Vernon has got a little bit bigger, but that’s not going over well with one local politician. Stan Field, BX-Silver Star director, is not happy that two areas, one from his jurisdiction and one from BX-Swan Lake, were approved by the provincial government to join the city July 8. “I don’t support the city annexing any parts of B and C,” he said. The areas include 10 lots on Hitchcock Road, near Silver Star Foothills, and 17 lots on Old Kamloops Road between the city and the Bluejay subdivision. Under provincial legislation, property owners within the affected areas would have applied for a boundary change. “Obviously they did that but it doesn’t change my mind,” said Field. “The city shouldn’t cherry-pick areas within the electoral areas.” Field demonstrated his opposition Wednesday by voting against the North Okanagan Regional District receiving a letter from the provincial government confirming the annexations.
But Coun. Jack Gilroy insists the city has done nothing wrong. “These people (property owners) applied to come into the city. We have people everyday coming in that want to be annexed,” he said. “We aren’t cherry-picking. People are coming to us. We aren’t going to them.” And Gilroy is adamant that annexation into the city doesn’t necessarily mean the properties will be annexed. As an example, Gilroy says current council has voted to keep the lots along Old Kamloops Road in the Agricultural Land Reserve. “We want to keep it rural,” he said, although he believes there may be a chance of the city acquiring some land so 48th Avenue can be extended to Old Kamloops Road. Field is convinced that the majority of his constituents are happy living within a regional district electoral area. “They want to be rural and not part of the city,” he said.
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