September 18, 2007
Kamloops Daily News


Appearances are not deceiving. If Kamloops appears to be an
extension of the Okanagan, then we are and decisions will be
made accordingly.

For example, it appears that CBC executives think Kelowna
can speak for Kamloops. That's why they recently scrapped
plans to open a CBC radio studio in Kamloops and instead,
plan to expand the existing studio in Kelowna.

Even if you don't listen to CBC radio or watch CBC TV,
millions of Canadians do. And what they see and hear shapes
their opinion. If they don't see an event on national
media, it doesn't happen.

Kamloops is invisible to the nation because we are not
linked the rest of Canada.

Canadians don't generally know about the devastation of our
Kamloops' forests from the pine beetle. And they wont'
know until the devastation reaches Kelowna and only then
will Kamloops' loss become a national concern seen through
the Okanagan lens.

Why isn't anyone from Kamloops on the federal government's
Mountain Pine Beetle Advisory Board? Because no one sees
any problem here. Even the federal money we receive does
not acknowledge the death of our forest but instead goes to
airport expansion.

Why is the Prince George region represented on the board?
Because Prince George is nobody's annexation. Prince George
is an identifiable region as far as the federal government
is concerned. CBC executives also think it's a distinct
part of the province and therefore Prince George has a radio
studio like Kelowna.

The differences between our region and the Okanagan are
obvious.

As Hugh Jordan explains in his letter to the Daily News:
"There are too many geographic and demographic separations
for the CBC outlet in Kelowna to adequately represent us."

Kelowna faces south geographically. The Okanagan is an
extension of the Sonora desert that stretches all the way
through the U.S. to Mexico.

The Kamloops region is geographically defined by the
Thompson River valleys, the southern Cariboo, and the
Highland Valley. Our region is historically dependent on
the cattle, mining and logging industries whereas fruit
growing and wineries characterize the Okanagan.

Kelowna faces east financially. Ron Mattiussi, city manager
of Kelowna, explained the influence that money from Alberta
has on the Okanagan. "Financing for projects comes almost
entirely from Edmonton and Calgary," he told me.

The Okanagan's southern and eastern exposures of have shaped
their politics. The concept of rugged individualism has
created a Conservative stronghold in the Okanagan.
Adherents assert (often loudly) that people have to stand on
their own two feet.

Our region's small-c conservatism has a social conscience.
Neighbours help each other out when they are in trouble.
The social imperative of the sparse population of the
Cariboo is one of community, not competition. As a result,
the Thompson-Cariboo often elects NDP members, which would
be unlikely in Kelowna.

When I mentioned to Mattiussi that, unlike Kelowna, Kamloops
has no CBC TV studio, no radio studio, not even a CBC TV
transmitter, his reaction was "that's scary'"

It is scary that we are in a "black hole," as Jordan pointed
out. The Thompson Plateau may be red and dead from pine
beetle destruction but colour us black when it comes to
national attention.

CBC plans to expand radio production in 15 cities the size
of Kamloops across Canada. But not here.

It's not just a question of fairness; it's only fair that we
should get an equal share of broadcasting resources when we
pay for the CBC through taxes. It's not just a matter of
pride. It's demeaning to have Kelowna speak for Kamloops as
if we were pathetic dependents of the Okanagan.

What's at stake is our unique identity and the benefits that
follow from being heard and seen nationally as part of a
distinct region.

If local broadcasters were part of a national network then
local concerns would be shared throughout Canada. Kamloops'
broadcasters do a good job of reporting the news but it
never gets out of the void that shrouds the region.

As long as we are considered an annex of Kelowna, we are
doomed to obscurity.

Like it or not, CBC is Canada's only national radio and TV
network that links the regions of Canada together. It's a
way of sharing our news, concerns, and interests.

As long as we are out of the loop, we are out of sight, out of
mind and out of luck when it comes to federal programs.

David Charbonneau is the owner of Trio Technical.
He can be reached at dcharbonneau13@shaw.ca

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