Year in Review - Grand Forks/Boundary '09
By Mona Mattei
Ed Note: The following was penned by the editor of our sister paper in Grand Forks, The Boundary Sentinel. A brand-new addition to the Lone Sheep family, The Sentinel, like The Source, has enjoyed a rapid uptake in reader awareness and has become a fundamental element of the media mix in its community. To track what’s going on with our neighbours over the hill visit www.boundarysentinel.com
While the Boundary Sentinel is quite young, our readers are passionate about the news, in Grand Forks and across the Boundary region. The readers choice stories for 2009 are: New administrator appointed for Grand Forks, and Democracy wins out in marijuana debate.
The announcement of long-term city hall employee Lynn Burch taking over the reigns as the city’s new chief administrative officer was well-received by the community when Victor Kumar, city manager for the last five years in Grand Forks, moved over to Rossland. Burch officially was sworn in on Dec. 7, after working her way up the ranks during her 22 years on staff.
Although councillor Joy Davies introduced the idea of supporting a movement to change medical marijuana legislation early in 2009, her attempts to get council to agree on the topic have been met with resistance. She has started a local medical marijuana users support group and initiated a group to discuss how to develop a local response to what she sees as barriers to use of a legal medication. While she has not personally brought the topic up at the council table, except in her report on activities, upset citizens have continued to ask that the topic be banned from the council table. One resident in particular, Sylvia Treptow, brought the topic forward at several council meetings during question period. In an attempt to address concerns and a petition that Treptow presented to them in November, the council was faced with a motion to ban the discussion of medical marijuana at their meeting on Dec. 7. In the end, the council supported the democratic right of citizens (and topics) to be heard.
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