City’s 2002 referendum

Dear Editor: In November 2002, a Penticton city council election was held. The electorate voted overwhelmingly in favour of the following referendum: “Do you approve of the City of Penticton Council adopting Bylaw 2002-42 which would dedicate the following parcels of city owned land as public park land.”

It is followed by the naming of 12 parks including Skaha Lake Park.

On Nov. 18, two days after the referendum was approved by the electorate the following amendment was presented to council for their approval.

“Council may from time to time lease or license all or part of the public parkland for uses related to or ancillary to the uses specified therein.”

This was passed by the six members of outgoing council and signed by forer mayor Mike Pearce.

This amendment should never have been passed after a referendum which clearly stated the conditions. Council did not have the approval for this, which muddied the waters for future staff and council that had no personal knowledge of the issue in 2002.

All of council and the mayor were fully cognizant at the time what the intent was of the referendum. Subsequent changes in city staff and changes on council including young people that had no knowledge of the history of this bylaw forced changes that the people did not want.

This resulted in the ongoing dispute that the people of Penticton have with their council today.

I recently received an email from a former councillor defending this as “an administrative error.”

Ninety-two percent of the citizens of this community wanted parks to remain public.

What was the intent of the Referendum in the first place — a referendum paid for by the taxpayers?

Should the taxpayers now have to sue to get their rights respected or is council responsible for the mess we are in today? We need answers. Helen Trevors

Penticton