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Dear Editor:

Open letter to Tina Lee, BC NDP candidate for Penticton-Summerland

When we elect people to represent us in Victoria, we can only hope that they have integrity and a commitment to truly represent the people from their area. Yesterday, Ms. Lee had the opportunity to show us just how she will represent all her constituents 鈥� no matter what their issues may be.

On Sept. 15 a number of people saw her invitation to a public meeting on social media and drove 20 minutes from Penticton to attend. It was both alarming and disappointing to learn that she has a list of 鈥渦ndesirables鈥� that she has blocked from attending any public meetings she holds.听 Is this how she would behave if she were to be elected?听听

I have been to a few meetings that she has hosted for politicians, and her solution in preventing those tough questions from being asked of our Government is to ignore us and block us from participating in question-answer periods -- and now, she is actually preventing many people from attending her meetings for simply asking tough questions.

Ms. Lee has shown that only those people she considers 鈥渄esirable鈥� will be able to attend her meetings. I鈥檇 like you to know, Ms. Lee that participation by those people who dare to ask those challenging questions is in your and the publicsa国际传媒 best interest.

It was reassuring to have the police you called lecture your people on advertising a public meeting and then 听acting as though it were 鈥榩rivate鈥� 鈥揹iscrimination is in violation of our rights and freedoms and is illegal in Canada. You Ms. Lee, violated our rights.

You left us with no choice but to remain outside your meeting and hold signs up in protest.

As an employee of MP Richard Cannings鈥�, you have had years to answer our emails, phone calls, and letters and to have civil public discourse with us -- but not once did you reply to us.

Yes, we have tough questions -- but someone who truly represents their citizenry would take the time to learn about our concerns and represent us.

This lack of representation does not bode well for the people of Penticton and Summerland if you were to be elected.听听

Instead of having civil discussions, your response is to block us, have files on us, and to call the police when we show up at your public meetings. Shame.

Victoria Whitehead, Summerland

TINA LEE RESPONDS: 鈥淚 appreciate the Herald giving us the opportunity to call out the inaccuracies in this letter. Their account is a gross misrepresentation from individuals who have disrupted NDP events for years. Their aggressive and physical intimidation is one of the reasons there has been past RCMP involvement resulting in enhanced security at Richard Cannings鈥� MP Office.

Our event was a 鈥渃ommunity conversation鈥� hosted with farmers and those interested in agriculture to discuss ideas and solutions with an important and hard-hit sector. This was clearly promoted as a BC NDP campaign event, with a request to RSVP ahead of time. Unfortunately, requiring RSVPs has become the norm because of this same group of disruptive folks.

This group of four, three of which are noted as security concerns for our MPsa国际传媒 office, did not RSVP and resisted sharing their names with campaign staff. The word 鈥渦ndesirable鈥� was not used by my staff, volunteers or I at any time. As a part of MP Cannings鈥� staff, we have heard these folks out on several occasions and we simply do not agree with their 5G misinformation, anti-vaccination stance and anti-SOGI 123 agenda.

I was unwilling to make space for their conspiracy theories and intimidation tactics in our important discussion between farmers, growers and agricultural community members.

Despite our differences, we took many steps to initiate conversation and provide a peaceful outcome. They declined these invitations to discuss their concerns at a later date. We even delayed the start of our event by over 15 minutes so that Corky Evans, our guest of honour, could speak directly to this group.

Instead, they continued to disrupt by heckling, shouting, displaying hate speech, and banging on glass walls. After 1.5 hours of escalating disturbances, we called the RCMP to protect the venue and ensure the safety of all attendees.

We would like to thank Summerland RCMP for attending to the scene quickly and helping us maintain our attendees鈥� peace, particularly consulting on safe exits from the building.

Lastly, we would like to thank everyone who came to help us discuss solutions for one of the biggest issues affecting our region. As a candidate asking for your vote, I value these conversations as part of the democratic process. Democracy should also include candidates feeling safe and free to hold gatherings rooted in respect, civility, and integrity.鈥�

Tina Lee,听NDP candidate

Baseball team needs a coach

Dear Editor:

I鈥檓 writing today after witnessing the disappointment and despair in the youthful faces of our West sa国际传媒 15U baseball players (12-14 years old).

The team showed up first thing Sunday morning, 听excited to play their first weekend games of the fall season.听 These kids love their game!

Unfortunately, this team of players is without a coach to guide them through the game and the plays as they face their opponents. Thankfully, a coach from a 13U team stepped in for the day, along with a previous coach joining for the second game.