A note to Ulla Martin regarding her concern about the Town of Oliver not implementing watering restrictions:
You can run against Andre Martin or Jack Bennest or Ron Hovanes or Rick Machial at the next election.
You can also continue to rail against civic leaders and call David Suzuki long distance as much as you like. (He vacations in Oliver – and loves it at Vaseux).
Oliver was built on the premise of diverting river water to feed plants, trees, orchards in the South Okanagan. (It was a desert).
It has grown to a fairly sizeable 22-mile-long water system for rural and in-town people.
The Town is one of the greenest in the province because of water policy: conservation through metering, use of treated water on land and the constant need of fixing outdated infrastructure. All of that takes money.
You can be as green as you want but it takes money from someone’s pocket.
As elected politicians we are charged with the responsibility of spending money wisely and not increasing taxation that scares away business/jobs and people wanting to retire on fixed income.
Oliver as a rurally based community uses money in the best possible way, sharing costs with the green circle that surrounds us.
Best volunteer fire service in BC, pool, arena, parks, recreation programming, community hall, garbage, recycling, tourism funding, museum, archives and other jointly funded services.
Once you are elected Ulla your tune might change a bit when idealism is swept aside by the pragmatic thinking of a group advised by professionals.
Jack Bennest, councillor, Town of Oliver
