Vernon and Coldstream councils are getting together Monday, but residents will have to guess about the topic. Dual council meetings will be held simultaneously at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre, but both municipalities are keeping the agenda confidential. “I don’t know what all will be discussed,” said Wayne Lippert, Vernon’s mayor. That is also the response coming from Gary Corner, Coldstream mayor. “I haven’t asked what it’s all about,” he said, adding that the city requested the session. It is believed part of the discussions may have to do with reviews of services as well as the North Okanagan Regional District’s five electoral areas considering establishing a rural municipality. Those issues were part of a recent private meeting between Vernon city council and Ida Chong, the province’s minister of community services. Corner doesn’t believe residents should be concerned about discussions occurring behind closed doors Monday. “If there’s a decision to be made, it will eventually be brought into the public,” he said.
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Public can’t be ignored Jul 13 2007 EDITORIAL
Another week, another confidential meeting by politicians. Just a few days after Vernon council met behind closed doors with Community Services Minister Ida Chong, they are now meeting in-camera Monday with their Coldstream counterparts. And while specific details aren’t known, it’s believed the two meetings have a common link — Greater Vernon governance and the prospect of the North Okanagan’s five electoral areas forming a rural municipality. For anyone not familiar with provincial legislation, there are only three reasons a council meeting can be held in-camera — legal, land or labour. Governance may impact labour but only very generally while there may be some legal implications involved. If there are, deal with those specifics privately, but most of the topic can be dealt within the public domain. In fact, residents have had a steady diet of governance from politicians in recent years so why have things changed now? Reviews of functions, such as parks and recreation and water, may not be that stimulating but they are of public interest. The politicians must remember that it’s rank-and-file citizens who foot the bill for these services and depend on them. As for the five electoral areas forming a municipality, there will be some impact on existing jurisdictions and that should be part of a public debate. Provincial legislation allows for municipalities to meet in-camera but the reason for those gatherings are limited. Let’s hope Vernon and Coldstream understand the rules and aren’t stretching them. 
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