Any North Okanagan politicians wanting to find out about the future of the Sterile Insect Release program will have to cram into a room with their colleagues. Instead of making presentations to each of the six municipal councils, SIR officials have requested that one single gathering of all North Okanagan politicians be held to provide information on plans for the coming years. “So many of the council meetings are on the same night so it could take up to three months to get to all of the councils,” said Stan Field, North Okanagan Regional District chairman and member of the SIR board. If all councils were to attend, as well as the five electoral area directors, there would be 41 elected officials in the NORD board room. The other reason for just one meeting is the apparent workload facing SIR staff. “They’re in the midst of a huge tree removal program and staff are running off their feet,” said Field. NORD had recently asked SIR to make presentations to each municipal council, as well as the electoral area directors, about its post-2007 goals. The program — which is attempting to control codling moth’s impact on the apple sector — is supposed to wrap up Dec. 31, 2007, but strategies are under way now to continue its mandate. Information could be provided to North Okanagan politicians as early as Sept. 6, but director Pat Cochrane still believes individual presentations to council would be the best.
“I don’t see the urgency for it now so if there is a quieter time, why not schedule it for then,” he said. However, Field insists that garnering support for SIR must occur now. “They want everything in place for post-2007. The legislation in Victoria is being dealt with now,” he said.
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