Locals voice opinions

Sep 09, 2009

Dave Lazzarino
The Valley Echo
September 9, 2009

Despite the decision last month to include the province in the future of Jumbo, a few local activists brought their battle to the district last week.

During his address to the board, Doug Anakin admitted to being a troublemaker, “but a good troublemaker, let me assure you,” he said.

Anakin had spent the past three weeks circulating a petition through the valley asking the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) board of directors to “review, reconsider and rescind” the decision to turn the area of Jumbo into a mountain resort municipality.

He began by describing his past Olympic efforts and how he came to find pride in being a Canadian. He then explained that this was what led him to bring his petition to the RDEK board, a petition he got signed by around 700 people at local shops and farmers’ markets.

“We’re not fighting you people, we want to help you as good patriotic citizens of the valley,” said Anakin, who referred as well to a 2008 poll conducted by Vancouver-based McAllister Opinion Research that showed a majority of respondents against the development of the Jumbo Glacier area.

“We would like to work with you to find a better solution than giving the decision to the provincial government, and democracy does not work unless it works at the level that we’re at right here,” he said.

Following Anakin was Jumbo Creek Conservation Society director and Invermere councillor Bob Campsall.

Campsall focused his address on the process taken to come to last month’s decision claiming it was done without proper public discourse. He also spoke against the final decision, repeating Anakin’s point that the decision was made in contrast to a public sentiment against it.

“The people of the Kootenays oppose the Jumbo proposal by a massive majority,” he said, pointing towards between 7-8,000 signatures he had compiled to support this statement.

When finished his appeal, director Jim Ogilvie from Kimberley commented that there have been many land use decisions which have been given over to the province and pointed towards successful examples of this.

In response, Campsall suggested that the issue was one of public discourse.

“All I’m saying is, give the people the chance to speak,” he said. “Give us a public hearing, give us a plebiscite, give us a referendum, let us be heard.”