By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: July 29, 2008
Activity at Vernon’s airport could possibly be grounded if a dispute escalates. John Jack, who owns part of the land the airport is on, has announced that he is ending a month-to-month lease with the City of Vernon Aug. 31 if a long-term lease agreement can’t be reached. “It is unfortunate that there are businesses that may suffer because of this, but I am left with no alternative,” he said in a release to the media. Jack and his family are now looking at ways to prevent city access to the seven acres – which includes part of the runway – if a deal can’t be reached with the city. “We will park something on his piece of the airport,” said wife Cindy Brewer, adding that a court order is also being sought to keep the city off the property after Aug. 31. In his release, Jack says the original lease expired in 2006 and while month-to-month payments have been received from the city, a long-term agreement has not materialized.
“Meetings have been held where I was told the agreement would be forthcoming within the month and now two years later, I am still waiting,” he said. “I had asked for a good faith payment which had been approved and then subsequently denied. I have been advised that if we do not accept their terms and conditions, that the city will not provide my adjacent property with water and septic services.” City officials, though, say the lease is not actually with Jack but with the Department of Indian Affairs, which is legally responsible for reserve lands. But Leon Gous, chief administrative officer, said there has been no response from the federal government on the lease and that has created delays. “The minute this (old lease) expired, we’ve been paying double the old rate,” he said, adding that amounts to $4,100 a month.
In terms of Jack’s claims, Gous says payments were promised based on a long-term lease being in place. “We’ve not given up on the process in the least. We’ve not gone against anything we’ve agreed to,” he said. “In renegotiations, they asked to service the rest of his property and we agreed. But what we have said is if the lease is cancelled, why would there be a servicing agreement?” Mayor Wayne Lippert is worried the dispute could lead to the airport being shut down. “It’s a concern because I thought we had things moving ahead,” he said. The Okanagan Indian Band is aware of the situation. “We don’t have much control over locatee (reserve lands in individual names) but council supports the individual locatees and their positions,” said Chief Fabian Alexis. Alexis believes the slow bureaucracy within Indian Affairs is the problem. “It’s holding things up,” he said of the lease.
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Morning Star Editorial July 30 Airport deal must be priority
Uncertainty has taken flight over the Vernon Airport as a property owner has indicated he will cut off access to part of his land the runway is constructed on after Aug. 31. If that occurs, it could mean a halt to activities at the airport, both for recreational pilots and the commercial businesses there. Both the property owner and the city have made claims against each other in terms of lease negotiations, or the lack thereof. And for a person sitting on the outside, it is difficult to know what the actual facts are. However, one thing is extremely clear and that is that both sides are frustrated and much of that frustration is a result of the federal government. The land in question is on Indian reserve and falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Indian Affairs. Any lease is not actually with the local Okanagan Indian Band member whose name it's in, but with the Crown. The government must approve the terms of any deal. And yet after two years since the last lease lapsed, a new agreement has not materialized from Ottawa. Okanagan Indian Band Chief Fabian Alexis is concerned with the bureaucracy involved. "It's holding things up," he said. And that is unfair to the property owner, the City of Vernon and the entire community. A lot of businesses and people depend on that airport operating. It is time for Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes to find out why things are dragging in Ottawa, and what needs to be done to expedite the matter. If something doesn't happen fast, activities at the airport could be grounded.
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