Who would have dreamt that we’d all be enjoying the dog days of summer in September? These last couple of weeks have been a surprise for the region with everyone outside enjoying fall fairs, conferences and just being in and around the water.
Those of us living in the Kootenays are joined by the mighty rivers flowing through the basin and much of my recent work has been regional in nature. I’d like to share some of that activity with you today.
Many of you will be aware that the Columbia River Treaty is due for re-negotiation in 2014. Now, this doesn’t mean the treaty is necessarily ending, it means that both parties — the US and Canada — will have an opportunity to look at it and recommend changes.
The treaty was first struck in 1964 to co-ordinate flood control and to develop hydroelectric power on both sides of the border. Canada agreed to provide reservoirs for flood control and some of those reservoirs displaced established communities, farms and historical sites in the basin.
In 1995, the Columbia Basin Trust was created to bring back some of the wealth created by the treaty to the very people impacted by this agreement. The Trust is partnering with the Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments to organize a series of gatherings across the basin to educate people about the upcoming renegotiation and to ask for your input about the treaty.
I’m chairing the committee of elected representatives organizing these events. There will be a meeting in Nelson in mid-November, the exact date to be confirmed. It will be an opportunity to learn, to dispel some of the mythologies about the agreement and to have your say in its future.
This treaty is recognized as one of the best agreements of its kind in the world and other countries have used it as a template. With your participation, we have a chance to make it even better.
We often hear about thinking regionally and the benefits of co-operating to make our communities stronger, healthier and more sustainable. There are solid examples of how that co-operation does benefit us all. For example, the Nelson and Area Economic Development Partnership, shared recreation services, expanded library services, and water stewardship programs to name a few.
I’m a member of another working group bringing together members of Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments and the Columbia Basin Trust to develop a rural initiative team. The team’s purpose is to bring together people from the Kootenay/Boundary region to collaborate on economic, cultural and other initiatives that will bring prosperity and sustainability to our region. In a region that is the size of Great Britain, this is no small feat!
It is recognized that rural areas do not wholly share in the wealth of the province and this group will identify actions to change this dynamic. I’m interested in learning more about what our neighbours are doing for their communities and in sharing in that work. I’ll have more to share with you in my next column.
As well, I’ll have more information on the master planning for our shared regional recreation services.
With an election thrown into the mix, this will be a very busy fall so get out and enjoy this last bit of our extended summer!
Deb Kozak is a Nelson city councillor who shares this space with her colleagues at the table