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How will you ensure a project or projects benefiting Peachland’s watershed receives provincial attention and funding?
We urgently need a "Cummulative Effects" study of our watershed that not only takes into consideration logging, recreation, mining, cattle grazing, but also Climate Change. A couple weeks ago, I led an in-person meeting with Minister Josie Osborne to reiterate how important such a study is to us and to ask that funding be available in 2023 from the new Watershed Security Strategy and Fund. I discuss this with her every time we speak and will continue to do so, as your Mayor.
How would you make this happen?
I already work with several local First Nations, as I respect their knowledge, insight, and respect for water. Collaboration is imperative, and I want to reach out to more of the Okanagan Nation Alliance member communties, because the greater the voice, the stronger our combined success. I am also the Vice-Chair of the Okangan Basin Water Board, and hope that I will be re-elected in order to continue the good work they do, which is now focusing more on source water protectoion. I absolutely want to see a continuation of monies go into the Watershed Security Strategy and Fund each year, and will fight for that, for sure.
Explain how you would implement this or why you would not.
This is a good question, and I have brought this up numerous times with Council and Staff. I been told there are legal hurdles, but I believe it is worth pursuing. I think it's ridiculous that we have permitted four trips a day per logging company, because they get around that by using multiple companies. The wear and tear on our roads is terrible, as is the noise and smells that neighbours living on Princeton Avenue have to endure. I strongly believe that this is an issue that we MUST pursue. Why should the taxpayers pay for the wear and tear? If re-elected I will absolutely work on this.
What additions would you suggest to this second request letter, considering clear cutting has continued for the intervening three-plus years and still further road building and tree removal are planned?
I have sent out more than one letter, and brought this up to Katrine Conroy in-person, as well as, other Ministers, including Josie Osborne, and this time we made sure to include a link to the time-lapse video of all the clear-cutting over the years. In addition to my persistence, what would help give us more "teeth" in this would be an updated study to the Golder Report (2010) and a "Cummulative Effects" study. Minister Osborne has already said the video was startling...let's keep going!
Does Peachland Have Enough Water? As of August 2022, no one in the District of Peachland can confirm we have enough water for all current and planned developments. A rough calculation suggests a population increase of 11,000 is possible if all approved and proposed developments on the books in the planning department are completed and occupied. District Consultants’ water supply reports quote a variety of numbers, gleaned from a variety of inconsistent assumptions. One report stated that in order to provide enough water for these developments, major engineering would be required in order to divert creeks and other water sources into Peachland Creek to feed the Peachland water-treatment plant. Besides the financial costs, such engineering works have the potential to permanently alter the ecosystem of the watershed, destroy fish-bearing habitat, wildlife connectivity, forests and habitat, recreation opportunity, trail systems, hunting grounds, and environmental water flow patterns. How much are you willing to compromise our water source for the sake of development, given that climate change may very well prolong water shortages, watering restrictions and potential engineering works for increasing the flow of water could cause irreparable environmental damage to the very ecosystem that creates the water in the first place? Are you comfortable engaging on behalf of the District if acquisition, disposition or expropriation of land or improvements in the watershed as well as service negotiations with Glencore or other industry, for example, may be involved?*
Like you, I want to get the precise facts, and not work on assumptions. We need to get an updated version of the Golder Report and a cummulative effects study done. I know I sound like a broken record on this, but water is our most precious resource and we must protect it not only for us, the natural ecosystem, but for future generations as well. I have already been looking into watershed reserves, as well.
. Costs to upgrade, expand or build a new Water Treatment Plant: In 2015, an amendment to the Peachland Water Master Plan was completed by Urban Systems, the conclusion of the report noted that “sufficient water is available within the Peachland Creek watershed to meet the demands of the District of Peachland and the environmental flows as required by the Ministry” at that time. As of today, the existing treatment and distribution system is appropriate for approximately 7100 people. With a future population projection in the region of 15,000, there will need to be some upgrades undertaken to meet those flow demands. For example, after the 7100 threshold is reached, an upgrade in storage / reservoir capacity at the treatment plant will be required. Similarly, once the 11,300 threshold is reached, an upgrade of the treatment plant (allowing us to generate more treated water) will be required. As these costs are principally related to further development, the cost will be borne by the developers through the mechanism of development cost charges. The most recent DCC update report estimates the overall costs for all of these upgrades to be approximately $45M. All previous and current developments did not supply near enough money to pay for the costs of the past WTP nor current new WTP, (usage fees, a $400 annual WTP tax, Federal and Provincial grants contributed to the costs). If elected, how will you ensure that these new costs will not be borne AGAIN by the current residents but, by the developers and the future residents through the mechanism of development cost charges, as the district staff suggest? Do you believe this is even possible? If so, how will you ensure Peachland starts to collect a portion of this $45M in your four-year term?
There are many questions in one here that require much more than 500 characters to answer. As Vice-Chair of the OBWB, lake level management, source water protection, healthy watershed, are all things I work on. I can't stress enough that those two studies I've already mentioned need to be complete asap. I can better answer this more fully on my website and blog at mayorcindyfortin.com.