A8 Wednesday, April 24, 2013 - The Morning Star
Opinion
Don’t snooze this one out
Ian Jensen – Publisher Glenn Mitchell – Managing Editor
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The North Okanagan’s Community Newspaper Published Sunday, Wednesday, Friday The Morning Star, founded in 1988 as an independent community newspaper, is published each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday morning. Submissions are welcome but we cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited material including manuscripts and pictures which should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. EnTIRE ConTEnTS © 1988 MoRnInG STAR PuBLICATIonS LTd. ALL RIGhTS RESERVEd
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Publisher Ian Jensen 250-550-7906
Managing Editor
Glenn Mitchell 250-550-7920
A
Issue resurfaces
can of worms is being reopened at Vernon city hall. On Monday, council members received KPMG’s services review on potential ways to reduce costs and increase efficiencies. One of the opportunities for consideration, as KPMG calls them, is pumping treated waste water into Okanagan Lake instead of the long-standing practice of using it to irrigate golf courses, parks and pasture. “The golf courses would likely use water from the water system for irrigation if not supplied with recovered water, but much of the recovered water is spread on low value lands bought for the purpose and not requiring irrigation,” states the report. Richard Rolke “If these waters were returned to the surface water system (lake), it would increase the supply of water available for use in the greater community, whether for domestic or agricultural purposes.” KPMG also goes on to say that spray irrigation costs the city $1 million a year and the program “ties up lands that might more appropriately be used for development, reducing the pressures for urban sprawl on the fringes of the city boundaries.” KPMG’s recommendation on spray irrigation comes at the same time as an option in the city’s liquid waste management plan review that would see effluent discharges into the lake go from emergency status to periodic. In that process, Urban Systems states any discharge into the lake would only be for surplus treated effluent not used by the spray irrigation program.
BEyond thE hEAdlinES
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They have also indicated that discharges would reduce spray irrigation costs, including pumping the material to the reservoir in the Commonage. Perhaps now is a good time for a quick history lesson. Spray irrigation was pioneered by city engineer David MacKay in the 1970s as a way of adding value to waste material and conserving fresh water supplies. Vernon is still the only community in the valley that doesn’t discharge into Okanagan Lake and that’s something it has previously bragged about. Residents have been so passionate about the program that battles erupted in the late 1980s when the city followed provincial government direction and installed an outfall pipe into the lake for emergency discharges. Political careers were created and derailed over the matter in the 1990 civic election. The only use of the pipe occurred in 1996 because a wet summer delayed irrigation of waste water on fields and the reservoir level had to be lowered. Any subsequent possibilities of discharges were mired in legal action by environmental organizations. Based on the advice from KPMG or Urban Systems, Vernon could suddenly be on the cusp of a dramatic departure in waste disposal. And if council endorses those plans, expect Save Our Lakes, the Okanagan Indian Band and the Environmental Law Society to pursue legal options and rally public opposition. The battles of the past will be resurrected and given that there is a civic election in November 2014, the stakes will be high. Just as occurred back in 1990, this issue could sweep new faces into office and send others packing.
The 2013 provincial election will be one of the most important in recent memory. At a time when the economy appears to be in slow motion, yet demands on the public purse are increasing, voters need to pay attention. Of course, we say this for every election – to no avail. In the 2009 provincial election, only about 50 per cent of voters bothered to cast a vote. Who is to blame? It’s hard to say. Is it negative advertising that turns people off? NDP leader Adrian Dix says so and has promised a more positive campaign. But will that end indifference or will people turn away in boredom? Is it helplessness and apathy that keep people away from the polls? Many people simply don’t connect with government. Liberal leader Christy Clark has tried to be a populist premier, appealing to the hockey mom vote, but has failed to attract women’s support. Why? Perhaps voters simply distrust anything politicians say. Clearly there is a disconnect and the media may have contributed to this malaise by blowing every little incident out of proportion. As in the story of the boy who cried wolf, many voters simply tune out after a while, yet, sadly, when there is a real issue, many eligible voters simply don’t see the connection between their vote and government policy. Instead, they leave the field to special interest groups – business, unions, lobbyists – to hijack the results. The truth is that politicians will only be accountable if we hold them accountable. We have a right to toss any of them out if they don’t do what they promised so voters need to pay attention to what politicians say and they need to find out who they are. — Surrey Leader