The city of Vernon is not willing to back off going to arbitration over water issues, which Coldstream reps say could scuttle any chance of a solution. Regional politicians debated the devolution issue for over an hour at today's Greater Vernon Advisory Committee meeting before deciding to hold a meeting with Vernon and Coldstream councils and the Areas B and C directors, along with the administrators, in August to discuss it further. Coldstream director Doug Dirk says the city's position is unfair.
Dirk tells KISS FM, "As long as we have arbitration hanging over our heads, and as long as it's going to be used as a lever, then that just complicates the whole process of mediating and sorting out our problems. If we're going to resolve issues as common partners, we need to all sit down in goodwill and discuss everyone's issues and come to a resolution." Vernon mayor Wayne Lippert says the city is willing to discuss the issues further, but won't remove the possibilikty of arbitration. "It's our way of holding all of the participants feet to the fire to come to some resolution." Lippert says three years is long enough to wait for progress.
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