Rick Knodel – Area C candidate

Do you support a national park reserve? Why or why not?

The original purpose for this park was stated to be protection of a delicate and very sensitive ecosystem. Careful reflection of the numerous proposals and studies reveals that the opposite will result if this park is created. National parks have a mandate to promote ever increasing attendances in the manner of a commercial operation. Parks Canada stated that this proposed park would be put in rotation with Mount Revelstoke, Glacier National park (787,968 attendance 2017-2018), and Kootenay National Park (531,009 attendance 2017-2018). These numbers would indicate a substantial attendance at this very small proposed park. Numerous environmental groups are becoming alarmed with the severe damages being caused by these large ever-increasing numbers of attending people. Much of this area is currently a provincial grassland protected area and is further protected by being remote with rustic access making only enthusiastic, dedicated hikers likely to visit. This protection would be removed by Parks Canada’s planned $10 million in development to provide access and entertainment for the new attendees.

This proposed national park will engulf or border on a considerable amount of private farmland and leased grazing lands. Canadian national parks have considerable influence over adjacent lands through the Endangered Species Act or SARA Species at Risk Act and legislations. Despite verbal assurances it is unclear how disruptive an at-distance bureaucracy given these extensive powers will be to our delicate farming and ranching industries, but if Grasslands National Park is the standard then the effects will be considerable.

Should this park become a reality I will stand ready to negotiate the best possible protections for our farmers and ranchers as these industries are the lifeblood of our area.

What is your solution to crime prevention?

We need an increase in boots on the ground and I believe we are beyond the ability of two extra officers to make a meaningful difference now. What forces could be mustered would have to be predominant in patrolling between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. Only in this manner would citizens on patrol or auxiliary police be effectual. Further to this matter anyone who thinks the proposal to abandon the police stations in Oliver and Osoyoos in favour of creating a central hub 45 minutes away in Penticton will make policing better is being lied to

Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie is absolutely correct in his statements. Penalties for criminal activities need to increase in severity to once again become a real deterrence. The Young Offenders Act needs to name names and make shaming part of the corrections system. Prolific offenders need to face and ever-escalating non-negotiable sentencing system where every additional offence adds a set amount to each sentence that cannot be bargained away or run concurrent. Drug dealers also must be dealt with in the severest of manners.

There is a desperate need to increase the access and availability to both drug rehabilitation programs and mental health resources. I believe success here would have a profound effect on decreasing repeat offenders or even preventing first time offenders.

What would you do to make farming in Area C more viable and successful?

As farming output increases in Area “C“ it is becoming necessary to support the orderly expansion of current packinghouses for both fruit and vegetables to meet the needs.

One of the more pressing issues is accommodations for migrant workers. This is approaching a scale of necessity that is going to require a more cooperative direction. As with Loose Bay, a suitable site would have to be located and then units that meet the standards set by the Mexican government would need to be installed. With input from local farmers, provincial government and local government this should be attainable with substantial saving to the local farmers and would also open that labour pool to farmers currently not able to meet the accommodation requirements. As an added benefit some of the currently used accommodations would likely find their way back into the long-term rental market giving relief to a desperate situation there and adding a revenue stream to some of the farmers.

Local government has an obligation to promote the recently announced land-matching program that put together young farmers looking for farmland with landowners wishing to lease agricultural lands. It is also time to encourage our educators to more vigorously promote farming and agriculture. I believe that more than any other time in human history farming has become one of the most important careers imaginable.

How would you be proactive in preventing more flood damage in Area C?

The only way to provide a proactive stance on flood prevention is to keep the pressure on the various ministries to complete or establish the following remedies:

Currently a number of projects are underway or under review; these need to be expedited to be completed before next spring. These projects, like the proper drainage out of Park Rill Creek into the river system or the re-establishment of the original creek bed depth south of Gold Tau Road in Meyers Flats, are mired in bureaucratic red tape and need to be accelerated in order to be completed before the spring runoff.

In the future the maintenance of creeks on private property should be changed from the permitting system, which has proven to be time consuming, cumbersome and expensive, to regulation that requires no permits.

On the valley floor the river needs to be restored to its original bed elevation and a maintenance schedule established.

The provincial government is currently attempting to download the maintenance of creeks running through forestry Crown lands onto the regional districts. This would require the establishment of service areas and result in exorbitant increases in taxation to small areas of population. In my opinion this is unacceptable. These lands have been the responsibility of B.C. Forestry and the province receives the revenues from these lands in the form of timber rights, mining rights, grazing licences, and hunting and fishing licenses, etc. Flood mitigation should be treated no different than forest firefighting or prevention and be funded by the province as a whole.

What is your biggest asset in representing rural Oliver?

I believe that having lived in this area all my life combined with my four years as alternate director give me both the intimate knowledge of the needs of the area and the experience of working with the regional district to effect meaningful representation for the residents. This along with my 30 years of construction management experience makes me the right choice for this job.