Some of the Central Okanagan park caretakers facing a Dec. 1 eviction date have been given a a temporary reprieve.
“We’ve been talking with each of the affected Parks on-site security contractors and are aware of their needs and are being flexible in order to accommodate them in their transition,” said Bruce Smith, spokesperson for the Central Okanagan Regional District
“I can’t comment about the terms of their tenancy but, as needed, they will be staying on past the end of this month.”
The length of stay, he added, varies according to the transition time indicated by each individual contractor. What’s clear, however, is that they won’t have to perform any duties at the park and the Commissionaires will begin contracted after-hours security.
There are seven parks that were expected to lose live in contractors — Mission Creek, Bertram Creek Woodhaven Nature Conservancy and Reiswig, Kopje, Scenic Canyon and Gellatly Heritage regional parks.
While there has been an extension to the move-out deadline for some park caretakers, those who have been living at Woodhaven, Kopje, Bertram or Reiswig parks, say they heard there were extensions but their replies to the district have yet to yield any response.
In the meantime, the effort to keep park contractors on-site continues.
Nancy Holmes started a petition calling to keep caretakers in parks a month ago and hundreds of signatures have been collected in an effort to reverse the parks’ department’s decision.
She’s asked to make a presentation to the Regional District of Central Okanagan board on multiple occasions and the issue has yet to make the agenda. Hopes that one of the board members would raise the issue on their own have also fallen flat.
On a recent story in the Capital News, one of those board members said he’d like to see the matter come before him as well.
“There are RDCO Directors as well as myself that would be interested in this presentation,” Wayne Carson, Central Okanagan West Regional Director, wrote.
” Unfortunately as with the power pole issue on Killiney Beach the CAO supported by the Board Chair block this type of information from the Board denying obviously political governance issues as “operational” … therefore none of our business? (Where’s) that famous transparency government is so proud of.”