Citing the need for the community to heal, Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Electoral Area B Director Stan Doehle this morning led the charge against a document he has spent the last two years trying to create.

Doehle asked fellow board members to vote against the third readings of Bylaw No. 2810 (A bylaw to adopt an Official Community Plan for the Jaffray Area) and Bylaw No. 2811 (South Country Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw).

Bylaw No. 2810 covers the Official Community Plan for the Jaffray area, including Rosen and Tie Lake areas, which is a long-term strategic planning document that establishes policies for land use development and conservation within the plan area.

Bylaw No. 2811 is the zoning bylaw, which regulates development. The bylaw also establishes floodplain management regulations.

“As we went through this process it seemed there was opposition. I believe in the democratic process; as the OCP is a democratic process. I feel we needed to see it through to the end and make sure everyone had a chance to voice their opinion. The final numbers clearly show that of the people responding the majority are opposed to the OCP,” Doehle said, asking the board to vote against the bylaws.

A 90-minute long Nov. 22 public hearing at Jaffray Community Hall, chaired by City of Fernie Mayor and board director Mary Giuliano, was all Electoral Area A Director Mike Sosnowski needed to hear, he said.

“Director Doehle is listening to his constituents and I commend him for that,” he said.

Giuliano agreed and said it was “obvious” to her that the community is opposed to the OCP.

Noting she supports Doehle’s decision, she recommended to the board and regional planning staff that if an OCP process for Jaffray and area is considered again, “you need to do way more education because honestly, they really did not understand what an OCP is. They were full of fear on how it was going to curtail their ability to live on their land and to do what they want.

District of Invermere Mayor and board director Gerry Taft pointed out that the majority of area property owners (about 600) had remained silent during the process, based on the number of letters, emails and petitions received and said he believes “there is a bit of paranoia here. Overblown impacts of an OCP and a fear that it is going to somehow change their daily life and the sky is going to fall.”

Noting the volume of work put into the would-be OCP, he said, “seems like a shame to me” to vote it down.

Sosnowski responded that had Taft been at the hearing he would have a different point of view.

“I truly thought I would have more than 24 letters of support. I said this would be a test and we didn’t get it and I’m confounded by it. But it’s not from a lack of educating people. We educated the people for two years on this process. We went to meetings; we had agreements with everybody… and as I say, it’s a good plan but the residents aren’t ready for it,” Doehle said.

“I think it’s time for this community to heal. And if this was passed it would not heal. It would just divide that community. We have tension amongst the lake residents, the non-residents, and the residents and so my opinion is to defeat the plan, move on because I’ve done a lot of work in that community and we have to bring that together again. And I don’t want to see it going. That community is torn apart now and I don’t like to see that. There is neighbour fighting with neighbour so it is just time to put the brakes on, stop and then my job, and this board’s job is how can we make that better out there? It needs to start over,” he said.

“There isn’t anything in the plan that is way far out there; that the sky is going to fall. So, I wonder, are they against the plan with a misunderstanding of what the plan is or are they in opposition to the process and how it all rolled out?” asked board vice-chair, Electoral Area F Director Wendy Booth of directors who attended the Nov. 22 hearing.

Mayor Giuliano said she heard both concerns.

“They didn’t like the plan and they didn’t like the process,” she said. “It was said several times that this was being rammed down their throats. And the majority of them were not in favour.”

City of Cranbrook Mayor and board director Lee Pratt said he supported defeating the OCP, noting, “I don’t think we should be a part of dividing any of those communities.”

Following a 24-minute discussion, the board voted unanimously to defeat the two bylaws.

– Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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