Round one goes to Coldstream in the water wars with Vernon. The municipality had said there should be no partial devolution of the water supply system, and the arbitratior looking at the case has agreed. In other words, all or nothing. 
Coldstream mayor Jim Garlick (pictured) says he hopes this will mean a return to negotiation. He tells Kiss FM, "What we hope will result from this is that it gets everybody back to the table and we look at going back to working in a more amiable way, and it removes arbitration from the table." That's a sentiment echoed by Vernon mayor Wayne Lippert. "All we've ever been trying to do through-out this process is try to get a little bit of Ministry involvement, but in particular, to get Coldstream and Areas B and C back to the table."
Coldstream mayor Jim Garlick (pictured) says he hopes this will mean a return to negotiation. He tells Kiss FM, "What we hope will result from this is that it gets everybody back to the table and we look at going back to working in a more amiable way, and it removes arbitration from the table." That's a sentiment echoed by Vernon mayor Wayne Lippert. "All we've ever been trying to do through-out this process is try to get a little bit of Ministry involvement, but in particular, to get Coldstream and Areas B and C back to the table." With Vernon looking to withdraw from the distrubition of water, and B and C issuing notices of full withdrawal, Lippert says it'll be up to the province to decide which way things go. "I would expect with three of the four participants wanting to withdraw from the system, that's what should happen now, unless Coldstream and B and C want to come to the table and actually work through some solutions."
2 comments:
If Mayor Lippert read the letters of withdrawal submitted by the Directors for Areas B and C, he would have understood that they issued their withdrawal notices as a LAST RESORT, to protect their jurisdictions from any negative consequences of Vernon's withdrawal, not because they were unhappy with the service and wanted to withdraw.
Vernon Council received both letters for information at recent meetings.
But why would I be surprised?
This is the same Mayor who doesn't consider a full-page editorial titled "Mayor wrong to accept Olympic tickets" to be flack for his acceptance of BCLC gifts!
By the way, NORD also had the same position as Coldstream - that there should be no partial withdrawal or devolution - but you wouldn't know that because, unlike Coldstream, they didn't bother to post their submission to the arbitrator on their website.
The decision by the Arbitrator is so Atypical of Government waste today.
If he had rendered a solution he would be out of work.
If come sense is for Vernon to withdraw, then so be it.
I was at the Nord office three weeks ago and a lady came to the frontdesk and was complaining that her water bill had gone up $38.00. The simple solution to her complaint would be for her to turn the tap off.
Why do we waste so much money.
All these committee's meet to design a Horse and end up with Camel every time they meet.
Post a Comment