By Lyonel Doherty

Oliver Chronicle

They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but all Ron Hovanes can hope for is that the government will come up with a lot of grease for Oliver.

However, the mayor wasn’t overly optimistic after returning from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention on Monday. Perhaps the government ran out of grease.

Hovanes met with Solicitor General Mike Farnworth about the approved business case for two additional police officers for Oliver. He only had a 15-minute window to get his point across.

“You try not to pound your fist because that just doesn’t work anymore in this day and age.”

Hovanes said every community has the same issue that Oliver is struggling with – a lack of police resources.

“I found that sad, but at the same time I found it a little heartening because my community is getting beaten up right now by some people that are doing a good job getting the word out, but really, they are self-proclaimed crime fighters who are painting a lousy picture of the community.”

The mayor and council were told that the business case for Oliver is a priority but it’s not number one.

Hovanes stressed the impact that the Okanagan Correctional Centre has on Oliver RCMP resources, noting the community should not be left without coverage because an officer is busy at the prison taking someone’s DNA.

“It just doesn’t ring well with me.”

He also mentioned the fact that Oliver will likely surpass 5,000 population in the next census, at which point the Town must pay 70 per cent of policing costs.

Although the business case has been approved, it doesn’t mean there has been any financing in place to fund these additional officers, Hovanes was told.

Another mechanism that was suggested is approach the RCMP and request a re-allocation of their resources.

“This wasn’t uplifting at all . . . I walked away thinking, ya right, I’m sure there are a lot of communities in BC that have two extra officers that they don’t need, that they’d be willing to give to Oliver. I just don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Hovanes said there is no silver bullet for the drug (crime) issue. He noted these people will take drugs whether it will kill them or not, so there needs to be harm reduction so they can have access to drugs (that are relatively safe) until they can get treatment when they want it.

“Harm reduction, enforcement, treatment programs and mental health support – everybody recognizes that.”

The mayor said they aren’t going to let up on the business case, noting there is currently a 30 per cent vacancy rate of RCMP officers in Oliver.

“Even if we got two, we wouldn’t be at our full complement, and I don’t think that would be the answer anyway. It would prevent these guys (current members) from getting burnt out.”

The other meeting they had at the UBCM was with the Ministry of Agriculture for the $10.4 million Gallagher Lake siphon repair. The Town still has a commitment of $5 million from the provincial government, but it still waiting for federal money (hopefully the remaining $5 million).

Hovanes said they don’t need the whole $5 million, but would like a good portion of it and come up with the rest through borrowing.

He pointed out to ministry officials that Oliver’s irrigation canal goes far beyond agriculture, noting it affects tourism and employment.

He said the biggest single purchaser of water is the Osoyoos Indian Band and their vineyards.

The mayor also met with the Ministry of Transportation on the proposed round-about for the McKinney/Tucelnuit Drive/Black Sage Road intersection. The Town has asked the ministry to put that project in its 2019 business plan.

Hovanes also raised the issue of a second bridge crossing over Okanagan River, but the ministry offered “zero support” for that idea. But he noted the new channel parkway crossing in Penticton was totally paid for by the province. “People call it a bridge to nowhere.”

Another push Hovanes made at the convention was the tax-sharing formula for municipalities getting ready for the legalization of cannabis this fall. He said the Town of Oliver has been very prudent in its legislation by not allowing any marijuana shops to start up illegal ventures before legalization takes place.

“When we roll this out, we’re going to roll it out properly.”

The convention was a good meeting with all of the ministers, even the ones who couldn’t commit any help, Hovanes said.