Director Reflects on Ten Years of Change
By Barbra Fairclough
Paul Demenok first ran for local office in 2012. After ten years in his position, he is choosing to not run in the October 15th local election.
In 2012 Mr. Demenok had resided in Blind Bay for three years and was president of the Shuswap Lake Estates Community Association. Area C had 7662 residents.
Encouraged by residents and friends to run for office, he won the by-election for Area C Columbia Shuswap Regional District Director in 2012, and the elections subsequently held in 2014 and 2018.
Director Demenok reflected on some of the significant projects he has been a part of.
“At the time of the election in 2012, the Shuswap Lake Integrated Planning Process (SLIPP) was a hot issue. Some felt it over-stepped its mandate and was over-reaching and many wanted it canceled. After numerous community consultations, it was clear water quality was particularly important to residents. Fraser Basin Council was hired and assisted in a reconfiguration and Shuswap Watershed Council was formed in 2014/2015. Terms of reference were drawn up, technical committees were formed, water quality monitoring was streamlined, expenses were reduced, and the invasive species and water safety programs were developed.”
The initial stages of the Area C Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP) had begun when Director Demenok first took the position. “We formed an advisory committee, a consultant was hired, and we took it to a fairly complete stage. After evaluating several options, we focused on a location at Balmoral corner to treat effluent and an application was made to exclude the land from the Agricultural Land Reserve. It was a significant disappointment when the application was declined.”
“Going forward, starting the LWMP over from scratch will be important. We are monitoring the lake and see adverse human impacts relating to settlement. We will need better liquid waste treatment over time if we wish to protect lake water quality. The lake attracts tourism and serves as our drinking water reservoir so its important we maintain the quality of Shuswap Lake.”
Acknowledging the important role of non-profit groups, Director Demenok worked with the Chamber of Commerce to form the Shuswap Non-Profit Network, an ad hoc group that communicates and shares ideas.
“There are 47 non-profit societies that contribute a terrific amount to our quality of life, and they provide important services such as medical clinics, first responders, transportation, and a variety of recreational options.”
“South Shuswap Rides is a terrific service for the community. Many people are thankful for the service, and do not know what they would do without it. This service relies on volunteerism with around twenty drivers, and we are now applying for grants to get a second vehicle.”
“The housing study illustrated what we all knew and that is there is a significant shortage of seasonal worker, low income, and seniors housing. It’s a very challenging problem due to costs of construction and land.”
“Development of the Area C Parks Plan included surveys, written input, and many stakeholder’s meetings and consultations. The plan is still current. It identified several shortcomings and several projects defined in the plan have yet to be realized.”
“The Official Community Plan process had been going on for many years before we moved here; starting and stopping several times, it was controversial. There were several points of view, and it was difficult to see what the majority thought because there were many loud voices in the room. It was a very interesting and useful process. One of the first things I did was pick up the pieces, simplified some things and moved it forward to a finalized stage. It has been very useful but should be updated soon.”
“Building inspection was a significant new service for Area C. In addition, I worked hard at the CSRD Board to simplify processes for permitting development, subdivision, docks, and buoys, and variances.”
“With the Incorporation Study, Covid affected the process making it impossible to meet in person for some time. It was disappointing as there was not a high level of community participation since at most there was only 37 people in attendance at the meetings.”
“Communication to residents from local government is important and a full-time communications position at the CSRD now supports this. It is critical to inform people what is going on, but despite that I see a growing level of mistrust of government. Local government is closest to the people and we usually field calls involving all levels of government.”
“Shuswap Economic Development was a service function within the CSRD but was not delivering good value for the tax dollars. So, changes were made to make it independent, and the Shuswap Economic Development Society was formed recently to help Areas C, D, and F grow and prosper in a sustainable way.”
The next local general election is October 15th. The current Area C represented by Director Demenok will be divided into two areas, each with its own elected director. New Area C will have 3245 residents and a new Area G, will have 5719 residents. This will provide a more equitable representation at the CSRD Board table.
When asked what is different since first being elected, Director Demenok said “We are seeing tremendous growth and more young families in our area. Population wise, with nine thousand people in Area C we are larger than over 100 municipalities in BC. The demand for amenities is increasing and an issue is that services are not keeping up. Is waiting over an hour for an ambulance what we really want? Many moving here from the lower mainland are looking for basic amenities like water and sewer, police, ambulance, schools, parks and recreational facilities.”
When asked what he would like to see in this area, Director Demenok suggested some seniors housing and assisted living facilities would make it possible for people to live here longer and stay in the community. He noted that some parks plan recommendations are yet to be realized and a recreation facility would be beneficial to community health and the local economy.
With two new Area Directors filling the roles in new Area C and new Area G, the South Shuswap is poised for change. Thanks to Director Demenok for 10 years of public service and we wish him well in his next endeavours.
