Remembering Maurice Finnerty
EDITOR’S NOTE: In recognition of Canada’s 150th birthday The Herald is running local historical stories. For the next several weeks we are publishing stories from our archives on prominent builders in our community. The following story appeared on Feb. 16, 2007 in The Herald as part of a series on local builders.
As Penticton’s 17th mayor, Maurice Finnerty was committed to hard work, and as a result, his legacy to the city includes infrastructure still widely in use today. Finnerty was elected mayor in 1962 and held office until 1966. Finnerty was born in Fort Frances, Ont., grew up in New Westminster and served in the Second World War with the Seaforth Highlanders before moving to Penticton.
After settling in, Finnerty began a stint working in the insurance business before becoming the co-owner of Penticton’s first radio station — CKOK — in 1948. During his years in radio, he was involved in the television system and built the Okanagan television network before it was sold to the Okanagan Television Company.
Finnerty also served as president of the B.C. Association of Broadcasters and director of the Western and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. After selling the radio station, he remained true to his business sentimentalities, building the Totem Par 4 golf course on part of the CKOK satellite site along South Main Street.
As well as being an astute businessman, Finnerty also dabbled in politics.
He represented the Similkameen riding in the B.C. Legislature from 1945 to 1952, first as a Liberal and then as a member of a LiberalConservative coalition.
He was defeated in his bid for re-election in 1952, finishing last in a tight three-way race which included eventual winner Harold Sidney Kenyon (Cooperative Commonwealth Federation).
Finnerty returned to politics a decade later, holding the office of mayor of Penticton for three terms, beginning in 1962 through to 1967, serving at a time when Penticton was undertaking a number of improvements and new infrastructure.
When Finnerty was elected he embarked on an ambitious revitalization program for the city, similar to today’s five-year plans. By 1965, the plan envisioned the following:
• Plans for a new city hall, library, art gallery and museum, plus a $500,000 recreation centre.
• Electrical sub-station and fire department sub-station completed.
• An 18-hole golf course developed and both highways beautified.
• Munson Mountain landscaped and turned over to private interests for further development as a scenic lookout.
• Randolph Draw and Boulder Creek water projects completed.
• Main Street redesigned as a pedestrian mall and downtown off street parking facilities secured.
• Progress being made toward relocation of lakeshore packinghouses. • Establishment of a crematorium. • City yards relocated in the industrial area. Finnerty’s highest priority in his plan was improvements to the water system. With an understanding of the workings of the federal government, he was quite helpful in attaining the goals of his revitalization plan.
Finnerty persuaded the federal government to have the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act engineers conduct a complete and thorough survey of the Penticton water supply and include projections for future needs.
The report was presented to council on Feb. 17, 1964 and called for a $1.7 million revamping of Penticton’s irrigation and domestic water system. The report called for a new dam at the junction of Corporation and Penticton Creeks, a diversion dam behind Campbell Mountain, and a separate chlorinated domestic water system for the residents of the North Bench.
The report was expensive but proved to be well worth the cost. By 1968, Greyback Dam on Penticton Creek was officially opened.
The 1963 Penticton civic election allowed city council to move on other fronts as well, and the goals laid out in Finnerty’s revitalization plan began falling into place.
Bylaws were approved to allow the city to borrow $337,500 for a new city hall, $293,500 for a library, museum and community arts centre, $385,000 for a convention centre at Queen’s Park, $253,000 for a new city yard in the industrial area and $45,700 for a second fire hall.
A key aspect of this development was to provide winter employment and thanks to the Federal Municipal Development and Loan Fund Act, the city was responsible for paying only onethird of the cost.
The city was alive with construction during the next few years under Finnerty’s direction. This culminated with the centralized city complex which would house the city parks, public works, electrical department and the city pound, all of which were relocated in new quarters.
By 1965, Penticton’s first high school, located at the intersection of Fairview Road and Main Street, was set on fire in order to clear the site for the new community art’s centre with a library, museum and art gallery.
At the same time, the convention centre at Queen’s Park, to be named the Peach Bowl, was under construction and by May 1966, Fire Hall No. 2 was completed.
The construction of the other items in the five-year plan varied. The proposed 18-hole golf course proceeded quickly and opened May 1, 1961. The plan to landscape Munson Mountain was turned over to private interests for further development, but never materialized.
There was controversy surrounding a proposed railway underpass on Vancouver Avenue because of the $333,000 cost which was supported by the city and opposed by local residents leading to the plan being shelved.
The proposed packinghouses, were partially achieved when Penticton Cooperative Growers built their new packinghouse and cold storage. Another goal in Finnerty’s plan was achieved in 1960, when the Plaza Shopping Centre on Main Street was developed, and in turn, spurred the downtown merchants to redesign Main Street and off-street parking as outlined in the plan. During Finnerty’s term, there were many notable monuments erected, including the new city hall, the Peach Bowl and the Community Arts Centre.
Along with structural achievements, Finnerty also reorganized and strengthened civic staff. Aided by an excellent city council there was a progressive enthusiasm which became valuable to the community of Penticton.
Finnerty was named Freeman of the City and was the only chief magistrate to be so honoured. Finnerty also served on many provincial and national organizations, among them the B.C. Chamber of Commerce and the regional vice-president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
For 31 years, he was a member of the Rotary Club of Penticton, acting as director at various times and as special representative of Rotary International in organizing the city’s second Rotary Club, the Skaha Rotary Club, in 1971.
Finnerty was the president of Branch 40 of the Royal Canadian Legion in 1948 and 1949 and was the first Second World War veteran to hold that post. During his presidency major renovations were made to the Legion building. Among his other accomplishments while he was president, Finnerty worked to have the federal government set up the Western Bench development under the Veteran’s Land Act (VLA). He also served as a director of the B.C. Heart Foundation and was active in the annual appeal for funds for the organization.
Finnerty was one of the early presidents of the Penticton Peach Festival Association, president of the Okanagan Mainline Municipal Association while he was mayor and for four years, he was the director of the Union of B.C. Municipalities. Finnerty died suddenly at the age of 63 on June 11, 1977. Former mayor Al Kenyon said the following at the time of Finnerty’s death: “I hope all our citizens realize how important it is to have individuals who give so freely of their time and energies for the benefit of all of us.”
In an editorial, the Penticton Herald said of Finnerty: “Widely known over the country as a whole, it was in Penticton that he continued to live and to which he gave his whole heart. Penticton should remember him with gratitude.”