Zeisman supporters feel betrayed

For supporters of Derek Zeisman, Conservative candidate for the Southern Interior riding, it was a dark day last week when Surrey court documents revealed Zeisman would face charges of attempting to smuggle a 1989 Mercedes Benz and 112 units of alcohol into Canada at a Lower Mainland border crossing under the Canada Customs Act.

Alan Mathieson, an Oliver campaign worker for Zeisman, said Thursday, January 12, that [Conservatives in the riding] were waiting to see what to do. "There is an emergency directors meeting being held as we speak but we haven’t heard anything yet. Derek hasn’t said anything so far."

For Mathieson the situation couldn’t have seemed much worse, "Our feeling is that we are between a rock and a hard place – I am embarrassed – and at this point I feel embarrassed that we let it happen.

"As [Conservative leader] Stephen Harper said it was incumbent upon him to be forthcoming – it is a civil matter but a serious one and our attitude now is did we make a terrible mistake? Did he withhold information?"

He noted that so many campaign workers spent so much time for Zeisman and now it seems all for nought, "Dorothy Hendricks who is 84 years-old worked very hard – the Oliver crew was doing a great job; there were always people coming in and out of the campaign office. We’re in shock. We’re disenfranchised – there is nobody for us to vote for."

Mathieson said that was a common question coming into the campaign office " ‘Well, who do I vote for now?’ people are asking."

Just prior to the all-candidates meeting held that same Thursday, January 12, Liberal candidate Bill Profili said, "It is important to remember that Derek is innocent of all charges until proven guilty – but he is not innocent of withholding information."

He noted that a lot of Conservatives had been working hard during the campaign and they deserved better, "At this point whether he is guilty or innocent is neither here nor there. The shoe is on the other foot in terms of Harper’s remarks about the ethics of the Liberal party and Adscam – Stephen should resign."

Profili said in the same situation he personally would resign, "the bottom line is if you think you have done something that would preclude your nomination, why would you then seek it?"

NDP candidate Alex Atamanenko said of the situation, "It is a sad day for democracy – especially in this riding because those Conservative supporters that don’t find their values reflected in the other parties are abandoned." He also felt that this situation only served to promote the notion some people have that ‘you are all crooked’, which speaks against the whole process."

For Atamanenko it also makes things awkward for himself and the other candidates, "you don’t want to appear opportunistic, as though you will benefit from the Conservatives lack of representation in the riding."

Green party candidate, Scott Leyland reiterated Atamanenko’s sentiment, "It is a sad day for democracy. Government will be judged in the court of public opinion."

Derek Zeismans’ statement, received Monday, January 16, can be read on Page 5 of this issue.

No go for a Millennium Wine Village

As the deadline approached for the Millennium Group to submit their request for proposal (RFP) for the potential development of the proposed Wine Village in Oliver along 93rd Street very little buzz had been circulating about this prime candidate.

But a call from Steve Jones, communication consultant for special projects who has been working with the Millennium Group since they prepared an expression of interest for the Village, clarified the reason behind the silence. It is a no go.

The company had been chosen by the Oliver and District Community Economic Development Society, (ODCEDS) from several submissions and asked to complete an extensive RFP.

When Millennium was contacted to ask how the RFP was progressing, Jones returned the message that was left for CEO Sharam Malek. Without mincing any words he stated simply, "It isn’t."

He explained that Millennium’s vision regarding how they wanted to proceed with the Village was not applicable to Oliver, "Millennium’s partners were very high-end and they felt, for a variety of reasons, that Oliver is not ready for that vision."

It is a matter of economics and where the community currently stands, and at this time in its evolution Oliver doesn’t have the year-round support for an upscale enterprise, he said. Not that our town doesn’t have the potential to grow into that role, particularly in light of its status as one of the last original agricultural communities in the Okanagan Valley.

Jones believes that Oliver’s measured approach to growth and protection of its rural ambiance will result, over time, in it becoming a sought-after destination – more so than neighbouring communities that already have lost their original charm.

But he says at present "Another vision will go forward. Les [Lawther, economic development officer] and Ron [Mayor Hovanes] are on the right track and have done an excellent job – they are terrific people. I believe there will be another partner who will be able to do this and that will have a vision that matches [the community]."

He said it was important to note that that it is to Lawther and Hovanes’ credit that they made their vision very clear from the onset, "ultimately it just didn’t match that of our partners."

But does the process (of garnering expressions of interest and requests for proposals) work? In Jones’ opinion it does and very well. "As a matter of fact the process has been very effective for the people of Oliver – very positive. The time that has been spent has been spent effectively – the community should know that the process is working."

He adds, "Ron and Les are very positive and they should be – other companies are interested. They should just consider this a speed bump at most."

Lawther said in an interview on Monday, January 16, that they are indeed working with another proponent however his initial understanding regarding Millennium’s withdrawal was that they had been short-listed to take on the athletes’ village for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

"That was the reason we were given," he said but added that Millennium’s partners were looking for something far more upscale than Oliver’s current economy could support and that the two visions were not a perfect match.

"We are working with another company who is in turn working with a major banking group. These are early days [in the process] but my whole approach is very optimistic about this." Lawther added that the Olympics is a double edged sword in that preparations for the games have compromised the availability of bonded workers and increased construction costs. "There will be hurtles along the way that we have to meet [because of this] but I am completely optimistic."

Lawther has been meeting frequently with the new proponent and says the company is in the midst of preparing a detailed RFP.

BCFGA convention focusing on financial programs this year

With the low apple returns still echoing in empty pockets, members of the BC Fruit Growers Association (BCFGA) will be heading to Kelowna to look for some good financial news.

Only time will tell whether they receive it. The BCFGA’s 117^th annual convention is being held in Kelowna this year on Friday, January 27, and Saturday, January 28.

"Financial programs and resolutions are going to be first and foremost on growers’ minds," stated BCFGA president Joe Sardinha. "A lot of the resolutions will deal with the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization Program (CAIS) and there is a lot of discontent and frustration with that program."

In fact, there are five CAIS resolutions, dealing with everything from resolving its problems through simplification, to scrapping it altogether and replacing it with a fair, properly designed program. There are also resolutions dealing with moving the program’s current administration from Winnipeg where it is being run by an office more familiar with grain issues and placing it under staff at the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, as well as a resolution requesting that CAIS be linked with other production insurance programs.

As Sardinha pointed out, "The problems this industry has had with CAIS would have been solved if we had the administration in BC. We’ve managed to make some headway only because we’ve had the use of the staff at the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands in Kelowna and the people at Crop Insurance who have helped our growers. That’s because they understand the industry, understand things like structural change, which the people in Manitoba can’t get their heads around.

"So if we are going to utilize BC staff already to do some pre-screening, then why not go the extra mile and bring the administration back to BC."

Other resolutions being voted on during the two-day event offer a clear picture of the issues faced by growers on a continuing basis: a moratorium on Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) exclusions due to the continuous erosion of the ALR through the conversion of its land base to urban development; pursue the notice of "Active Farming Area" being added to land titles of affected properties; local government support for tree fruits through the development of policies and programs; the addressing and rectifying of an inadequate agriculture budget now the lowest of all Canadian provinces; Columbia Basin compensation; fireblight and canker as insurable perils; federal and provincial government support for the replant program; affordable water for agriculture; groundwater legislation; a drought management plan; equitable rules on water; and the harmonization of crop protection materials.

Resolutions are not being restricted to a narrow agricultural focus now either. The request for groundwater legislation and equitable rules on water are encompassing municipalities and indicative of a crossover effect.

""There is a lot more focus on municipalities and their interaction with agriculture and that’s a direct result of the increasing urbanization of the Okanagan," said BCFGA general manager, Glen Lucas. "And if we want to preserve agriculture we have to make sure these systems are working for us."

There is frustration in Sardinha’s voice when he talks about Resolution #12: fulfill the ALR commitment.

"In 1972 growers’ land was locked into an ALR and certain promises were made. There was a stabilization program called Farm Income Insurance that worked on a cost of production model and was there on an ongoing basis in years of income decline.

"That program is long gone. Agriculture budgets have shrunk over time whereas the generation of revenue by agriculture in general in BC has steadily climbed--$2.4 billion at the farmgate. Yet we see the agriculture budget for 2005-2006 to be 3.1 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product, according to Stats Can figures.

"That’s the lowest contribution to an agriculture budget of any province in Canada and it tells the whole story as to where the commitment to agriculture has gone."

And while he is not advocating a return to that cost of production model, Sardinha does believe there should be something else at the provincial level to help stabilize the industry during years of an income crash.

"The same financial considerations given to the cattle industry during the BSE (mad cow) crisis need to be examined each time a commodity suffers a downturn."

Agriculture minister, Pat Bell, will be in attendance on Friday and will likely get an earful from growers worried about their plummeting incomes.

According to Lucas, orchardists were handed a 44 per cent drop in apple incomes—the price per pound in 2004 averaged 12.4 cents, down from an average of 22.3 cents per pound from 2001 to 2003.

And while the cost of production varies with the variety and the number of trees planted, a conservative estimate puts that cost at between 15-18 cents for that same pound.

The results of the Sterile Insect Release (SIR) program ballot will be released at the convention and growers will learn whether they have said Yes, Sir or No, Sir to the continuation of the program.

Lucas said the results will be open to debate and members will be invited to craft late resolutions on the program, which will be voted on, on Saturday afternoon.

As well, the executive will release the results of a previous survey of 173 growers that dealt with the CAIS program and the producers’ financial situation. Questions ranged from how they were raising capital to cover shortfall and whether they had any loan arrears to how long it was taking to access funds through the CAIS program.

"This survey is a real treasure trove. It gives us a real snapshot of our growers and what is happening out there, " said Lucas. "And we will use it to lobby the government."

It’s character, character, character

Derek Zeisman has done considerable harm. Whatever the outcome of the messy little matter with the customs, a Mercedes and 112 bottles of vodka – and we won’t prejudge that issue – his failure to reveal the pending charges to party officials before his nomination shows incredibly poor judgment. He initially tried to portray himself as the victim, wounded by the revelations, but we don’t agree.

He is guilty of having hidden the fact that he is facing charges that carry custodial time as their maximum penalty. Mr. Zeisman hid the matter and severely embarrassed his party who responded by dropping him from their web site and declaring he would not sit with the caucus. He has also created a considerable dilemma for those wishing to support the Conservative Party in our riding.

After a long silence, Mr. Zeisman issued an apology on Monday but undercut its effectiveness by throwing in a line, "the illegal and unethical behaviour of so many Liberals in recent years is as much a cause of concern for me as anyone else," suggesting that his problems pale beside the greater sinner. Mr. Zeisman is not running against the Liberal Party. He’s running against Alex Atamanenko, Bill Profili and Scott Leyland who are not facing smuggling charges and did not hide the fact from their party’s vetting process.

He concludes by saying that he is still the Conservative candidate and people should vote for him. Again we disagree. There are more important issues than the policies of a candidate and that is his or her character. When selecting our Member of Parliament electors should ask, can the candidate be trusted to be open and straightforward with the constituency?