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A
survey that prove the obvious, that a majority of people in the South
Okanagan of British Columbia want a healthy environment and jobs for future
generations, - who would not want that.
"This
is what we are hoping to achieve through our regional growth strategy a
truly balanced approach. There is a tremendous amount being done for
environmental sustainability”, are worthy remarks to the survey in a
recent press release, made of the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen,
and the areas elected (MLA) member of the provincial legislative assembly.
The MLA also happens to be the Minister for water, land and air protection
in the Provincial Government.
Assumedly
the survey indicates that the majority of the society that makes up the
Okanagan economy want the Provincial and Federal government, to meet it’s
constitutional and legislative accountability to society, by providing the
legislation, policies and services that address the economic, social and
ecological issues the Okanagan is facing.
This, by the way, is not the private sector and Municipality
corporations task to provide in the Canadian economic system.
Bearing in mind that Canada’s resources are managed within a democratic governed mixed monetary
system. Realizing that social
satisfaction and quality of life in any culture and community around the
world entirely depend on economic production that allocates and combine
resources, into products and services that society needs.
It
is a no brainier that nature and climate, low interest rates and a well off
post-war and baby boomer retirement cohort, and the municipality taxation
system is automatically pumping investment in to land, real estate, tourism
and resort development. We are transforming the Okanagan in to a semi mono
economy, dominated by real estate tourism and allied sectors, crowding
out small and midsize goods producing enterprises.
The
pipeline that allows the contamination of the regional and local economy is
the Municipalities and the municipal taxation system. Consider that the
Provincial government finances their Municipal Corporations with property
tax, land development and universal business taxes. Does that system
contradict good and precautionary economic, social and environmental
planning? By steering the municipality’s priorities to where the easy
money is in real-estate tourism and allied sector, and away from other
sectors, it is time to change the system, - research is urgently
needed. What
is the economic, social and ecological (loss of biodiversity) opportunity
cost for society?
The
paramount question for the society in the Okanagan and for Canada
at large should be, but it probably never will, what is the opportunity
cost for society, - the best forgone alternative? What social
cost will the present and future generations pay for the government’s
lack of modern and prudent overall and coordinated economic, social and
ecological modeling and planning, in Okanagan? The cost for, urban sprawl, real estate, wine and resort
development, and the destruction of, pocket deserts and bio diversity.
Rather than policies that stimulates a more diversified economy and stimulates
investment in value- added agriculture and manufacturing enterprises that
can offer better-educated and better-paid steady employment, and less
environmental impact.
As
long as the climate is comparably good, the economic climate will
automatically fuel investment in to real estate tourism, resort ski
hills etc. and these sectors will always be an important for Okanagan. As long there is obvious lack of good and prudent coordinated
analysis and planning in Okanagan, and as long there is an empty piece of
land left, and the tax system is not changed, the municipalities will
continue to role the red carpet out for land, real estate and tourism
developers. Other industries will have less support, in Okanagan and they who
address the problem will probability be l out of luck.
In this environment, politics and patronizing and semi-corrupt driven
decision-making usurps
science and socioeconomic and environmental realities.
The
bridge hodgepodge in Kelowna is a prime example of system failure. The
issues and need for a bypass around Kelowna and West- bank has been
known for at least thirty years. Unsolved
the problem was allowed to escalate into today embarrassing circus.
The same underlying systemic problem is what causes failure in the
BC’s Forest and Fishery sector and the First Nations.
Decades of unsolved issues in the allocation mechanism in the economy
were allowed to escalate into market failure, causing economic, social, and
ecological adversity.
That
also raises questions of shortcoming not only in governments
monitoring and intervention methods and system, it should also raise
question of Universities role in our economy.
Universities are neither private sector nor government; at least
either should not control them. Their role in the economy is to provide the
knowledge produced by research to assist the community to address and solve,
economic, social and ecological issues.
The
result can measure by the role academically educated people play in society
and by their social activism and involvement to solve issues facing society.
This reflects the ethical values of the universities. Where
have the University and academic educated people been in Okanagan
and British Columbia?
Will UBCO be a University that addresses the economic, social and
ecological issues that society faces in
regional economies at home in Okanagan, as well as globally?
OISD
has proposed in its Interdisciplinary Initiative; that UBCO form the
International Institute for Sustainable Regional Economics,
go
to IISRE
together with
Mid Sweden University, and with participation from government and private
sectors. This would also
provide a pipeline for business and Cultural development between Northern
and Eastern Europe and British Columbia.
A
conference between UBCO and a delegation from Mid Sweden University Swedish
Government is planned in the summer of 2005.
The outcome will reflect the ethical values of the University of
British Columbia, Okanagan, and what kind of University UBCO wants to
become.
Or
will political aims that cannot be understood without the use of social
science continues to usurp and new ideas and socioeconomic and environmental
realities in Okanagan?
Okanagan January
2005
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