In Conversation With ... Peachland adviser Marjorie Brims
Marjorie Brims is a Peachland resident who is a member of the mayor’s task force on climate change and a member of the Highway 97 liaison committee.
Born in Scotland, she graduated with a master’s degree in health studies from the University of Athabasca. She spent 35 years with Interior Health, retiring as the manager of occupational health and safety.
COURIER: After living in Penticton for many years, you retired to Peachland. Why Peachland?
BRIMS: We were looking for a small house in a more rural setting and we found it here. We used to come up to the Bliss for a coffee and a walk and realized one day we could live here.
COURIER: You spent much of your career working in workplace health and safety. What was the most common injury or accident that you would see?
BRIMS: Staff help patients to move in bed, to a chair, for a walk and sometimes overestimate the patient’s ability to assist with the task, which can result in soft-tissue injuries such as shoulder and back strains. Much of the work I did was about finding equipment to relieve the physical load of caring and designing easy ways for all staff to assess the patient’s ability to move, in that moment.
COURIER: In your opinion, are most industries and offices up to an adequate safety code?
BRIMS: With some notable exceptions, we are very lucky in Canada to have legislated safe working conditions and many resources to help employers and employees stay safe at work.
COURIER: You studied a lot in postsecondary. Are you a champion for public school education?
BRIMS: Absolutely. I recently attended some Central Okanagan School District board meetings and was very impressed by the programs highlighted and delighted to see such caring and inspirational staff and motivated, articulate and self-possessed young people. By teaching our kids at home to be kind, curious, open-minded and selfdisciplined, most parents can prepare their children to take best advantage of what the public school system has to offer. Our children can then learn and grow, without cost being the deciding factor in their future success — which is priceless, in my mind.
COURIER: As someone who was born in Scotland, what do you recommend for someone who wants to visit the country?
BRIMS: Well, I have lived in B.C., Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, and each has its unique charms. My main advice is always don’t spend your whole time in the car trying to see everything. It is a much bigger country than you can imagine — get outside and experience it.
COURIER: What was your take on the whole Brexit thing?
BRIMS: Seems counter to all the other folks wanting to be part of larger trading blocs, but I think it will be all right in the end. They have a long history of major systems upheaval there, and the ingenuity of people always comes to the fore.
COURIER: As a member of the mayor’s task force on climate change in Peachland, what does Peachland do well in terms of a green footprint?
BRIMS: We take small bites that we can manage successfully. Last year, Peachland won the Okanagan’s “Make Water Work” challenge and secured a grant for a demonstration xeriscape garden project. We also have projects to install an electric vehicle charging station, display climate change information at the library and initiate a Green Citizen Award this year.
COURIER: Where can Peachland improve?
BRIMS: It’s the little things. As individuals and families, if we can reduce use of personal vehicle travel and more often walk, use a bike or take the bus, and reduce our meat intake by having a vegetarian meal once or twice a week, we are making a positive difference to the over-consumption of the planet’s resources.
COURIER: Is a carbon tax on gasoline, similar to what’s being done at the Coast, the answer?
BRIMS: The jury seems to be out on that, and in a country with so many rural and remote communities, a flat consumption tax can be disproportionately punitive for some. However, we know that making it easier for people to do the right thing is always the way to make big changes, so perhaps a gas tax is simply one way among a range of options to encourage behaviour change.
COURIER: Having studied a Highway 97 bypass as a neutral member of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure’s liaison committee, what is the most common misunderstanding people have about the project?
BRIMS: I think that people would be surprised to learn how well the consulting team has learned the traffic woes in Peachland and to know that connectivity within Peachland is a very important factor in the designs. While there is a necessity to create an efficient provincial highway network that works for all road users, the needs of Peachlanders to get around in their community is still very much in mind.
COURIER: Where you do stand on the Peach Tree Village development?
BRIMS: I think it’s unfortunate that a project that could have many benefits for Peachland has become so divisive. Change and development is a given in the Okanagan. However, there is perceived unfairness in the processes, as well as disappointment that the voice given to the community to design future growth was not given credence. The truth is somewhere in the middle, but hopefully the vehemence will recede and the development will live up to council’s aspirations for the project.
COURIER: How has becoming a grandmother changed your outlook on life?
BRIMS: As I get older, I am more future-focused, and the world my darling grandchildren might inherit seems more precious to me than ever. I want them to see snow leopards in the wild and a vibrant Great Barrier Reef, magnificent glacier-fed lakes and Venice in the spring. But, I am a great believer in the “necessity is the mother of invention” school of thought, so I remain confident.
COURIER: What one word best describes U.S. President Donald Trump?
BRIMS: Fickle.