Now that Central Okanagan East has backed off its plans to investigate incorporation, it seems clear the whole endeavour was just a tit-for-tat move to get back at the City of Kelowna for considering a boundary extension in the area.
This week, the city stepped away from its boundary foray, saying it would let the inquiry into the desire for incorporation play out.
No sooner had the city done that, than regional director Patty Hanson and Co. declared there was suddenly no rush to look at incorporation.
Smells fishy to us.
Hanson has already had choice words with her fellow regional district directors over adoption of an
official community plan that designates the area as “low growth.”
Hanson and developer Mark Consiglio are firmly behind development of the area.
Meanwhile, we’ve been receiving letters to the editor seriously questioning Hanson’s motives and actions in putting forth the incorporation question.
It seems a whole lot of feathers have been ruffled needlessly.
Behind it all appears to be the
desire by landowner Consiglio to develop his South Slopes property with the controversial Kelowna Mountain project.
The regional district may well not be the best form of governance for Kelowna East, but the drama so far has been an embarrassment.
For an area that supposedly aspires to run its own show, it doesn’t look very professional.
— Managing Editor
Jon Manchester
