ROCKY RESPONSE | Complaints force community meeting over Spallumcheen quarry [A6]
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Sunday, March 2, 2014
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One business seeks rail line
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JENNIFER SMITH Black Press
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Jody Gamache (left) claps along to a song with her son Liam Thiem, two, in support of Anti-Bullying Day Wednesday at the Okanagan Boys and Girls Club in Vernon, while Jen Hatten (right), three-year-old daughter Avery Jewell and four-year-old Addison Gagne wear their pink shirts during the event.
No consensus on longer terms RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff
There’s mixed opinion when it comes to extending terms for local politicians. The provincial government will introduce legislation to extend terms from three to four years for municipal councils, regional district boards and school boards. It would come into effect for the November election, meaning the next vote would be 2018. “With four years, a Jim Edgson lot of people won’t consider another year,” said Jim Edgson, North Westside director. “A lot of these people are old, I’ll be 70 this year. They want to be able to have some options (with time commitments).” Edgson says there’s already a challenge getting younger people to run for office, and adding another year may not help.
“Four years may be more attractive for the younger people if they were compensated better.” Howie Cyr, Enderby mayor, supports the change. “Right now, it takes a year to ease into the job, a year of productivity and then a year of people wondering if they’re running again,” he said. “Four years gives another year for people to get their agenda’s achieved.” Rob Sawatzky, Vernon mayor, also backs a longer term. “It fits more with all levels of (provincial and senior) government and the change-over that occurs,” he said. “There’s always a lot of history and background you have to catch up on when first elected.” Vernon Coun. Bob Spiers disagrees. “Three years is something people will make a commitment to but with four, you may lose people who think it’s too long,” he said of the potential impact on families and
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careers. In 2010, the Vernon council of the day passed a motion opposing four-year terms. The current plan to extend terms has generated little debate within the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District. “It could provide additional time for boards to work towards their vision and goals,” said Chris Coers, Enderby trustee. “There are costs involved in carrying out elections so this would reduce costs.” The legislation will be introduced by Coralee Oakes, community development minister and a former Quesnel councillor. “The reason why provinces across Canada have moved to four years is it provides greater certainty in communities to move those very important projects forward, things such as infrastructure improvements,” said Oakes. “It provides opportunities for local government officials to understand their projects and to carry them through.” — with notes from Black Press reporter Tom Fletcher.
An attempt to muster new life on a section of rail line is down to one business proposal and one community campaign to see the corridor become a trail. Brad Clements, the college professor spearheading the Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative, confirmed CN Rail has put his group on alert there is only one business proposal being considered to see the rail line opened by a new service provider between Coldstream and Kelowna. Brad Clements Should it fail, the clock starts ticking for interested government bodies to secure the real estate for the public domain. “Our end goal is to see it as a trail…So we’re trying to prove the benefit to the community of the recreational corridor,” said Clements, whose group is building momentum to lobby all three levels of government for a Kelowna-Coldstream trail. Under the process to decommission the line, the federal government, provincial government, transit authority and municipal governments affected each have 30 days — consecutively, in the order listed — to pitch for the property before CN can sell it to the highest bidder. The Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative launched last fall with news Kelowna Pacific Railway, the operator leasing the line from CN, had collapsed due to financial turmoil and the corridor was likely to be sold. Posting an online petition, Clements soon had plenty of signatures and financial backing. The initiative has secured enough funding from a private donor to hire three economists to do a benefits analysis on establishing a multi-use pathway from the Central Okanagan to the North Okanagan, and is now gearing up for a serious publicity campaign to flush out more private donors and influence all three levels of government to secure the property. “We’re not unrealistic. We know it’s going to take serious money,” said Clements, who is receiving strong support from cycling advocates throughout the region.
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