Look closely at the candidates
Dear Editor:
I鈥檓 writing in response to the recent article featuring Gavin Dew (Aug. 17), a new sa国际传媒 resident who has decided to run with the BC Conservative Party in the city I鈥檝e proudly called home for nearly 30 years.
While I respect Mr. Dewsa国际传媒 right to pursue his political ambitions, I feel itsa国际传媒 important to clarify some points he raised about the BC United team and our leadership.
Mr. Dewsa国际传媒 comments about BC United 鈥渇alling apart鈥 under Kevin Falconsa国际传媒 leadership don鈥檛 align with the reality I鈥檝e experienced working with the BC United team under Mr. Falconsa国际传媒 leadership.
I鈥檝e seen firsthand the strength and vision of Kevinsa国际传媒 leadership in the work I have done for the past decade on the BC Small Business Round Table. His commitment to building a better British Columbia is unwavering, and our team is united in that mission.
Over the past decade, through my roles with the BC Small Business Roundtable, Innovate BC, and the Accelerate Okanagan Technology Association, I have witnessed firsthand what is happening with an NDP government at the helm.
Itsa国际传媒 troubling and, quite frankly, a travesty. We need swift action, and the only way forward is with experienced leadership and bold policy on day one, as exemplified by Kevin and the BC United team, who have a proven track record of delivering real change.
Kevin Falconsa国际传媒 leadership isn鈥檛 just about decisive action -- itsa国际传媒 about listening and collaborating. Through weekly leadership meetings and daily round tables with representatives from every sector in sa国际传媒, Kevin ensures that all voices are heard and that our policies reflect the needs of our communities.
This approach drew me to join the BC United team, and itsa国际传媒 why I believe so strongly in our ability to lead this province effectively.
I encourage everyone to look closely at the candidates across all parties. You鈥檒l find that the BC United team comprises highly- skilled individuals with diverse experiences and an unwavering commitment to serving our province.
We鈥檙e well equipped to get to work from day one.
As we head into the upcoming election, I invite you to join me for a coffee at Mission Park Mallsa国际传媒 Urban Fare Coffee Shop on Monday, Aug. 26 at 10 a.m..
Letsa国际传媒 chat, share ideas, and get to know each other better. I look forward to meeting you.
Ashley Ramsay,聽MLA Candidate for sa国际传媒-Mission
Motor Vehicle Act question
Dear Editor:
Re: Penticton residents reminded school zone speeds will soon be in effect 24/7.
My question is how does the City of Penticton make changes to the Motor Vehicle Act for their situation?
Karen Hutchinson,聽Osoyoos
Greed causes worldsa国际传媒 problems
Dear Editor:
There has been much discussion regarding whether the fruit industry should receive taxpayer funds to help them through some challenging times.
This is not a question which lends itself to a yes or no answer. Any taxpayer funded assistance for any individual orchard or business should be subject to a means test.
If an orchard owner has $2 million equity in real estate she/he has no business receiving other peoplesa国际传媒 money. They can afford to replant.
Accepting taxpayer funds under these circumstances is selfish and greedy.
I wish people like that could realize that greed is the root cause of most of the worldsa国际传媒 problems.
Sadly, many of them don鈥檛 have the capacity to think like that. It does not bode well for future generation, whether they are wealthy or not..
Ralph Perrich,聽sa国际传媒
We are fortunate to have a daily
Dear Editor:
I鈥檓 writing in response to the letter from Yasmin John-Thorpe (Aug. 17).
I have also been reading The Penticton Herald for many years, and totally agree that this newspaper has changed quite a bit. We do not see as much local news as we used to.
A lot of of issues that are of interest to local readers seem to be lacking. I know that we have a lot of negative things happening in our downtown area that aren鈥檛 very pleasant, but we have to read about them, if we鈥檙e going to get anything done.
Even in little old Okanagan Falls there are problems. But also some good things are starting to show up like a number of small businesses have opened up recently.
I would also like to say that your sports section has improved greatly with a good mix of local and national stories. In closing, I would like to say that we are lucky to have a local newspaper as many have been shut down in recent years.
And cartoonist (Greg Perry) is the best in Canada, very funny and thought provoking. He always brightens my morning.
Alan Airlie,聽Okanagan Falls
Is regular writer real or AI?
Dear Editor:
Is Elaine Lawrence a real person or is an AI?
Gordon Boothe,聽Summerland
Modular home living is great
Dear Editor:
There are no hobnobs, no lowlife.
Everybody is nice, well-mannered, and courteous, including my first wife and me.
This senior village is community minded; we all look out for each other.
Our first house in sa国际传媒 was made of wood, not bricks, like the UK. Warm, easy to fix, easy to alter, and 10 times better than a brick house.
The years went by and we moved around in sa国际传媒, once living in a co-op and never again, (groan), then moving into a unfriendly predominantly Catholic neighbourhood, (groan never again) we should have realized by the name of the nearby school.
Then we moved again and we lived in the Cariboo in a cabin by the side of a lake (absolute paradise), and the years passed by, then we travelled into the lovely Okanagan and lived in comfort in a nice little rancher on a nice little street, and again the years ticked on by and now we are in our 鈥渇orever home鈥 and we are now much the wiser and safer and stress free, and totally comfortable even though we are only in our 80s and our sex life is in the tank.
To those of you people out there... let me advise you if you are in the autumn or winter of your life, this has been our experience whilst living loving life on two continents,
Right here we go... Get your buns out of your mansion, give up the garden, stop climbing the stairs, quit chasing the dust bunnies, stop cutting the grass, stop shovelling snow, go live in a Modular Home Community.
We love it, itsa国际传媒 perfect, friendly, village mentality, and as above, no hobnobs, no losers, no orange or blue tarps covering an old Dodge beater next door up on blocks, no screaming kids, no barking dogs, no loud music, no bad neighbours, no cops, no robbers, just a village of people all looking out for each other and interested in the benefit of the community,
And listen up, heresa国际传媒 the decisive factor. There is another benefit, and it is massive. It pushes away the beckoning of going into Godsa国际传媒 waiting room, 聽re: the $3,000 to $5,000-plus per month 鈥渞est home,鈥 a place where you are little more than a potted plant.
The days of calling these 鈥渕odular homes鈥 in a private park a 鈥渢railer鈥 are so far out of fact, they are well-planned, great designs, easy to live in, and in some of these parks you own the land avoiding the monthly pad rent.
Do yourself a favour, go check a park out, you will be surprised, the sense of relief of letting go of the mansion and all the stress that goes with it is just a great way of letting go as you age. Lovely.
Don Smithyman,聽Oliver
(Modular home park without a gate)
Many challenges of accessibility
Dear Editor:
The City of Penticton approved an Accessibility plan on Aug. 14, as their website states: 鈥淐ouncil is extremely pleased with the work of the Accessibility Task Force and we thank them for their efforts to create a blueprint that will guide our accessibility work,鈥 says Mayor Julius Bloomfield.
鈥淭ogether we are better prepared to identify and remove barriers and create a community where every person is able to participate and enjoy daily life.鈥 聽
This is because, 鈥渋n September 2022, the provincial government introduced new legislation mandating municipalities to have an Accessibility Plan that outlines how to achieve barrier-free, public access to all City services and facilities.
The City’s Plan identifies access challenges and recommends actions to remove and prevent barriers that impede people’s use of City services and facilities.” ()
As I get around the City of Penticton I see many barriers, but the City of Penticton Accessibility Plan only relates to the City and its services and facilities.聽聽
One of my favourite places is one such facility, the Penticton Public Library and Museum. However, I鈥檓 constantly confronted with a barrier when entering the Library or the Museum, unless I go from the south entrance parking lot.
The Library and Museum entrance from Main Street, which is the closest to the bus stop, as I use public transit, doesn鈥檛 have a push button door opener to help me and my walker.聽
Itsa国际传媒 the same at the west entrance from the parking lot, accessed via a ramp for anyone using a mobility device. Possibly the City has the Public Library and Museum on its list of upgrades, to remove barriers to their facilities.
Itsa国际传媒 sad that the Citysa国际传媒 Accessibility Plan only applies to people accessing City services and facilities. Over the years, I鈥檝e walked many times down Main Street, from the Public Library to City Hall, but most private businesses are not accessible to people with mobility devices. One business told me itsa国际传媒 too expensive to install an accessible door.聽
Fortunately, I continue to meet dozens of beautiful people, usually strangers, who go out of their way to open a door for a pedestrian using a walker.
Brigid Kemp,聽Pentiton
Publicsa国际传媒 greatest concern: crime
Dear Editor:
I am writing this letter to the editor in my capacity as a city councillor.
On Tuesday, Aug. 20 I will be bringing a motion which reads:
鈥淭hat council direct staff to organize an open house specifically on the topic of crime and public safety to give the public an opportunity to have their concerns heard by council, RCMP and bylaw enforcement鈥.
In light of recent examples of violent crime, the public is asking for an event with one focus and one focus only: crime. I believe it would be beneficial for the public not only to hear from council and law enforcement, but also to be heard.
Personally, after deeply engaging on this topic in particular for a few weeks I suspect that due to a lack of confidence in the criminal justice system, the public is often not reporting crimes.
In the words of one recent crime survivor, 鈥渨hy bother鈥?
It is my hope that this forum:
1. Takes place as soon as possible, this is urgent
2. Is solely focussed on crime and not on other issues, which are less important right now,
3. Gives the public a clear idea of all the work that council and police have already done, and finally,
4. Gives the public the opportunity to convey information to law enforcement and council which might not always make its way to us.
In particular, it is my hope that the public report all crimes to police. As a community we can鈥檛 handle the problem if we cannot measure and acknowledge it.
If you support this motion, please let council know by emailing us at council@penticton.ca
Amelia M. Boultbee,聽Penticton
Anyone can be president
Dear Editor:
While campaigning in Pennsylvania yesterday, Trump made the outrageous statement that he is better looking than Harris.
Lord love a duck, have you Americans not had enough of this psychopathic nutjob yet?
What is it going to take for you to see the light? The rest of the world has astutely done so which makes you appear to be very slow learners.
Have you not taken the idea that anyone can be president a little too far?
Paul Crossley,聽Penticton
From domain of a troubled brain
Dear Editor:
This may sound insane but I hired a plane, flew to Spain and then caught a train during a downpour of rain.
It all proved to be a mental strain and I ended up with chest pain.
During lunch a lady with a Great Dane offered me some champagne, but I had to abstain. I never drink when I鈥檓 eating chow mein.
While walking down a lane, I tripped on a storm drain, which had an artistic rust stain, and ended up with an ankle sprain. Apparently I said some things quite profane.
But I would like to explain and make one thing plain. A week ago I vowed never to complain, but I guess I鈥檓 doing it again. Oh, how mundane!
Lloyd Atkins,聽Vernon
