Jumbo repercussions continue

Carolyn Grant
Kimberley Daily Bulletin
September 17, 2009

The Jumbo issue is not going away and Kimberley City Councillors are catching it for Mayor Jim Ogilvie's 'yes' vote.

Since the RDEK decided in August to ask the province to declare the Jumbo area a Resort Municipality, meaning it will be governed by an appointed board, disgruntled voters from all over the East Kootenay are letting their elected representatives know how they feel about the decision.

"I've had more than one person tear a strip off me," said Councillor Brent Bush. "I've tried to explain that we didn't really have a discussion at the Council level."

Bush, in his first term as a City Councillor, asked if it was customary for the Council representative to the RDEK to undertake such a major vote without consulting Council.

"Council has never in the past dictated how the representative to the RDEK should vote," said Mayor Jim Ogilvie. "It would be quite unusual if it happened. We only debate issues that directly affect the City."

"I've phoned the Mayor and given him my opinion on different issues in the past," said Councillor Albert Hoglund. "But then I leave it at that."

Ogilvie said he was well aware of the alternate viewpoint on Jumbo when he voted.

Councillor Paddy Weston suggested that Council might want to discuss some of the more controversial votes.

"I've had dozens of people taking a strip off me," she said. "I would hope that in the future, if there is a decision of this magnitude our representative would run it by Council."

"I've had dozens of phone calls too," Ogilvie said, adding that he had arranged a meeting with Kimberley resident Dave Quinn who had some tough questions about the Jumbo decision in a letter to Mayor and Council.

Hoglund added that it was not always possible to discuss upcoming RDEK votes as they sometimes came up quickly.

"To be fair, there was plenty of notice on this," said Ogilvie. "I'm not hiding behind that excuse."

Ogilvie said he had his decision partially on his involvement with the CORE landuse process where all the land in the region was looked at very closely.

"As a result of that process, the Jumbo resort was designated an acceptable use of the land," he said.

However, opposition to the RDEK vote continues, including a local petition asking the Board to rescind the decision, which can be signed by sending an email to summit@summitimages.ca with your name, phone number, town/province, and email address.