There’s more evidence the Ministry of Transportation is shirking its responsibilities.

Bob Fleming, a Regional District of North Okanagan director, is organizing businesses to beautify the east side of Highway 97 along the Swan Lake corridor.

Fleming and those involved deserve significant credit for wanting Vernon’s northern gateway to look its best. And their efforts particularly warrant praise because they are doing something not expected of them.

Current conditions are a direct result of the ministry abandoning right-of-away maintenance years ago because of budget constraints. Not only are dead trees and weeds unsightly, they pose a safety threat and weeds could spread to adjacent lands, creating problems for farmers.

By addressing its own monetary woes, the provincial government has downloaded the problem on to local taxpayers and businesses. Keep in mind that these two groups already pay for ministry activities through taxes.

And to add insult to injury, the ministry is creating roadblocks for  those picking up the slack.

Specifically, the Vernon Collectors Club will no longer pick up trash along Highway 97 because the government has refused to improve safety conditions for volunteers. The non-profit group also has to dig deep into its own pockets to come up with liability insurance.

It is time for Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster and Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom to openly explain why the government is not fulfilling its obligations in the North Okanagan and elsewhere in the province.

But such action is unlikely because it’s become too easy for the Ministry of Transportation to sit on the sidelines and let someone else do its job.

Vernon Morning Star