Discussing Ideas That Matter

Given the current economic and environmental dilemmas we are facing, it is time for all of us to pay attention to issues, to listen carefully to all sorts of ideas and to get involved locally. 

Rumour Mill: Plebiscite on Council’s Agenda Next Week?

There is nothing worse than fostering rumours but I have now heard from a few sources that some sort of discussion of / vote on a plebiscite on the SmartCentres situation may take place at city council this Monday. More information to follow when it is available.

If you have any further information (factual) or thoughts about this, please put them in the comment section below.

The Good and the BAD

I get my news both online and through traditional newspapers. The October 28th, 2009 print edition of the Salmon Arm Observer is a great example of how a paper edition can provide a range of coverage. You get a wide perspective thumbing through the pages. Tracy Hughes has her column Feeling a dose of fatalism. There is reporting on the SmartCentres’ open house along with differing comments about the proposal, the WA:TER informational meeting involving First Nations and environmental concerns and the Salmon Arm Economic Development Society’s press release about the proposal. The Viewpoint Page contains a wide range of opinion. There is an interview with the SmartCentres developers. Finally, there is the paid advertising, both for (SmartCentres) and against (BAD – Businessowners Against Dumping) the development proposal. A full meal deal from our local journalists! Good job.

My own $.02 of straight talk:

- Martha Wickett’s interview with SmartCentres in Developers share their views: It is hard to believe Sandra Kaiser, a vice-president of corporate affairs for SmartCentres, when she is quoted as stating that she hadn’t heard previously,  “ … this is the first time I have heard of it…”, of the developer being fined under the Fisheries Act in the developer’s Prince George project. A quick look up of “Sandra Kaiser and SmartCentres” lists numerous references to a Sandra Kaiser being involved in

In This Halloween Edition 2009

 Tricks or Treats?

This edition features:

- For birders: A query re geese in the Good Question category.

- The articles Joining the Debate by Ian Wickett, There is Life in this City by Bill Remphrey and Civil Debate Anyone?  by guest contributor Dave Nordstrom

- Built to Last: A  short film about “Protecting the Natural Environment by Improving the Built Environment”

- Your first thoughts on the SmartCentres’ proposal in Having Your Say

- An invitation by WA:TER to their information meeting

- Shuswap Community Foundation has its official opening November 10th

- OMG: Monty Python is 40 years old: A video flashback

- a Hatchback for Your Pumpkin

- Plus new additions to the regular Photo, Posted Elsewhere and Quote de Jour categories

Aim High Salmon Arm is growing! 

• There have been 16,400 plus page hits since launching in early June.
• The largest readership and the most comments ever for the last edition.
• The number of comments is close to the number of posts. This is a great sign as readers are getting involved in discussions. Keep it going by posting your thoughts. We all benefit by them.
• It is easy to leave a comment on an article. Remember: Your first ever comment will not show up right away … but it will appear pretty quickly.
• For more information on Comment moderation, publishing and policy, please see Commenting . The key thing is to discuss ideas using respectful language.

If you like what you see, please pass on the link for Aim High Salmon Arm to one more friend, neighbour or family member. The response to the launch of the blog has been great but the more readers, the better.

If you have a story or photo to share, contact me using the contact form found in the tabs above.

Next Edition is November 9th. Look for

• “You Say You want a Resoluuuuution … (with apologies to the Beatles)”
• and perhaps even a little bit of hanky-panky. Time will tell.

Is Building a Shopping Centre on the Salmon River Floodplain a Bad Idea? by WA:TER

Is Building a Shopping Centre on the Salmon River Floodplain a Bad Idea? 

Come to an Exciting Information Meeting:

Monday, October 26^th United Church Hall, Salmon Arm

(Okanagan Avenue and 4^th St. SE, just behind City Hall)

7:00 pm

We believe development should respect the environment AND the economic well being of OUR community

We are not against retail development in Salmon Arm

We believe you will be inspired by the hard work of Salmon Arm citizens to create a sustainable vision for the future of our community

YOU deserve to know ALL the information about the proposed development on the Salmon River Floodplain

Wetland Alliance: The Ecological Response is a registered, community-based, volunteer-run society funded by donations. For further information please go to our website, www.wa-ter.ca

Shuswap Community Foundation Announcement

Grand Opening

November 10, 2009

Shuswap Community Foundation

You’re invited!

On November 10 Shuswap Community Foundation invites everyone in the Shuswap to the Grand Opening of its new home, located at 364B Ross Street in downtown Salmon Arm, behind Century 21 Lifestyles and below EZ Rock Radio. The official ribbon cutting takes place at 1pm, followed by an open house until 5pm. Drop in and meet members of the board of directors, enjoy the refreshments and learn more about how local philanthropy benefits our Shuswap community.

 For more information, email info@shuswapfoundation.ca or call: 250-832-5428

* submitted by Shuswap Community Foundation

“Joining the debate” by Ian Wickett

There is a real disconnect between those arguing for the SmartCentre on the former Petty Meat site and those opposing it. I am not talking about the wide differences in opinions, but about the lack of engagement in the discussion of the serious questions posed by the proposed development.

The WAT:ER group makes the argument that the narrowly defined riparian setback does not address all of the environmental issues. They raise the question of unique ecosystems, disturbance of nesting habitats, and the nature of the soil indicating the area is the natural floodplain. The proponents and supporters of the centre have not, to my knowledge, addressed these arguments, choosing to rely on their environmental report which has been accepted by the government officials. Is their argument that these values put forth by WA:TER do not exist? Is their argument that it doesn’t matter if they exist as long as they are not clearly protected by existing legislation?

Those for the development argue that the people of Salmon Arm need cheap goods and that the new shopping centre would deliver that. Have we had that discussion? The last time I figured it out, driving my car to Vernon and back costs me over $40. If I were to purchase $200 worth of goods, the price would need to be 16% lower than Salmon Arm prices before I broke even, not taking into account that I had spent 1.5 hours of my time driving. If I only purchased $100, I would need to save 33%. Is the sole motivation for out-of-town shopping cheaper prices, or does the whole idea of an outing add to its allure? Do we have any good information about how much cheaper goods would be in the SmartCentre stores? Have we reflected on the fact that there are chain stores in Salmon Arm that actually have higher prices in their Salmon Arm flyers than those in their Vernon flyers? Might this be the case with SmartCentre stores? Is the issue underlying the desire for cheaper goods the induced demand for more things? Or, more significantly, is the issue that many people are not earning enough to meet their needs?

Having Your Say … October 2009

A spot at Aim High where you can submit your ideas on issues that are not linked to a specific topic already posted on the blog. Sort of an “Open Mike” crossed with a ”Letters to the Editor” section where you can raise your own ideas and questions for others to see  and comment on …. right here … right now!

SmartCentre’s Proposal:

First thoughts about what you saw at their Prestige display?

Put your reflections in the “Leave a comment” section below.

“There is Life in this City” by Bill Remphrey

I am responding to the broad sweeping statement made by a local resident about Salmon Arm. As a rationale for supporting the proposed Smart Centres shopping centre development, the resident stated that “Salmon Arm has shown little signs of life for too long”. First, I find it ironic that ‘signs of life’ are equated to a shopping mall. But more importantly, after reflecting on the last three or four years it is clear that there are many signs of life in Salmon Arm that we can reflect upon and celebrate, some of which include new stores and some of which include thoughtful and creative community activity. What comes to mind immediately are the changes in the downtown area that include the rejuvenation of the old courthouse that now houses a nice restaurant, the tourist centre and the economic development society offices, and how Hudson Street has come alive with new shops. Moreover, there new coffee shops in the downtown, and the brew pub has been a great addition to our city, not to mention other restaurants that have opened in the downtown area. A new expanded version of Home Hardware downtown and a new computer and camera store above the anchor, Pharmasave, are just a few examples of positive changes.

And what about the Ross Street Plaza, which has already hosted many musical and other events? The new City Hall and the re-created Fletcher Park beside it are also welcome additions to the community. The Art Gallery has evolved into a multi-purpose building that hosts meetings, concerts in addition to the interesting art shows.

Visitors often remark about how our downtown is one of the most interesting in the area, and there are exciting plans and possibilities to make it even better. Hudson Cross is an unique multi-use development that is planned for the centre of downtown. It will include European-style walking streets lined with shops and residential development on upper levels. There are intriguing smart growth plans to make the JL Jackson site into a multi-use development that includes shopping with the possibility of large format retail, affordable housing and green space, as well as pedestrian connections to the current downtown core.

And it is just not about the downtown.

“Civil Debate Anyone?” by Dave Nordstrom

Three current public appeals cry out for public debate: the reaction to restrictions on “cosmetic pesticides/herbicides”, Smart Centre’s “Do you want another shopping centre” and Colin Mayes “The Gang’s All Here”.  All three divert attention from the core issues, attack the credibility of those who do not agree with them, and appeal to the basest motives of fear, greed and calculated ignorance.

The common disappointment in my decades of experience as counsellor and mediator, has been the assumption that if I really listen to someone, I must be agreeing with them.  Conversely, if I raise some objection to what they are saying, I must be in opposition.  Seldom do I encounter a situation in which everyone benefits from the respectful exchange of ideas.

Protect the Natural Environment by Improving the Built Environment

What we build and where we build it are important. This short film explores the relationship between developing  urban areas and protecting the environment. We have 2 competing visions for development  in Salmon Arm and this video speaks to our issues.

Leave your thoughts in the “comment” section below.

Monty Python Celebrates 40

Funny … or perhaps Not! Your mileage may vary as the Flying Circus celebrates a 40th anniversary of vintage humour.

Ministry of Silly Walks

 

 

A personal fave is Self-Defence Against Fruit.  You can see the full video  by clicking here–>

Hatchback for Your Pumpkin

Original article and photo from here

Posted Elsewhere: October 2009

Newspaper columns on General Hillier’s new book and Theory Fleury’s allegations of abuse caught my eye this past while.

Former Chief of Defence General Rick Hillier’s autobiography A Soldier First has just been released. Early reviews note that his common-sense straight-shooter approach to issues reflects badly on the political masters of both Ottawa and NATO. Hillier is reported to claim that the federal cabinet was well informed on the treatment of Afghan detainees transferred by the Canadian military.

Chantal Hebert’s take on things is that the Hillier book ensures mission’s end.

Hebert opens with:

In what may be a case of unintended consequences, Rick Hillier, who once was the most effective promoter of Canada’s military mission in Kandahar, has likely hammered the last nail in its political coffin.

Don Martin in the National Post describes how Hillier defied PMO, bureaucrats, biography recalls

Martin notes:

Befuddled by a straight shooter who was hogging the spotlight, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s staff finally tried to gag and hide Rick Hillier from public view. It didn’t work, of course.

Retired chief of defence staff Hillier’s soon-to-be-released autobiography A Soldier First, published by HarperCollins, fell into my hands recently and, as expected, he pulls no punches in needling those huddled inside the parliamentary bubble.

He spits out the sock they tried to stuff into his mouth, rages against an unwieldy federal bureaucracy, reveals private showdowns with former defence minister Gordon O’Connor and twice dismisses Liberal MP Denis Coderre’s politics as “dumber than dirt.” Ouch.

Elsewhere, Christie Blatchford, in her Globe and Mail article Lay the blame, shift the shame to pedophiles revisits the issues and responsibilities as Theory Fleury finally publicly declares his  allegations of sexual abuse. An excellent example of a well-written column on an important topic!

For people who have had their trust so egregiously betrayed, their youth so exploited, there is no single answer. But shifting the shame to the right shoulders, the blame to where it belongs, usually lightens the burden

For links to articles on How much is all of this climate change stuff going to cost anyways?, Wired for Sex, Lies and Power Trips: It’s a Teen’s World and Obama and the Peace prize, click on ->

Quote de jour

If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.

George Bernard Shaw

 

If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen.

Henry David Thoreau

 

I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.  

Walt Whitman

 

Photos October 2009

 

Photos in/of the Shuswap area or by Shuswap residents in their travels

 If you have a great photo shot and would like to share it, use the Contact Form to notify Aim High Salmon Arm. We can then make arrangements to transfer, attribute and post your work of art.

 

 McGuire Lake by Yogi

  Last Days of Fall 2009_1 by LWT

  Last Days of Fall _2 by LWT

 

For more excellent photos, click ->

Good Question: October 2009

This category is for readers to submit questions that they have been wondering about and to have other readers provide answers.

You can put your questions and/or answers in the comment box below.

WesH asks: It seems that there were less geese flocking up this year at least around here. did anyone else notice this?

If you have a response, let WesH know below.  Have your own question?  Now’s the time to get some answers to that long-standing pondering!

Use the comment link below.

Call for Contributions

Article Contributions: Here is where the rubber has to hit the road for Aim High Salmon Arm to truly be a community forum. The blog needs article contributions from you … yes you!        

SmartCentres Back with New Development Proposal

Now which way?

High on everyone’s inevitable list: SmartCentres has submitted a new development proposal to the city in their quest for a zoning variance. They are also holding an Open House at the Prestige on Wednesday October 21st between 4:30 and 8:00 pm

Their web site mentions shopping choices, jobs and investment as well as environmental protection and green space … in that order.

The devil is in the missing details though. Find out if SmartCentres thinks that wetlands and rare forest ecosystems should be preserved. Ask them if they are willing to have an independent study to objectively determine how active those wetlands are. You are likely to get a very “narrow” response from them that they are preserving “truly environmental” areas. SmartCentres’ answers will refer solely to salmon protection and not to the full ecological value of the wetland/floodplain site.

  

Ask your neighbours if they want city council to take a precautionary approach to this issue until an independent and full environmental study can be completed and shared with residents.

SmartCentres’ web site for their Salmon Arm development is http://salmonarmshopping.com/. Their site also includes a link to SmartCentres Want a new Shopping Centre in Salmon Arm? Facebook site.

Other Salmon Arm SmartCentres-issue Facebook sites include:

“SmartCentres’ Proposal Doesn’t Cut It” by AJ Decker

The time has come that Smart Center’s has reapplied to rezone the old Petty’s meats property to build a shopping center. There are many arguments that Smart Center’s and other community members would use to persuade the people of Salmon Arm to rezone the property. However, most of these arguments do not have much substance once a person applies a critical viewpoint toward them.

Argument #1 : Smart Center’s will build an environmentally friendly shopping center which encourages walking. Furthermore, the Ministry of Environment had approved the development plan so the development must not be harmful to the environment.

Critique: The development is in the Estuary of the Salmon River, where tremendous effort by the Salmon River Roundtable has been done to improve fish habitat and increase the number of returning Salmon per year. If this area does not qualify to be an environmentally sensitive that deserves special consideration, I am not sure which area does. Research tells us that development outside of the town core increases the reliance on automobiles to access the retail area, no matter how many walking trails you create. Approval by the Ministry of Environment means only that they have met requirements of the law. This does not mean that they believe that there will be no significant environmental damage.

Argument #2: Smart Center’s development will bring more consumer choice to Salmon Arm.