Add water purveyors gas tax funding list
Area “D” Director Tom Siddon spoke to the regional district Corporate Services Committee on May 22 about an emerging regional issue concerning irrigation district funding.
Siddon told the board that increasing pressure on irrigation districts and other water purveyors to adhere to Interior Health’s 4-3-2-1-0 drinking water regulation or face having their water systems labelled “inadequate” meant increasing need for these water purveyors to have access to higher levels of funding.
“Maybe we should be considering private water purveyors and irrigation districts for future uses of the gas tax,” Siddon suggested, Chief Administrative Officer Bill Newell agreed that such consideration could be made through the four main funding programs that make up the Gas Tax Fund, “as long as it meets the criteria of the program.”
Fortis representatives discuss Similkameen dam project
Fortis representatives spoke to the regional district’s corporate services committee about the proposed Similkameen dam project.
Committee members appeared to favour the proposal, which would see the creation of a 150 metre high, 500 metre long dam built. A 20 kilometre, 154,000 acre foot reservoir would also be created upstream of Copper Mountain Mine west of Princeton.
Area “D” Director Tom Siddon expressed a wish to see Fortis pay attention to the potential upstream benefits a reservoir would create, noting the need to remove trees and prepare the reservoir site prior to flooding.
Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells noted the downstream benefits in his community with respect to mitigation of flooding events on Osoyoos Lake, also pointing out the potentially profitable investment the dam could have for Fortis, Inc.
Princeton rural Director Brad Hope admitted he was “struggling” with the dam proposal, asking if the power derived would become part of the Fortis BC rate base.
Fortis Project Manager Joseph Suknandan told the committee the power would go into the power grid for distribution anywhere in the province.
Fortis officials noted that under present economic conditions, power generation alone would not be enough to make the project economically feasible. The company was in the process of negotiating with potential downstream benefactors in the U.S., in the hope of acquiring additional funding.
Police report
An independent report review the region’s Crime Stoppers program is expected to be completed any day now, RCMP Superintendent Kevin Hewco reported to regional district Protective Services Committee members. Hewco said he hoped to use the report to develop a strategy with which to better use resources like Citizens on Patrol, Speed Watch and the Crime Stoppers programs.
Creating a safer community discuusion
Regional district directors would like to look at funding a regional police program that “gets away from being reactive to being proactive.”
The program, which may become part of next year’s budget, is envisioned to deliver similar services to each community in the regional district, using a consultative approach that utilizes community knowledge and volunteer support.
The regional district does not currently have a service related to crime prevention or community policing.
