Lineup stalls day care expansion

By RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star StaffMay 11 2007 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/

A child care operator wanting to address a shortage of spaces in the community will have to wait her turn when it comes to navigating the bureaucratic process. Little Dreamers Day Care had hoped the North Okanagan Regional District board would speed up the approval process Wednesday so it could open expanded facilities this fall. However, politicians indicated that would be unfair to other applicants seeking NORD’s support. “I am very disappointed,” said Fiona Forshaw, owner of Little Dreamers.

Forshaw wants to use two existing homes on leased property on Old Kamloops Road as a way of creating 106 full-time child care spaces. However, the property is in the Agricultural Land Reserve and land use restrictions are in place. An application to change the use must be submitted to the Agricultural Land Commission, but the issue must go before NORD first for consideration. Forshaw believes the entire approval process could take about a year, but because of a shortage of child care spaces in Vernon, she hoped her project could be moved ahead. “My waiting list has been very long for a long time,” she said.

However, NORD staff instructed the board that Forshaw’s application is 10th on the list of those to review and planning resources are stretched. “We have not touched the (board’s) priority list this year and we are five months into it,” said Rob Smailes, director of development services.
Staff must do an analysis that considers all planning issues, and that process had the support of Cliff Kanester, BX-Swan Lake director. “I don’t support jumping the queue. We need time to look at the application,” he said. Stan Field, BX-Silver Star director, was concerned that fast-tracking Forshaw's application may send the wrong message. “The other applications have been in for some time. In those developers’ minds, they are deemed to be urgent,” he said.

Jerry Oglow, NORD chairman, says the board takes the lack of day care seriously, but 106 full-time spaces is a large operation and issues like traffic must be considered. “We want to take a lot of care with this,” he said. Vernon director Juliette Cunningham rallied behind Forshaw. “I would like to see this expedited because September is a huge crunch time for families (needing child care),” she said. Forshaw doesn’t believe she can open in September now, and she says a lack of child care is hurting the economy because parents don’t have spaces for their children. "The very depth of what the community needs is for doctors and teachers to go to work. I hope the developers have child care,” she said.