SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
67
-
ISSUE
NO.
11
•
S U M M E R L A N D,
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
B.C.
•
T H U R S D AY,
MARCH
13,
2014
•
WHAT’S INSIDE:
The Summerland Steam provided exciting hockey action in the Junior B division semi-finals.
Recycling fees
An alliance of B.C. business groups are demanding the province halt the new Multi Material BC recycling system.
Page 3
School upgrades
Proposed improvements for Summerland Secondary School have been deemed a low priority by the provincial Education Ministry.
Page 7
Years of service
The Summerland Food Bank is marking its 30th anniversary this year.
Page 9
Medal finish
YOUR SMILE Housework can’t kill you — but why take the chance?
•
$1.15
INCLUDING
GST
Growth plan on hold by John Arendt
Page 10
Page 12
PA G E S
Town hall meeting, new public hearing held before council vote on controversial strategy
Series final
Summerland swimmers brought back medals following a recent swim meet in Chilliwack.
16
Playing in the park
John Arendt Summerland Review
Emelia Seel, left, and Dainen Seel, both three years old, enjoy a warm day at the playground equipment in Memorial Park.
Summerlanders will have to wait a little longer before members of municipal council make a decision on the community’s proposed Urban Growth Plan. On Monday evening, Mayor Janice Perrino announced that one or more town hall information meetings, followed by a second public hearing, will be held before council makes a decision on the controversial growth strategy. A public hearing was held at the Arena Banquet Room on March 3. Around 300 people attended the hearing, filling the room to capacity. An estimated 50 people were locked out of the proceedings — a move which resulted in considerable outrage. “No one should have been left out of the public hearing,” Perrino said. Janice “Those people are going to Perrino have the right to speak.” The town hall meetings prior to the next public hearing will provide more information about the growth strategy. The plan, as presented, calls for the removal of 80.34 hectares of land within the Agricultural Land Reserve, near the core of the community. In exchange, 91.7 hectares in the Prairie Valley area would be added to the land reserve. The removal of this agricultural land has been at the centre of the controversy over the plan. Many of the comments at the public hearing addressed this issue.
Snow pack shows increase Wet weather in February added to the snow pack levels at Summerland Reservoir and Isintok Lake, according to the latest measurements by the municipal water department. At the beginning of March, measurements
taken at Summerland Reservoir showed a snow level of 950 millimetres, or the equivalent of 230 millimetres of water. This is 112 per cent of the historic average, measured over 54 years. A month earlier, the
snow pack at the reservoir was 72 per cent of the historical average. At Isintok Lake, the snow pack measured 760 millimetre, or the equivalent of 133 millimetres of water. This is 87 per cent of the historic average,
measured over 48 years. At the beginning of February, Isintok Lake’s snow pack was just 65 per cent of the historical average. “Both of these are up quite a bit since the readings last month,” said Shawn Hughes, water
See NEW Page 3
distribution chief operator for the municipality. “We are pretty close to normal now.” Water from the snow pack fills the reservoir system, which provides Summerland with its domestic and irrigation water supply.