North Okanagan politicians want to keep talking with a forestry giant.
Regional District of North Okanagan directors have discussed a recent presentation from Tolko Industries.
“We want to continue the dialogue,” said director Mike Macnabb.
Previously, some elected officials across the province have suggested that they feel ignored by the forest industry.
In his recent presentation, Tom Hoffman, Tolko’s manager of external and stakeholder relations, acknowledged the concerns.
“We’re here to rectify this situation,” he said, adding that he wants to have further discussions with RDNO.
What’s in a name?
Regional District of North Okanagan officials are hung up over wording.
The new procedures bylaw refers to non-public board meetings as in-camera, but director Kevin Acton insists the correct term is a closed meeting.
“In-camera refers to legal matters in court while municipalities use closed meetings,” he said.
“The Community Charter uses the definition closed.”
However, it was pointed out that many jurisdictions have referred to private meetings as in-camera for years.
“In-camera just means from a Latin definition that it’s private. It’s commonly used in the public arena,” said David Sewell, chief administrative officer.
Ultimately, a majority of the board agreed to use the term in-camera.
Water drained at dog park
A Greater Vernon dog park is high and dry.
Bob Fleming, Regional District of North Okanagan chairperson, is praising the City of Vernon for ditching Mutrie Road to eliminate water at the dog park there, while RDNO staff installed a drainage ditch in the park.
“This will be a big improvement. The issue has been solved through co-operation,” said Fleming.