It’s really quite nice when local politicians who have either resigned or been thrown out have the decency to kind of mind their own business if they are still around in later years. In other words, let the current office holders run things as they were elected to do. Ron Oszust, the current mayor of Golden, and Karen Cathcart, the current Area ‘A’ director, usually enjoy that same luxury because I try to stay out of their affairs. And the other formerly elected individuals in our area seem to do the same thing.
But not today.
The issue that I am concerned about here is the proposal to possibly remove Golden and Area ‘A’ from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District and add it to the East Kootenay Regional District, and I’m opposed to the idea. Not only am I opposed to it now, but I’ve been opposed to it for a long time. About 47 years, to be somewhat precise, maybe out a year or two.
But that was a long time ago, and it’s very unlikely that Karen or Ron would ever have heard of it coming up before. But it did.
It started that time at the other end. At the RDEK end.
Walter Zazulak was the mayor of Golden, and I was the Area ‘A’ director. One day, I got a call from Eric Rasmussen, then the Area ‘F’ director for the RDEK covering the northern area of the RDEK, the part bordering our area. He told me that the idea had come up at a recent meeting of their board and asked if Walter and I would be willing to come down and meet with him and Henry Delesalle, the then Mayor of Invermere. I said we would, and we did. And we told them we were strongly opposed, primarily for the reasons described below.
Before our meeting, however, Walter and I had talked it over between ourselves, and we also talked to some of our local residents. Neither Walter nor I, nor any of the people we talked to, were in favour.
Now, people who were opposed to our known positions on several matters would likely think that we only talked to our political friends, so, of course, we got the opinions we were looking for.
So, as I sometimes do, I’ll tell you a little story which, after you have read it, will give you a little sense of where many people in this valley come from, in terms of local political thought.
When regional districts were set up in British Columbia in 1964, the people in Area ‘A’ wanted no part of them. They even attempted to stay outside of them, and when the elections were called by the province to establish the first boards of directors, the people of Area ‘A’ thought to themselves that if they just didn’t nominate anyone to sit on the board, they would not be part of it. Well, that didn’t work because the legislation that created regional districts provided that if nobody was nominated by the local area, the province would appoint someone. And that is when the late Jim Tress of Parson became the first Area ‘A’ director. That Mr. Tress was the father of the late Roy and Ray Tress, and the grandfather of the late Jim Tress, who just passed away a year or so ago.
In addition to the above, many CSRD Area ‘A’ residents are very well acquainted with RDEK residents who live just down the valley. Through all of the years since 1964, when regional districts were formed, the people on the CSRD end have been hearing stories of how the RDEK residents wish they were in the CSRD, and especially from residents just near the CSRD border, like in the Spillimacheen area, where they have both zoning and building regulations. In fact, my wife and I were at a home in Spilli only about a month ago, where a friend was telling us that he wants to put a new porch on his house, and he has to get a permit from the RDEK before he can do it. He told us how lucky we were to be in the CSRD.
Local residents who have been here for some years will also know that zoning and building inspection have been brought up several times by various regional directors, all of whom were either defeated or backed off on the idea.
So that’s a bit of history on local political thought in the area.
So there’s some history, but why am I opposed?
I’m opposed because I don’t think there is any benefit at all to being in the Regional District of East Kootenay. I understand the topography between here and Cranbrook compared to the topography between here and Salmon Arm. I know we live in the same valley as much of the southern district, and that there are no mountain passes running east and west. But topography is not the same issue that it was when there were steamboats running up and down the Columbia River. If there were, I’d certainly say we should be in the RDEK. But the river has been replaced by the Trans-Canada Highway linking us to the rest of British Columbia and to Calgary, which many of us travel to at least as much as Cranbrook.
Secondly, our communication link through radio is with Salmon Arm, not Cranbrook.
Thirdly, it would be a very expensive proposition to change regional districts. The taxation for all the various regional district services would have to be changed. That’s all the facilities that we fund: the landfill, arena, library, curling rink, etc. And that’s not all. We also provide some of the funding for our hospital through another entity, the Columbia Shuswap Regional Hospital District, a body that most people don’t know exists, but it does. All of that bookkeeping would have to be changed as well.
And we know that the RDEK is very fond of zoning regulations and building inspection, which many Area ‘A’ residents are against. And most people know that whenever you get something like zoning in place, you never get rid of it. Just ask the people in the RDEK now.
And from my personal experience of being on the CSRD board for twelve years, and chairman of it for five, there was never a time when anyone, either residents of Golden or Area ‘A’, ever felt disadvantaged about being part of the CSRD.
So this wouldn’t be cheap; I am sure it would be tens of thousands of dollars. Maybe even $100,000 or $200,000. How much is too much?
And for what benefit?
It’s my opinion that the benefit would be very small.
So, Ron and Karen, we can’t criticize you for not knowing the history of this issue, but you both should know that the costs are far too high for the possible benefit it would bring to the residents of our valley. I could be wrong, and if I am, please tell me.
Otherwise, I strongly encourage you to drop this idea.
