Comments Heat Up Coldstream Mayor's Race

Written by Peter McIntyre  107.5 KISSFM  Thursday, 10 November 2011
 It's a two way race for mayor in Coldstream, with a newcomer to politics, taking on a one term incumbent.  The District, with a population of around 10,000, is the latest North Okanagan community to be profiled by KISS FM News as part of its municipal election coverage. Environmental issues are one of the key battlegrounds in the race.  Challenger Dave Hrabchuk  feels the current council ---and mayor Jim Garlick---have done what he calls a "terrible job" of environmental management. "Coldstream Creek is one of the most polluted creeks in BC. I guess that's not news to a lot of people, but it was news to me when I learned that. Of course we all know about the alleged criminal charges against the District, the Palfreys and RDNO." Hrabchuk is referring to the charges in the Antwerp Springs case which is before the courts.  Garlick says Hrabchuk's remarks ring hollow, given recent efforts to clean up Coldstream Creek. "I think those comments are made in a vacuum of knowledge of the history of the area. We've been the first council to do major environmental work in a long time in  Coldstream." Garlick, a science teacher at Fulton Secondary, is seeking a second term, while Hrabchuk is a construction project manager who has lived in Coldstream for two years. Hrabchuk doesn't think enough has been done to encourage new business. "There's three main dimensions to sustainable development, and those three things are: society and culture, the environment, and economy, so there's at least two of the three that are severely missing with the community of Coldstream." Garlick says they're working on a town centre plan, and with Trintec Enterprises on a possible commercial building (west of the RDNO office). "That's all we can do as a community. We can't go forward and actually build the buildings. We have to set the conditions up. We have one of the lowest tax rates for commercial in the area." Garlick says he wants to see progress on ongoing parks and water issues, along with some long term planning if he wins another term.  "That deals with financing as well as development in the future, and sewer, because we've also got a waste management plan we need to complete, so there's a lot of important things to complete before just walking off." Hrabchuk says he would bring more financial leadership to the position. "I think this community needs somebody like me who's got some experience in running a business. I think you need to run the municipality like a business. I've also got a lot of pretty good experience in infrastructure." Eight people are running for the six council positions, including five incumbents.