Town of Osoyoos mayoral candidate Sue McKortoff answers a question during last Wednesday’s all candidates forum, while opponent Ray Vandenberg (far right) looks on. Also listening in are former mayor and longtime councillor John Slater (left) and council candidate Carol Youngberg. (Keith Lacey photo)
Considering it has become one of the most polarizing issues in the Town of Osoyoos in the past decade, it wasn’t surprising that the loudest cheers of the night during last Wednesday’s all candidates forum came for candidates who voiced their strong support to build a new fire hall in the Town of Osoyoos.
Before a packed house of 300 Osoyoos and area residents in the community theatre at Osoyoos Secondary School, all three candidates running for mayor and six of the seven residents seeking the four seats on Town of Osoyoos council presented their platforms and answered questions from the inquisitive audience.
Mayoral candidates Sue McKortoff, Ray Vandenberg and Doug Pederson answered about a dozen questions from audience members as did council candidates C. J. Rhodes, the only incumbent, Jean Clarke, Mike Campol, Jim King, Carol Youngberg and former mayor and councillor John Slater.
Council candidate Sy Murseli was visiting an ill relative in Europe and could not attend.
The all candidates forum was co-sponsored by the Osoyoos Times and the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce (SOCC). The moderator for the forum was SOCC president Myers Bennett.
Rhodes received the loudest ovation of the night when he voiced his strong support to build a new fire hall in Osoyoos and urged local residents to vote in favour of borrowing $4 million to build it during the fire hall referendum being held in conjunction with the election next weekend.
The actual borrowing costs will be $5.9 million, but the Osoyoos Indian Band and Osoyoos Rural Fire Protection District have committed $1.9 million funding for the project should it be approved following the referendum.
The proposed fire hall isn’t just a new building for volunteer firefighters, but will serve as an emergency operations and full training facility for the dedicated volunteer firefighters in our community, said Rhodes.
Investing in a new fire hall is like taking out an affordable mortgage that will ensure this community has quality fire protection services for several decades, said Rhodes.
The reality is most people don’t think a lot about fire protection services until their house is on fire and they expect volunteer firefighters to be there risking their lives to protect their family members and property, said Rhodes.
Mayoral candidate Ray Vandenberg, who has based a large portion of his campaign on his opposition to the proposed costs to build a new fire hall, insists an adequate new facility can be built for just over $3 million.
“We have to go back to the drawing board and you (taxpayers) have a decision to make,” said Vandenberg.
His life partner Jean Clarke, who is running for a seat on town council, was the only other of the nine candidates in attendance to voice her opposition to the proposed borrowing bylaw to build a new fire hall.
She is also in favour of a new fire hall, but “not one that costs $5.9 million,” she said.
Incumbent councillor Sue McKortoff, who announced her candidacy to run for mayor after Stu Wells announced he would not be running on the final day to file applications, said the committee formed to look at a new fire hall has done a tremendous amount of work over the past seven years and she’s satisfied the hall they have proposed is what this community needs.
Council candidate Carol Youngberg said there’s “no doubt we need a new fire hall” in Osoyoos and it’s up to voters to decide in the referendum if the proposed price tag is affordable.
Former mayor and longtime Osoyoos councillor John Slater said, in his opinion, borrowing $4 million to be repaid over 30 years is not unreasonable as it will cost local property owners just over one dollar a day to pay for a state-of-the-art fire hall.
Council candidate Jim King said a new fire hall is needed as the current fire hall doesn’t meet community needs or WorkSafe BC standards.
Council candidate Mike Campol also received loud applause when he commented that “I am absolutely in favour of a new fire hall.”
The current facility is old and worn down and the new facility would provide everything this community needs in terms of quality fire protection and emergency services for decades to come, said Campol.
If voters turn down the borrowing bylaw during the referendum, there is provincial legislation in place that will ensure a second fire hall referendum can’t be held for at least six months, said McKortoff.
The most likely scenario is the new mayor and council would have to work with the fire hall committee and come up with a second proposal that is smaller in scope and more affordable, she said.
Another hot topic during the forum was the status of Haynes Point Provincial Park, which has been the source of significant controversy since human remains were discovered last May.
The Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) agreed to allow camping to continue all summer, but closed the park to continue an archaeological dig searching for more remains effective October 1.
This meant locals were banned from the park, which upset many residents. Numerous residents decided to ignore posted signs and warnings not to enter the park and those signs were removed this week.
Several of the candidates gave similar responses saying this issue is a provincial matter and not within the town’s jurisdiction.
Almost everyone agreed they believed a permanent solution can be reached to appease local residents and the OIB if talks were arranged in the coming weeks.
One of the most interesting questions asked of all the candidates was posed by David Smith, who moved to Osoyoos three years ago.
Smith said he would be more than willing to pay additional taxes as long as it meant taxes were spent wisely, this community continued to grow and services were expanded.
He wanted to know what the candidates would do to make Osoyoos a better place to live.
Campol said Osoyoos has got to quit relying so much on the tourism industry and make a concerted effort to bring long-term, sustainable careers to this community.
There’s no reason Osoyoos couldn’t become a provincial or national training centre for chefs, wine makers and those who work in agriculture, said Campol.
Clarke agreed that a renewed focus on permanent job is needed instead of continuing to support seasonal jobs during the busy tourist season.
King said the new Okanagan Correctional Centre, that has just started construction north of Oliver, is going to provide a lot of spinoff jobs and business opportunities here in Osoyoos.
Rhodes said the town must remain committed to the redevelopment of the town’s waterfront.
Slater said he would work to ensure more businesses start up in town, especially downtown and a focus on affordable housing would bring more permanent residents to the community.
Youngberg said while there is still plenty of work to do, people shouldn’t forget this community has grown in leaps and bounds since she first moved here 37 years ago.
The population has increased from 1,800 to almost 5,000 permanent residents and there are more than 420 businesses as opposed to less than 200 when she first started her business career, said Youngberg.
McKortoff said Osoyoos must continue to working in areas like tourism that have proven successful, while encouraging new businesses to come here and create new jobs.
Vandenberg said the town has to “become more business friendly” and encourage small business owners that this is a terrific place to live and conduct business.
The crowd was amused when Pederson, an admitted fringe candidate, got into a verbal dispute with a young man sitting in the front row, during his opening remarks.
Pederson waved his finger at the man, who got up and verbally responded to an insult he perceived from Pederson.
The two momentarily challenged each other physically, before a couple members of the audience intervened and broke up the dispute.
Pederson received a smattering of boos whenever he spoke on issues for the remainder of the evening.
Bennett ended the evening by encouraging everyone in attendance and all eligible voters to exercise their democratic right and get out and vote in the municipal election and fire hall referendum.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
There was barely an empty seat last Wednesday evening in the community theatre at Osoyoos Secondary School as the Osoyoos Times and South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored the 2014 All Candidates Forum. All three candidates for mayor and six of the seven people seeking the four seats on town council attended the forum. After stating their platforms, all candidates answered questions from members of the audience and to no one’s surprise, the most passionate debate of the evening was generated when the issue of the proposed new fire hall for Osoyoos was discussed. (Keith Lacey photo)
