Peachland View October 7, 2022

PEACHLAND VOTES 2022

QUESTION FOR CANDIDATES about the Beach Avenue rezoning

KEITH FIELDING

I was strongly opposed to the CR2 zone that allowed construc tion of the building at 4316, Beach Ave. and was joined in my opposi tion by councillors Condon, and Coolio. We were outvoted 4-3 by mayor Fortin, and councillors Van Minsel, Cunningham, and Kent. I was not surprised by the degree of opposition expressed at the public hearing, and saddened that it did not sway the majority opinion.

PATRICK VAN MINSEL

Public input is part of the de cision-making process. Most residents attending these hearings take issue with some aspect of the development. We take this input into account. This cannot be the only consideration when looking at development, though. We look at planning department reports, future needs assessments, and other infor mation to decide.

Any future development needs to be considered individually and how it benefits our town. In 2023 there is a planned OCP update, and we will look at the current zoning and existing bylaws and adapt these as necessary.

Over 60% of my survey respon dents and residents I spoke with strongly favor the forty-nine-foot height of the Gateway Building as the standard for the frontage of Beach Avenue. This input is valu able and is a starting point to set a height and setback for the develop ments proposed for the frontage of Beach Avenue. Let’s create a new zone stipulating this height and set back.

CINDY FORTIN

One of my first priorities is to get an updated “Beach Avenue Plan” with several sessions of pub lic consultation. Public consultation did take place when the Official Community Plan was updated a couple years ago, but zoning bylaws – which include heights -- are dif ferent. I will prioritize an updated Beach Avenue Plan because I am hearing so many different opinions on this. Development is always a divisive issue, and I’ve yet to see a 100% consensus on any project.

It’s also important to note that 21 people is not the majority of a town of 5800. Public Information Sessions and Public Hearings are only two components of a lengthy process and are not meant to be a

deciding vote on a development. More importantly, it provides Coun cil and Staff with an opportunity to hear any comments and concerns the attendees may have, so that if the rezoning does pass Third Reading and Final Adoption, we can ensure that those concerns, such as traffic or safety concerns, infrastructure, environmental, are considered.

I can say with 100 percent certain ty that there will never be buildings all along Beach Avenue. And, for an elected official to prejudge or be against any project (before it even exists) is overtly biased and unethical, and would present sever al challenges, including legal ones. The legal challenges alone could be very costly to the community and would be borne by the taxpayers.

ALENA GLASMAN

I believe that significant objection to a development should not fall on deaf ears, as it has. It should be a sig nificant factor to the decision. I do not believe they should be approved without justifiable cause, and that cause should be made public.

With over 20 major projects on the development board for Peach land (very few completed), I am not in support of rezoning for more and would not vote to approve similar projects along Beach.

I think the 6 cruise ships in our Harbour (Crystal) and the Light house (4316 Beach) is enough for our waterline.

RANDEY BROPHY

I am against the 4 storey build ing at 4316 Beach.It contravenes the OCP which says (p17) lower buildings should be closer to the lake.and, ( p18) that transitions in building heights should be at street corners, not in the middle of a 3 house block.,

One problem is we have a watered down OCP, compiled by consultants that doesn’t specify building height, density limits or even give examples of the CR2 zoning that was used here.

The bigger problem is Council doesn’t follow the OCP anyway.

The simple solution is to ask the people what they want re building heights, density on Beach Ave in a plebiscite. Majority wins. Easy to do, and inexpensive, we have only 2900 households and 6000 people.

Every previous study, survey, UBC report, plan and OCP that I have seen says citizens want smaller

3 storeys buildings on Beach, like the Shoreline on Beach multiunit that went in 2 years ago with no controversy

Going forward, we need a Coun cil that listens and plans, rather than reacts, to development, where we identify our needs, e.g. rental units, affordable housing to attract young families, and seek out developers that can provide that, following the agreed upon rules.

MIKE KENT

By and large, residents who choose to attend public hearings do so to express their concerns. If op posed vs. in favor in attendance was the sole metric to consider it would eliminate the need for any criti cal evaluation and would result in stagnant community development. Arguments presented at a public hearing must be weighed and given careful consideration.

Nevertheless, council should also consider a broad range of input which also includes staff reports and factors that impact the social and economic health of the entire community. I believe any future proposal must be judged on its own merit and not viewed with pre-de termined bias.

MOIRA GOODMAN

This is an unfortunate situation on Beach Ave. There is only one beach in Peachland. As many peo ple as possible should be able to enjoy its beauty.

I feel the voice of the tax payer and residents should be heard and considered as the most valuable. That being said they need to have access to all the information and a clear understanding of what is proposed. I feel that Mayor and Council let down the people who are most affected by this develop ment. There were other options that could have been explored. There are opportunities for beneficial devel opment in other areas.

R AINER UDALA

The building on Beach Ave is 54ft ( down from its original height) which, from my understanding, is 5ft higher than the Gateway build ing. I believe the Gateway building should be the standard on Beach Ave. There seems to an issue with setbacks; however I believe there is always reasoning for this and build ing practices were and are followed.

Do I like how the building looks and stands out at this moment, no.

However let’s see when it is finished and how it will present itself. Now that the building has been passed and is being built we need to move forward as a community to make sure that the OCP reflects our future goals.

NICK WALSH

Councillors are elected to office believing that they are put there to “make decisions for the elec tors.” This is wrong thinking and will always result in a dysfunctional community.

The district’s own website says: “The community values unique aspects of each neighbour hood and placed high value on maintaining the integrity of the community’s character and natural environment. Development should be guided by the unique aspects and feature of each character area.” I would thoroughly vet the interests of the community before supporting any similar endeavor.

KEITH THOM

Peachland holds Public Hearings to ensure that residents have an op portunity to share their views on a particular development. This is just one of the ways Council can collect information prior to making a de cision. Historically the majority of attendees at Public Hearings are opposed to the development. For Council to only gather info from 20 people and not listen to input gath ered from other residents would be un-democratic. I would like to see step back architecture beginning in the core of down then move slowly further north.

RICK INGRAM

I did not support the definition of the CR-2 zoning on its introduction, nor the rezoning of this development as CR-2. Full details can be found in the page “My written submission regarding the CR-2 Zoning and the Peach View development” on my website. I felt this project should have been a 3 storey all residential condo with respectful setbacks from the street and neighbours. Public hearings are one element, but not the only element, that Council must consider when assessing a rezoning application. In the event of a re zoning application being approved when a clear majority at the public hearing were in opposition, there should be clear reasoning provided with the approval.

KEVIN BENNETT

Council’s role is to balance the needs of the wider community, taking into consideration many factors, not just the voices of 21 people out of a population of 5,789. That said, those voices may be the most immediately affected and so have special merit. If the develop er can accommodate some of their concerns, Council should encour age them to do so.

It’s important to note that our neighbours have rights too, and those rights start at their property line. I may not like my neighbour’s house, but if it built is within the law, I have no right to impose my preferences on their property, and they have no rights over mine. Council strives for harmony and does listen to the immediate neigh bours, but that is only one of the many factors they have to consider. No community is static, and it is unreasonable to expect new homes to conform to a singular vision of what they “should be”.

TERRY CONDON

No......I did not support this ap plication and I would not support others on Beach Av.

DAVID COLLINS

I was one of the 22 at the pub lic hearing speaking out against this particular development appli cation. I thought the building was too much for this location, mainly because of setbacks, and perhaps height. I thought it imposed itself upon the neighbours, cutting off site lines and very close to the side walk.

As a councillor you need the pulse of the community, not just those who show up for the public hearing. The Gateway where Bliss Bakery is located is a great exam ple. Many were opposed to this before it was constructed. That building was going to be the death of Peachland if I recall. Yet today, most would agree it is a valuable addition to the town. So you can’t simply say no to a development be cause of who shows up at a public hearing. But if there is significant opposition, then you should be gathering more information and talking to more residents to make a more informed decision before 3rd reading. For future applications of this nature, Council should be more sensitive to how the building fits in with the neighbourhood.

Peachland needs Ogopogo

Dear Editor,

The future of Beach Avenue development continues to be a major issue in Peachland. The two extremes call for either re-develop ment, perhaps a la Carmel in California, or to keep the small-town feel of our current community. I believe that both visions can be achieved, within the existing District territory.

Here’s how: revert to the original Official Community Plan, developed with UBCO in put.

A nd adopt a theme for Peachland, such as nautical, and include our world-wide known attraction, Ogopogo.

Then: all new and renovation projects along Beach Ave. would have to address the theme.

If a developer (residential or commercial) along Beach wanted variances from the Plan, they could be considered in return for nautical theme enhancements. Major density increases could be incorporated in develop

ments outside the core of Peachland e.g.New Monaco at junction of 97 and 97C.

This approach is used by Paris – the busi ness high-rises and the big-box stores are located on the outskirts of the city, thus keeping the historical and tourist-attracting elements unspoiled.

Benefits: the small-town flavour of Beach Avenue and Peachland is retained and en hanced; themed buildings would command h igher prices, thus encouraging upgrades.

The theme may attract visitors outside the summer season, increasing the revenues from our only industry, tourism. Nessie, for example, annually adds over $70 million and 500,000 tourists to Loch Ness. The tax base would be improved by the higher density outside the core. From my discussions with New Monaco, I believe their development will occur, and it will be world-class.

Bruce Klippenstein, Peachland

Loving Peachland in a different way

Dear John Wardley, I’m happy to hear you love Peachland, I do too.

But there are different ways to love some thing; we can preserve the memory, or we can build on the legacy of those who went before. You may have come to Peachland to retire, but I came here to build a life for my family. Tragically neither of my daughters can find affordable homes or meaningful work here and have moved away. That is not ok.

Peachland is a community of people, not a painting in a museum. I do understand that you may have gotten used to the cin derblocks and find them comforting, but I’d like to ask you to look into the future and see what Peachland can look like as a Garden Community. Central to my election platform is developing downtown into a Garden Com munity, as described in the 2010 Sustainable Development Plan – a document produced by residents of Peachland which describes a beautiful, vibrant, engaging social space.

There is a famous saying: “Blessed are they who plant trees under whose shade they will never sit”. Too few trees have been planted in Peachland and we have inherited a downtown made of old, low value cinder block buildings and an industrial wasteland behind. Don’t believe me? Please take a walk and see for yourself.

If elected, my mission will be to ensure my grandchildren don’t inherit an industri al wasteland. They will inherit a Peachland t hat offers opportunity, a beautiful down town with artisanal workshops for glass blowers, potters and the like. A walkable community with shops, restaurants, cafes, parks, places to sit and chat, a place for con certs and plays.

I k now you love Peachland John - please let’s pass it to the next generation better than we found it.

All the best, Kevin Bennett

Joanne Layh

Don Urquhart Contributing Reporter Melissa Morris Production

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The future of Peachland

I sent out two questions to the candidates for Mayor and Council and the second question was about the four storey building on Beach Avenue. At the public hearing, 21 of the 22 who spoke were in opposi tion and yet Mayor and Council approved it. Members of Council can argue that the people who show up at public hearing do not represent the wider community. That is a legitimate argument if it is just the same anti-development group and that is some times true. But for that public hearing some of the speakers were people who lived near the site. Surprisingly one of the people who spoke against it was a real estate agent. Indeed Councillor Coolio is a real estate agent and he voted against it. So it was not just about being opposed to development; it was about the future of Beach Avenue. If the new building is “a footprint in the fresh snow” as one supporting Councillor suggested then the densification of Beach Avenue will continue and Peachland will look a very different place in ten years. Based on previous election results, that may be the vision of the majority of voters; we will know the answer after the election. Will the growth of Peachland reduce taxes by supplying increased revenues? Development cost charges are levied and they pay for services required for that proj ect such as the water and sewer pipes as well as contributing towards the cost of the water treatment plant. The problem is that

when it comes time to spend the money, the costs have gone up. About fifteen years ago, the province recognised the need for extra revenue and gave local governments the chance to charge community amenity charges. These charges can be used to pay for the additional community facilities or to provide affordable housing. They are designed to contribute to the cost of city halls, fire halls and recreational build ings. Community amenity contributions a re negotiated as part of a rezoning pro cess. When I was a member of Council, a n amenity charge of $1877 per unit was introduced and the plan was to review and increase them. With the need to borrow $17.5 million to build a new fire hall, it is seems a good time to take another look at community amenity charges. Growth is part of the reason we need a new fire hall and development should pay a fair share of that cost; most candidates have indicated that they agree with that.

Despite a strong belief in lower taxes, I will be voting yes to the fire hall refer endum. The detailed decisions will be made in several stages. After the election, the plan will be laid out and much more public input will be encouraged. Our fire chief and our volunteer fire fighters deserve this. We couldn’t get a better fire chief than Dennis Craig; I just can’t say no to some one like that.

LOCAL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM sponsored by the Peachland Community Arts Council begins this year with a six-week “Seed Beading” series using Metis designs and techniques. Odette Ryder will teach you to create a floral design on fabric. Sunday afternoons, 1230 pm – 330 pm until Oct 16 at the Visitor Center. The series is limited to six participants so register early at plsworkshops@peachlandarts.ca

CENTRAL OKANAGAN RAILWAY COMPANY will host the Annual Fall Model Railway Swap Meet at the Peachland Civic Center on October 8th from 10 am to 1:30pm.

THE ART OF METIS BEADING Taught by Metis artist,

MONDAYS

FITNESS ROOM

5 am - 10 pm

Peachland Community Centre

INDOOR WALKING

8 am - 9 am

Peachland Community Centre

50+ FITNESS

8 am - 9 am ($5 Drop In)

50 Plus Activity Centre

ADULT DAY SERVICE

9 am - 3 pm

Residences on 6th

PICKLEBALL LEVEL 3.0-3.5

9:05 am - 11 am

Peachland Community Centre

FITNESS FUSION

9:30 am - 10:45 am

4th Street Place

PICKLEBALL LEVEL 1.0-2.5

11 am - 1 pm

Peachland Community Centre

PICKLEBALL LEVEL 1.0-2.5

1 pm - 3 pm

Peachland Community Centre

LADIES’ COFFEE SOCIAL

1 pm

4th Street Place

BRIDGE

1 pm – 4 pm

50 Plus Activity Centre

BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE

ACRYLIC WORKSHOP

1 pm – 4 pm

Peachland Little Schoolhouse

Odette Ryder, will take place on Sunday afternoons from Sep 11 to Oct 17 from 12:30 - 3:30 pm at the Peachland Visitor Centre.

LIFE IN TECHNICOLOUR & THREADS OF HOPE runs until Oct 10 at the Peachland Art Gallery. In this series of vibrant oil and pastel paintings, Dave Denson explores our relationship with colour and how one can find beauty in the grit of a city. In conjunction with the Fibre Art Network ‘s Threads of Hope, a fibre art exhibition exploring hope, longing and desire for the future of the world.

OPEN MIC The Peachland Community Arts Council presents our Open Mic evening at the Peachland Art

CARLY THOMAS - CHAIR YOGA

2 pm - 3 pm

50 Plus Activity Centre

PICKLEBALL (ALL PLAY)

3:30 pm - 4:45 pm

4th Street Place

INTRO TO WEIGHT TRAINING

11 am - 1 am

Peachland Community Centre

SPIN, CORE & STRETCH

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Peachland Community Centre

ZUMBA

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Peachland Community Centre

WOODCARVERS

7 pm

50 Plus Activity Centre

TUESDAYS

FITNESS ROOM

5 am - 10 pm

Peachland Community Centre

YOGA

8:30 am - 9:30 am

50 Plus Activity Centre

FLOW YOGA

9 am - 10 am

4th Street Place

PICKLEBALL CLINICLEARN TO PLAY 10 am - 11:15 am

Peachland Community Centre

CARPET BOWLING

10 am - 12 pm

50 Plus Activity Centre

THERAPEUTIC YOGA

10:30 am – 11:45 am

4th Street Place

AA 12 pm

50 Plus Activity Centre

PICKLEBALL LEVEL 3.75+

1 pm - 3 pm

Peachland Community Centre

PASSION 4 ART

1 pm - 4 pm

50 Plus Activity Centre

MAH JONG

1 pm – 4 pm

50 Plus Activity Centre

MEN’S COFFEE & CARDS

1 pm

PWC (downstairs)

T-SHIRT TIE-DYEING

HUB Market, Cousins Park Drop-in or register programs@ beepspeachland.com; $15/shirt

YOGA FOR YOUR BACK

2:45pm - 4 pm

4th Street Place

PEACHLAND HUB NIGHT MARKET

4 pm – 9 pm Cousins Park

LINE DANCING

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm

50 Plus Activity Centre

SHOW AND SHINE, CARS AND COFFEE

5 pm - 7 pm May 3 to Oct 3

Peachland Village Mall

Gallery, Thursday, October 27, 7-9 pm. Musicians, poets, magicians and comics of all ages are welcome. Hainle Winery will offer wine for purchase; refreshments provided. Call the art gallery to reserve seats: 250-767-7422, or email Paula McLaughlin: peterpaula76@gmail.com

JACK-O’-LANTERN WALK ON THE HAUNTED DOCK Spooky fun in Heritage Park: goodie bag, decorations, music and photo booth. Mon Oct 31 5 pm - 7 pm. Entry by donation to the Peachland Food Bank.

IMPRESSIONS ART GROUP runs from Oct. 15 –Nov. 20 at the Peachland Art Gallery. A collection of new works presented by this twelve-member art group who have,

POUND

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

4th Street Place

PEACHLAND LEGION DART LEAGUE

7 pm - 11 pm

Royal Canadian Legion #69 COMPUTER LITERACY

By Appointment

Call 250 767 0141

Peachland Wellness Centre

WEDNESDAYS

FITNESS ROOM

5 am - 10 pm

Peachland Community Centre

INDOOR WALKING

8 am - 9 am

Peachland Community Centre

50+ FITNESS

9 am - 10 am ($5 Drop In)

50 Plus Activity Centre

PICKLEBALL LEVEL 1.0-2.5 9:05 am - 11 am

Peachland Community Centre FITNESS FUSION

9:30 am - 10:45 am

4th Street Place

FULL BODY STRETCH

11 am - 12 pm

4th Street Place

PICKLEBALLDROP-IN LEVEL 3.0

11 am - 1 pm

Peachland Community Centre

NOVICE PICKLEBALL CLINIC

12 pm - 1 pm

Peachland Community Centre

BARGAIN BIN

12 pm - 3 pm

over the past decade, continued to advance the quality and scope of each member’s skills.

ARTISTS OF THE OKANAGAN runs from Nov. 26 – Dec. 23 and reopens Jan. 7 – Jan. 22 at the Peachland Art Gallery. Returning for its eighth year this ever-popular exhibition features local artists feat. a variety of mediums.

THE PEACHLAND VARIETY SINGERS 49TH SEASON OF SINGING begins Sep 12 at 9:30 am in the 50 Plus Activity Centre. There are no auditions and anyone who enjoys singing is welcome. as they begin rehearsing for the Christmas concert which will be held on Dec 11 at 2 pm.

YOGA FOR YOUR BACK

9:30 am - 10:45 am

4th Street Place

Peachland United Church

PICKLEBALL LEVEL 3.0-3.5

1 pm - 3 pm

Peachland Community Centre

BRIDGE

1 pm – 4 pm

50 Plus Activity Centre

WE ART HERE

12 pm - 4 pm

50 Plus Activity Centre

LEGION KARAOKE

4:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Royal Canadian Legion #69

MINI KICKERS SOCCER

5 pm - 6 pm

Cousins Park

HATHA YOGA

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

4th Street Place

SPIN, CORE AND STRETCH

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Peachland Community Centre

CENTRAL OKANAGAN MODEL RAILWAY CO.

Train modellers + visitors meet 7 pm

Peachland Musum

THURSDAYS

FITNESS ROOM

5 am - 10 pm

Peachland Community Centre

YOGA

8:30 am - 9:30 am

50 Plus Activity Centre

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT  10 am-11:45 am

Peachland Wellness Centre

PICKLEBALL LEVEL 3.5 10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Peachland Community Centre

THERAPEUTIC YOGA

11 am - 12:15 pm

4th Street Place

IRON AND SILK FIT 11 am - 12 pm

50 Plus Activity Centre

BARGAIN BIN  12 pm - 3 pm

Peachland United Church

TAI CHI FOR WELLNESS 12:30 pm 4th Street Place

PICKLEBALL LEVEL 3.75+ 1 pm - 3 pm

Peachland Community Centre

PASSION 4 ART 1 pm – 4 pm

50 Plus Activity Centre

DEMENTIA CAREGIVER SUPPORT (ALZHEIMER SOCIETY) 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

4th Street Place

MEAT DRAW  3 pm-5 pm

Royal Canadian Legion #69 BINGO 5:30 pm (EOW)

50 Plus Activity Centre

CHOPRA MANTRA MEDITATION 5:45 pm - 6:45 pm & 6:45 pm - 7:45 pm 4th Street Place

A special

MULTIPLE SUCCESSES FOR PEACHLAND

NOTICE OF ELECTION BY VOTING AND ADVANCE VOTING 2022 GENERAL LOCAL ELECTION

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given of an Election by Voting and Advance Voting to elect One (1) Mayor, Six (6) Councillors, and One (1) School Trustee (School District No. 23 – Zone II), and that the following persons are candidates for each office:

MAYOR – One (1) to be elected

Surname Usual Names Residential Address

FIELDING Keith Peachland, BC

VAN MINSEL Patrick Peachland, BC

FORTIN Cindy Peachland, BC

COUNCILLOR – Six (6) to be elected

Surname Usual Names Residential Address

GLASMAN Alena Peachland, BC

CUNNINGHAM Pam Peachland, BC

BROPHY Randey Peachland, BC

KENT Mike Peachland, BC

GOODMAN Moira Peachland, BC

UDALA Rainer Peachland, BC

WALSH Nick Peachland, BC

THOM Keith Peachland, BC

INGRAM Rick Peachland, BC

BENNETT Kevin Peachland, BC

CONDON Terry Peachland, BC

COLLINS David Peachland, BC

BOARD OF EDUCATION SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 23SCHOOL TRUSTEE, ZONE II – One (1) to be elected

Surname Usual Names Residential Address Voting Jurisdiction

FEHR Karrie Peachland, BC Peachland/EA West

GUDERYAN Lisa Peachland, BC Peachland/EA West

WIEBE Gordon West Kelowna, BC Peachland/EA West

ASSENT VOTING

The following question will be submitted to the electorate in the Corporation of the District of Peachland:

‘Are you in favour of the Corporation of the District of Peachland adopting the Protective Services Building Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 2364, 2022, to authorize the borrowing of up to Seventeen Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($17,500,000), over a thirty (30) year term, to fund the construction of a new Protective Services Building to accommodate the Fire Department?’

Yes or No

VOTING DATES AND LOCATIONS

GENERAL VOTING DAY will be on:

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm at the following location:

Location Address

Peachland Community Centre 4450 6 th Street, Peachland, BC

ADVANCE VOTING will be held as follows: Wednesday, October 5, 2022 and Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Between 8:00 am to 8:00 pm at the following location:

Location Address

Peachland Community Centre 4450 6 th Street, Peachland, BC

ELECTOR REGISTRATION

There is no need to pre-register to vote as the registration of all electors for this election will take place at the time of voting. In order to register at the time of voting, you will be required to complete the application form available at the voting place and to make a declaration that you meet the requirements to be registered as set out below:

RESIDENT ELECTORS:

To register as a resident elector you must:

• be 18 years of age or older on general voting day October 15, 2022;

• be a Canadian citizen;

• be a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the day of registration (at time of voting);

• be a resident of the District of Peachland on the day of registration (at time of voting); and

• not be disqualified under the Local Government Act or any other enactment from voting in an election or assent voting and not otherwise disqualified by law.

NON-RESIDENT PROPERTY ELECTORS:

To register as a non-resident property elector you must:

• be 18 years of age or older on general voting day October 15, 2022;

• be a Canadian citizen;

• be a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the day of registration (at time of voting);

• be a registered owner of real property in the District of Peachland for at least 30 days immediately before the day of registration (at time of voting);

• not be entitled to register as a resident elector; and

• not be disqualified under the Local Government Act or any other enactment from voting in an election or assent voting and not otherwise disqualified by law.

In addition, for non-resident property electors:

• The only persons who are registered owners of the property, either as joint tenants or tenants in common, are individuals who are not holding the property in trust for a corporation or another trust.

• If more than one person is registered owner of the property, only one of those individuals may, with the written consent of the majority of the owners, register as a non-resident property elector.

IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

In order to register at time of voting:

To register, resident electors must produce 2 pieces of identification (at least one with a signature). Picture identification is not necessary. The identification must prove both residency and identity.

To register, non-resident property electors must produce 2 pieces of identification (at least one with a signature) to prove identity, proof that they are entitled to register in relation to the property, and, if there is more than one owner of the property, written consent from the other property owners.

MAIL BALLOT VOTING

REQUESTING A MAIL BALLOT PACKAGE:

All eligible electors can vote by mail by applying for a mail ballot package before 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 13, 2022. Applications are available at the District of Peachland office located at 5806 Beach Avenue, Peachland, BC V0H 1X7, by email to elections@peachland.ca, or by telephone at 250-767-3704.

To be counted, your mail ballot must be received by the Chief Election Officer no later than 8:00 p.m. on General Voting Day Saturday, October 15, 2022 delivered by mail, courier or by hand to 5806 Beach Avenue, Peachland, BC V0H 1X7

Jennifer Sawatzky Chief Election Officer

Community centre busy for the all candidates forum

ERIC HALL

Monday night gave Peachland residents a chance to hear from candidates at the all candidates forum. The event was organised by a committee headed by Greg Sewell and it worked out very well. The MC for the event was Dan Rogers from the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce. The sound system was managed by Vince Boyko and Grant Eisworth. After the meet and greet, Council candidates gave a short introduction about themselves and then answered questions. Many of the candidates made reference to their business experience. Rainer Udala talked about the many businesses that he had setup in Peachland especially the Beach Avenue café. Nick Walsh referred to his years at the Justice Institute and the need to control spending. Mike Kent talked about his family and his work in law enforcement. He spoke about the importance of continu ity on Council. Alena Glasman was proud of her 20 years in business and wanted to become the community voice. Pam Cun ningham said she had worked hard and was involved in many Peachland events. Rand ey Brophy spoke about his years at Telus and establishing youth soccer programs in Peachland. Keith Bennett talked about es tablishing the Peachland Zipzone business and his vision of downtown Peachland as a garden community. Rick Ingram discussed his years as an entrepreneur and talked about his involvement in many Peachland organisations. David Collins emphasised his knowledge of planning and zoning based on years as a local real estate agent and his involvement with the Chamber of Commerce. Keith Thom talked about being a single parent and referred to his years of managing seniors care in Ontario.

Questions covered all the current issues such as the building under construction on Beach Avenue, the water supply, the availability of daycare, options for seniors, tourism, sidewalks, the Hwy 97 bypass, and public transportation. Most candidates

expressed support for buildings such as Gateway on Beach Avenue with a maxi mum height of three storeys. The need for more daycare was agreed but most candi dates recognised that solutions were hard to find. The question about delays in the plan ning department could be solved by hiring more staff, most candidates believed. Dis cussion about seniors identified the need for assisted living but lack of a good site was acknowledged. Most candidates be lieved that the water supply was adequate and a good plan was in place. It was ex pected that development cost charges, not Peachland residents, would pay the cost of the expansion of the water treatment plant in the future. The question about getting revenue from tourists brought diverse re actions. Many candidates wanted to charge non-residents for use of the boat launch. When the question about sidewalks was asked, the issue was identified as being about the high costs involved. Asphalt side walks rather than concrete were supported by many. The consensus on the Hwy 97 by pass was that it was not coming soon. The use of public transit was the only question that candidates did not have a good answer for; perhaps because they had not used it.

By 8pm, it was time to give the candi dates for Mayor a chance to speak. Keith Fielding started by saying that listening to residents was his priority. He wants an open and respectful Council and an early review of the OCP. Patrick Van Minsel gave em phasis to his leadership skills and business experience. He said that being a member of Council had been an eye-opener for him. Cindy Fortin talked about her dedication and love for Peachland after living in the community for 37 years. On the question of vision, Keith Fielding said the vision should come from the community rather than from developers. Patrick Van Minsel stated that he had called on over 1,000 homes and heard a variety of opinions about the fu ture vision. He said that Mayor and Council should work as a team. Cindy Fortin listed

priority projects such as sewer upgrades, source water protection, affordable housing for seniors and daycare for young families.

A question about cost overruns especial ly regarding the splash park was awkward for all the candidates. The need to learn from the mistakes made was agreed by all three. Despite issues with information giv en to Council, confidence was expressed in Peachland’s CAO. With respect to devel opment on Beach Avenue, Keith Fielding pointed out that he was the only candidate for Mayor who voted against the building currently under construction. Cindy Fortin said she supported moderate development and supported the need for a new plan for Beach Avenue. Patrick Van Minsel talked about the difficult nature of planning de cisions. He was listening to residents and some were happy with the five storey height. A discussion about relations with other levels of government brought diverse reac tions. Keith Fielding spoke about the need to be “the squeaky wheel” and be heard.

Patrick Van Minsel said that relations with the provincial and federal governments were not good and should be improved. In answer to that, Cindy Fortin said she was persistent in looking after Peachland’s in terest and that she has good relations with our MP and MLA.

A common theme from most candidates was the need to get more grant money from other levels of government. Such issues as sidewalk construction and the completion of the sewer system could only go ahead with the help of outside funding. Peach land’s needs were recognised as being too great to be funded directly from taxation. During the forum, candidates gave polite applause to other candidates. Despite many different opinions on some issues, everyone was very respectful and there was very lit tle conflict. The meet and greets at the start and the end of the meeting were well-used by the audience. Overall it was a very use ful event to engage the candidates and find their views.

NOTICE OF ASSENT VOTING Protective Services Building Loan Authorization

PUBLIC NOTICE is given as follows:

Assent voting will be held on the following question:

‘Are you in favour of the Corporation of the District of Peachland adopting the Protective Services Building Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 2364, 2022, to authorize the borrowing of up to Seventeen Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($17,500,000), over a thirty (30) year term, to fund the construction of a new Protective Services Building to accommodate the Fire Department?’

Yes or No

The voting area for this assent voting is the District of Peachland.

VOTING DATES AND LOCATIONS

GENERAL VOTING DAY: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022 8:00 am to 8:00 pm

PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE 4450 6 TH STREET, PEACHLAND, BC

ADVANCE VOTING: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2022 and-

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2022 8:00 AM TO 8:00 PM

PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE 4450 6 TH STREET, PEACHLAND, BC

IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

In order to register at time of voting:

To register, resident electors must produce 2 pieces of identification (at least one with a signature). Picture identification is not necessary. The identification must prove both residency and identity.

To register, non-resident property electors must produce 2 pieces of identification (at least one with a signature) to prove identity, proof that they are entitled to register in relation to the property, and, if there is more than one owner of the property, written consent from the other property owners.

MAIL BALLOT VOTING

REQUESTING A MAIL BALLOT PACKAGE:

All eligible electors can vote by mail by applying for a mail ballot package before 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 13, 2022. Applications are available at the District of Peachland office located at 5806 Beach Avenue, Peachland, BC V0H 1X7, by email to elections@peachland.ca, or by telephone at 250-767-3704

To be counted, your mail ballot must be received by the Chief Election Officer no later than 8:00 p.m. on General Voting Day Saturday, October 15, 2022 delivered by mail, courier or by hand to 5806 Beach Avenue, Peachland, BC V0H 1X7.

PROPOSED BYLAW

ELECTOR REGISTRATION

There is no need to pre-register to vote as the registration of qualified electors will take place at the time of voting. In order to register at the time of voting, you will be required complete the application form available at the voting place and to make a declaration that you meet the requirements to be registered as set out below:

RESIDENT ELECTORS:

To register as a resident elector you must:

• be 18 years of age or older on general voting day October 15, 2022;

• be a Canadian citizen;

• be a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the day of registration (at time of voting);

• be a resident of the District of Peachland on the day of registration (at time of voting); and

• not be disqualified under the Local Government Act or any other enactment from voting in an election or assent voting and not otherwise disqualified by law.

NON-RESIDENT PROPERTY ELECTORS:

To register as a non-resident property elector, you must:

• be 18 years of age or older on general voting day October 15, 2022;

• be a Canadian citizen;

• be a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the day of registration (at time of voting);

• be a registered owner of real property in the District of Peachland for at least 30 days immediately before the day of registration (at time of voting);

• not be entitled to register as a resident elector; and

• not be disqualified under the Local Government Act or any other enactment from voting in an election or assent voting and not otherwise disqualified by law.

In addition, for non-resident property electors:

• The only persons who are registered owners of the property, either as joint tenants or tenants in common, are individuals who are not holding the property in trust for a corporation or another trust.

• If more than one person is registered owner of the property, only one of those individuals may, with the written consent of the majority of the owners, register as a non-resident property elector.

THE CORPORATION OF THE DISTRICT OF PEACHLAND

BYLAW NUMBER 2364, 2022

A Bylaw of the Corporation of the District of Peachland to authorize borrowing for the purpose of providing a Protective Services building to the District of Peachland

WHEREAS the District of Peachland’s Fire Department Master Plan identifies the need for a new fire hall;

AND WHEREAS to provide for the financing of a Protective Services Building, it is necessary to borrow a sum not exceeding Seventeen million, five hundred thousand dollars ($17,500,000), which is the amount of debt intended to be created by this bylaw; AND WHEREAS the approval of the Inspector of Municipalities has been obtained; AND WHEREAS the approval of the electors has been obtained;

NOW THEREFORE, the Council of the Corporation of the District of Peachland, in open meeting assembled,

HEREBY ENACTS AS FOLLOWS:

1. The Council is hereby empowered and authorized to undertake and carry out or cause to be carried out the purpose of constructing a Protective Services building to provide emergency response and to do all things necessary for the construction with and without limiting the generality of the foregoing:

a) To borrow upon the credit of the Corporation of the District of Peachland, a sum not exceeding Seventeen million, five hundred thousand dollars ($17,500,000);

b) To acquire all such real property, rights-of-way, licenses, rights or authorities as may be requisite or desirable for or in the construction of the Protective Services Building.

2. The maximum term for which debentures may be issued to secure the debt created by this bylaw is thirty (30) years;

3. This bylaw shall be cited as “Protective Services Building Loan Authorization Bylaw Number 2364, 2022.”

READ A FIRST TIME, this 14 th day of June, 2022.

READ A SECOND TIME, this 14 th day of June, 2022.

READ A THIRD TIME, this 28 th day of June, 2022.

RECEIVED the approval of the Inspector of Municipalities, this 3 rd day of August, 2022. RECEIVED the approval of electors, this ADOPTED, this

Mayor Corporate Officer

The bylaw may be inspected at the District of Peachland office, 5806 Beach Avenue, Peachland BC during regular office hours, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays. For further information on the bylaw or the assent voting process, please contact the Chief Election Officer, Jennifer Sawatzky at 250-767-2647.

Jennifer Sawatzky, Chief Election Officer

Council candidate

Moira Goodman

Moira Goodman and her husband chose to live in Peach land through family connections. They are currently building a single home on Sherburn Road which hasn’t come without numerous delays and problems. Moira is currently retired, and her professional background is in education and coaching. She has many years of experience within contract negotiation and representation. She loves Beach Avenue but wants to make sure that communities on the other side of Hwy 97 are also looked after.

She is concerned about road repairs and considers that Princeton Avenue is particularly dangerous with inconsis tent shoulders and without sidewalks. She is also concerned about the other roadways that are poorly lit and lack the abil ity to direct rainwater to the drains causing further erosion to the shoulders of the road.

Moira wants to encourage community participation and wants to bring a balance between growth and protecting Peachland’s beauty. She believes that clear communication and bringing facts forward will eliminate rumours and fear around development projects. Moira was upset by the cost overrun for the splash park on Beach Avenue and considers fiscal responsibility and accountability to be vital in getting the confidence of the community.

Moira has been knocking on doors in neighbourhoods and has heard many concerns expressed including the limited opportunities for youth activities in sports and employment. Her principal platform is fair representation for all residents to cultivate a community that feels confident engaging and sharing their ideas. She believes that by embracing our dif ferences we can make our community stronger.

A visit to Ely in England leads to help from

MARION HALL

I grew up in England near Ely and ev eryone in that area remembered 1947. East A nglia has some of the best farmland in England but much of it is very little above sea level. The Fens, as the area around Ely is called, were drained hundreds of years ago. George Vancouver’s ancestors came to England from Holland to assist with that process. Canals were constructed and large banks were built to contain the water. Much of that water drained via the river Ouse which flows north to Kings Lynn.

The snow fall during the winter of 1946/47 was much larger than usual and as the melt ing started, it was obvious that a problem was developing. Thousands of people worked day and night to strengthen the banks of the Ouse with sand bags. As the flood waters rose, the army came to help but it wasn’t enough. Wa ter levels continued to rise at a rapid pace a nd on March 16th flooding occurred in Ely and the surrounding area. A hurricane wind storm added to the challenges and parts of the banks built to contain the drainage failed and water flooded huge areas.

This year we planned a trip to England and

I wanted to learn more about the floods of 1947. I found out that there was a small book titled “The Battle of the Banks” written by the Rotary club of Ely. I made contact and pur chased a copy of the book. It turned out that my contact was the president of the Rotary in Ely, Phil Smith. It is a tradition of the Rotary that flags are exchanged and he asked me if we could bring a flag from Peachland. I was able to meet Wendy Howard and get a local flag to take to England. Phil invited us to at tend a Rotary lunch there, during the time we were staying in Ely. We exchanged flags and we took a photograph of Phil Smith accepting the Peachland Rotary flag from me.

On Saturday we were able to present the Ely flag to Ken Klein who is the current pres ident of the Peachland Rotary. Exchanging flags can be complicated but it does show just how significant the Rotary is, in many different countries.

I had another interesting Ely experience when we travelled to Las Vegas years ago. We stopped overnight in Ely, Nevada and when we checked into the hotel, I told the staff that I was born near Ely. “So you are a local girl” the receptionist said. I explained that I was from Ely in England not Neva

da. She expressed surprise that there was a nother Ely. When I told her that it was famous for its cathedral, she was more sur

prised. After checking on her computer she told me that she hoped she could visit Ely in England one day.

Phil Smith (left) receives the Peachland flag and gives Marion the Ely flag. Ken Klein (right) receives the Ely flag in Peachland.

Peachland Rotary murder mystery dinner theatre a big success

ERIC HALL

Last Friday and Saturday evening, mem bers of the audience at the 50+ centre tried to identify the prime suspect in a murder mys tery evening. The event, organised by the Peachland Rotary, was a fundraiser for the Peachland food bank building. It was a lot of fun and a big success; but who killed Charles Vandersnoot?

As more information was revealed, the prime suspect switched from Chet Jet-set played by Chris Boyle to several others. Each table had chance to choose the killer and more than one table chose the correct one - his wife, Cecelia Vandersnoot played by Anne Cooke.

As usual it was a team effort and many members of the Peachland Rotary put in time helping to make the evening a success. Rod Macintosh was the MC and storyteller.

Wendy Howard and Madeleine Nixon were given flowers in appreciation of their efforts. There were many more helping, as well as the eight suspects who seemed to enjoy the evening as much as the audience did. Help came from Wayne Power for designing the backdrop; Penticton Hospital Auxiliary for the dinner trays; Peachland Fire Department for supplying “the body” and Bernice at Peachland Pharmacy for selling the tickets. Information for other fundraisers to help build the Peachland food bank building is available on the website peachlandhub.ca. There is a car raffle for a blue 1982 Mercedes 380SL with tickets costing $30. The draw for that is on December 25th before the Christ mas dinner at the 50+ centre. There is also a 50/50 Raffle with a potential pot of $250,000 and that draw will be held during the LightUp Celebrations at the Heritage Park on December 2nd.

Peachland Teacher, Christi Ogg, gets National Recognition Candidates for school trustee

Central Okanagan Public Schools

congratulates Christi Ogg, teacher at Peachland Elementary School, on receiving a Regional Certificate of Achievement from the Prime Minister’s Awards (PMA) for Teaching Excel lence. The Prime Minister’s Certificate of Achievement recognizes Ms. Ogg, who teaches Kindergarten and Grade 1, for exemplary teaching skills that lead to highly successful learning and social outcomes for her students.

“As the School Trustee for Peachland, I have had the pleasure to get to know Christi Ogg over the past few years,” said Moyra Baxter, Chairperson for the Board of Education. “Christi exempli fies all that is good about teaching, and it is a joy to see her interact with her students. On World Teachers’ Day on October 5th, I will celebrate Christi and all the teachers who support and nur ture the children in their care.”

“I am very proud of Christi Ogg for receiving this national recognition,” said Wendy Briggs, Principal at Peach land Elementary. “She daily pours out her heart, soul, and mind into her craft and wraps it all in a joyful sense of hu mour.”

LISA GUDERYAN

Lisa is a local Peachland resident and wants to be Peachland’s school board trustee. Lisa has a seven year old daughter who inspired her to run for the school board so she can work to make the school district (SD23) responsive to the chil dren’s needs. Lisa wants the school system to be respect ful of all beliefs and a safe place for students to learn, play and grow into the lead ers of tomorrow.

Lisa grew up in learning in SD23 and also with pri vate and home education. She graduated as a registered nurse and has worked in a variety of areas of nursing, including working at Peach land’s former Beach Avenue Medical Clinic. She is rais ing two beautiful girls with her husband Steve, in beauti ful Peachland.

She believes that public ed ucation is critical and wants to see students graduate from all backgrounds. She is run ning on a platform that the school board needs trustees that better support parents and students with their dayto-day concerns. She also wants SD23 to think ahead to the needs of our growing community.

don and his wife decided to raise their sons in Shannon Lake, because the school had a reputation for quality edu cation. Both sons graduated from SLE, CNB and Mount Boucherie.

GORDON WIEBE

Gordon grew up in the Lower Mainland and grad uated from the University of Saskatchewan. He taught high school in Saskatche wan, then moved to BC and completed ESL studies at SFU (93). After graduation, he was a teacher in Hong Kong for two years and then returned to the Fraser Val ley where he began a career in Financial Services. Gor

Gordon has years of com munity service. He coached volleyball at school and soccer with the Westside Youth Soccer Association. For years, he served on the boards of the Shannon Lake Neighbourhood Association and Westside Youth Soc cer. He has worked on local, municipal, provincial and federal political campaigns and served on Premier Chris ty Clark’s riding executive. Recognizing a need in the community, he spearheaded the campaign to build the Westside Soccer Dome on behalf of Westside Youth Soccer. He helped to lob by all levels of government, raised funds and saw the completion of the dome.

He has three key reasons for running for school trust ee. First, he has had success in lobbying all levels of government on behalf of community groups. Second he wants accountability as he considers the fact that SD23 has 129 portables is unacceptable. And third, he is in favour of programs that support the most vulnerable students and allows all stu dents to feel safe and valued.

PEACHLAND’S

An interesting tour of Eastern Canada

ERIC HALL

I have looked after over a hundred tour groups from the UK coming to visit Cana da. British people love this country and its people. They enjoy the sights and benefit from speaking (almost) the same language. They tell me that Canadians are helpful and friendly. Usually things go according to plan but some tours offer challenges for unexpect ed reasons. My last tour was one of those.

T he tour started on September 8th at Pear son airport in Toronto; it was a group of 30. About an hour after the flight arrival time, I had met 28 of the group and started to worry about the missing two. A call to En gland confirmed the missing couple were on the flight, so I had to tell the group that we had to wait. During the waiting time, a lady informed me that she had been selected for random Covid testing; not great news. About twenty minutes later the missing couple ap peared and were very apologetic. Air Canada had lost one of their suitcases and they had to complete a complicated document with their contact information. Being part of a tour group that was staying in different places, it had proved to be quite a challenge for them.

I called my tour coach driver and told her that we were heading for the pick-up point, which was zone P at the ground level in ter minal one. When I started as a tour guide, the company was owned by two brothers and their goal was to provide the very best ser vice. We paid top price for our tour coaches a nd we always got the best. When they sold out to a large company about ten years ago, things changed. The quality of the tour coaches was not so dependable. After five minutes and no tour coach, I called again and found out that my driver was waiting at terminal three not terminal one. But soon we were on our way - to the Covid testing centre near Pearson airport. We didn’t have to wait long there and then we were on our way to our hotel. Whilst we were waiting at the testing centre, my tour coach driver had informed me that she had no experience of looking after tour groups and had not been to Toronto in over ten years; not what I wanted to hear. She asked me how to get to the Chel sea hotel, based on what she had been told. I had to tell her we were actually staying at the Sheraton hotel but it was not difficult to get there. Her response was quite a shock. She told me that I had to give her detailed in structions on where to turn left or right as she did not use a GPS. One of the other problems was that the microphone at my seat was not working because of “a wiring problem”. The only microphone was attached to the front panel of the tour coach and the cable was not long enough for me to be able to sit in my seat. Doing commentary standing-up as the tour coach drives along the freeway is not a great idea. This tour was not starting well.

The Sheraton hotel in Toronto is a huge hotel but has limited parking for tour coach es. I was quite relieved to see that we had a parking space on our arrival. I went in to get the keys and gave those out in the lobby. For our tours, the hotel porters deliver the suitcases for the group. When I returned to the tour coach, the suitcases were lined up

on the sidewalk but my driver was nowhere to be seen. We should never leave suitcases unattended, especially in Toronto. When my driver returned, she informed me that she was trying to find out where to park the tour coach and it was my responsibility to organ ise that. That had never been suggested to me before and was definitely not my responsibil ity. When that was resolved, I had to discuss tomorrow’s city tour which, out of necessity, was going to be much shorter than usual.

We had our city tour and our day in Ni agara Falls, and at the end of that day, my d river informed me that “she couldn’t do this anymore”. We were driving to Ottawa the next day; so what was your plan I asked. She told me that tomorrow another tour coach and driver would meet us at Rockport, whilst the group were taking a boat trip around the Thousand Islands. Things got even worse the next morning as we were on our way to Rockport, the tour coach developed a prob lem. A message was displayed that indicated that the tour coach engine would shut down in an hour. Fortunately that gave us time to exit highway 401 at Belleville and go to a very nice shopping mall. Our lunch stop was early but there was a good food court at the mall. Belleville became the rearranged place to change tour coaches and that worked out ok except the “new” tour coach was actually quite old with no seat belts. “You will get a better one, when we leave Ottawa”, my new driver told me. I was just relieved that we didn’t have to spend the rest of the day at the shopping mall.

We spent two nights in Ottawa so the next day was a free day. The original plan was an optional group visit to the museum of histo ry which is excellent. Two weeks earlier the Ottawa museums had changed their sched ules and decided to close on Mondays, as did the National gallery. It could have been a quiet day but I got a telephone call around lunch time that changed that. A lady in my group had fallen in her room and I was need ed right now! An ambulance was called and soon she was on her way to the hospital. She had a broken wrist and a hair-line fracture of the pelvis. Everyone on our tours has to have health insurance to cover situations like this.

I kept in touch with the husband and gave advice on keeping the insurance company informed. They would be cutting the tour short and returning to England from Ottawa.

When we left the next morning for Mon treal, we were two short but I kept in touch with them as best I could. A tour of Montreal always includes a visit to the underground city. In Montreal there are twenty miles of underground walkways as all the downtown buildings are connected underground. It makes going to the office or getting lunch much easier during winter weather. When we had arrived and checked in at the Mon treal hotel, I talked to my new driver about the tour coach. This was now my third one and it was not of the quality that we expect. When I called the bus company that we deal with I found out that this was a sub-contract and they didn’t even know about any of the issues so far. My driver told me he would

review the situation and let me know the re sult. Later he told me that they did not have a nother tour coach available. I was having a bad evening that was made worse by the weather. The hotel had not informed me be fore we arrived that the hotel restaurant was closed because of a staff shortage. When my group headed out for dinner, a rain storm of biblical proportions started. The water in the street was running like a river; I had never seen anything like it in Montreal be fore. Whilst giving directions to some of my group, I managed to walk into water about a foot deep. My new assignment was to dry out my one pair of shoes. The next day, we con tinued on to Quebec City without any new problems. The Chateau Frontenac is very famous, but my favourite place in Quebec City is the fresco mural at Place Royale; it is very special. Day nine of our tour was a day trip to Baie Sainte Catherine for whale watching. In the evening, at 10:30pm, we boarded the VIA Ocean train from the sta tion at Saint Foy in Quebec City. The Ocean t rain goes from Montreal to Halifax, but we were getting off in Moncton, the next day. We were an hour late arriving in Moncton, but that was usual as I was told by VIA staff. The next day we visited Kings Landing near Fredericton with a new coach and driver; this time both were excellent. Kings Landing is an historic village and one of the top attrac tions in New Brunswick. My group really enjoyed the day as well as having lunch at the Kings Head pub/restaurant in the village.

We returned to Moncton to visit Hopewell Rocks and then catch the VIA Ocean for the second time to take us to Halifax. The train was due to arrive in Moncton at 1:30pm. The news was that the train would be two hours late on that day which meant that we would arrive in Halifax after 8pm, in the dark. We visited the train station to confirm the time and then it was an extended lunch at the mall. My driver did not help the situation by telling my group that “I could drive you to Halifax and get you there by 5pm”. That suggestion was later repeated to me by several members of the group over the next few days.

Our hotel in Halifax was the Westin Nova Scotian which is attached to the VIA train station. Entering the hotel lobby is like going back in time to the golden age of rail trav el; there is so much history in the building. T he next day we are off to Peggy’s Cove and Lunenburg with yet another tour coach and driver. Despite a little rain, the day went well. We visited Peggy’s Cove before the crowds arrived from the Carnival Magic cruise ship which arrived in Halifax that morning. Lunenburg has a fascinating history and we completed our walking tour there before the heavy rain started. We were glad that the tour finished before the hurricane arrived. The couple who were missing a suitcase had been checking online but never did get it. Howev er on the last day they found out that their suitcase was on the way back home, a day ahead of them. The group had a direct flight back to Heathrow but I needed three flights to get back to Kelowna. I arrived back just in time to review the layout of last week’s View newspaper. My thought was that perhaps I was getting too old for this kind of routine.

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Peachland Recreation looking for help from Peachland businesses at Halloween

On October 31st , the Peachland Recreation Depart ment is hosting the third annual Jack-o-Lantern Walk on the Haunted Dock, our free trick-or-treat event for Peachland families. Last year, we invited local com munity groups, individuals, and businesses to join us in decorating the Ray Kandola Pier at Heritage Park.

Ten organizations joined us and we were able to decorate the whole pier! The event was a huge suc cess with over 450 visitors throughout the evening and gave away 250 goody bags.

We are looking for businesses and community groups to help decorate sections of the pier. Partic ipating groups will select a theme and decorate a section of the pier using various props.

Some example themes include a graveyard, pirates, a spider den, a haunted mansion, or a mad scientist’s laboratory. You can supply your own decorations or borrow supplies from the Community Centre. If your business is interested in participating, please let me know by Monday, October 17 so that I can confirm your theme, assign a section of the dock, and discuss decoration tips.

Businesses can also participate by donating nut-free candy, small gift certificates, or monetary donations towards the free goodie bags or by dropping off

carved Jack-o-Lanterns to help fill in spaces on the pier.

We greatly appreciate your help to make to this fun-filled family event a success. If you would like to participate, please contact me at 250-767-2133 or by email, bstringer@peachland.ca.

Ben Stringer, Recreation Manager District of Peachland

Peachland’s Water supply

PWPA response suggests studies are out of date

Dear Editor,

Re: Question to Municipal Candidates posed September 30-22, “View”, Does Peachland Have Enough Water?

The Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance (PWPA) appre ciates cooperating with the View on this municipal election and wishes to acknowledge the responses received from thirteen of the fifteen candidates running in the local election. We believe water is essential to Peachland’s livability and appreciate the time, energy and research candidates displayed in pursuing their answers.

What was surprising was the variety of their responses, and what struck PWPA is how fragile water quality, quantity and timing of flow is to a community watershed when they rely on old data, out-dated reports, differences of opinion, recommendations from others, and lack of climate change precautions to make our future de velopment decisions. We need look no further than the actual Water Treatment Plant (WTP) itself, which the 2007 report recommended, and blossomed from the initial $18M WTP, to $25M at bidding time to further Covid expenses, then an additional $2.5M upgrade and a necessary $4.9M interconnect. If budget numbers from experts can vary so drastically over time, so can capacity, storage and servicing unknowns.

What we heard loud and clear from the replies is that we think we have enough water because we have been told by qualified experts, but those numbers are all over the map, some of those experts have been disproved and climate is a wild card. What we heard is “we have plenty of buffer, Development Cost Charges (DCCs) will pay for improvements and we must continue to develop at all costs or the province will scold us.”

What we were most buoyed to hear was that source water protec tions are topmost on many candidates’ platforms and it is almost unanimous that the newly elected council will engage in funding an updated water master plan. In the meantime, we urge this council to be precautionary in their development choices until that plan is complete, in about 2 years time. On the books Peachland has already approved or has pending enough units to easily double our popula tion, and we will have already reached that threshold if all units get built. This water master plan must use current climate catastrophe modeling. We can no longer rely on historic rainfall or flood data, as we live in a different era, and precipitation is changing.

The public needs to know what the capacity of the WTP is and what the capacity of the watershed is and realize the two are completely separate numbers and conditions. The former we have figures for, the later is a complete unknown. What we hoped to re veal is that the WTP may say it can serve 7100 before upgrades are needed in storage, service 11,300 before upgrades are needed in the plant itself, and then ask what is the capacity of our watershed. Is it really 27,000 as some still believe? What is the number of resi dents that our water source can provide adequate water quantity for, without floods or droughts harming the environmental flow needs or water basin resiliency?

Does Peachland have enough water? Depends on who you ask, but reports to Council submitted this year raise many concerns about capacity and costing. A report on June 14, 2022 stated that:

“With drought conditions become more commonplace and the increased cost of water treatment, staff will likely be bringing a re quest for decision to Council with regards to watering restrictions in a future meeting.”

OPEN MIC WAS FUN AT THE PEACHLAND ART GALLERY - The PCAC, Peachland Community Arts Council, held their first Open Mic of the Fall Season on Thursday evening, September 29, 2022, at the Art Gallery in Peachland. It was a fun event organized by Paula McLaughlin and volunteers that helped to put it all together. It gave an opportunity for local talents to sing, play instruments and even the guests participated in a sing along. Left: Paula McLaughlin and Terry Moore are at the piano and later they are helping Vicky Molloy with her singing (above).

It is now up to the voters to do their own work, make their own decisions, but one thing is for certain, Peachland’s water source is a hot topic this election.

Sincerely,

The Board of Directors, on behalf of Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance