Cpl. Mike Field: here for the long haul not short stay

The new face above the corporal stripes on the shoulders belongs to RCMP peace officer, Mike Field.

Originally from St. Thomas, Ontario, and recently arrived from Duncan where he did all his service since graduating from RCMP Depot, this nine-year veteran and family man brings a strong background in community policing to his new duties at the Oliver detachment.

As shift supervisor he will be in charge of the local office in terms of manpower and resources that are available. However, he will be working in concert with his counterpart at the Osoyoos detachment—Cpl. Hallett—with each officer alternating his shift schedule, so that there is always a corporal on duty.

Asked what he saw as the role of police in a small town, Field replied that he tended to focus on strengthening the community’s ties to the detachment.

"It’s important to the community to be able to put a face to the detachment. Often our jobs don’t allow us to do that and that’s unfortunate, but I will be making every effort to get out and do that—get away from the ‘four-walls syndrome’ and get out more in the community."

And that means walking the streets of the downtown area whenever possible and getting to know the businesses there.

In the meantime, Cpl. Field will use the skills he acquired during his previous experience on Vancouver Island to cement existing relationships between the police, Oliver schools and the Osoyoos Indian Band.

With a two-year stint as a First Nations Community Reserve officer in Duncan, Field gained valuable insight into the dynamics that govern a reserve and the many issues it faces. There his duties included general policing, crime prevention, community policing, and liaising with the Cowichan Band Office to ensure their needs were being met and their voices heard.

Accustomed to acting as a school liaison officer, he sees himself fitting into that role here too, dealing with school administration, the various staff at the elementary and high school levels, Parent Advisory Committees and other groups and seeing how to mesh police duties and responsibilities there with the needs of the community.

"I’ve sat on just about every committee there is: Safe Schools committees, PACs and District PACs, Ministry of Children and Families, and Community Police Advisory Committee (CPAC)," he laughed.

A believer in the practice of peace officers being members of the community during their off-duty hours too, Field lives in this community. And one of these days he just might be able to wiggle enough free time to indulge in some of his favourite hobbies—hiking, biking and building model cars and trains.

Asked if this would be a long-term posting, he responded, "I tend to adopt the community in which I’m working. I spent nearly 10 years in Duncan. We are happy here, so I think we’ll stay a while."

Sportsmen’s Association marks 60 game banquets

Sixty years seems to be a magic number for many groups in Oliver, and the Southern Okanagan Sportsmen’s Association (SOSA) was the most recent to celebrate over a half-century of operation. On Saturday, February 4, they held their 60^th annual banquet at the Oliver Community Hall and over 300 men, women and kids attended.

The banquet has always been an occasion to recognize marksmanship, display trophy animals and socialize and have fun. And there is the meal – not your ordinary fare, it includes more exotic choices like beaver, cougar, bear as well as the more familiar dishes of venison, moose, whitefish and salmon. For the uninitiated there was turkey and roast beef.

The club had a terrific raffle table and offered grand prizes such as a Remington rifle, won by Malcom McKay, a compound bow won by Chuck Hardie of Kelowna and a turquoise ring won by Mary Ostermeier.

The winner of the ‘horn’ guess was Terry Dawe of Lumby.

The adult doorprize, a gift pack of wine went to Kathy Conkin of Osoyoos, and the junior prize, a flat of premium apples was won by Megan Ryll.

Emcee Greg Norton kept the evening moving smoothly and introduced dignitaries and lifetime membership honourees. The evening was wrapped up with a dance.

President Joan McKay has worked tirelessly for SOSA and she was a busy woman on Saturday night, as were other members. People from throughout the valley attended the special celebration.

The club has evolved into an important conservation endeavour since its first incarnation as the Oliver Fish and Game Club in 1943. Prior to that there was still an active group that was mentioned in the paper as early as 1937.

But it was the formation of SOSA that brought conservation to the forefront, and the pledge they adopted was "to save and faithfully defend from waste, the natural resources of our country – its soils and minerals, the forests, water and wildlife."

Game banquets became a tradition as early as 1946, and the annual sheep count, which was first organized by game biologist Pat Martin has been overseen by the club ever since.

In 1954 the club began work on its current clubhouse and the first meeting was held in that building 50 years ago – in 1956. Since then many conservation activities have been initiated or shepherded by SOSA.

It may surprise you to learn that they started the winter feeding program for bighorn sheep, deer and wild birds, restock several lakes, have laid pipeline to feed Sawmill Lake, built wharfs at area lakes, and have done fencing projects for wildlife. They have also been involved with the enhancement of habitat at Vaseaux Lake, conduct Wilderness Watch and educational programs like CORE.

At 96 years-old Jack Coates is the keeper of memories for SOSA. As well as being a senior member he says he is also the only survivor of the first meeting that was called to organize a sportsmen’s club in Oliver, over 60 years ago.

He has written a history that can be accessed through the galiander.ca website and the following information has been taken from that history. No one has a better sense of how it was, how it has changed and what is needed for the future.

"As an outdoors man and an enthusiastic hunter and fisherman, I became interested and involved in the Southern Okanagan Sportsmen’s Association both from the recreational aspect and as a valuable source of food for the family in the early days.

"When I came to Oliver in 1926 several of us with similar interests at heart had casual and informal meetings to discuss fishing and hunting interests, recommended bag limits, lake stocking and related interests.

"The area was teeming with pheasant and quail. There were many fences and irrigation ditches lined with sweet clover and miscellaneous cover, creating perfect habitat for the birds. Hawks and owls took a heavy toll on the birds, as did the snow and cold winters some years.

"As orchard management practices changed it was fatal for the bird life. Cover crop mowing destroyed their nests, fences disappeared and sprinkler irrigation eliminated irrigation ditches. Chemical sprays such as DDT and Parathion also took a heavy toll."

Coates goes on to say that the first meetings of the Oliver Fish and Game Club took place in the parlour of the Oliver Hotel – the hotel, he says "was the centre of social life in Oliver at that time." The attendance of those first meetings was limited to four individuals: Coates, Doug Smithers, Dave Evans and Hugh Allen.

"Our first president elected was Jim Finch, manager of the Oliver Co-op packing house. Jim served for one year and was succeeded by Abe Braun, local taxidermist. For the following two years, Jack Coates (narrator of these notes), served.

"Our meetings were held in the "dugout" of the Legion hall. At one meeting, a young fellow who had recently moved to Oliver from Victoria made himself known as a sportsman. This was Bill Kreller who was elected for the following two years.

"During my term as president we had our first turkey shoots which were popular and have since been financially successful. We also built the present trap range. My friend, Arly Gayton, a practical surveyor, laid out the ground and Jack Knodel, a stonemason, supervised the concrete work. Farm equipment was volunteered, and much of the labour volunteered by club members.

"A major accomplishment of the club was the purchase of the Sportsmen’s Bowl, a suitable and relatively safe area for trap and rifle shooting."

There are now over 350 members of SOSA and the club continues to promote conservation and to monitor the health of the natural environment.

BCFGA convention answers some questions, raises others

The banners have been put away, overheads stored and all other evidence removed, but the results of the 117^th annual BC Fruit Growers’ Association (BCFGA) convention won’t be forgotten any time soon by the people who attended.

The recent two-day meeting held during a 12-month period deeply marked by financial distress for growers and developmental pressures on diminishing agricultural land, dealt with a number of resolutions from the membership that mirrored the state of the fruit industry.

With approximately 40 resolutions focusing on such matters as financial programs, the Agricultural Land Reserve, crop protection, the replant program and guarantees of water availability, the event was crammed with discussions, arguments and exchanges of ideas.

"It was a hectic two days," commented BCFGA president, Joe Sardinha, who was elected for another term during the convention. "As usual, we took care of business and I have some idea where we’re going in the coming year."

And that business involved some soul-searching and reality checks on the part of growers who have seen their apple incomes drop to below production cost levels, while their orchards are coveted by developers who are ready to pay market value for the property.

"We have to start thinking of different options," said South Okanagan delegate Allan Patton later. "Otherwise, the only way a farmer can make money is by selling out and that’s just crazy.’

Guest speaker, agricultural minister, Pat Bell, refused to give cash-strapped growers an immediate ad hoc payment, saying such a move was not the government’s preferred method of sustaining any industry in this province. Instead he urged them to come up with a long-term strategy he could take back to Treasury Board, one that would reflect some hard plans for the future and show government that the tree fruit industry had a vision and a direction in which to take it for long-term sustainability.

"We need a strategy because if we are going to approach government for funding programs—if it is something that fits and has been identified within the strategy—the likelihood of succeeding and convincing them of the need for that funding will be much easier," said Sardinha.

And that potential for future financial aid coming on the heels of a substantial industry-wide strategy plan spurred some discussion among growers, both during the convention and afterwards.

An industry strategy is not a new idea, of course. As BCFGA general manager, Glen Lucas pointed out, the Sterile Insect Release program (SIR) and the replant program, as well as the development and introduction of new varieties have all been examples of previous strategies shaped by the tree fruit industry to remain competitive in an ever-changing, competitive marketplace.

However, the last one was done some years ago and to remain cutting edge and relevant, such plans have to be honed and modified as need dictates.

Currently that need is paramount and it is essential all the major industry players—BCFGA executive, delegates from the packinghouses, BC Tree Fruits, Okanagan Plant Improvement Company (PICO)—come to the table and take the lead in formulating, drafting and endorsing the strategy, as soon as possible.

"It won’t be a fix-all," warned Sardinha. "We have to be very realistic as to what we can expect in terms of outcomes, and I don’t see it as a one-time thing. It will be more like a living document because as conditions change, we will have to adjust the key areas in the strategy over time.

"But first we have to look 10 years down the road and work back from there: look at where our strengths are, what the threats are, make some assumptions, realize there are no magic short-term cures but that there are things we can do to better position ourselves to be successful."

One idea floating around and looking for a place to land was the possibility of a fruit marketing board—already an accepted component of other commodities.

The suggestion was voted down approximately 10 years ago, said Patton, but perhaps it was time to review the proposal again, particularly in view of the colossal failings of the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization program (CAIS).

"Right now a marketing board would suit us because we are way below producing what we consume, so we have lots of room to go up on that one."

Ranbir Kambo, a soft fruit orchardist from the Osoyoos area who is on the BCFGA executive said he was in favour of the move. And as an association executive member he will take direction from the other parties in the room when the time comes, but as a grower he made some immediate observations.

"As an orchardist, I see there is no protection for the grower, from any of the government levels, be they provincial or federal.

"I am from the poor but self-dependent country of India and even in that country before a grower puts grain or rice seeds in the fields, before he even takes the first step, the government announces,‘ this is the base rate for your crop. You want to go into it, it’s up to you.’

"And if the market falls below the base rate, the government there matches those funds to the grower. But this country is lacking something big time in this regard and I tried to put it across to the agriculture minister, but he is under budget restrictions and doesn’t want to look at it.

"Yet as a grower, when I go out there pruning at this time of year, I need to know what’s going to be in my pocket at the end of the year. Then I can make my decisions. Right now, growers don’t know what their returns will be."

And he was disappointed at the agricultural minister’s reaction to growers’ requests for assistance, preferring instead to work within the parameters of federal and provincial income stabilization programs.

"Bell is a businessman who looks at farming as simply another business—if you can’t make money then sell out and get into something else.

"He doesn’t see the land connection—that land is my pride. When a farmer owns the land he does not want to get rid of it; he holds on to it and tries as hard as possible to make his living at it."

Kambo added, "As for programs, we already have them and they don’t work. You just have to look at CAIS to see that. And while we devise new ones, the water is going above our growers’ noses."

It could just work

Everything has had an opinion regarding the amalgamation of the three RCMP detachments that covered the Oliver Osoyoos and Keremeos/Cawston area and to be honest not many of those opinions have leaned toward the positive.

Viewed as a money-saving manoeuvre that left communities with a faceless force that were as unfamiliar with the terrain as with the people they served few felt comfortable with the arrangement. And it wasn’t just the clients but several of the officers as well. They spoke off the record or after they had retired.

Whether it was a misconception that things became worse in terms of law enforcement after the ‘administrative’ amalgamation took place – or whether shortfalls were always shortfalls before and after – remains to be seen. The fact is that perception can act as a powerful mindset.

And truthfully the way we saw it – our perception – was that it was not working. And that it was better before. We had better communication with our officers, we recognized them as they were out in the community (and they were out in the community) and we didn’t have to listen to constant and frustrating back and forth requests on the scanner to find locations that were well known to members of the Oliver detachment.

We felt cut off and invisible. But now it seems there is a change for the better taking place. Some of it is due to finally having staffing levels at close to full complement, but also there have been some adjustments made. Keremeos/Cawston is now a separate entity – which it always should have been – geographically it did not make sense to have those communities included in the north/south coverage of Oliver and Osoyoos.

Oliver now has a new Sergeant, Kevin Schur, and a new Corporal, Mike Field, working out of the Oliver office. We already have a better press-police relationship forming and these two newcomers are often out in the community attending different functions. We seem to be getting those recognizable faces we’ve been missing.

So when there was a service review done (as promised three years ago) regarding the amalgamation it was hard to be as cranky as it might have been two months ago. Will there be an increased police presence on the road? Will difficulties like vandalism and thefts be dealt with? Will the drug dealers and grow ops get nabbed? Only time will tell. But if the two new additions to Oliver’s office are any indication the answers should lean toward the positive.