sa国际传媒

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Dear Editor:

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I鈥檓 a local Pentictonite who has returned to live here after being away for 20 years. I鈥檝e been back just over a year and I am struggling to get by.

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Regardless, I鈥檓 writing to thank the RCMP who professionally and gracefully retrieved my stolen bicycle.

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My bicycle was stolen outside of the Riverside A&W by the Channel Parkway. I left it unattended for less than a minute, when I heard the staff chasing after the thief while I was in the restroom. The RCMP did an excellent job, getting the description, and were able to track the bike down.

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A big thanks to the RCMP.听 Their professional ability is much appreciated.

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Adam Snyder,听Penticton

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Dear Editor:

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Who ever you vote for, is who you have voted for.

Not anyone else.

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Andre Martin,听Penticton

Don鈥檛 forget Summerland

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Dear Mr. Rustad:

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Since you are promising a new bridge for sa国际传媒 and a new sportsplex for Penticton, please promise a new aquatic centre for Summerland.

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John Dorn,听Summerland

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Dear Editor:

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Shawn Brown (letters, Oct. 3) claims that the sources quoted in my letter of Sept. 28 are all closely tied to the pharmaceutical industry and thus not trustworthy. 听

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In fact, if he was paying attention, he would note that two of my sources are government agencies (the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Canada Health). The other source I quoted was Our World in Data, a non-profit organization that is a collaborative effort between researchers at the University of Oxford and Global Change Data Lab(GCLD). 听

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Both Our World in Data and GCLD are registered non-profit organizations in England and Wales. The data from the UN World Health organization gives the same picture as the data quoted.听

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Perhaps Shawn Brown subscribes to the conspiracy theories that would have us believe that every government agency in Canada and the U.S. is biased and controlled by nefarious outside sources amongst which are pharmaceutical companies.听

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This type of claim is exactly what Donald Trump, MAGA followers like Marjorie Taylor Greene and their Canadian far right wing followers espouse because their aim is not so much that you believe any particular lie they spout but that society gets to the point where no one believes anything and all sources of information are distrust-ed (not my original observation; attributed to Hannah Arendt).听

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I, for one, do not think that Health Canada is controlled by outside forces, any more than I believe MTGsa国际传媒 claim that 鈥渢hey鈥� (whoever they are) are controlling the weather.

The data I quoted has nothing to do with pharmaceutical companies; in countries such as Canada and the U.S., deaths and other disease data is gathered and reported by the health agencies, not the companies making the vaccines.

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Shawn Brown does not give any sources at all for the claim that 鈥渄ata that has not been massaged鈥� gives a different picture than the data I presented in my letter. Conspiracy theories abound and I find it disheartening that Canadians are falling for such just as readily as the rest of the world.听

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I guess it just shows that common sense is anything but common.

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Robert Handfield,听Kaleden

Now not the time to vote Green

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Dear Editor

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I have a green heart. I like Sonia Furstenau and I may vote Green someday when we have a proportional voting system. But the BC Green party is not even remotely close to electing people outside of the coast, so now is not the time to vote Green in this riding.

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There is so much at stake in this election, with a BC Conservative leader who wants to shift the province to the right on climate action, childcare, health care and wants to bring back plastic bags and straws. Good grief.

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I am overjoyed to have a candidate with integrity like Tina Lee to vote for. The NDP may not be perfect, but they have a long list of accomplishments in housing, childcare and climate action. Tina will be our strong local voice in Victoria.

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Margaret Holm,听Penticton

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Dear Editor:

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With only 233 out of 645 sections debated in the Legislature and with the usage of closure, Bill 36 (The Health Professions and Occupations Act) was passed in November 2022, and later enacted.

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Many people reading this probably never heard of this Bill which quite simply leaves the Government in complete control of all matters to do with your personal health choices. Because I am not a healthcare practitioner, I can speak to this Bill without fear of being reprimanded by our NDP government.

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The key elements of this Act, but by no means the only ones, are as follows:

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The Act gives political appointees the right to seize patient records without a warrant or court order; which eliminates patient confidentiality and enables non-healthcare practitioners to access your personal health information.

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The self-regulation in healthcare colleges with advisory boards is now replaced by government appointees, the independence of ethical standards is now in the hands of people appointed by the government.

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The responsibility of health guidelines from healthcare professions has shifted to political appointees. Non-healthcare educated persons can now set guidelines about our health.

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Health-care professionals are now required to follow government-mandated therapeutics rather than what their best-practices recommendations may be.

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If a healthcare practitioner were to question or replace the government mandated therapeutic, he/she could face up to a $500,000 fine and two years in jail.

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Basically, what we now have in sa国际传媒, and nowhere else in the world, is a government in complete control of your personal well-being through government appointees.

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This sickens me and I hope it sickens you too.

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On Oct. 19, vote the NDP and their hideous legislation out of government.

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Vicki Lightfoot,听Summerland

Why is gender a prerequisite?

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Dear Editor:

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Re: 鈥淏oultbee by far the best choice,鈥� (letters, Oct. 16).

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The last thing we now need is election interference by someone that can鈥檛 even vote for a local candidate.听 In fact I鈥檇 recommend that no one in the future vote for Subrina Herbst-Monteith, of Kaleden. 听

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Obviously she has no idea about the social media shenanigans of Ms. Boultbee or her use of lawfare based on the pettiness of the color signs. 听

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And for that matter why should we vote for anyone based on their sex? 听

I thought in this day and age we are all pretty much equal aren鈥檛 we?听听

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People like Subrina Herbst-Monteith stand as a mascot for everything wrong in our world today as much as politicians like David Eby and Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh and other like them do.

We have a far better chance of restoring democratic norms by voting independent rather than buying into Monteithsa国际传媒 negativity. 听

Wayne Llewellyn,听Penticton

Confused by campaign signs

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Dear Editor:

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I just want to say I come from a community where English is not the first language.

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Many have been confused by Tracy St. Claire in Penticton-Summerland. She uses the same signs and cards as when she was BC United.

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Many don鈥檛 know the difference between this and her new status or what party she is with.

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I think itsa国际传媒 unfair she keeps using these old colours on new materials handing out, a month after. Not everyone follows politics as closely to understand.

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Personally, I think itsa国际传媒 wrong.

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Kamalpreet Singh,听Penticton

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Dear Editor:

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The world has changed drastically in the past decades.听 This is irrefutable.听

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We know how we got here, how our planet has been affected by human activity, exacerbated by fossil fuel use - gas, oil, and coal. We know about and have solutions to the climate situation our earth faces.

What we need now are bold leaders willing to forge ahead, without heeding the climate resisters, to spend what it takes to tackle the solutions required to meet the emergency.

The NDPsa国际传媒 CleanBC plan has helped homeowners reduce emissions by offering rebates for E-bikes and EVs, to retrofit homes by adding insulation, installing better windows and heat pumps, and even adding solar panels to reduce BCsa国际传媒 dependence on major power producers.

The NDP government has dealt with wildfire and flood disasters and realizes the need to do more to protect our communities and our biodiversity.

Tina Lee, NDP MLA candidate for Penticton/Summerland, is a community leader who understands the climate threats that we in the Okanagan Valley are experiencing.

Tina knows that farmers are being impacted by lack of water and extreme heat and cold. She backs the financial supports the NDP government has given to invest in new tools and technology to increase processing and production. Tina believes that the OK Valley is a sensitive environment requiring care to preserve it.

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Although the Green Party leader is wonderful and has the environmental values I support, voting Green in our constituency might backfire and result in electing an MLA whose party denies climate change and will cut funding to all the programs BC needs to keep us safe.

Tina Lee with the NDP will be a strong voice in Victoria for Penticton and Summerland and Naramata on climate, housing, and everyday costs.

Lori Goldman,听Penticton

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Dear Editor:

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There has been a lot of talk about the carbon tax recently due to the sa国际传媒 election.

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It was designed, in part, to reduce demand for fossil fuels by raising the cost of fuel and therefore reducing demand. But it has had no effect on demand as gasoline demand in Canada has actually risen by almost 6% since 2021. The tax is too low to be effective in reducing demand. It would have to be at least three times higher, according to some studies, to reduce demand.

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The tax has become a major source of income for governments in Canada but it is supposed to be revenue neutral as a rebate is given to compensate Canadians for the tax.

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In sa国际传媒, the tax also has a income redistribution element. All fuel consumers pay the tax but wealthier folks receive no rebate, approximately 20% of all British Columbians.

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The tax has been very effective in raising the cost of all goods that use fossil fuels in their manufacture or transportation. It has become a major contributor to inflation. There is little debate about that.

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Human activity is responsible for most of the rise of CO2 on our planet. So, the most effective way to combat climate change is to modify our own behavior to use less fossil fuels.

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Banging the drum in support of an ineffective and inflationary government policy, is a waste of time. If you really want to help the planet, drive less, idle less and walk more!

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Ron Ramsay,听Penticton