday, April 23rd, water authority manager, Al Cotsworth, instructed Highlands Golf to use "minimum levels of water to maintain the playing areas in usable condition."

In an earlier article, "Snowpack a Concern" photos of weather systems on the Aberdeen Plateau were included.

As Greater Vernon's population continues to increase, we must focus on increasing water storage on the Aberdeen Plateau, where systems arrive almost daily, despite not-a-drop on the valley's southern exposure.

Click for Additional photos of Aberdeen Plateau weather: 

Or we might as well place highway signs north and south of Vernon..."do not enter....out of water due to bad planning".

"Do not enter?" gulps Kia.
I'll visit friends in Kelowna then...there are NO water restrictions 30 miles south of here!

"The Fun Police are Watching"

Tim Oleson's "parting shot" from Golf Business Canada, Summer 2009 issue.

British writer, G.K. Chesteron thought that to enjoy the indulgences of the flesh, the simple pleasures of life:  "We give thanks for beer and burgundy by not abusing them."  That's probably how it should be, and how it is in most parts of the world with the cruel exception of Canada.

In other places, governments sort of assume that people will behave responsibly.  Here in Canada, we tend to assume that we must regulate people's behaviour down to the last detail.  After all, if we don't regulate how many government-monopolized drinks they may have on the table at a time, in what dark, cold, wind-swept alleys they can smoke their tobacco and -- this is coming soon -- how much and what kind of food they can eat, they will all completely lose control and become obese, cancer-ridden alcoholics.

Canada probably never really had any chance to have any fun.  Its founding people were:  French Catholics--many of them Jansenists, an ascetic sect that does not believe in enjoying anything; and British Protestants -- many of whom were of puritan stock and believed that these sorts of pleasures were downright evil.  Today, 63 years after Chesterton's death, things aren't much better, just different.

When I was young, there was not a single bottle of liquor on display in the government liquor stores; they were all kept behind the veil.  At least today, one can browse before buying a bottle at the government's arbitrary prices, if one can fit one's shopping trip into the government stores' arbitrary hours.

If you don't want to drink at home, you will have to go to a bar where the government has set both the hours it can be open and the minimum price you will have to pay for your drink.  This last is defended as a means to curtail drunkenness.

Those bars will also be completely smoke free; with nowhere for you to enjoy both a cigarette and a "CC water back", because no matter how good a ventilation system the bar might have, the government does not want you to smoke so you will have to go outside to enjoy your tobacco.

The campaign to ban fast foods is gaining momentum so quickly that it can't be long until, if you don't want to order a salad or a tofu sandwich off a government-approved menu, you might as well go straight home, hide in your basement and eat a black-market hot-dog, sip a beer and smoke the cigarette you are no longer allowed to smoke in your own car.  Just hope your nosy neighbour doesn't wise up to what you are doing and inform the anti-pleasure police.

Canada is no longer a country of just Jansenists and puritans.  It just acts like it is even though it is various and cosmopolitan.  Why should that vast majority who "give thanks for beer and burgundy by not abusing them," be punished for their pleasures because of the excesses of a few?

Source:  Abridged.  Original article:  "The fun police are watching you" by editorial writer and columnist Tim Oleson, Winnipeg Free Press, April 25, 2009.

"There's a fun police?" gulps Kia.
 

Farmers Squeak -- Proposed Water Rate Drops

Yes, the 9 per cent proposed rate hike was excessive.

Greater Vernon water had said rate increases were as necessary for water conservation as they were to help pay for the Duteau Creek water treatment plant.

But farmers don't need chlorinated water for their crops.
So why should they pay for increased costs of chlorination at the plant?
Besides, the Master Water Plan had promised farmers' rates would increase (only) by the cost of living.

At Wednesday's North Okanagan Regional District meeting, directors voted in favour of rescinding the 9 per cent proposed increase to 2.5 per cent.

Thankfully, Ted Osborn, long-time manager of the Coldstream Ranch, was able to provide the historical perspective--a nudge--to officials.  What is disturbing is that some directors and water authority officials "have been around almost as long as Ted", according to one attendee. 

Bureaucrats and elected representatives seem to increasingly rely on selective memory to support their ever-increasing thirst for funds.  The promise--indeed the guarantee--to farmers was almost broken by their greed and poor planning.

Highlands Golf--a company that also doesn't need chlorinated water for its crop--was under-represented twice by Doug Dirk...once as Councillor in Coldstream, and again as a director on the water board.   No concern from him about Highlands--his corporate constituent. 

Highlands Golf and other commercial non-potable water users can only dream of being represented by a Ted Osborn...

"He has a good memory," intones Kia.
   ...and a conscience to match.

Minister Lekstrom reply concerning Hydro's Step 1 Threshold

In a December 22 posting, British Columbia's hydro authority was chastized for the virtually impossible-to-meet Step 1 "conservation" parameters (Step 2 kicks in at approx. 1350 kwh).   My residential electrical bill was the test.  Why?  Two reasons:  no natural gas is available in this area and, most importantly, my residence uses wood heat exclusively.  Electric heaters are never activated in the residence.  Yet recent hydro bills showed Step 1 had been exceeded.

We are only two adults in the residence.
Imagine the impact on a family of, say, four who have neither natural gas nor wood heat.

So I sent a letter to the Premier of B.C. to hopefully convince officials that the Step 1 threshold was too low.
Not for me...my hydro bills are relatively low because of the wood heat, but for families all over British Columbia who also have no natural gas in their area.  And no wood for heating.

Blair Lekstrom, minister of energy, mines and petroleum resources replied thus:
...In your email, you express concern that B.C. Hydro's Residential Inclining Block (RIB) two-step conservation rate is unfair to ratepayers who cannot lower their electricity consumption by switching to other energy sources.  The RIB rate was intended to encourage electricity conservation rather than fuel switching.  More information on the RIB rate.  

B.C. Hydro made an application to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) for their proposed RIB rate.  In response, the BCUC initiated an extensive review with public hearings that took place during the summer of 2008.  Many public interest groups registered as interveners and represented ratepayer interests.  A higher Step 1 threshold and concerns about bill impacts for residencees with electric heating were discussed.  The BCUC considered all parties' arguments and the public interest, ordered revisions to the RIB rate, and instructed B.C. Hydro to put the BCUC revised RIB rate structure into effect.  The BCUC's "Reasons for Decision" document detail the RIB rate application.   (Coldstream Corner note:  It's 157 pages long!)

The reply continues:
B.C. Hydro's electricity rates remain the lowest in North America.  In June 2009, B.C. Hydro filed a report to the BCUC summarizing the results of a North American survey of electricity prices.  The survey, conducted by Hydro Quebec and covering over 20 utilities across Canada and the United States, found that B.C. Hydro had the lowest rates for residential customers consuming 750 kilowatt hours or less per month and the third-lowest rates for residential customers consuming 1,000 to 3,000 kilowatt hours per month.
 
One way to lower your electricity bill is through investments in energy efficiency.  (Coldstream Corner note:  now would be a good time to tell them we installed a 10 kilowatt wind turbine last year!)  British Columbia's 2010 budget includes $35 million in new funding over three years for the "LiveSmart BC: Efficiency Incentive Program".  The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources is currently working with its utility partners to finalize the structure of the new Program.  Details on the Program are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, and will be posted on the LiveSmart BC website.   (Coldstream Corner note:  would now be a good time to tell them that my 10 kilowatt wind turbine was INELIGIBLE for their program last year?  seems the program only went to a maximum 3 kilowatt turbine, yet the website omitted that).
You may also find lowcost actions to reduce your energy consumption and electricity bill through B.C. Hydro's Power Smart program.   (Coldstream Corner note:  oh yes, the B.C. Hydro "program" that charged me $600.00 for a 10-minute inspection of the wind turbine components prior to start-up). 
I trust this information addresses your concerns.  Thank you for writing.  Sincerely, etc.


Coldstream Corner's contention:
The Step 2 rate is not intended to--as Minister Lekstrom says--"encourage electricity conservation".  Proof of that is B.C. Hydro's Fiscal 2011 revenue requirement application.  They need "x-dollars" from utility consumers.  More like reverse accounting!

And on page 65 of that 157 page document, "BC Hydro stated that it has conducted research into the default residential rate designs offered by 88 different utilities throughout North America, Europe and Asia"...  Europe and Asia???  Minister Lekstrom appears to think it was: "results of a North American survey of electricity prices".  

Also from the same page:  "Tariff sheets were entered in evidence from California..."  California???  That bastion of environment-first,and-to-hell-with-everything-else?  Yet, to California's credit, they have implemented a program that recognizes: 'an “All Electric” baseline allowance available upon application to those customers who have permanently installed electric space heating, or who have electric water heating and receive no energy from another source'.  California recognizes that!  Did Minister Lekstrom realize B.C. Hydro created a disparity when it did not implement a baseline "all electric" allowance?   

Rather than go on ad nauseum, picking apart the documents item by item, it seems that this creative--and reverse--accounting system has spread to Coldstream Council.  They also have a revenue requirement when considering property taxes.  And those are going up 5.59%.

"People should grow a warm coat like I did," suggests Kia.

Or impenetrable skin, like officials in both Coldstream and Victoria.

Additional information re Hydro's "conservation" rate changes are here.

5.59 per cent Coldstream Property Tax Increase is Irresponsible

In what can only be described as a Freudian slip, last week's letter to the editor from a Lumby resident--complaining about Lumby's small tax increase--showed a picture of Coldstream Municipal Hall.  Another letter--titled Taxes out of Control--was from a senior who stated her husband's Canada Pension "big wopping(sic) raise" amounted to 0.4 per cent...or $5.00. 

The second letter complained about the City of Vernon's tax increase which equated to $19.88 a month.

Those two authors are breathing a sigh of relief that they don't reside in Coldstream!

Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick has announced Council has approved a 5.59 per cent tax increase.

Why is Coldstream's increase so high?

"If you look at the loss of income with the glass plant closing and that we are also looking at a pavement management plan, (a tax raise was needed)," said Mayor Garlick.

Proof yet again that these decision-makers aren't businesspeople...

A business owner would have decreased project spending in anticipation that revenue would be lower.

Not so this council and mayor.

And that's the problem...no-one in municipal government thinks like a businessperson any more.

A businessperson simply cannot pass on to customers a projected shortfall in revenue...at least not all in one year.  Business owners make decisions that dictate money must be spent prudently when it is available.  
Or, if immediate savings or revenue gains are possible from, say, borrowing to streamline a production process, then a business owner will proceed

A responsible budget, in my view, would have firstly reduced Coldstream Council's tax increase by the amount of the now-vacated glass plant. 

I suppose Mayor Garlick thinks his is the only community to lose a businesses or, for that matter, to have pavement that needs repair.

On a good day, this council is irresponsible.
But the bad days are still ahead.

"They should spend less on kibbles," suggests Kia.
 Nope, Coldstream simply takes more from your bowl, Kia.
Creative accounting indeed...

And the Amalgamation word pops into mind yet again.