About Wayne … 2018 Election

All Candidate Forum for the Regional Director – Central Okanagan West. held in the Killiney Beach Hall on the North Westside Friday October 05 2018. School

All Candidate Forum for the School Trustee #23. Held in the Killiney Beach Hall on the North Westside Friday October 05 2018. School.


My Blog POSTS – Election 2018


180920 – Today is the first day in the 30 day election cycle.  Currently the drainage issue on the roads in several areas of Central Okanagan West is the top issue for Brent Road, North Westside, Wilson’s Landing and Traders Cove as well as in Joe Rich in Central Okanagan East. We need to fix this before we lose a home or a life.  Lack of ditch maintenance with many blocked and/or no culverts have led to mudslides and property damage throughout these residential areas.  I had the opportunity to discuss a remedy for the mudslide/drainage problems within the residential areas of Central Okanagan West with several MLA’s, senor MOTI management as well as the Assistant Deputy Minister.  I have proposed a report to identify using the new LIDAR mapping, the problem and present a solution of keeping the runoff within the designed drainage.  With Central Okanagan East we hope to get the Regional District to prepare a report with the new LIDAR mapping to identify the flooding, drainage, water path obstructions that are causing the mudslides.

Schools and bussing will always be a hot topic in North Westside we need a school in the community.  The Official Community Plan for this area calls for acquiring land for a school when the student number hit two hundred … we passed that several years ago and now we need to address this problem.  2-3 hours or more on a bus and/or waiting for a bus is unacceptable as is parents having to spend hours of there time and resources to drive the kids back and forth to school.  I have asked RDCO Parks to explore a school site for the North Westside for community approval.  The Governance Study requested by the NWCA, supported by a 700+ name petition asking “Is the North Westside financially capable of self governance or not?” was not answered.  In fact that question was specifically listed as out of scope and not even allowed to be discussed in the Report.  It turned out to be a Service Review and RDCO got a 60% dissatisfied grade for their effort.  A Restoration of Killiney Beach has been funded for several months and in the hands of the RDCO Purchasing Process and now seems to be stuck in the mud.  The water system upgrades in Killiney and Westshores have reached completion and I’m told they are operational and just need the final landscaping.  The bandstand and water fountain are now features of Westshore Park and were paid for by Gas Tax Funds.  The Westside Road upgrades finally reached the North Westside between La Casa and Muir Road and they seem to be making good progress I hope it’s done by the time the snow arrives.

Wilsons Landing / Traders Cove has several areas with drainage problems and slides due to wildfire runoff, poorly maintained provincial ditches, culverts and drainage system. Received and returned $100,000 Gas Tax Funds for a boat launch.  Plenty of upgrades to Westside Road making the commute a little faster and hopefully a little safer kind of comes to an abrupt end on the south side.

Trepanier got a voice on the Area Planning Commission bringing development and building information to the residents as this information did not get trough and the community always felt blindsided.  The homeowners still need to get fire protection, this is a rural community in the wildfire interface and in need of a fire department.  The cannabis facility is online with Health Canada blessings.  WFN took ownership on several district lots above the community as part of the Westside Road exchange land swap with the Provincial Government.  Star Place still working to find a solution to the costly water system with the small user group it is financially a nightmare to operate at a reasonable price.  Possibly a solution may be found after the election with a change in the Peachland political landscape.

Brent Road area as well has drainage issues and they need to be included in a comprehensive report for MOTI using the LIDAR mapping (mapping funded by the Okanagan Basin Water Board) to identify address the drainage from the Highway as well as runoff as a result of the wildland fire on the hillside across the highway.  I have approached MOTI managers on occasion over the last four years about the dangerous left hand turn and need for a dedicated left turn lane to Brent Road.  Paving on the aprons two the roads leading to the lake through this stretch needs to be properly maintained as residents are accessing and egressing a 90k speed limit. To get on the highway safely off a hard to see side road and attempt to merge safely takes a good takeoff and landing surface.  The bad news for residents is the tax for the ice rink and pool.  I have brought this up at every Budget cycle since elected and West Kelowna refuses to budge they claim it would cost more to remove than it would be worth.  They just don’t say worth to whom?This tax is one of the reasons I have voted against three of the four budgets put to the Board.  If there is a change in Mayor and council in West Kelowna then it is certainly worth another shot as it is a most unfair tax considering its history,  your distance to the facilities and lack of any true value to you as a user. A second cistern for fire protection is also outstanding and needs to be addressed.


 

 

The following is a brief summary of some of the issues in the last for years and is the BIO on the RDCO web site.

It has been my privilege to serve the residents and taxpayers of Central Okanagan West for the last four years. Acting on issues and concerns brought to me by my fellow residents I have worked to restore our voice in local services and ensure value for our tax dollars.  Providing a fair and reasonable response to the concerns of residents in an efficient and affordable manner has and will continue to be my objective.

As a longtime resident and taxpaying stakeholder in the North Westside I have serious concerns about the ever increasing costs of the services and functions within Central Okanagan West that are delivered through the RDCO.  Many, such as myself are retired and/or on fixed incomes that do not keep pace with the increase in taxes, utility charges and essential services.  I have spent my first term addressing these issues and have found very little support or empathy from my fellow Board Members that largely represent the surrounding municipalities and carry the majority vote, even in our local affairs.

The various issues that have been addressed through my term are documented on my web site wayne.carson.ca.  The Blog is a chronological list of these concerns as they occurred and the Issues pages go into more detail on specific concerns that have been brought to my attention or addressed by the RDCO Board.  Linked to the Electoral Area Governance Page is a page where I have taken and itemized Board Meeting Audio off the RDCO web site and broken it down into Items of concern to Central Okanagan West.  These postings are organized in chronological order for both Regular Board Meetings and the separate Governance & Services Meetings.  This makes it easier to identify Items of importance to your particular inquiry or area within Central Okanagan West as most are identified to the area of concern.

It is crucial that your Regional Director be a representative that truly has a stake in the decisions and policies that will determine your services and functions and most importantly, what they will cost you.  It is my personal mandate to continue to work towards restoring our voice and ensuring value for our tax dollars.  I am happy to answer any questions that you have about past matters or any future items of concern.  You can reach me at wayne.carson@cord.bc.ca or 250-801-4859.  Please take the time to get out and vote!   Polling Dates and locations are:

 

Advance Voting – October 10th and October 16th

  • Killiney Beach Community Hall, 516 Udell Road, Killiney Beach
  • Westbank First Nation, 1st Floor Boardroom, 301 515 Highway 97 South

 

General Voting Day – Saturday, October 20th, 2018

  • Killiney Beach Community Hall, 516 Udell Road, Killiney Beach
  • Constable Neil Bruce Middle School, 2010 Daimler Drive

 

IT’S ABOUT COMMUNITY – YOURS AND MINE

SINCERELY WAYNE CARSON

DIRECTOR CENTRAL OKANAGAN WEST