The community of Summerland has sometimes been referred to as sa国际传媒淪lumberland,sa国际传媒� a somewhat derogatory reference to the relaxed pace of life here.
The city of Winnipeg is sometimes called sa国际传媒淲interpeg,sa国际传媒� a reference to its long and cold winters.
And the Okanagan Valley is sometimes called the sa国际传媒淪mokanagan.sa国际传媒� This descriptor has been used during the past couple of summers, as the valley has been affected by smoke from severe wildfire seasons.
None of these terms are particularly flattering or appealing.
And each of these terms is short on accuracy.
Summerland has a lot more going on than the sa国际传媒淪lumberlandsa国际传媒� moniker would suggest.
Winnipeg, despite its memorable winters, also experiences beautiful summers.
And while the Okanagan Valley has been affected by wildfires, devastating fire seasons are not the image anyone in this area wants to present to the world.
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sa国际传媒淪mokanagansa国际传媒� is a term hated by chambers of commerce and those involved in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Last week, David Hull, executive director of the Summerland Chamber of Commerce, spoke out about the term after he saw it in a news headline about the Eagle Bluff wildfire burning near Oliver.
sa国际传媒淲e have to rebuild our bright, sunny Okanagan reputation,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭ourismsa国际传媒檚 a big part of the economy.sa国际传媒�
Some might defend the use of the term sa国际传媒淪mokanagansa国际传媒� as a way to quickly describe the effect of wildfires on the area.
However, the term doesnsa国际传媒檛 really say much. It doesnsa国际传媒檛 say if a fire is contained or out of control. It doesnsa国际传媒檛 address if homes or communities are at risk. In short, itsa国际传媒檚 a sloppy, lazy term.
More importantly, referring to this valley as the sa国际传媒淪mokanagansa国际传媒� serves to trivialize a serious issue.
In recent years, summer wildfires in British Columbia have been devastating.
Last summer was the worst fire season in B.C.sa国际传媒檚 recorded history, with 2,117 fires destroying 1,354,284 hectares and resulting in 66 evacuation orders, affecting 2,211 properties.
Anyone who lived in this valley or most parts of the province will remember the heavy smoke and the poor air quality for much of the summer.
Some will remember being forced to leave their homes because of evacuation orders, while others were worried about friends and family members living near an out-of-control fire.
A term like sa国际传媒淪mokanagansa国际传媒� seems to minimize this level of devastation.
The summer of 2017 was almost as bad as last summer, with more than 1.2 million hectares burned, around 65,000 people displaced and the longest provincial state of emergency in British Columbiasa国际传媒檚 history.
Again, those who lived here at the time will remember the fires were closer to this valley than any of us wanted.
There have been plenty of other bad fire seasons in our province in recent years.
At times, roads and highways have been closed because wildfires were burning nearby.
Evacuation alerts and evacuation orders have also affected homes in our region.
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And while this yearsa国际传媒檚 fire season is far less severe than in previous years, many of us have grab-and-go bags ready, just in case we need to evacuate.
The intensity of recent wildfire seasons sa国际传媒� and not just in 2017 and 2018 sa国际传媒� is something to take seriously.
This is the time to have conversations about ways to prevent or reduce the risk of wildfire.
Itsa国际传媒檚 also a time to discuss forest management, controlled burns and firefighting strategies.
Words like sa国际传媒淪mokanagansa国际传媒� do not belong in those discussions.
John Arendt is the editor of the Summerland Review.
To report a typo, email:
news@summerlandreview.com.
news@summerlandreview.com
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