Welcome to Your Kamloops!

Ideas from the Kamloops Idea Festival...

Here is a complete list of the ideas generated in response to the two questions I asked people to consider at the Kamloops Idea Festival on Jan 12th 2013. Great stuff:

 

Kamloops Idea Festival 2013. What does Kamloops, at its best, look like in 2023? by Arjun Singh

Kamloops Idea Festival Jan 2013. What are the components of an amazing transportation network? by Arjun Singh

Towards More Positive Public Hearings...

(My Kamloops News Column this week)

A large rectangular white sign is erected nearby. A standard size envelope is dropped in your home mailbox. Change is afoot in your neighbourhood, likely even on your street. And your city council is asking for your input.

The above scenario is played out at least a couple of dozen times a year in Kamloops. City hall receives an application from a property owner / user asking for a change in what can be done with that property.

This might be a family wanting to put a rental unit in their house to supplement their income. This might be a development company wanting proposing a townhouse complex in an open field. These situations are examples of what is known as rezoning.

So when a large white rezoning sign appears nearby or a certain standard size envelope is dropped in your mailbox, this means that council is asking for your input and inviting you to a public hearing scheduled to decide on the rezoning.

People often get concerned when they find out about a rezoning application nearby. This is very understandable. Change is many times viewed with suspicion. A home is not only usually the single biggest investment a person makes, a home is home - a place of sanctuary, of enjoyment, of private time, and of rest. On the other side, the rezoning applicant is typically pursuing these changes in pursuit of their dreams and aspirations.

Thus, public hearings on contentious rezoning applications are difficult meetings. Two opposing sides, both heartfelt and committed, feeling like their fates hang in the balance. They know council will make a decision at that same meeting and many arguments are made. Some arguments seem very reasonable to me and some not so much.

All hope is not lost though, by any means. Over the 4 years I have served on council, I have noticed a few different elements that make a contentious public hearing a more positive experience, at least for me :) .

First, it always impresses me when people have looked up the zoning of their property and the zoning of the surrounding properties. Some people, when they buy a property, don’t truly understand what could already happen around them. If you visit city hall’s website, kamloops.ca,  click on ‘online services’ on the top menu, then click “property information search”, then click ‘map’, you can search for information about your property and surrounding properties.

Alternatively, you could call the good folks at the Development and Engineering Services Dept at city hall, 250-828-3561.

The Development Services folks can also be of help getting copies of neighbourhood plans. You can also search at kamloops.ca for ‘community planning’ and look through the links for plans on the right hand menu.

Second, I find I respond better to arguments that have some supporting evidence. For example, people sometimes believe having rental housing in their neighbourhood lowers property values. My research tells me that is not the case, but I’m certainly open to evidence that would change my mind.

I definitely feel for people who feel emotional and nervous during a public hearing but I think the more reasonable and reasoned the input, the more responsive I am personally. Emotion is still good but it’s hard for me when it takes over.

Third, and I mean no offence to anyone here, many times after a project is approved, the project is not as bad as people fear and probably not as good as others hoped. I guess this circles back to informed, reasoned, reasonable input, informed by emotion but not dominated by it.

Feel free to be in touch - 250 574 3509.

Meetings about the Ajax Mine Proposal This Week...

As KJHM International works to complete it's environmental assesment application to the provincial and federal governments, here are a couple of interesting meetings this week:

• KGHM International are hosting community open houses at the Kamloops Convention Centre between 5pm and 8pm on January 15th and 16th.
• From an email from Bob Gamble, which I received as member of the Kamloops Voter Society's email list: "All are welcome to attend a talk by members of the BC Environmental Assessment Office taking place at TRU on Thursday, January 17th, at 7:30 pm in the ClocKtower theatre.  The title of the talk is "Understanding the Environmental Assessment Process for the Proposed Ajax Mine". One of the speakers is Scott Bailey, Executive Project Director of the EAO"

I also was randomly selected to be one of 4 council members to meet with KGHM International officials in a private meeting about the Ajax mine proposal. Would welcome thoughts as to what I should be asking or raising in that session.

 

The Beginning of the City Budget Process Looks Different than the End...

City Council had our first detailed look at the preliminary budget for 2013 today. This budget included a list of all additional or supplementary requests. If we were to approve everything, the 2o13 tax increase would be 7.34%. We are very very unlikely to approve everything. Every year, in the past 8 years I've been paying close attention, the preliminary initial budget has been trimmed down so that the tax increase typically falls in the neighbourhood of 2 - 3%.

City hall has created a page linking to all sorts of interesting information about community revenue and expenses. I also hope you will consider participating in one of the public input meetings on the budget.

Registration Deadline for the Kamloops Idea Festival - Tomorrow....

Quick note: the registration deadline for the Kamloops Idea Festival is tomorrow, Thursday January 10th, at 10am. More information and a registration link here.