NS Inc. Epilogue
Bill had something here…
To be, or not to be, that is the question
William Shakespeare – Hamlet
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.
To find a new path in a self-led community, or stay the course with the CSRD, that is the question. There will be hard work and challenges and ‘a sea of troubles’ in gaining our independence. By working through them we’ll find a new and better reality.
Incorporated communities get much more notice at a provincial level. Rural areas seem to be left out, or short changed, just about every time. In the North Shuswap, our nearest ‘city’ is either Kamloops or Salmon Arm. All other Electoral Areas in the CSRD have a municipality very close or within that EA. For instance, the largest population in EA-A (rural Golden) live within 20 minutes of Golden. Revelstoke, Sicamous, Sorrento etc. all the same. This means they can access larger town amenities relatively easily. The majority of the population of the North Shuswap is at least an hour from either of our two closest centres. Not so easy!
The North Shuswap is growing, like it or not. Even with Dragon Fire in our rearview mirror, we’ve grown. This school year there are 131 kids in Celista, up from 120 last year, a 10% increase. The sad reality is that out of the 170+ homes that burned down this summer, a portion of them will not be rebuilt by their current owners, but this will bring new people into the community. Our lake and lifestyle appeal to a younger crowd these days.
Incorporation isn’t the answer to all our questions or problems. We still will deal with the CSRD, Province, and the Feds as well. But in my mind, the important things are:
- having local control over most of the things that we deal with day-to-day (planning, bylaws etc)
- being able to apply for any grant out there instead of waiting for our turn to come up, or receiving the full amount of a grant instead of sharing a meager amount with everyone and their dog
- knowing exactly where our dollars go
- being able to talk directly to the people making those decisions, because they’re our neighbours
Yes, there will be a cost. Will it be too much? We just don’t know yet. Getting the study done is the first step. Please fill out the petition form https://bit.ly/3MSUv4i
Often, reality is that our politicians have only a 4-year mindset. Only up to the next election. That type of thinking doesn’t cut it. A long-term view is needed, not just from local politicians but from the community as a whole. When you had kids, your thinking went from the party next weekend, to saving for their education in 18 or 20 years. That’s thinking ahead. As a community we need to take that approach. Plan now, build resources now, so that we have the community we want in 20 years. And if we don’t think we’re going to be around in 20 years, it’s our job to build the community where new friends and neighbours will want to live.
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2 thoughts on “NS Inc. Epilogue”
The Dragon Fire and the response by the provincial government and their lap dog the CSRD speaks volumes for the need to be our own masters. Daily when we hear of the horrors unfolding in the Gaza Strip I cannot forget how we in Scotch Creek were treated. Victoria tried to starve us out by blocking food deliveries, refused us fuel deliveries for our pumps to fight the fire, delivery of basic medical supplies etc.. Those who stayed behind, the local heroes, who had to dodge the police on land and on the lake just to protect our homes and neighborhoods, know full well what really when on. The Provincial Government’s response was nothing less than shameful!
This criminal NDP government should be made to step down and admit to their wrong doings. The criminal actions of arson, neglect and waste of tax payers money is cause for dismissal and a criminal court case. You should be able to sue a government, this would keep our government more honest. If a citizen would have lit this useless, UNnecessary Blackburn, they would have been arrest and charged for arson, endangering citizens lives and damage to homes and businesses! THIS COWARD GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO BE CHARGED! People like EBY and CHAPMAN should be publicly charged and then continue down the list of who is responsible for these criminal actions. No one should be above the law but obviously the BC NDP AND THE BC Wildfire Services are! The North Shuswap was not the only area that has been mismanaged horribly, look at Lytton, Monte Lake and there are many more! In Monte Lake they have a huge metal cargo container with the words GOVT ARSON written on it! INSANITY IS DOING THE SAME THING WITH THE SAME ORGANIZATION AND EXPECTING A DIFFERENT RESULTS! QUIT THE INSANITY!