Amid concerns about accountability and communication, the Fraser Basin Council has been asked to take over administration of the Shuswap Lake Integrated Planning Process (SLIPP).
SLIPP was launched in response to intense pressures from increased development, pollution entering lakes in the Shuswap watershed, and conflicting demands on recreation resources.
The Thompson Nicola Regional District, Salmon Arm, Sicamous and Columbia Shuswap Regional District electoral areas C, D, E and F agreed to fund a three-year pilot project with annual allocations of $335,000.
The project comes to an end March 31, 2014 and the funding partners met Jan. 9 in Salmon Arm with CSRD chief administrative officer Charles Hamilton to discuss concerns.
The late Ted Bacigalupo, former CSRD chair, Electoral Area C South Shuswap director and SLIPP chair, was an active and enthusiastic champion of the process.
The meeting attendees were concerned about too few meetings since his death and a lack of administrative oversight.
Minutes from the meeting indicate the funding partners continue to support SLIPP because it addresses fundamental issues that contribute to poor water quality and environmental issues, and is the vehicle bringing many agencies together to co-ordinate jurisdictional responsibilities and activities.
The minutes also report support for the technical steering committee and its work, the way SLIPP reduces duplication of service and brings attention to issues relative to Shuswap Lake by provincial and federal agencies, and reduces bureaucracy – although attendees expressed concern about “authority issues” and “targeting” that have arisen around dock removal.
Other concerns were expressed included:
• the funding is being used to pay for provincial and federal responsibilities.
• there has been poor public communication.
Ian McGregor, former section head of Ministry of the Environment’s Fish and Wildlife Branch in Kamloops, headed up the SLIPP technical committee and worked very closely with Bacigalupo.
“It was noted that Mr. Ian McGregor has undertaken both administrative and technical responsibilities for SLIPP and that this is creating some difficulties with program management and oversight,” read the Jan. 9 meeting notes. “Fraser Basin Council has offered to address these governance issues by taking over administrative duties effective immediately.”
Salmon Arm Mayor Nancy Cooper says her understanding is that attendees were pleased with McGregor’s work with the technical committee and wanted to free up his time.
Mike Simpson, manager for Fraser Basin’s Thompson Region, says CSRD officials approached him prior to the Christmas break to ask if the Fraser Basin Council would take on a greater role in administering the project.
“We did not have any decision-making authority over how funds were spent,” Simpson says. “We received and administered funds as per the directions of the SLIPP program manager.”
Simpson has since presented CSRD with a proposal for their approval.
Both McGregor and SLIPP program manager Sarah Evanetz have resigned since the Jan. 9 meeting, but Simpson would provide no other details as he says the project is “in transition.”
Cooper admits to being caught off-guard by McGregor’s resignation last week.
“He is technical, he has the knowledge, he’s done a lot of work and he’s really good at what he does, so the idea was to free him up to do what he does well,” she says, noting she, and others she has spoken with, were very surprised by his departure. “Everyone thought, ‘what a great guy, what a great job.’”
McGregor had not responded to a call from the Shuswap Market News at press time.
The funding partners, meanwhile, agreed they will meet their promised financial commitments for 2013 and the Jan. 9 meeting notes reveal attendees supported CSRD CAO Charles Hamilton’s suggestion.
“Based on the comments, discussion and general support for the program, the chief administrative officer (Charles Hamilton) recommended that the funding partners agree to contribute to the program for the final year of the pilot project and consider reviewing, reworking or discontinuing the program in 2014 and beyond at a future meeting.”