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Septic Flush
THE CRISIS OF COUNTRY LIFE
» Thursday 15 October 2009 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing ideas
and people in the Okanagan creative economy. Join us as economic and cultural sustainability advocate Don Elzer provides insight into the emerging struggle of living successfullly in the rural Okanagan.
» $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
A Day in the Life of a Septic Tank: Flushing Out Issues in the Countryside
There is a growing separation between the needs of the BC Interior and those of the Vancouver's Lower Mainland and Victoria. But the differences might be more about urban needs as opposed to rural needs within an age where the planet, the economy and cultures are changing more quickly than political will. Not long ago former Manitoba Premier Howard Pawley suggested that Canada's greatest challenge will be how it deals with rural - urban divisions that are growing in this country.
At this year's Union of BC Municipalities meeting Delta Mayor and Metro Vancouver board chair Lois Jackson suggested that the UBCM is getting too weighted in favour of B.C.'s hinterland. "Some of our concerns down here, like transportation, are so different from the rest of the province," Jackson said. She also said there have been suggestions that UBCM could be split in two, with one body serving the Lower Mainland and another acting for the rest of B.C. "I don't know if it would be feasible or advisable, but we do have to look at a different way of doing things."
Don Elzer agrees, we have to look at a different way of doing things, but we also need to understand our present differences and why they are coming into conflict.
On Thursday, October 15th at 5 pm the ongoing weekly Okanagan Institute Express series at the Bohemian Café presents Septic Flush: The Crisis in Country Life. Join us as economic and cultural sustainability advocate Don Elzer provides insight into the emerging struggle of living successfullly in the rural Okanagan.
Don Elzer is an advocate dedicated to the survival of rural communities in the province. He and others of like mind have formed the Cascadia Conservancy an organization that links the protection of the environment with a sense of place for people living in rural BC. At Express, Elzer will take a journey into some of the hidden issues faced by the rural community in the Okanagan and why city folk should take notice.
"We're now witnessing a movement of baby-boomers seeking to retreat to quieter places. This will create a renaissance of sorts in the countryside as they seek spiritual reflection and a legacy. Small towns will become whiter, more educated, and the centre for wealth in the province, but they will also become the places where we choose to live out the rest of our lives."
Elzer forecasts that this will become an economic and cultural boom for rural BC, but that it also has a dark side. "We are not really prepared for this new migration. There is a lot of rural poverty, and as new wealth moves in there are places where conflicts will emerge as economic differences collide and between old and new residents and young and aged". He also proposes that the political will to deal with these emerging issues has not surfaced as we are preoccupied with more urban issues.
Elzer will touch on issues of food security, water, disappearing habitat and our air-shed and will combine them with a different sense of history of how we got here and within a humorous and thoughtful look at life as he experiences it in the countryside.
 Don Elzer is an investigative feature writer and syndicated columnist in demand for both his storytelling ability and his insightful knowledge of both consumer and cultural trends. As a community development consultant he has over 25 years of on-the-ground experience working with small and medium sized enterprises and communities. He has acquired key knowledge about current community issues impacting rural British Columbia. As a consultant with the Canadian Tourism Commission he developed one of the first eco-tourism strategies in British Columbia, as well as the first creative sector development strategy in the Okanagan Valley.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Septic Flush: The Crisis in Country Life takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 111th event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007.
Express has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, community activist Don Elzer, dancer David LaHay, architect Jim Meiklejohn, culinary artist and writer Heidi Noble, broadcaster Marion Barschel and others from a wide range of creative fields.
Special Events coming up in November (Click on image for more information.)
  
The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that has gathered around the goal of providing events, publications and services of interest to enquiring minds in the Okanagan. We partner with individuals, organizations, institutions and businesses to achieve optimal creative and social impact.
Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
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