This conceptual drawing presented to councillors in their agenda package shows what the completed new fire hall could look like. Council has backed away from a referendum.
Dear Editor:
As an out-of-towner who lives in rural district north of Osoyoos, please allow me to publicly express my concerns about the process for the town’s borrowing bylaw to fund the proposed fire hall that will serve my property just as the existing one does.
The town’s current Alternate Approval Process (AAP), as well as any potential future referendum, does not seem to allow input from residents of the other two participating jurisdictions that this replacement facility will serve.
This includes residents who live on the Osoyoos Indian Band First Nations and those, like me, who live in the Osoyoos Rural Fire Protection District.
The town’s advertisements in your newspaper show that a shortfall of $6.9 million, of which the town proposes to borrow $4 million, will have to be repaid through this borrowing bylaw.
At the same time, the rural fire protection and the OIB will be “assuming $2 million of the borrowing cost. The town will arrange and administer all borrowing and payments.”
The later word “payment” means that I, as a property owner, will be taxed for this borrowed funding.
Obviously, somebody needs to pay for this, you might reply.
But, and this is my main concern, this is plainly a case of “taxation without representation”, a practice that ought not to occur in a democracy and one that can not be easily corrected.
The term “taxation without representation” is loaded with historical significance.
Over the past 435 years, since 1569, on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, many wars have been declared (and eventually won against all odds) about the principle that there ought to be no taxation without representation.
In my opinion, this is the Achilles Heel of this project and the fatal flaw in the entire process.
I would suggest to your readers that a proper referendum – one that would include all residents of the three participating jurisdictions, would go a long way to restore this democratic principle.
I support those town residents who opposed the project in terms of the Alternate Approval Process.
Thank you for allowing me to write about this very important issue in our community.
Jacob A. de Raadt
Osoyoos, B.C.
