SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
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1,600 sign petition NO.
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S U M M E R L A N D,
Exchange of agricultural land opposed by one in seven Summerlanders by John Arendt
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A Summerland comic artist has received national recognition for her work.
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A petition urging municipal council to keep more than 80 hectares in the Agricultural Land Reserve has around 1,600 signatures.
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The petition was stared in early January in response to the municipality’s proposed Urban Growth Plan, which would remove the land near the core of the community from the land reserve while adding close to 92 hectares in the Prairie Valley area. While the proposed plan would leave Summerland with a slightly larger amount of agricul-
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tural land, those circulating the petition have said the plan would ultimately hurt agriculture. The land considered for removal is some of the best and flattest farm land in the community, said Erin Carlson, a farmer and organizer of the petition. Katie Sardinha, another member of the Stop the Swap group, said other areas should be con-
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sidered for future growth. “There is no shortage of development land in Summerland,” Sardinha said. “The report identified eight different potential growth zones which are not in the ALR.” She added that the downtown infill zone alone could sustain Summerland’s growth needs for the next 11 years. Carlson said the sig-
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natures on the petition and the people who have been speaking out about the loss of agricultural land should show the value the public places on farm land. Stop the Swap will hold a rally in Memorial Park on Monday, Feb. 10 at noon. The first reading of the Urban Growth Plan will come before council on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
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Snow levels
The latest measurements show a snowpack lower than normal for Summerland.
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An uphill race
A fundraising race will take runners from the lake level to the top of Giant’s Head Mountain.
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Curling
A Summerland curling team will compete at the provincial level later this month.
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Karate athletes
Three Summerland athletes will compete in karate at the 2014 B.C. Winter Games later this month.
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YOUR SMILE A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
Hockey action
John Arendt Summerland Review
Rylan Sideroff of the Summerland Steam, at left, prepares to get the puck from a North Okanagan Knights player during a Junior B hockey game in Summerland on Friday evening. The game resulted in a 6-5 victory for Summerland. The Steam, in second place in their division, have secured a playoff spot in the Kootenay International Junior League.
Two arrested for grow op by John Arendt
Two Summerlanders were arrested as police seized marijuana plants and related grow equipment from a house on Cartwright Avenue. The incident occurred on Jan. 28 when police searched a home in the 13000 block of Cartwright Avenue.
A total of 685 plants were seized, along with the grow equipment. A 52-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were arrested and are each facing charges of production of marijuana and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and theft of electricity.
They will appear in Penticton Provincial Court on March 26. Cpl. Bruce Haley of the Summerland RCMP detachment said the operation was large when compared with other residential grow operations. The plants were all mature, he added.
“They were just days away from harvesting,” he said. “We got in at the right time.” The amount of marijuana from 685 plants is significant, he added. “It’s definitely not for personal use.” The electricity to the home had been bypassed to supply the grow lights
and related equipment. Police brought in an electrician to dismantle the bypass. Building inspectors were also called to determine if the house can be made safe afterward. The owner will be required to bring the house to code before it can be inhabited again.