Regional district defers to councils

By Roger Knox - Vernon Morning Star Published: September 05, 2008

Two groups seeking support from the North Okanagan Regional District will have a chance to fine-tune their presentations. After both the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) and a consultant for the Okanagan Airshed Coalition made 20-minute presentations to NORD directors seeking support for projects, NORD deferred the matter to member councils. “The two presentations are inter-regional presentations and they are agreements that we have in place with the other two regional districts (Central Okanagan, Okanagan Similkameen),” said NORD chairman Jerry Oglow. “Support of those inter-regional agreements begin with the stakeholders, and the stakeholders are municipalities and electoral areas.” Presenters John Slater and Anna Warwick Sears, chairman and executive director, respectively, of the OBWB, and consultant Ingrid Liepa, working towards an Okanagan and Similkameen Valley air quality management plan, were thanked for their extensive presentations, and were requested to bring them to member councils.

The OBWB’s water management program is due for renewal on April 1, 2009, with Slater and Warwick Sears giving an extensive overview on what the program has accomplished in the past three years. “The program has brought extensive benefits and value to Okanagan taxpayers over this time,” said Slater. “We strongly recommend that the program be maintained in its current form, with a new requirement for an annual report.” Since its inception, the water management program has built partnerships with government agencies and water stakeholders. It has created leading water science initiatives and other projects, and has improved water conservation and quality. The OBWB asked NORD to endorse renewal of the 2005 plan for an additional three years, with an annual review submitted in September of each year, contingent on mutual agreements with the other two regional districts. In its more than 100- page report to NORD directors, the OBWB said it is funded through property taxes on all lands within the Okanagan watershed.

“Every resident contributes at the same rate throughout the basin, and funds are directed to projects that have district basin-wide benefits,” states the report. The current program agreements allows the OBWB to assess up to two cents per $1,000 assessment to cover program costs. Liepa, representing the Okanagan Airshed Coalition, told NORD the coalition has commissioned an initial plan that calls for the coordination and harmonization of air quality management efforts by the three Okanagan Valley regional districts. “It’s guided by the goal of valley-wide adoption of measures most protective of air quality currently in place by one or more of the three regional districts,” said Liepa. “One of its key outcomes is to ensure all residents and visitors to the valley enjoy good local air quality, regardless of where they are situated,” she said. The main goal of the valley-wide plan is to adopt the highest standards and best practices currently in place by one or more of the regional districts, without weakening any current standards or practices.

Oglow said it would be a challenge getting everybody on board for a valley-wide plan. “You’re never going to get everybody on the exact same page, but we can get more people conscious of how we, the citizens of the region, are contributing to either good air quality or bad air quality,” he said. Oglow said as these are the two largest inter-regional functions amongst the regional district, the NORD board wants member councils to be as informed as NORD directors before making a decision to support either request.

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Don Quixote Note: The 20 minute presentation is scheduled for the 1:30 Vernopn Council meeting this Monday Sept. 8. The 100 page report can be found at Agenda Package - 9.73MB DELEGATION - OKANAGAN BASIN WATER BOARD (P. 33)

C. Dr. Anna Warwick Sears, Executive Director and Board Representatives have requested 20 minutes to speak to Council regarding the review of the Okanagan Basin Water Board’s Water Management Program.