10 questions from Oliver Daily News

1. What would you change if elected Area  C Director?

I would change the elected position’s mindset from acting as the director to being an active listener, a listening representative representing the Area C residents’ points of view, regardless the leaning and without any personal bias.

2. Would you change or enhance the relationship with the Town including joint services such as Frank Venables Theatre, Oliver Parks, Oliver Heritage, Dump

Rather than change or enhance, I would try to advance the relationship with the Town to a level where both parties understand the folly of Private Societies operating joint services. An enhanced answer would take away from the other nine questions. The expanded answer can be found on the website known as JoelMalcolm then simply add a .com and you are there.

3. Should the RDOS take over rural fire protection?

No.

4. Should the people of Area C be engaged in an information exchange about different forms of governance including a district municipality?

Why Not?

5. National Park – promote one OR?

Few would deny the logic of conservation and to that end would encourage and promote a Provincial Park, achieving the most with the least resistance or achieving the most with greatest amount of support, depending on which side you were on to begin with.

6. Loose Bay water – whose responsibility and cost?

Responsibility for costs ought to be with those who employ our fellow Canadians by making charitable and tax deductable donations to the non profit Loose Bay Society to enable them to bear the responsibility and the costs. That’s a perfect example of a non profit society’s role in society,

7. Wine Capital or Rural Community with MANY attributes

Wine Capital of Canada was/is a self-appointed title and as meaningful as such. In reality it is the Rural Community including the Osoyoos Indian Band making it possible for the Town to make such a claim.

Perhaps Wine Country Capital is more apropos? If elected, I will ask for and report the Wineries’ points of view. On the other hand, I think only a few take the Town of Oliver’s Wine Capital claim seriously.

8.Your ideas for change if elected

Same answer as question 1.

9. Ways to bring OIB, rural and town closer together

If we are not going to include the Osoyoos Indian Band or the Rural Area in the Wine Country Capital concept, then begin instead by involving all parties in the basic problems of, water, sewage and air pollution to ensure same interest levels by all concerned. The solutions will be most meaningful to all and may cause the Town to come to grips with the fact that neither the OIB nor the Rural Area needs the Town to survive and prosper. The same cannot be said for the Town.

10. More business? more industry? more jobs? HOW

Both the Osoyoos Indian Band and the Rural Communities are continually growing their cultural, agricultural, tree fruit, vintner, ranching, tourist and other businesses along with their supporting industries, thereby creating more jobs. If the Town would do the same we would be in paradise.

Joel Malcolm