Shadow of conflict is cast over the valley-wide governance process

Don Quixote Note: Full article is available at link below.

By Don Elzer April 7, 2008 The Other Beaver

The issue of valley-wide governance may be a topic for debate in the provincial legislature as events begin to unfold that clearly outline that the self-determination of communities, residents and taxpayers are being ignored. The provincial government may be tampering with the process of municipal governance and now our local governments in the valley are following a similar pattern of behavior that has them ignoring that due process is required if we are going to change how we govern ourselves at a local level. Upon a very scant review of our present system of local government along with very little public input, our local governments up and down the valley are favoring a single regional authority option, which would oversee certain valley-wide issues and would leave the present governance formula consisting of our three regional districts in place. However, option two would see an amalgamation of all three regional districts into a single valley-wide regional government.

The public is really the last to know about the details of these options because this process has been left up to a task force made up of only local governments, which call themselves a Council of Councils and they discuss, decide and recommend behind closed doors with only limited public input. The provincial government has demanded the Task Force Report by the end of March that will describe the implications regarding the two main options, and we’re told then that the process may continue. The perception of Vernon City Council is that the report may only reflect the view of the electoral areas and small municipalities. Coun. Barry Beardsell insisted the four largest cities have not had a chance to put forward their views. “This whole thing has been manipulated from a regional perspective,” he said.

But it really appears as though the manipulation is not coming from the rural hinterlands but from the provincial government. In fact, while all members of local governments seem to believe that they represent their local taxpayers on this one, clearly they do not. They are far beyond their elected mandate when attempting to change issues of local governance. There isn’t one member from of any local government that has not accepted that this is whole process has been brought about like a shotgun wedding and perhaps one that the Community Services Minister and the Premier have instigated, at least so it may appear. Regardless, they have all marched to the table not questioning the process or the lack of fair protocol that may exist.