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INVITING DISCUSSIONS
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Mr. Derek Noske, the Vice Chair of Destination Osoyoos
Corporation,
The letter of January 7, 2009, from Mr. Derek Noske, the Vice Chair of
Destination Osoyoos Corporation, the Town of Osoyoos Economic development
contractor, continues to bolster the positives and cloud the issues that
really matter to society. What really matters to society is whether the
Town’s economic development model meets the standard society should expect
as it faces the challenges of the future. I do completely agree with the
main premise in Mr. Noske’s letter. It is of course the Town Council that
carries the accountability for the economic development model and contract
with Destination Osoyoos. The reason I wrote that Mr. Eastbury’s and
society’s focus should not be Destination Osoyoos but the Town Council and
government, is because the Town’s economic development model clearly doesn’t
meet the standard in a modern democratic representative governed mixed
monetary economy as Canada’s. The model fails to address issues that hamper
investment in sustainable economic production in businesses, or provide
better education and better paid employment. The model also fuels economic
development that usurps social, economic and economic realities, which
subsequently contradicts the constitution as laid out in the Canadian
Charter. In my guise as member of the community, I have therefore suggested
that what is needed is an independent study of the Town of Osoyoos economic
development model. Since the constitutional accountability for economic
development - a tax transfer - is government’s responsibility and not the
municipality’s. The research should be jointly funded by the provincial and
federal government and the research could be done by UBCO. Needless to say,
just because other communities are using the same model is not evidence that
the model meets the standard that society needs. Municipalities across
Canada are facing the same fundamental social, economic and ecological
issues, and as a footnote; I am concerned that the municipality taxation
system including the Tourist Tax scheme hampers all sustainable economic
production, and that needs to be modernized. The healthcare system is
another, Destination Osoyoos being involved in healthcare issues, such as
physician recruitment, and then takes credit for what would have happened
anyways, is absurd. Hence, the research of the Osoyoos model would benefit
other communities in the development of more efficient government polices,
and subsequently also benefit Canada. Again society’s focus should not be
Destination Osoyoos. The focus should be our Councilors, MLA’s and MP’s and
the level of understanding in Town Council, our provincial legislative
assembly and parliament. Definitely it would be best for society, but rather
than be defensive, would it not be better for Destination Osoyoos, if its’
board, positively participates in an independent analysis of the Town of
Osoyoos economic development model? I suggest that is something a diligent
board seriously should consider – why wouldn’t they?
Osoyoos January 10, 2009
Kell Petersen
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