Following are emailed reader responses to stories or letters to the editor for the first week of May 2024. They have been edited slightly for readability. 

Got something you want to add? Send an email to editor Marshall Jones at mjones@infonews.ca.

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Kamloops man designs innovative, award-winning housing model for addiction recovery

Fantastic, this definitely is what we need in Kamloops.  Congratulations to Mr. Starchuk for his research and actual plan. This plan makes such good sense and we can see it working.  We have a son who did beat alcohol and drug abuse but it was a very short assistance offered and we are very lucky he was able to get help along the way.  He now works with the homeless and addicted at the coast and he is so frustrated that the drug pushers have so much access to the poor addicted souls on the streets.  He also hates seeing these poor people living on the streets rather than being safely housed.  Mr. Starchuk has a wonderful program, let’s hope the city will look into implementing his idea!

Sincerely,
Eileen Hackett

Kelowna's Rotary Arts Centre the latest battleground in the culture wars

Hello,

Regarding the controversy, who is in charge of the building in the first place?  I am someone who understands what it is like to be misjudged or mistreated and yet there are issues that are certainly controversial.  The idea of more than two genders is something I am learning about, though I know for myself that my gender is not in question nor my orientation.  How people identify themselves is clearly a source of conflict, especially with religious authorities, and not just Christians either.  A church should be careful how it approaches any subject, and I think that nonreligious organizations need to realize that whether or not they want complete tolerance or acceptance, they have to practice such attitudes themselves as well or appear hypocritical to others.

Sincerely,
Patrick Longworth

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"When will people realize that LGBT are born that way. It's not like they had a choice. Just like most are born heterosexual. If you believe God doesn't make any mistakes, then you have to accept them as is. Period. That's my take on things." — Lawren Sutton

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Good morning:

You asked for comments so…

I find it ironic and sadly predictable that Advocacy Canada - whose whole purpose in life is to promote inclusion – is trying to exclude Praxis Church (and others like them) from the Arts Centre because they don’t think the same way and believe the same things that Advocacy Canada does. This is the very definition of hypocrisy.

It seems that even when groups such as Advocacy Canada achieve what they set out to achieve – they can’t stop and enjoy their success: They feel some compulsion to push their position and view until it becomes unreasonable and problematic. We have seen similar things over and over: A reasonable viewpoint, pushed to extremes, then as a result of going ‘too far’, it loses the popular support that gave it power in the first place.

Thanks,
Lorne Dennis

Advisor wary of recall legislation as Kamloops councillors call for mayor's resignation

"I agree with the report. I think the councillors may have had some 'reactions' to the mayor's behaviours likely due to inexperience dealing with such behaviours. If he is removed I'm certain we could get on with the business at hand." — Melanie

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Much as the report was wanted, in my opinion, it didn't do a darn thing. I am not taking any sides as I think that both the Mayor and the Council are guilty. If any of them really care about out city, they should all resign and we should have another election. With the legal cases being paid for by the taxpayers, you would think that all of them should realize that they are all responsible for this mess.  It is embarrassing for me to hear from my relatives in Europe that are laughing at our city. They all need to do the right thing and step down. If there are any legal cases, they should be paid for by the parties, not the taxpayers.

Thanks for hearing my rant!!

Nel Sarrasin

Wooldridge to seek BC NDP nomination for Kelowna-Centre

To Editor - iNFOnew.ca,

On May, 1, 2024 local media reported that Kelowna city councillor Loyal Wooldridge is stepping down as RDCO, Regional District of Central Okanagan, board chair.

Eight days later, Wooldridge officially accepted the NDP nomination in the new Kelowna Centre riding for the upcoming provincial election. He said he has given up all of his city council committee responsibilities, except for the seat on the RDCO.

So now Wooldridge will be receiving the same RDCO financial remuneration, $21,840 annually, as the other representatives from Kelowna council; Mayor Tom Dyas, and Couns. Maxine DeHart, Charlie Hodge, Luke Stack, Rick Webber. The alternate representative will be Coun. Mohini Singh.

It's interesting to note that back in February, West Kelowna Coun. Stephen Johnston was selected as the BC United Party candidate for the riding of West Kelowna-Peachland. Two months later, Johnston announced he was giving up his seat on the RDCO, to be replaced by Coun. Rick de Jong.

What follows is from the City of Kelowna's "Policy 388: Council Policy Code of Conduct, established September 11, 2023":

"19. A Council Member who is running for nomination or is a nominee for elected office outside of a local government election will not represent Council on internal or external committees, task forces, or agencies. The Mayor may appoint another Council Member to represent Council until after general voting day of that election." 

Isn't the Regional District of Central Okanagan an external committee?

The next RDCO meeting is scheduled for May 23.

David Buckna - Kelowna

'We're not bad people': Why a homeless man is stuck on the street in Kamloops

Those homeless people have lots of demands. I demand they show some respect!

They start fires under my apartment. They blow their meth smoke in my apartment windows; babies in my building. They spray paint everything in the city. They shit on the sidewalk! They leave potentially deadly needles in the sand at playgrounds. And they scream and yell at all hours of the day and night.

My empathy for their demands is extinguished! They can move somewhere else as far as I'm concerned.

All of the things I listed costs taxpayers! Us hard working citizens pay for their "safe supply" and then we pay for their Narcan and the cost of emergency services.

If they want food and shelter they can work and earn it like the rest of us!

They can shove their demands.

One woman's opinion.

Darci Reagan

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So, to all ya'll just telling folks to tighten their bootstraps and work harder. Enlighten me, where, IN KAMLOOPS (or close surrounding areas), will a homeless person be hired?

Seriously, which of you business owners are going to hire a homeless person? I challenge you to go to the protest and ask any of them to come see you about a job. But would you give any of them one? When most are gaunt, covered in dirt and smelly clothes that don't fit, because they literally have no choice. Will you hire them?

And landlords, will you offer housing at an actual reasonable price for any of these folks on disability making at most $1,500 a MONTH? Will you offer someone out of detox a room everything included for under $1K? Because that's what they need. You can't throw someone in detox then back out on the streets and expect them not to use the thing that helped them get through it before.

Before ya'll go judging folks realize most people's stories are actually closer to Mr. Love's than you know.

Eagerly awaiting more news about this protest.

Andy Levin

THOMPSON: Here's hoping the jury in Trump's hush money trial does the right thing

"Please take Don Thompson’s single-minded and repetitive harangue against Trump off the air." — Scott Anderson, Vernon

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