Summerland risks losing an unprecedented economic opportunity, if it does not make a “strong, enthusiastic” pitch to become the location for a proposed correctional facility in the Okanagan, says a former councillor and candidate for mayor.
Peter Waterman said Summerland will struggle to pay its bills in the future if it does not secure the proposed facility as he urged the community to rally behind the proposal.
Last year, Solicitor General Rich Coleman announced the provincial government is seeking a site in the Okanagan to build a new 360-cell correctional centre for use starting in 2015.
The facility would house individuals who are serving time for crimes with penalties that run less than two years in length.
Several Okanagan communities including Summerland and Penticton have since agreed to consult their citizens about the proposal prior to the application deadline April 1. Summerland citizens have until Feb. 21 to voice their opinions.
The district has publicly promised that council “may... direct staff to investigate the possibility of a suitable location” in the case of overwhelming support.
Waterman said the facility could boost the district tax base by up to $1.5 million. The district currently collects about $6.5 million annually in taxes.
The facility also promises to boost the local economy through salaries for staff working directly at the facility, as well as related activities and spin-offs, said Waterman.
The proposal has generated considerable interest in the community to the point that Mayor Janice Perrino — who had initially opposed the proposal — backtracked to support (along with the rest of council) a public consultation process now underway. Penticton city official held a public input meeting last week, drawing up to 400 people.
This process has unfolded against the backdrop of economic stagnation throughout the region. Summerland in 2009 and 2010 has lost several hundred jobs, primarily in agriculture.
Other measures of this stagnation include a shrinking population — Summerland lost more than 250 residents between the summer of 2009 and 2010 — and a growing use of charitable services.
Waterman said the proposed correctional facility would steady Summerland’s economy and finances.
“The south end of the valley needs a steady economic anchor,” he said.
Waterman, citing information provided during Monday’s public hearing in Penticton, said the facility would employ about 600 people during its construction period and 240 individuals during its operation, with additional contracted staff of nurses, doctors, dentists, food service personnel, trades people and counsellors.
Overall, Waterman pegged the overall value of the facility at about $200 million.
Waterman also challenged the various arguments critics of the proposal have brought forward.
Critics of the proposal have noted that Summerland is not an ideal location for the facility in light of the provincial criteria, a charge which Waterman rejects.
“We can meet all of the criteria,” he said.
They include among others the availability of a suitable piece of property — the province is looking for about eight hectares of land outside the Agricultural Land Reserve and largely free of aboriginal title claims — and relative proximity to Kelowna and Vernon.
Suitable locations in Summerland include municipal land behind the water treatment plant and a site north of the community near Highway 97.
Waterman said either of these locations would put the proposed facility “out of sight, out of mind” in addressing any possible damages to the community’s visual scenery and image.
Waterman also suggested that opponents of the facility might be suffering from a case of NIMBY (Not In My Backyard.) “You are not taking hardened criminals,” he said.
Summerland, he noted, would actually be helping society by serving as a place where people can get their lives back together as the facility will feature rehabilitative measures.
“Summerland... has not only the chance to benefit, but to assist people in rehabilitating their lives,” said Waterman. He also rejects the argument that Summerland might be acting out of short-sighted desperation.
It is not a question of choosing between the correctional facility on one hand and other opportunities in tourism and high-tech on the other hand, he said.
Summerland, he said, should go after opportunities in those fields. It might never get an opportunity like the proposed correctional facility again, he said.