Regional governance dominates discussion

February 27, 2008 Penticton Western

Penticton Mayor Jake Kimberley predicts the provincial government would step in if local municipalities cannot agree on reforms to regional government, a topic that dominated his recent meeting with the mayors of Westside, Kelowna and Vernon. Other topics Kimberley discussed during the Feb. 12 meeting included affordable housing and Wakefest. But the future of regional governance dominated discussions between the mayors, said Kimberley, as regional directors from across the region get ready to discuss governance reforms March 7 with the presentation of a consulting report. Options said to be on the table include the status quo of three separate regional districts, a single regional district and an interregional authority responsible for issues deemed to be of regional importance such as water, air quality and transportation. Community Service Minister Ida Chong tasked a local board of elected officials with reforming regional governance late last year to meet “growth management and governance challenges” in the Okanagan Valley. Other reasons driving the review include the recent incorporation of Westside — once the largest non-incorporated area in the Central Okanagan Regional District — and the emergence of valleywide issues such as water, air and transportation management.

But this provincial push for regional governance reform has not received a positive reception in rural parts of the valley, whose representatives fear their constituents would be neglected, with the possibility of centralizing regional governance in Kelowna. Larger communities meanwhile are concerned about having to foot most of the bill and the possibility of creating another layer of government instead of reducing it through the creation of an inter-regional authority. Questions about who would sit on a future regional governance board also still remain, added Kimberley. One potential outcome (and additional expense) of the review for Penticton could be the extension of municipal services to areas now serviced by the regional district, said Kimberley. Kimberley hinted it might be difficult to find consensus before the March 31 deadline which some have said is “ridiculous” in light of the many answered questions. Coun. Rory McIvor said earlier this month amalgamating the three districts and thereby reducing the regional representation would be “a recipe for disaster.” He also suggested that the final decision would come from the province. On other issues discussed during the mayors’ meeting, Kimberley said the mayors agreed that they do not have enough resources themselves to fix the affordable housing issue. On more specific issue, Penticton also consulted with Kelowna on the issues of secondary suites — the city has promised to legalize them — and questions around hosting Wakefest. Penticton is considering to host the event after Kelowna withdrew its support for it, following concern from business owners and police, who said rowdy, intoxicated youth had pushed the city to the verge of a riot.Wakefest organizers say they have learnt their lessons from the Kelowna experience and supporters of the event say it would generate additional tourism and event dollars.