District asks city to drop water appeal

Roger Knox - Vernon Morning Star Published: April 08, 2010 6:00 PM

The District of Coldstream wants the City of Vernon to drop its appeal of an arbitrator’s ruling that the city can’t withdraw from water distribution. If Vernon doesn’t drop its appeal, Coldstream said it’s not interested in taking part in a Greater Vernon Water Utility service review committee process that began in earnest Wednesday morning featuring representatives of Vernon, Coldstream and electoral Areas B and C. Mayor Jim Garlick explained to facilitator Allan Neilson-Welch, who chaired the meeting, that his council passed a motion to have the district withdraw from the mediation process until the judicial review process is complete. “It is our position that clarity of direction and intent is needed by all the partners on working out an agreement on this important and complex manner,” said Garlick. “Throwing in the unknown of the judicial review outcome is out of place in the process, and creates an atmosphere of mistrust. “This is a negotiation of an important long-term sub-regional agreement between partners and neighbours who need to work together to provide a needed service to residents.”

Garlick said Coldstream’s participation can be salvaged if Vernon answers a couple of key questions: - What progress would it take in the negotiations to have Vernon take action to postpone and/or end the judicial review? - Is devolution the only option the City of Vernon is willing to consider?

To which, Vernon Mayor Wayne Lippert answered no. “We have always been open for discussions,” he said. “Devolution is what all four partners agreed on. We’re not stuck on it, but nothing has come forward to help us move away from it. We stay on this track because of a lack of discussions or a serious look at anything else.” As for the appeal, Lippert said it keeps Vernon’s options open and doesn’t stop from meeting with the facilitator and the partners. “If we go through this service review and there is an agreement amongst all four of us, we can stop the appeal,” said Lippert. BX-Silver Star director Mike Macnabb supported Garlick, but insisted the service review was necessary. “We’ll go through the process, have individual meetings and then come upon some kind of common point,” said Macnabb. BX-Swan Lake director Mike Gavinchuk would like to see the function turned into a utility once all partners discuss what is needed and wanted. “It’ll cost money, but so what?” asked Gavinchuk.

Coldstream did agree with Vernon’s appeal of a motion to rescind the governance bylaw for the original Greater Vernon Services Commission. “We have lost a governance structure for the water utility that involved significant time, effort and resources to achieve,” said Garlick. “All of the participants have or will benefit from the accomplishments made while the commission was in place.” Neilson-Welch got Coldstream to agree, for the time being, that the service review committee will continue to meet, that individual meetings with the partners will be held, and come back as group to see where the process is. Garlick can take back to his council that, if they still desire, some kind of exit point from the process would be found for Coldstream.The partners are slated to meet again next month.