Governance dominates meeting

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - March 05, 2008

Potential changes to Okanagan governance are fuelling a rare meeting of most politicians in the valley. Every mayor, councillor and electoral area director has been invited to participate in the so-called council of councils Friday at 9 a.m. at the Capri Hotel in Kelowna. If everyone shows up, there could be 120 people. “I have been in local government for 24 years and I have never experienced that before so it’s unprecedented,” said Jerry Oglow, Armstrong mayor and member of a committee looking at governance options for the valley. The meeting will begin with an address from Community Services Minister Ida Chong, who initiated the governance review late last year. “All of the assembled participants will be listening to what she is saying and what she might be suggesting,” said Oglow. There will also be a presentation on recent feedback garnered from municipalities and regional districts about the potential changes to governance. “The people assembled will be broken out into smaller groups and there will be issues to contemplate and discuss,” said Oglow. “We will try and see if there is any consensus or any questions that need to be answered before definitive decisions can be made.”

The committee is supposed to present a final report to Chong by the end of March. But while Chong has indicated that timeline is written in stone, it’s anticipated there may be future discussions. “There may be a need for more detailed work especially on a cost benefit analysis on any of the governance options,” said Oglow. Governance was raised during a meeting last week between Chong and Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce officials in Vancouver. “Chong stated she would be disappointed if no progress had been made, and that she was eager to see any recommendations coming from the report,” said Dawn Lasby, the chamber’s general manager in a release. “She plans to be in Kelowna on Friday and is interested in the City of Vernon’s position to amalgamate rural electoral areas into municipalities. The subject is also being discussed with the city and the GVCC on Thursday in their bi-annual meeting.”