Some form of Valley-wide political body is needed to address pressing issues, but exactly how that body will look is still up for debate. Directors from all three regional districts met Friday in Vernon to discuss a variety of issues, including Valley-wide governance. Robert Hobson, chairman of the Regional District of Central Okanagan, said there was good discussion, but no conclusions were reached. Information gathered at the daylong meeting will go to various committees to be discussed further. However, plans to merge the three districts is likely not an option. “There is a strong feeling the regional districts have value,” said Hobson. Hobson said “three or four options emerged” from the meeting, but none of them included dissolving current regional districts. “We certainly didn‘t make any decisions today, but the exercise was very beneficial as there was plenty of free-flowing discussion on the issues and options being considered for area-wide governance,” said Hobson. “There was a strong willingness from everyone involved to work together on Valley-wide issues. The result will help guide the work of the study committee in the coming months as we move towards completion of a final report for the Minister of Community Services by the end of March.”
The possibility of creating an entity that would address Valley-wide issues was met with some enthusiasm. Water, air and transportation were recognized as three of the main issues facing the Okanagan. “I think there was a lot of goodwill among the directors to work together,” Hobson said. Hobson‘s counterpart from the South Okanagan said meetings like the one held Friday should have been happening for years. “This is the first of its kind, which is kind of a shame,” said Dan Ashton, chair of the RDOS. “If we had been doing this all along, we would not be where we are today.” Ashton confirmed there was no consensus for a single, Valley-wide governing body, but he said it is important the regional districts work together in the future.
Ashton said a single governing body with representatives from the existing regional districts that would deal with Valley-wide issues may be the best option. North Okanagan regional district chairman Jerry Oglow said rural directors expressed concern their issues could be lost to those of larger centres. Oglow said it is important the more rural electoral areas be heard and their concerns addressed. “We can‘t take a cookie-cutter approach,” said the mayor of Armstrong. “The individual needs of each community must be addressed.” Oglow feels the valley-wide concept is “still there.”
The committee has also launched a website, www.valleygovern.ca, to keep the public up to date on the issue. The next meeting of the Okanagan-Similkameen regional governance study working committee will be on Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. in Kelowna.
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Don Quixote Note: The one phrase description for the new entity and extra layer of government that would address some of the major areas of concerns was "Mayors and Chairs" A local wag suggested that this Should be "Boobs and Rubes" and the Province could institutionalize this new concept by permanently sequestering the Lucky Mayors and Chairs in the new prison to be built on the Kelowna - Summerland border. During non committee work sessions they could serve as a tourist attraction and economic stimulus to the Central Okanagan regional district.
rube - a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture
boob - an ignorant or foolish person
wag - a witty amusing person who makes jokes
Lebensraum (German for "living space") was another concept that one observer was reminded of as he saw the CORD regional district representatives and bureacrabs struggle with their own future existence or 'raison d'etre'.
2 comments:
Sounds like Hobson was at a different meeting. I trust your observations rather than his.All he wants is to preserve his position at Cord.
"Lebensraum" is not merely "living space" but closer to "elbow room". Make of that what yu will.
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