This opinion column appeared in The sa国际传媒 Courier on March 22, 2025:
The Central Okanagansa国际传媒 very own trade war, this one involving people rather than product, could be looming.
In this corner, the City of sa国际传媒, with the H20 Centre, various museums and art galleries, Prospera Place, the Rutland Y, MNP Place, and oodles of sports leagues and recreational programs.
In the other three corners, West sa国际传媒, Lake Country, and Peachland. With, er, what exactly?
For recreation and sport, leisure and work, tens of thousands of residents of those outlying communities drive into sa国际传媒 every day.
They have, in a most literal sense, been getting a free ride for decades, since not one penny of their municipal taxes go toward the construction, maintenance, or operation of sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 roads, buildings, and programs.
It has long puzzled me, as a Peachlander, why sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 citizens don鈥檛 object to this state of affairs. The answer, I suppose, is that the City of sa国际传媒 itself has inexplicably never fussed much about it.
Maybe they鈥檝e thought as the big kid in the Central Okanagan, accounting for two-thirds of its population and most of its economic clout, they have had some sort of obligation to the surrounding podunk municipalities. Maybe they thought it would be too complicated and bothersome to get out-of-towners to pay more for using sa国际传媒 facilities and programs.
Whatever the reason, the laid-back attitude didn鈥檛 suggest much vigilance in protecting the interests of sa国际传媒 taxpayers. It was just never much of an issue for sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 councillors and bureaucrats.
Until now.
Within a few weeks, sa国际传媒 city staff will present councillors with a new proposal for fee structures at municipal assets. Itsa国际传媒 the first report back since last summer, when councillors told staff to investigate the practical realities of implementing two-tier admission and registration fees, with out-of-towners paying more than sa国际传媒 residents.
A big driver in this sudden about-face is the soon-to-commence construction of sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 massive new recreation centre, the quarter-billion dollar rebuild of the Parkinson recreation centre.
With only sa国际传媒 taxpayers on the hook for this gargantuan project, the single biggest undertaking in the citysa国际传媒 120-year history, it would simply make no sense for out-of-towners to pay the same admission fees as sa国际传媒 residents when the facility opens in 2027.
Two-tier fees, tariffs against non-sa国际传媒 residents you might say, will cause some agitation among residents of West sa国际传媒, Lake Country, and Peachland. But what are they going to do?
There might be some hue and cry in those cities to follow suit, for the municipal governments to impose higher recreation and programming fees for non-residents. But good luck with that.
West sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 pool is 35 years old and 14 km from downtown sa国际传媒. Neither Lake Country nor Peachland have pools. West sa国际传媒 doesn鈥檛 have a civic theatre or an art gallery. It didn鈥檛 even have a proper City Hall until last year.
There are arenas and recreation centres in West sa国际传媒 and Lake Country, but they鈥檙e sized to serve their own communities. The very idea of crossing the bridge for anything - jobs, recreation, even shopping - has long been disdained among sa国际传媒 residents. Out-of-sight, out-of-mind, thatsa国际传媒 sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 basic attitude to its virtual namesake city.
In any kind of tit-for-tat squabble over two-tier user fees, officials in West sa国际传媒, Lake Country, and Peachland would discover very quickly they just don鈥檛 have a hand to play. They鈥檇 be trying to collect more revenue from ghosts.
The outlying communities will just have to roll over on this and hope that the City of sa国际传媒 doesn鈥檛 turn its mind to something that would really agitate out-of-towners - trying to get some revenue from beyond sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 boundaries to pay for the construction and upkeep of sa国际传媒 roads.
Tolls, anyone?
Ron Seymour is a long-time sa国际传媒 Courier reporter.
The Central Okanagansa国际传媒 very own trade war, this one involving people rather than product, could be looming.
In this corner, the City of sa国际传媒, with the H20 Centre, various museums and art galleries, Prospera Place, the Rutland Y, MNP Place, and oodles of sports leagues and recreational programs.
In the other three corners, West sa国际传媒, Lake Country, and Peachland. With, er, what exactly?
For recreation and sport, leisure and work, tens of thousands of residents of those outlying communities drive into sa国际传媒 every day.
They have, in a most literal sense, been getting a free ride for decades, since not one penny of their municipal taxes go toward the construction, maintenance, or operation of sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 roads, buildings, and programs.
It has long puzzled me, as a Peachlander, why sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 citizens don鈥檛 object to this state of affairs. The answer, I suppose, is that the City of sa国际传媒 itself has inexplicably never fussed much about it.
Maybe they鈥檝e thought as the big kid in the Central Okanagan, accounting for two-thirds of its population and most of its economic clout, they have had some sort of obligation to the surrounding podunk municipalities. Maybe they thought it would be too complicated and bothersome to get out-of-towners to pay more for using sa国际传媒 facilities and programs.
Whatever the reason, the laid-back attitude didn鈥檛 suggest much vigilance in protecting the interests of sa国际传媒 taxpayers. It was just never much of an issue for sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 councillors and bureaucrats.
Until now.
Within a few weeks, sa国际传媒 city staff will present councillors with a new proposal for fee structures at municipal assets. Itsa国际传媒 the first report back since last summer, when councillors told staff to investigate the practical realities of implementing two-tier admission and registration fees, with out-of-towners paying more than sa国际传媒 residents.
A big driver in this sudden about-face is the soon-to-commence construction of sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 massive new recreation centre, the quarter-billion dollar rebuild of the Parkinson recreation centre.
With only sa国际传媒 taxpayers on the hook for this gargantuan project, the single biggest undertaking in the citysa国际传媒 120-year history, it would simply make no sense for out-of-towners to pay the same admission fees as sa国际传媒 residents when the facility opens in 2027.
Two-tier fees, tariffs against non-sa国际传媒 residents you might say, will cause some agitation among residents of West sa国际传媒, Lake Country, and Peachland. But what are they going to do?
There might be some hue and cry in those cities to follow suit, for the municipal governments to impose higher recreation and programming fees for non-residents. But good luck with that.
West sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 pool is 35 years old and 14 km from downtown sa国际传媒. Neither Lake Country nor Peachland have pools. West sa国际传媒 doesn鈥檛 have a civic theatre or an art gallery. It didn鈥檛 even have a proper City Hall until last year.
There are arenas and recreation centres in West sa国际传媒 and Lake Country, but they鈥檙e sized to serve their own communities. The very idea of crossing the bridge for anything - jobs, recreation, even shopping - has long been disdained among sa国际传媒 residents. Out-of-sight, out-of-mind, thatsa国际传媒 sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 basic attitude to its virtual namesake city.
In any kind of tit-for-tat squabble over two-tier user fees, officials in West sa国际传媒, Lake Country, and Peachland would discover very quickly they just don鈥檛 have a hand to play. They鈥檇 be trying to collect more revenue from ghosts.
The outlying communities will just have to roll over on this and hope that the City of sa国际传媒 doesn鈥檛 turn its mind to something that would really agitate out-of-towners - trying to get some revenue from beyond sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 boundaries to pay for the construction and upkeep of sa国际传媒 roads.
Tolls, anyone?
Ron Seymour is a long-time sa国际传媒 Courier reporter.
