FIRE WATCH | Crews continue to battle blazes near Mabel Lake and Aberdeen Plateau [A6]
Morning gStar
Take “a Little off of the Top”!
The
P R O U D L Y
S E R V I N G
O U R
N O R T H
O K A N A G A N
C O M M U N I T I E S
F O R
O V E R
2 0
Y E A R S
29995
HS45 SALES SINCE 1965
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
w w w. v e r n o n m o r n i n g s t a r. c o m
$ SERVICE
PARTS
SAVOY EQUIPMENT
LTD.
3202 29TH Street, Vernon
250-545-0627 • Kelowna • West Kelowna
City spared sewer bill RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff
RICHARD ROLKE/MORNING STAR
Dave Hunter, with West Coast Amusements, sets up a ride Tuesday while (below) a goat watches the final touches being put in place for the Armstrong fair to begin today. Visit www.vernonmorningstar.com for more photos and ongoing coverage of the fair.
Gates open for IPE today RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff
“It’s a blast, especially when you’re with all of your friends,” said the Grindrod resident. Besides cattle, keep an eye out for poultry, swine, goats, horses and llamas.
4IN7
STOCK!
WATKIN MOTORS
2012 F150 Supercrew XLT 4X4 STK# 2L065
REG. $42,999
Sale Price
$
29,981 29 981
or Lease for
399
$
*PAYMENTS BASED ON 48 MONTHS @ 5.99% INTEREST WITH $2154 DUE AT SIGNING
*
/mo
DLR. #6076
There’s a real buzz in Armstrong. The gates open today for the 113th annual Interior Provincial Exhibition, and the festival, which is celebrating the honey division, runs until Sunday. “People are getting excited. There’s big hype about it,” said Bryan Burns, IPE general manager. “It’s a great family fair. There’s something for two-year-olds and 85-year-olds.” As always the highlights include the midway, the rodeo, the craft exhibits and the commercial displays. But the primary goal of the IPE is to promote agriculture and remind people about where their food comes from. “There are more beef cows and more dairy cows this year,” said Burns. Melissa Drydyk is preparing for the 4-H cattle competitions and looking forward to checking out the fair.
There will also be a few camels, lions and other exotic critters during the Extreme Wild show. “We always try to find new things and make things exciting,” said Burns. For those into horticulture, baskets of apples, pears, peaches, onions, potatoes, carrots and other fresh produce can be found. Flowers of all varieties are ready to dazzle the eye. “I love flowers and it’s nice to share them with others,” said Nettie Kilba, from Enderby, who enters her dahlias every year. About 153,853 people went through the gate during the five days of the fair in 2011. “You never know what will happen this year,” said Burns, who won’t speculate on attendance. “We expect people will come. They mark it on their calendar.”
Not having to pay almost $3 million to a developer is welcome news for the City of Vernon. The city has won an appeal of a 2011 B.C. Supreme Court ruling that its latecomer bylaw was invalid and Okanagan Land Development Corp. was owed $2.8 million for building a sewer line. “It’s a relief to see that we’re doing things in the proper manner,” said Mayor Rob Sawatzky. Local governments across B.C. were watching the case closely to see if the city’s regulations were upheld. Rob Sawatzky “The city’s procedures were standard with all municipalities in the province,” said Sawatzky. Okanagan Land constructed a sewer line along Eastside Road to the Outback resort in 2004. It insisted the city should have charged a fee to all 53 benefitting properties along the sewer route, whether they connect to the line or not, so it could be reimbursed the cost of the project. Instead, the city’s bylaws allow for payment towards the developer when someone connects to sewer. In a unanimous decision, three judges with the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the city. “The bylaw imposing the latecomer charge is not invalid,” states the decision. “Vernon acted within its statutory authority and reasonably exercised its discretion in apportioning the cost of the excess service on a per unit basis payable at the earlier of subdivision, application for a building permit or connection. The bylaw is not void for vagueness or uncertainty and is not invalid on the ground that it is discriminatory.” A spokesperson says there won’t be an appeal of the B.C. Court of Appeal decision because the next step would be the Supreme Court of Canada. “It’s pretty unlikely they would hear it,” said Reinhard Burke, a Kamloops lawyer. But he insists his client is not giving up. “The lawsuit isn’t over,” said Burke, who questions the city’s move towards hillside guidelines which restrict the possibility of development. “None of the land on the hillside can be developed. As a result, there hasn’t been one single hook-up to the sewer line.”
4602 - 27 ST, VERNON | SALES • LEASING • PARTS • SERVICE 250-545-0611 • 1-800-736-1944 • WATKINMOTORS.COM