North Westside Town Hall on Governance

This is the NWCA Press Release for the upcoming Community Open House meeting this Thursday May 26 2016 at the Killiney Beach Hall at 7:00PM.

Press Release

Governance Committee Holds Open House for North Westside Residents

With water utility costs going up by more than 100% for some residents, adiposity with the risk of losing control over costly fire service equipment such as the fire boat paid by our local taxes, sildenafil and with potentially having to foot up to or in excess of 50% of the legal fees for the costs surrounding the Kelowna Mountain Lawsuit (that are expected to be over $50 million in damages), it’s time for a change. As a result, the North Westside Governance Committee is taking drastic measures to get to the root of this unjust system being imposed unilaterally by the Regional District of Central Okanagan.

 Director Wayne Carson stated that: “Through this present-day process, the voice of the electoral areas, represented by Patty Hanson and myself, has been completely silenced, and thus fully negating our ability to have any real governmental power within our areas. This inability to provide a say within our own Electoral Areas, by sometimes spontaneous changes in policies that have slowly but surely stripped away our voice, has effectively eroded our capacity to represent our electoral areas.”

In another example of the issues with RDCO, the North Westside Communities Association president Bob Andrews wrote a letter to Chair Gail Given concerning the Utility pole that was installed on a recreational beach site on Killiney Beach, in an extremely unsafe area, and against the express wishes of the residents as well as the users of the beach.  This letter was sent on April 13 with still no response from the board: “When viewing the RDCO budget it is our understanding that almost $6000.00 has been spent in an effort to keep a utility pole that no one wants – we could have moved the pole 3 times for that amount of irresponsible and frivolous spending of our tax dollars.  This appears to be a spiteful and unprofessional act against our community at any cost to us.”

Part of RDCO’s mission statement states that they “will provide effective and efficient services that meets the needs of our citizens, in a manner that nurtures growth, opportunities, and prosperity,” yet again and again their actions appear to prove otherwise.  They have effectively closed the door to Director Carson, to president Bob Andrews, and even to their communities.

The Governance Committee’s goal is to ensure that the North Westside Communities are treated as equitably as adjacent communities.  They hope to initiate a governance study funded by the province that will review the present tax spending.  This study will determine whether or not the existing system under Regional District works for its communities both fairly and with transparency.  If perchance this is not the case, then another form of governance must be considered that can save the residents substantial taxes and provide a voice in their own affairs.

 In preparation for Director Carson’s upcoming meetings with the Minister of the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, and the three MLA Representatives for the Electoral Areas, the Governance Committee will hold an Open House on May 26 at 7 pm to get direction from the community.

For more information, visit www.nwcaonline.ca