Westside Naming Referendum

[brightstar]

I guess Reg Forrest is boycotting the Westside Weekly because I reported Chief Louie's opinions on naming a month or so earlier than JL of the CN.

On another note, I seem of often agree on things with Bestside. But really, Bestside, Okanagan Hills. What's the first word you think of juxtaposing with Okanagan? Lake, right? Next? Valley, right? Hills and Okanagan don't go together in mosgt people's minds. Further, just look at our hills. Development has destroyed most of them. The hills inside the Westside boundaries are a major embarassment. The tops are blasted flat, the trees were nuked, the natural terrain and topography is obliterated.

I do have to agree with you rturner....our "hills" really are unattractive. There's no green!! Travel a couple hours east or north of here and then you get some nice hills. Now, our lake is something to be proud of!

[Bestside]

I guess Reg Forrest is boycotting the Westside Weekly because I reported Chief Louie's opinions on naming a month or so earlier than JL of the CN.

On another note, I seem of often agree on things with Bestside. But really, Bestside, Okanagan Hills. What's the first word you think of juxtaposing with Okanagan? Lake, right? Next? Valley, right? Hills and Okanagan don't go together in mosgt people's minds. Further, just look at our hills. Development has destroyed most of them. The hills inside the Westside boundaries are a major embarassment. The tops are blasted flat, the trees were nuked, the natural terrain and topography is obliterated.

Well, I guess if you are not agreeing with me... I am agreeing with you.

Okanagan Hills is all you say... the only thing is... it is the best of a bad lot of names that we have been stuck with...

If we started with a clean slate to name this place without any prior baggage... the first names that would be rejected by anyone with a 50 point IQ or better would be the pure direction two... Westside and Westbank... then the next names to be rejected by anyone with a skill set of 80+ IQ would be the two semi direction cluster fuddle duddles West Kelowna and Westlake.

That leaves but one... Okanagan Hills... one could argue you are looking the wrong way away from the lake but in reality one is on the Okanagan hill looking over the vineyard AT the lake...

"Join us at Okanagan Hills to ski our mountain, hike our valley trails, get a flavor of Europe with our vineyards stretching over hill and dale, down to our namesake the beautiful Okanagan Lake right at our doorstep where we enjoy our beaches, swimming, boating, water sports of every description, and for the after hours risk takers, try downtown Kelowna for evening fare all shapes and sizes at the Liquid Zoo (google "West Kelowna" for a preview and directions)."

Or you could go with Wesssstbaaaaaank ......

[Fancy]

I still can't imagine Okanagan Hills as a name - so generic and meaningless - not that the other choices are any better but didn't Okanagan Hills garner the least votes? Or at the bottom of the heap. Whoville I thought did better

[angusog]

What should our new city be called?
Allison Hills
2
1%
Columbia Springs
3
2%
Glen Canyon
1
0%
Okanagan Hills
6
4%
Timberline
6
4%
Vintage Hills
4
2%
West Kelowna
34
22%
Westbank
77
52%
Westernesse
3
2%
Westlake
12
8%
Total votes : 148

How soon they forget, or is it a spoiler they are promoting? Hmmmmm.
The "spoiler effect" is a term to describe the effect a minor party candidate with little chance of winning can have on a close election, in which their candidacy results in the election being won by a candidate dissimilar to them rather than a candidate similar to them. The minor candidate is often referred to as a "spoiler."

I voted for Westbank yesterday. 100 years of history

[canadman]

Wow Bestside... you're starting to sound like an activist...lol

I like Okanagan Hills too. Great name. Too bad a vote for it will help our community be called Westbank or I would have voted for it myself.

I would have loved to explore some more new names. I don't think there were many inspiring ones from those submitted. Someone mentioned the word Grove tonight... I think Okanagan Grove or something like that would be great too. If I could have had it my way (which I obviously couldn't) this thread would have become all about debating the merits of fresh, new names.

How great would that have been... No baggage. No I've been here longer so I deserve this name more than you deserve yours... We could have been a fresh, new community uniting everyone together. Of course to do that you'd have to eliminate the divisive names first... Oh wait. I think that was tried.

It didn't work.

The forces were simply too great on either side (West Kelowna - Westbank) all of us have been left with a lousy choice... either join the fight and pick your favourite of the two contenders or pick something else and by doing so basically accept not only in effect not participating but also possibly contributing to a name being selected that you may wish wasn't.

Obviously I chose to stay engaged and pick a side. I HATE that we're picking sides. What a complete waste of my time and other volunteer's time. But hey, I feel like Council made that our only choice... So that's what I've done. The other choice is to do as you've proposed and stand purely on principle and pick a name like Okanagan Hills. But I can't accept throwing my vote away just to make a statement. I have to go with what I believe will be the better of the two that will likely be the neck and neck contenders.

I know you personally have scolded me for doing so and I accept that, and probably I'd feel the same way if I were in your position but I truly, truly, truly believe that the name West Kelowna will help this community on so many levels where Westbank won't. Not the best name but one that will work vs one that in my opinion...my opinion... will not.

You know during the naming committee days I agreed a great deal with your view on things. I even championed the ballot proposal that you put forward (although it ended up altered somewhat once it got to the committee). I just can't agree with you on this one point. I just can't place my vote for a name I pretty much know will not be in contention and help a name I really feel is the weakest of the batch for our community get selected as a result.

Anyway... Just 1 day to go.

[Fancy]

I would have loved to explore some more new names.

Something more unique to the area would have been nice. Okanagan Hills is applicable to the valley up and down. Picking sides? What else would one expect? That's only natural.

[canadman]

Yes, if only there was a name that distinctly identified us with where we are. Something that peopole couldn't mistake for being in another part of the Valley, or the Province or the world... Something like, I dunno, West Kelowna?

[Fancy]

Too lame - Kelowna is already taken and may not be available in any form.

[canadman]

You're right a name that's a direction is much better...like Westside, or Westbank... Now that's unique! And no mistaking where that place is... after all everyone knows the place that's on a west bank of anything in Canada has to be referring to the west side of Lake Okanagan.

[CountryAtHeart]

Sky, at your home on WFN land?

Yup, LOL, maybe the Westbank Advocates don't know their own boundaries! Now they are soliciting on WFN lands as well ....I really couldn't believe it. They must be getting pretty desperate to try to garner votes from people who aren't allowed to vote.

[Bestside]

Sky, at your home on WFN land?

Yup, LOL, maybe the Westbank Advocates don't know their own boundaries! Now they are soliciting on WFN lands as well ....I really couldn't believe it. They must be getting pretty desperate to try to garner votes from people who aren't allowed to vote.

You think?

[Bestside]

You're right a name that's a direction is much better...like Westside, or Westbank... Now that's unique! And no mistaking where that place is... after all everyone knows the place that's on a west bank of anything in Canada has to be referring to the west side of Lake Okanagan.

or West Kelowna, or Westlake...


I have approved the following message:

[Bestside]

I would have loved to explore some more new names.

Something more unique to the area would have been nice. Okanagan Hills is applicable to the valley up and down. Picking sides? What else would one expect? That's only natural.

WOW... that's a commendable piece of logic!
People should pay attention to that...

If Okanagan Hills is applicable to the Okanagan valley...
then Westbank is applicable to _________________? (Fill in the blanks.)

In other words we need something applicable to the Okanagan...
the Okanagan is the best place in the world...
The Okanagan is far better known than Kelowna is.
Look at the label on your bottle of wine from this area.
Some even have their address as "Okanagan Valley ... V4T 2E4"

Okanagan Hills is not perfect but it is the best name available:

[Fancy]

WOW... that's a commendable piece of logic!
People should pay attention to that...

If Okanagan Hills is applicable to the Okanagan valley...
then Westbank is applicable to _________________? (Fill in the blanks.)

Westbank was already a top choice and a name in use. That little

piece of logic

has been used by others before me and it made sense since the Okanagan stretches through many cities and towns.

[Jo]

I'm locking this thread. The conversation (if you can call it that), all 1,000,0000,0000,0000 pages of it, is here:

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=14312&p=415290#p415290