Lawsuit threat prompts apology

The Okanagan East Regional District Director is backing down from statements made last month in which she asked for the resignation of both the board chair and Director of Development Services.

Photo: Contributed - RDCO

Okanagan East Regional Director, Patty Hanson

Patty Hanson issued a public apology during a brief special meeting of the board Thursday morning.

Hanson says it wasn't an apology she necessarily wanted to make.

"I had to make a public apology to the board chair and to the director of planning, so I've done that," says Hanson.

"I had to do it because they were going to have legal action against me. I just did it for a statement to say how frustrated I am with the process."

At an RDCO board meeting April 23, Hanson read a statement asking for the resignations of Robert Hobson (chair) and Dan Plamondon (development director), stating the board had been misled and provided with inaccurate information pertaining to the Kelowna Mountain project which falls in her electoral area.

She stated at the time she was frustrated with the level of governance and decision making around Electoral Area 'E.'

Hanson says that level of frustration remains.

"In a meeting with the administrator I said, 'okay fine, I'll do it (apologize) but you have to understand how frustrated I am on the regional board and the process that is governing my area right now.'"

Despite those frustrations, Hanson issued the following statement at Thursday's special board meeting:

"I would like to make a formal public apology to Chair Robert Hobson and Director of Development Services Dan Plamondon for my statements at the Regional District Board meeting on April 23, 2012 where I asked for their resignation. I recognize that this has caused them personal grief and was an attack on their professional reputation and as such, I unequivocally retract my statements that the entire Board was deliberately misled by the Chair and Director.

I was frustrated with the process for rural development and commit to working with our staff, the Chair and my colleagues on the Board in the future to deal with issues such as this."

Director Patty Hanson

The board voted unanimously to accept the statement.

A motion by director Gail Given asking for a 'strong vote of confidence' in both Hobson and Plamondon was also passed unanimously.

The Regional District is holding a special public hearing Monday night in City of Kelowna Council Chambers on the South Slopes Official Community Plan.

The South Slopes includes the proposed Kelowna Mountain project, however, the property is not part of the OCP but has been identified as a 'Recreation Resort Study Area.'

Hanson says she wants the OCP delayed and wants Kelowna Mountain added.