Those Lumby residents who favour a correctional facility will not welcome the stand taken by director Rick Fairbairn.
After all, the Regional District of the North Okanagan director has told Public Safety Minister Shirley Bond that he is opposed to a prison.
But they must understand that Fairbairn is doing his job.
He was elected by a majority of Area D residents to be their representative and to speak for them. Based on the April 30 referendum, a majority of those who cast ballots don’t want a facility. That gave Fairbairn limited options on how to proceed.
It should also be pointed out that Fairbairn is handling the situation no differently than his counterparts in the village.
Council indicated it would consider the referendum results from Area D, but at the end of the day, a decision was made to pursue a prison based on the strong support from residents of the village only.
As much as Lumby and Area D residents are one community with shared services, schools, businesses and friendships, there is a distinct difference. A political boundary separates the two and certainly with the prison issue, it highlights that they don’t always see eye to eye.
Ultimately, it will be interesting to see if Fairbairn or village council, and the competing interests of their constituents, has more influence on the provincial government’s site selection.
Unwilling to wade into a feud that’s been simmering for months, it could be that the jurisdictional rivalries force the province to go somewhere else.
- Vernon Morning Star
