A resolution introduced by Keremeos Councillor Arlene Arlow for submission to the Union of BC Municipalities at the last council meeting returned for further discussion on Feb.17.
Keremeos Mayor Manfred Bauer brought forward to council additional information regarding the resolution, which sought to “request the UBCM to petition the province to require all motels, hotels and other public accommodation facilities to change their telephone systems so that emergency services are accessible from all rooms simply by dialing 911 without the need to first dial nine for an outside line.”
Bauer did some homework regarding the issue, and presented some compelling reasons for council to reconsider the motion.
It’s too bad the rest of council didn’t do their homework, Bauer and Councillor Cowling notwithstanding. (They were the only two opposed to the motion.)
As Bauer noted, there is little evidence - other than an anecdotal story coming out of the U.S. about one instance where a child couldn’t dial 911 from a motel room - to suggest this resolution is a necessary, or even desireable, requirement for society.
With only two motels in the village, both of whom would be forced to pay for an expensive reconfiguration of their phone systems, why Keremeos council would even meddle in such an edict is a good question.
The present version of council hasn’t done a lot in its term to create much in the way of lasting positive impressions with village residents. With a muncipal election looming this year, the last thing they should be doing is wasting time, energy and money on knee-jerk resolutions that with even the most cursory research should have been defeated at the outset.