Studying the study

By Richard RolkeJul 19 2006 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
Apparently the North Okanagan has lost its way and some businessmen are riding to the rescue. The five-member Society for the Future Governance of the North Okanagan is looking to raise enough money to conduct a study of how the region is governed and consider alternatives. They say this is necessary because of the bickering between the various jurisdictions. Certainly things haven’t been that harmonious lately, especially between the City of Vernon and the North Okanagan Regional District over the Greater Vernon Services Commission. NORD has felt GVSC is unwilling to recognize its authority as the parent agency while some Vernon politicians have wanted GVSC to operate autonomously. It should be pointed out, though, that one of the society’s directors is Jack Borden, a former Coldstream councillor and architect of GVSC. It was Borden, along with former mayors Sean Harvey and Brian Postill, who hammered out the details for the Greater Vernon sub-committee that is now at the root of so much squabbling.
If you look back at GVSC’s formative years, Borden claimed it was an opportunity to move away from the drag-out fights between Vernon and Coldstream, and to emphasize co-operation. “We’re moving in a direction that is beneficial to everyone,” he stated in a Jan. 28, 2001 Morning Star article. In the same article, Borden also categorically denounced amalgamation with Vernon. “The majority of the people in the community — especially in Coldstream and Areas B and C — don’t want amalgamation. They don’t want it because each community is unique.” It’s also interesting to learn that another society member is Pat Lett, an accountant. As a resident of Okanagan Landing he sided with annexation into Vernon in 2001. But 10 years later, he was singing a different tune. “I look at my taxes and they are going up hugely, and I haven’t got one increase in service, not even a street light. I would have preferred staying in the regional district and I’d have no expectations,” he said in a March 30, 2003 article. Conspiracy theorists are also going to have a field day with this new society because Borden, Lett and fellow member Richard Hamilton are appointed directors of the Vernon Land Corporation, which oversees the city’s land affairs. Some will wonder if the society members are truly acting as individual citizens, or if the city is involved behind the scenes. And except for former Armstrong mayor Eric Hornby, the society executive is dominated by Vernon area businessmen. That’s worth noting because the proposed governance study will look at all communities including Lumby, Enderby and Spallumcheen. Unless members join from those communities, any report could look like Vernon is interfering in their internal activities. There certainly is nothing wrong with looking at how the North Okanagan is governed and whether efficiencies can be found. But keep in mind that the existence of various communities isn’t just historical, but a current reflection of differing needs and interests. We could cut back on the number of politicians but would that truly increase efficiencies? Does the much-larger Kelowna, with one council, function any better, and do its citizens feel connected to their elected officials? And even if we trimmed the number of politicians, differences of opinion will still occur. It doesn’t guarantee peace in the valley. There is also the financial issue. While you might save on politicians’ salaries, the real bucks are in the bureaucracy. And except for trimming a few senior administrators, much of the bureaucracy would remain because they’re needed to provide services. In the end, I will be interested to see if the society can find enough people to cough up $100 each to fund a $100,000 study. And even if it can, I doubt the process will go anywhere, because except for the five society members and a few of their associates, governance isn’t on the radar for the average resident.