Oliver Municipal Election – The Times Chronicle is pleased to feature the fourth of our four-part all-candidate Q&A for the upcoming municipal election for town council on October 15.
Oliver Municipal Election candidates Q&A – Part 1
Oliver Municipal Election all-candidates Q&A – Part 2
Oliver Municipal Election all-candidates Q&A – Part 3
Aimee Grice – Councillor incumbent
Aimee Grice – Councillor incumbent
Q7. Oliver Parks and Rec are doing an incredible job providing programming. Swimming lessons, day camps, Taekwondo, skating, the list goes on, with low cost and no cost opportunities for families. I would like to see a centrally located youth centre as a place for older youth to connect. The teen swim this summer was well attended and older youth would benefit from more opportunities like this.
Q8: Over 80 per cent of respondents to the study answered in favour of an aquatic centre, I hear that. What is currently presented is very preliminary, essentially an exploration of if there is enough interest, population growth, where it could go, what it may look like, what it could cost. There is a long way to go before final numbers are presented to the community and many questions left to be answered.
Kelly Long – Councillor candidate Kelly Long – Councillor candidate Q7: We could improve on the opportunities for our youth by adding monthly special events and/or a BMX track. There is always room for improvement, and we could survey the youth in the community to see what recreation opportunities they would like to add. If the programs are well attended and are not duplicated within the community services. Q8: Swimming has its season and skiing has a season. I believe the aquatic centre is not a sound financial option for the taxpayers of Oliver at this time. If we want an aquatic centre, it should be paid by users because I don’t believe the taxpayers of Oliver can afford higher taxes in an already uncertain time. I am more concerned about the lack of water and drought conditions in our community.
Dave Mattes – Councillor incumbent Dave Mattes – Councillor incumbent Q7: There are currently many opportunities for youth to be engaged in sport in Oliver. The Oliver Parks and Recreation department does a great job of providing opportunities to play just about every sport known. If they have missed one, I am confident they would develop a program and area to play it. Q8: While an aquatic centre would be a wonderful addition to our area, the costs are prohibitive with our current population. We simply cannot afford a doubling of Town taxes to support this. No, I do not support an aquatic centre as currently presented.
Keith Quesnelle – Councillor candidate Keith Quesnelle – Councillor candidate Q7: We currently have a variety of recreational opportunities for youth from playing fields to facilities to parks and recreation programs. There are funds available through OPRS and programs like Jump Start and “anyone can join” to support or provide access. However, we do need to find ways to motivate our youth as many of these programs are underused, perhaps with the help of a youth focus group. Q8: It would be nice to have, however, I could not support it as it is currently being presented. With an estimated cost of $54.5 million, affordability, cost sharing and grant funding would need to be established and made public, with the knowledge of any potential tax increases, before I would support it. Even then, I believe this is an issue that would need to be decided by a public referendum.
Terry Schafer – Councillor candidate Terry Schafer – Councillor candidate Q7: I can’t help but remember when I was a youth in this valley and the freedom we had to roam the hills, hunt and fish and swim in the summer. I don’t recall being short changed. Those activities are still there and have been eclipsed by so many other offerings like skateboarding, rollerblading on our hiking/biking trail, karate, hockey, school sports to name but a few. No crisis here. Q8: I have issues with a South Okanagan aquatic centre. Not so much with the concept. I’m sure we’d all love to have such a facility. But the truth of the matter is that we just don’t have the taxation base to build and maintain it. We have a great Parks and Rec right here in Oliver and it needs our support.
Charles Simpson – Councillor candidate Charles Simpson – Councillor candidate Q7: My thoughts for additional recreation: Solar panel table top that doubled as a chess board and phone charger. A gas fire pit with push button start and timer. Stainless steel gas cook top in the park. BMX pump track. Downhill mountain bike track. Volleyball net. Q8: I support the proposed aquatic centre. I feel it is time to start searching for grant money. Teaming up with other levels of government can get the ball rolling. But who else would benefit from supporting it? Perhaps it could have a corporate sponsor for the complete centre or just a pool. Pools don’t come cheap. Let’s find some help.
Petra Veintimilla – Councillor incumbent Petra Veintimilla – Councillor incumbent Q7: We have fantastic and motivated youth in the community; we owe it to them to do all we can to provide them with opportunities to grow and to set them up for success. Parks and Rec., Cadets, Youth Ambassador program are some of the organizations providing these opportunities. And the proposed youth council would be a huge benefit as it would get local youth engaged and involved in providing input around what is needed and how to strategically prioritize investments. Q8: The proposed aquatic centre is currently not at a place to be supported or not supported – a lot more work needs to be done to get to that place. I absolutely support the concept of a regional facility. In addition to delivering a much-needed amenity to the region, it spreads out investment and operating risk between multiple local governments thanks to its innovative partnership model. I look forward to intense community engagement during the next phase of the study. 
