Following are emailed reader responses to stories or letters to the editor for the third week of July 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.

—

Layoffs set to trim Global Okanagan news

Very sad and frustrating to see our local news sources being cut back. Global Okanagan News always helped to keep viewers up on local events and happenings. Not everyone has social media, and its content is somewhat suspect at times. — Sue Nitchie

—

Over half a century ago I began my newspaper career at the Vancouver Sun setting type in molten lead. Since then I have worked on the pages of both Vancouver major dailys, the Kamloops Inland Sentinel, the Kamloops Daily, Kamloops This Week and several other BC papers.

I can tell you this, the demise of this once great industry began March 1987, just another "old newspaper guy"  story buried in the back pages but in my humble opinion, that was the very first day of a long slide into oblivion for Canadian daily newspapers.

I've lived it all, and it was one hell of a ride for one old newsy with just a little ink still running in his veins.

Just a little breakfast coffee reminiscing.

Ron Watt

—

Judge has to order Summerland condo owner to behave himself, pay thousands

Let him sleep in the jail for 10 days, and maybe he will realize the faults of his ways. Surely, there has to be incidents that warrant a little lesson in respect. Fines will not cut it, only infuriate him more. — Nellie Walraven

We had an idiot in Caravilla who bullied us out of there. He gathered a following of cackling hens who also intimidated us. I caught him on camera giving me the finger when I was in my own home. These were people who we were so kind to. Always invited to our events even if he was hard to take all the time. He would sing louder than anyone and was boistrous and opinionated. We felt sorry for his wife, who joined him in his insanity. But we have left Penticton to a place where we are happy. Strata is not for us either really. My husband was on strata and it stressed me out a lot. Our council was limp. It aggravated me to no end that council would not get it together enough to address the issue. Oh well, we are gone. Never another strata for us. — Eljay Hamill

—

Car going almost twice speed limit flips on Bennett bridge in West Kelowna

The very worst and most inexperienced drivers are always the ones that also drive the fastest. Speed enforcement needs to go way up to slow this stuff down. — William Mastop

—

Kamloops man saves swimmer drowning in Thompson River

This guy is a hero and signs should be put up with picture representation so people that do not speak English can understand. — Shelley Bevz

—

Diving into Okanagan, Kamloops area lakes to beat the heat? Watch out for swimmer’s itch

We got it two years in a row a few years back. First year was horrible. Second year, I knew what to do. Oil of cloves, or Thieves oil, which contains oil of clove, applied topically, both shut down the itch immediately. The other cool thing is we didn't get the eruption 10 days later, so I suspect something in the thieves oil also kills the larvae. Hope this helps someone else. — Angela Trenholm 

—

Four small out of control wildfires near Cache Creek

As usual the Forest Service will let them grow until they are really out of control. We need water bombers! — James Nilsson

—

Penticton councillor putting plan together to address aggressive urban deer problem

I rescued my neighbours dog being stomped on in the south back alley of Bennett Street. She had a yellow tag on her ear and has twin fawns. Two other neighbours also had encounters with the same deer while walking their dogs. — Dianne Mckeown

—

THOMPSON: Why Canadians should fear Project 2025 and what it means for democracy

I don't know why Americans aren't more afraid of what will happen if Trump is elected. — James Rob

—

Dear Editor.

Just read Don Thompson’s ‘Why Canadians should fear Project 2025 and what it means for democracy’.

These are my thoughts on that issue.

Political leaders around the world absolutely hate democracy. It reduces their power to zero.

Looking at that political monster just south of our border flexing its muscles has been quite an eye-opener to what can happen when a complacent and naive society allows one person to control it.

What could save the U.S. is the fact they are a sovereign country.

A republic, that wrote their own Constitution, that today is being tested severely, in and out of the courts, combined with a seasoned, experienced, and democratically elected Senate that has an honest mandate to write laws.

Trump will be in their history books as an ugly reminder of a man’s incredible determination to destroy a democratic society just to control it.

Canada’s political system is also being tested. While we became a sovereign country a long time ago, a king in a foreign country is still the Commander-in-Chief (CIC) of our critically under-funded Canadian armed forces.

We have a Prime Minister who is governing under the auspice of a foreign King, not as the President of a sovereign nation that we are.

The late and former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau masterminded our political system. He included a meaningless ‘Charter’ in our Constitution, that he stated would make every lawyer a millionaire, while insisting God is supreme over our democratically elected Parliament.

A ridiculous claim, keeping in mind gods are nothing but holy spirits, figments of some people’s imagination.

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper denied us an elected Senate, and hijacked the Conservative Party’s nomination system to adopt and employ Party disciple, while he erased any semblance of democracy in our federal government, and our current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denied us a Proportional ballot that could’ve destroyed Harper’s attacks on our democratic institutions.

Our Senators are randomly selected and appointed by the Prime Minister of the incumbent government, not seasoned and experienced politicians, democratically elected by the people, and have absolutely no legal or moral right to write laws.

We are using an electoral system that consistently awards incumbent governments the majority of the electoral seats representing only 40 per cent of the people, while the remaining 60 per cent have no voice and no representation.

A proportional ballot, separating the party vote from the candidate vote would absolutely destroy that power-structure.

It would embrace all colours and cultures fairly and include them in the political process, but two people, our past and incumbent Liberal and Conservative government leaders, have assumed the powers of dictators, to deny forty million Canadians their human rights to have democratic governments, where the people make all major decisions and the politicians implementing them.

New Zealanders have enjoyed the rights and benefits of a multi-member proportional ballot for almost thirty years.

In Canada, democracy is dead.

Andy Thomsen

Kelowna B.C.

—

City and developer ensure $310,000 Kelowna crane collapse memorial goes ahead

"The City and Mission Group have agreed to put up the $150,000 if the grant money is denied so construction of the memorial can begin as soon as possible."

Some questions:

1. How much of the $150,000 in contingency funding for the Rise memorial is the City providing? $75K? More? Less?

2. If the Rise memorial group in the future receives additional donations meeting or exceeding $150,000 from corporations, small businesses and individuals, is it going to reimburse the city for their part of the funding?

3. Who at the city made the decision to approve the release of these funds so the Rise Memorial Foundation can begin working on the memorial as soon as possible?

a) Kelowna city council?
b) The mayor?
c) A member of city staff? If so, who?

David Buckna - Kelowna

—

City Dog Run – Exorbitant cost!

On May 13, 2024 Kelowna City Council approved a dog run in city park for $750,000!

This was an interesting process:

• Staff presented a list of 10 projects that had council “approval”. However, Councillor Webber didn’t remember this ever being brought up. Mayor Dyas asked city manager Doug Gilchrist to address this; who said that a dog run is needed downtown?

• A councillor referred to the three quarters of a million dollars for a dog run and asked why it was such a high cost? Fencing? Answer from staff: it would be a place where people wouldn’t want to leave. That’s it for $750,000?

• Question: Is this showing fiscal responsibility by the city to approve a dog run for $750,000 of taxpayers’ money with no information? Is this really a dog run or something else?

• Question: What can the city do with $750,000? How about buying a couple of condos for affordable housing use. The city could rent them out indefinitely and this would a) provide some affordable housing over the long-term b) add to the city’s assets c) provide long-term income to the city. A win win!

If it is not a dog run, the public needs to know what it is and whatever it is, what will be the impact on the park and our green space?

It is time for the public to stand up, speak up and stop this excessive spending. The public needs to demand better management of our tax dollars. If you don’t stand up, who will?

Susan Ames - Kelowna

To contact a reporter for this story, email Marshall Jones or call 250-718-2724 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

News from © iNFOnews, 2024