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Following are emailed reader responses to stories or letters to the editor for the last 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.

Vernon pharmacist, sentenced in 2023 for killing partner, already on parole

Changes are desperately needed in the qualifications to sit on the parole board. Seems to me when the crime is against a person they are incredibly uninformed and have no respect for the victim or in many cases the victim's family. — Sheila Loranger

How can someone who committed this vile act be out in one year? — Dick Dawson

Our Canadian justice system in action. Shameful. — Robert Bishop

Kamloops crime severity at 15-year high

We can dither about the categories and why we’re topping the list but the bottom line is we have a crime problem. This would be true even if we were 20th on the list and not heading it. Instead of trying to justify or minimize local crime we need to admit we have a problem and focus on solutions. — Bronwen Scott, Kamloops

TRENDING NOW: Flyover of Tranquille Sanatorium gives viewers spooky experience

Amazing piece of history...haunting and beautiful. — Linda Smith

'These deaths are preventable': Kamloops man pushing for river risk awareness after tragic drownings

Thank you Rob for your efforts to promote water safety and awareness in your area. Losing my brother Stan has been a horrific loss for our family. After researching the number of fatalities yearly in BC after our family experienced the incident I was shocked at how common it actually is. There seems to be little said about it and even less education on how to avoid the risks and what to do in the event someone finds themselves in the same situation. So many rivers in BC look reasonably and deceivingly safe when they are absolutely not. I too felt more signage, life preservers in commonly used beach areas and education is needed to help prevent further needless tragedy. — Cherylynn Bos

Kamloops man takes back riverbank from homeless encampments

Thank you for the cleanup, Richard. It's the cleanest I've seen it in years and I love your little signs. — Barry Stabeck

I saw this on Sunday while out for my walk. There is a 'Dog Club' sign up to go down with your pup and meet others. Very sweet! For the first time in a while I felt safe walking past here and no longer smelled human feces. It was a nice walk! — Jennifer Hiebert

Sadly most drug users aren't getting the help they need because ASK Wellness Society enables usage and doesn't encourage recovery. It's not easy to scoop up a group of broken people and drop them in the middle of nowhere with nothing. I blame the doctors that prescribed meds then dropped patients who needed help, or those that are raised with that as comfort. People need to consider that before screaming at them, not each of them are the same. — Cherish Hamilton

Newsletter iN RESPONSE: Is tourism in Okanagan and Kamloops down?

To Marshall,

My spin on this topic is pretty clear. The BC government decided to stop the non-legal short-term rentals (STR) and even in some cases the STR had business licenses.

The STR industry took a hit with the larger STR holding parties etc. in residential areas and condos. I understand that crack down, but being a legal STR with a business license in Lake Country we have been hit with bad press for our bookings.

I'm usually sold out in March for the summer. This year I had three bookings and all of my rentals came at the last minute and mostly came with a surprise that we still were running our Airbnb.

All the press was for shutting down of Airbnbs, and that just wasn't true. In Lake Country, we have a few motels at $299 a night plus tax and a $30 pet fee per pet with restrictions on the size of dog, no cats, etc.

We have our unlimited pets, yes some people have three dogs, and we were anywhere from $225 to $325 for a maximum of six people with a full kitchen, living room, fenced in yard for your stay etc.

We still have space for the long weekend and the third week in August, again this never has happened in six years of hosting.

The golf courses are not booked, and the wineries and tour companies have open bookings, so maybe the BC government should put some tourism dollars to work and let families and couples know that Airbnb is still here in BC, and it is affordable to travel.

We use Airbnb and Vrbo when we travel because our fur babies come with us.

Carla Lundman

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To Marshall Jones,

I share your line of thinking re: negative comments coming from the short-term rental owners. I would welcome more comments from folks, like us, that have had their "quiet enjoyment" affected by unregulated short term rentals for neighbours.

Also. I believe we need to hear some comparable statistics from cities or provinces that have not yet enacted short-term rental regulations.

Thank you,

Ed Kinnear

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Well, the spin on this, I'm seeing less tourism.

I live in Oliver, however we have a boat at the Summerland Yacht Club. We sleep on our boat on the weekends and we're finding there are fewer and fewer boats on the lake. I'm very happy about this because most of the time the tourists are drunk and we never get a spot to hook up to at night. It's sad to see less tourism in the Okanagan but again I am happy because the lakes aren't crowded like they used to be.

Hope this helps your journalism.

Cheers, Meranda Elliott

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