Welcome to Your Kamloops!

My Heart's with BC-STV...

Just a quick note to readers: this blog is going to get a lot more attention after May 12th. I am currently working on the most important advocacy campaign of my life thus far - asking people to consider voting for BC-STV in the upcoming referendum on electoral reform. I think this system will be far more democratic. I'm currently serving as President of Fair Voting BC, which is the official proponent group in the referendum.

I will still be doing lots of stuff here before May 12th, but after the referendum campaign is over, watch out!

Obervations to start the week....

• Agree with John O'Fee's assertion in his Council Comments column in yesterday's Kamloops Daily News. It is hard to balance privacy with security, but I think the barwatch id scanning program probably makes sense. Don't really know why it needs City Hall's good housekeeping seal of approval, but it does offer more credibility to the effort.
• The passing of David Ross and Dick Dickens are pretty incredible losses for our community. Arts community has had it pretty tough. In much happier news, Art Gallery Director Jann Bailey I understand is back to work after a bout with cancer.
• Robert Koopmans continues to pen some of the most intelligent, informative, interesting stuff on the courts and criminal justice in Kamloops. Watch for him, also in the Kamloops Daily News. His recent column on the political posturing behind the federal government's decision to scrap 2 for 1 credit for imprisonment before trial is a must read.

The best way to find green building products and services in Kamloops....

Information on the 2009 Kamloops Energy Fair, the third, on May 23rd 2009 can be found at the BC Sustainable Energy Association Web Site.

A chat with Jacquie Brand, Manager of the Kamloops Arts Council...

Download the Audio File on to your computer.

If you download the file directly, it is easier to fast forward to the different topics. Otherwise, hit play, then pause on the player above, wait a few minutes and the whole file should be ready.

00:46  - What is the Arts Council, who do you represent and support, how are you different than other local arts organizations?
03:20  - How do people contact you?
04:24  - Free use of exhibition space for members
05:59  - Helping people sell arts. Art in the Park July 1st
07:42  - How did you personally get involved? The relationship between arts administrators and artists
08:54  - How the Arts Council is run and funded. How many members?
11:02  - Why is the Arts important in Kamloops?
14:02  - BC Arts and Culture Week April 19th-26th. Art Walk between Aoril 23rd and May 18th
14:56  - kick off to Art Walk: Body Beautiful Live Tattoo show. All Welcome, 7pm to 9pm, April 23rd, 319 Victoria Street
16:31  - lantern making workshops in partnership with Kamloops Central BIA, Aprl 23 - 25
18:05  - Free Childrens Festival at Riverside Park, Sept 12th, 11am to 4pm

Echo Column - What the heck is anti-social behaviour?

First appearing in the Downtown and North Shore Echo:

I have a honest and legitimate disagreement with some folks within city hall. I guess that's the best way you can characterize it. I might be wrong about this, but hear me out here.

I get concerned when people within City Hall talk about combating "anti-social" behaviour.  This past week, the City announced the creation of a Coordinated Enforcement Task Force, which will combine bylaws and RCMP officers to target crime in key commercial areas  - and "anti-social behaviour that has led to the perception that these areas are unsafe".

I have no problem with the crime part. Target criminals, arrest and prosecute them - this makes total sense to me.

But, what is anti-social behaviour?? And why do we create this separate category?

I guess the trouble for me begins with the fact that I have never seen an exact definition of non-criminal "anti-social" behaviour. By leaving the meaning of the term so open ended, are we opening up the potential for abuses of authority?

If two homeless people, who haven't showered in days and look very shoddy, sit on a bench on Victoria Street peacefully chatting or playing cards, is this anti-social?

Don't people who "don't look right" have rights to use our public spaces?

Who's problem is it, really, if passerbys feel unsafe walking past these two homeless people?

I know there is a real problem here. The problem is that people are committing crimes downtown, and on Tranquille Rd, and in city parks. Let's spend all our time just on that, how does that sound?

The vast majority of RCMP and City Bylaws officers do an amazing job - the crime rate is plummeting. But, they are not going to solve deep rooted social problems. Their only real tool, with non criminal transients, is to say "move along" - and that leads us to truly fruitless displacement. The problems aren't addressed in any way whatsoever, they just become someone elses.

Preventing Youth Gang Violence in Kamloops: Interview with Tara Ettinger

Another really interesting conversation. This time, with Tara Ettinger, coordinator of the Kamloops Community Action and Assessment Network (CAAN), which strives to improve the situation around youth gangs in Kamloops and region. I am so convinced that the work of this committee is so right and so critical, that I did a bit of editorializing myself in the interview.

Tara talked a lot about "non obvious" approaches and about about her personal experience with misperceptions about youth.

Tara is organizing a series of forums on preventing youth in gangs - March 31, April 7th, and April 14th. For more information, here is Tara's email.

Interview topics

00:38 - what is the CAAN
01:25 - CAAN predates current concerns in BC about gang violence
01:53 - CAAN activities
03:03 - info on th upcoming forums
05:45 - community strengths and gaps
06:37 - dealing with root cause, instead of symptoms
07:50 - getting non traditional parties involved
10:02 - case studies: transit exchange and skateboard park
13:50 - perceptions and misperceptions
16:45 - contact Tara for more info on forums

How To: Using the City's Property Information Search...

Information on every property in Kamloops -  assessment values, tax and utility charges, and more - is available through the City of Kamloops online property information search tour. I've talked to the Adam Chadwick, the City's mapping guru, and he is posting a new and improved mapping tool online in the next few months. I will have some how to's here when that happens.

For now, I have my initial attempt at a video showing how to use the current property information search tool. The audio might be the most useful bit, just listen along, as you do it on your own computer.

This is a little experimental:

Free online screencasting tool

Mayor's State of the City Speech 2009...

I had the good fortune to attend the Mayor Peter Milobar's State of the City talk at the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce AGM yesterday. I recorded the whole thing and will post Peter's talk in its entirety. May also post snippets with different topics, if it makes sense.

One gem that got a good reaction: the Mayor's glee over the new pothole fixing machine the city is buying that will fix potholes much more reliably in the winter months.

Upoming on YourKamloops.com...this week's plan

Regular visitors will note that I have been futzing around with the page design here. Trying to make the information easy to access and easy to read / listen to / watch.  This is still a work in progress. When I get just a few more subscriptions, I will be working with my friend Dana Koch, to custom design the pages so that they really work well for visitors.

This week, I hope to:

-  create and post a video showing how to use City Hall's very powerful property information search
-  interview Tara Ettinger, the youth gang violence prevention coordinator in Kamloops
-  create and post a short video on growth in Kamloops - the pros and cons.

For subscribers:
- write an email newsletter on Friday outlining important issues and activities in Kamloops for the following 7 days.
- create a new episode of the audio podcast "Lessons in Life from Leaders in Kamloops"

Ken McClelland shares views and tips on Kamloops Real Estate...

Really enjoyed this 8 minute chat with Ken McClelland. Ken has been a realtor in Kamloops for 22 years and is a treasure trove of knowledge about local real estate. He has seen many cycles, and he shares some indispensable wisdom about buying and selling in the current market.

Show Notes

Ken McClelland's real estate website.

0:48 - surprised by the rapid change in real estate market?
2:04 - real estate market getting back to normal
2:36 - houses between 250k and 45  0k
3:17 - good market for first time buyers
3:51- good market for buying "up", going to a more expensive housing category
4:32     - strategies in this market for when you need to sell relatively quickly
6:12   - realtors leaving the business and the issue of full time and part time realtors
7:27 - investment properties in this market: "buying and holding" not "quick in and out"