Politicians try to hammer out resolution to conflict

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: September 22, 2009 7:00 PM

Further steps have been taken towards possibly resolving a Greater Vernon turf war.The mayors of Vernon and Coldstream met with the directors from BX-Swan Lake and BX-Silver Star Monday to discuss concerns over water distribution and how to keep the city in the function.“We’ve probably accomplished more here than we did in the last six months,” said Wayne Lippert, Vernon mayor.The meeting was facilitated by Herman Halvorson, North Okanagan Regional District chairman.“There has to be a way where we can sit down like adults and work out a solution. If not, there will be a full blown go-to-court situation,” said Halvorson.

Lippert insists that devolution (withdrawal) of the function was something all jurisdictions previously supported to address individual concerns. But he says attitudes have now shifted and other options must be considered. One option is for all voting on water to shift to the NORD board instead of at the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee.The proposal calls for all votes to be weighted, meaning each director would be delegated a certain number of votes based on the size of their jurisdiction. With three representatives, Vernon would have the most votes, and that has created some concern.“Based on population, Vernon would take it every time,” said Mike Macnabb, BX-Silver Star director. Lippert disagrees with that view. “The city representatives have been known on numerous occasions not to vote together,” he said.

Another sticking point is non-agricultural uses, receiving the subsidized, lower water rate.The city has long questioned the lower rate for hobby farms, but support has also now come from Mike Gavinchuk, BX-Swan Lake director.He says the B.C. Assessment definition of farming should be used to determine rates.“Just because you have horses doesn’t mean you qualify. You must have a product,” said Gavinchuk.

But Jim Garlick, Coldstream mayor, fears eliminating a lower rate for hobby farms could negatively impact agriculture and lead to development. “We’ll be faced with a large number of ALR (removal) applications and they will come en mass,” he said. Lippert insisted that the city supports true agriculture and there are a lot of farms in Vernon.“We may have as much agricultural land as Area C,” he said.

Garlick and Lippert will now go back to their councils to discuss the city’s proposal and see if there is consensus to move ahead. “They have to feel they can provide input or it will fall apart,” said Garlick, adding that his council may propose some changes for consideration.Another meeting is expected in October, and Macnabb is confident about the process launched Monday.“Anything we come up with must be based on trust and be favourable to everyone,” he said.“We have to be able to say, ‘We’re in this together. There are no winners and no losers.’”

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Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: September 22, 2009 7:00 PM

A breath of fresh air

It may not go down as a legendary moment in diplomacy, but Monday’s face-to-face meeting between Greater Vernon’s elected leaders was nonetheless still significant.There they were in the North Okanagan Regional District board room — mayors Jim Garlick and Wayne Lippert on one side of the table, and electoral area directors Mike Gavinchuk and Mike Macnabb on the other. All four politicians laid their cards on the table and had a frank discussion about water distribution and how to keep the function from collapsing.And it was evident that some of the players aren’t hung up on years of baggage.

As an example was Macnabb, who hasn’t been BX-Silver Star for quite a year. He quickly distanced himself from his predecessor who didn’t like City of Vernon staff doing utility work in his area although they had the contract to do so.“We don’t care that it says City of Vernon on the trucks. We don’t care who sends out the bills,” he said. But Macnabb wasn’t the only one tossing the past to the side. Gavinchuk, BX-Swan Lake director, indicated that hobby farmers shouldn’t necessarily get the cheaper water rate, something that may anger some of his constituents.

Much of the meeting’s focus, though, was on a City of Vernon proposal that could keep it from abandoning water distribution, and throwing delivery into chaos.The plan would see all water-related votes take place at the NORD board, essentially neutering the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee .Each director would also be delegated a certain number of votes based on the size of their jurisdiction. And that could be a stumbling block as the city, with three representatives, would be able to out-vote the other three jurisdictions.Lippert has tried to downplay that possibility, by saying the Vernon directors rarely vote in unison. But while that’s the case now, what happens in December if Lippert makes new appointments to NORD? One new face around the table and the voting dynamics could change drastically.

Naturally, what may happen in the future also weighed heavily on the foursome because what ever they agree to could be ripped apart by future politicians. And that’s certainly the recent history of any deals inked in Greater Vernon.“Fears exist because we only have three-year terms and there can be real swings among the people at the table,” said Garlick.“We have to build in safety checks for these sort of things.”

The next step is for the four leaders to consider the city’s proposal and perhaps bring some amendments forward for consideration. For Garlick and Lippert, that will involve consulting with their respective councils, and while Vernon council will debate the matter at length, it is Coldstream’s mayor that will face the toughest challenge.I say that because some of Garlick’s councillors have entrenched views about regional issues. Animosity towards Vernon also lies just below the surface, and some of them were featured players in previous disputes between the municipalities.It will be Garlick’s job to lead his council to a position of comfort — where the interests of Coldstream and all water users are addressed.

Now I don’t want to make too much of Monday’s gathering — it was just a meeting after all. A general lack of trust still exists and anything could throw the process off the rails. But there was a sense of hope as Lippert, Garlick, Macnabb and Gavinchuk walked out the door.And when you consider the importance of water, and the millions of dollars residents have pumped into utility upgrades, we need to encourage our officials to keep talking.