Plan to join regional college rejected again

EDITOR’S NOTE: In recognition of Canada’s 150th anniversary, The Herald is reprinting historic stories from the South Okanagan focusing on the biggest news story of each year.

December 8, 1969 – Penticton taxpayers rejected for the second time Saturday a chance to participate in the Okanagan Regional College.

The plebiscite, held to determine whether the school board should negotiate with the regional college council for a college centre in School District 15 (Penticton), was defeated by more than 50 per cent of the 3,659 voters. The final tally read 1,773 in favour and 1,886 opposed.

A total of 113 votes swung the balance against the college.

Nearly 67 per cent of the voters in the rural sections of School District 15 (Penticton) cast ballots in favour of joining the college region, as compared to less than 45 per cent of the voters in Penticton.

Naramata and West Bench voted overwhelmingly for the college, and more than 60 per cent of the Kaleden voters recorded their support.

The figures for these areas are: West Bench: 73 for, 26 against; Naramata: 73 for, 23 against; Kaleden: 42 for, 32 against.

The plebiscite needed a 50 per cent majority in order to pass.

However, the college plebiscite picked up 30 per cent more support than in the previous plebiscite four years ago, said school board chairman Charles Tyndall.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with us,” said school trustee Avery King, “we are the only community in the whole province that has turned down a regional college.

“Apparently Penticton has gone isolationist.”

Trustee King said the city “might as well forget” about attracting new industry.

“Who is going to come here,” he asked, “if we don’t have proper facilities, education being one of them?”

He said the defeat of the plebiscite represented disaster for education in this community.

“It could have been a step forward,” he added, “some people think the school board had no right to bring the resolution to the people, but I think we had no right not to do it.”

“I don’t think it was the school board’s responsibility to spend money on a campaign asking to support higher education here,” said J. C, Hembling, president of the Penticton Ratepayers Association,

“I don’t think it was a disaster at all for education.”

Mr. Hembling said his group was not against education, but wanted the province to assume the responsibility of paying for regional or district colleges.

“We are in a financial mess as it is,” he pointed out, “we have a town that is made up of double the normal number of people aged 65 and over. They can’t afford to pay for the increase.”

He said that if Penticton could have afforded a college, he would have supported it, but he said none of the people who had made presentations in favour of joining made clear to the voters what exactly was involved.

“How many people understood about the 60-40 cost sharing pattern,” he asked, “how many were aware that the costs of the college itself for Penticton might increase, after we go in?

“I didn’t want to see Penticton hooked, and I’m not surprised at the voters’ reaction.”

“I am surprised and disappointed,” said Mr. Tyndall.

“It was an opportunity lost for the young people and the adults of this community. It is inconceivable to me that Penticton would want special conditions that are not in existence in the rest of B.C.

Mr. Tyndall said he did not know what the next action of the school board would be.

“Legally we can do nothing for six months,” he explained.

But he pointed out that the college council was going to have to decide where and whether it was going to expand in the South Okanagan.

“There is a demand on other communities of the South Okanagan area for a college, and it could be placed in Summerland, Oliver, or Osoyoos for instance.”

Dr. Rowland T. Grant, president of the Okanagan Regional College, said yesterday he was adopting a wait and see attitude towards future expansion plans.

Currently, there are three centres of Okanagan College, serving eight school districts, Salmon Arm, Vernon, and Kelowna.

Penticton students wishing to attend the college are classified as out-of-district residents and must pay double the tuition costs of college region residents.

Ken Ante, student council president at the Penticton Secondary School, said he would make no other comment, except that he “wished the result had been different.”