In early summer 2015, some Penticton residents met in Skaha Park to discuss this park from commercial developments being planned, which included waterslides.
Anyone could have brought forward their plans, but as I recall, only I presented a plan which also included possible court action.
At that meeting, it was decided that a group of five residents would become the advisory committee. Five Penticton residents put their names forward and I was one of them.
We collected over $300 for the start of a legal fund. Our main goal, at that time, was to force the City of Penticton to follow their park bylaws and call a public referendum. I appreciated these other four concerned Penticton residents stepping forward, but within 30 days our chairperson stepped down because of comments made against him by certain meeting attendees. Shortly thereafter, we lost two more advisory committee members, but they were all replaced.
With this new advisory committee in place, plans changed and the illusion commenced. No transparency with their members and that remains to this very day. The media know information before the members do.
Prior to the commencement of the early August 2015 protest at City Hall, I made available to certain rally organizers, an email that I had received earlier in the day that the city had signed an agreement in regards to the leasing of Skaha Park, I believe. I requested that they advise the protest group of this fact prior to this rally. They chose not to advise the residents that attended until after the meeting was over. However, I told several people.
I had resigned prior to this rally because certain advisory committee members wished no longer to entertain my thoughts with others opinions in our meetings and we were no longer demanding a public referendum in my mind. Now, over 10 months later and the spending of $17,000 of the legal funds, Penticton residents are in the same boat, we do not hear public referendum words in SSPS media releases.
However, several Penticton residents are still out front with our transparency and our initial 2015 plan, that being a public referendum on Skaha Park development. Now I have taken the necessary steps, with my legal action against the City of Penticton, to follow their own legal bylaws and the provincial 2004 agreements, as well as other documents we have uncovered to date. We look forward to bringing you this documentation into the public forum, in my Supreme Court action. If anyone would like to join our cause or receive a free copy of Penticton Supreme Court file no. 041046 in regards to this civil claim, please contact us at pentictoncares@gmail.com.
Nelson Meikle, Penticton
