Regarding the story “Consultant for rural area annexations.”
This story comes off like Mr. Macnabb and Mr. Fairbairn are the great protectors of the regional district they represent.
The way I understand it, annexation is a process where a land owner, by his or her own choosing, can make application to have their property included in a different jurisdiction. For example, if a person’s property is in an electoral area, that person has the freedom to apply to have it transferred (annexed) to a nearby municipality.
Annexation is not to be confused with the word expropriation, where a government of any level can remove you from any part or all of your land for whatever they deem fair market value for whatever purpose they deem necessary.
What I believe these gentlemen want to do by initiating this consultation is to remove a person’s right to decide what they can or can’t do with their own land. Does that sound like something that should be allowed in a free country like Canada? I don’t believe it does, and I hope there are more people who hold the same opinion, especially in the upcoming municipal and regional district elections. We need to tell these politicians what the term free country stands for.
I live in the Regional District of the North Okanagan and I am not in support of any politician, for whatever reason, to limit my ability to choose what I can do with my own property. We are currently way over governed in this respect and should be moving in the other direction, not adding more restrictive laws.
Just an aside, it’s amazing how $25,000 can show up for a consultant to possibly advise the board to take away our rights, but when a heritage site like O’Keefe Ranch needs funding, RDNO basically sits on its hands and waits for for the City of Vernon to pay its share for it. This is all such nonsense that costs us taxpayers nothing but money and the erosion of our rights, and I am tired of it. Dare I say amalgamation? Yes. Yes. Yes.
Brian Litzenberger
Vernon
