Turf wars flare up again

By Richard Rolke Jul 25 2007 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=35&cat=48&id=1032490&more=0

I keep having this reoccurring nightmare that I’m caught back in the mid-1990s enduring the endless squabbling of Wayne McGrath and Ernie Palfrey, and McGrath and Gyula Kiss. But then I wake up and discover that while the faces have changed, the turf wars of Greater Vernon are alive and well. I’m not sure if it’s the water (and with the constant boil water advisories, anything is possible) but the current crop of politicians aren’t that neighbourly at times. “The less I have to deal with Vernon council, the better I’d feel about it,” said Area C director Stan Field as he lashed out at the city’s perceived actions against the electoral areas.
Field and Area B director Cliff Kanester were upset that they weren’t invited to a joint meeting between Coldstream and Vernon councils. But it should be pointed out that the agenda dealt strictly with a proposal forwarded to them by Field and Kanester to rip apart the parks and recreation function.

Both councils were within their right to independently discuss the matter and, if necessary, they could approach Field and Kanester at a later date for more discussions. We should also remember that Kanester and Field crafted their plan behind closed doors and they didn’t give Vernon and Coldstream the courtesy of being part of it. Field and Kanester have also gone to the extreme by suggesting that Vernon taking over water distribution means it has no interest in any regional co-operation. “It appears that Vernon wants to be in control of everything in their boundary,” said Field. It’s a huge stretch to say that water pipes in the ground equates to a lack of interest in parks and recreation. But Field and Kanester aren’t the only ones with fiefdom fever. The disease has also spread into Coldstream.

“Funtastic is a Vernon issue, not a Coldstream issue. All of the benefits go to Vernon,” said Coun. Bill Firman while debating the proposal for a new sports complex. Yes there are few businesses in Coldstream that directly benefit from the slowpitch tournament. But how many Coldstream residents own or work at businesses in Vernon that do? And with those hard-earned dollars, they pay property taxes in Coldstream, including Firman’s salary. And of those people who would pursue recreational activities at a new sports complex, many of them would be from Coldstream. They aren’t foreigners, but Firman’s neighbours.

But while Vernon is the target of a lot of this bashing, it’s certainly not lily-white. We all remember back to May when city council decided to extend Middleton Way. Because it will be used by Coldstream motorists, Coun. Barry Beardsell suggested they should help pay for the work. “We could put up a toll,” he said. While it was said in jest, even the suggestion was unnecessary. Vernon, and not other municipalities, are responsible for the roads within its jurisdiction. If the shoe was on the other foot, would Vernon residents be willing to to help Coldstream pay for road upgrades that help them access Kal Beach or Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park? Not likely.

In the end, the so-called problems with the Greater Vernon Services Committee aren’t technical in nature. It operates fine. The issue is political personalities clashing with each other. If this keeps up, the regional co-operation that has existed for 30 years (through parks and recreation) will be destroyed and we will all be the loser. Frustrated with the fighting, some residents may covet amalgamation to end hostilities and that’s no panacea either. Perhaps the next time the politicians get together they should take the advice of aging rock stars when they are in a room together — Check your egos at the door.