Following are emailed reader responses to stories or letters to the editor for the first week of October 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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'I lost $50K': An Okanagan summer without Airbnb

I am in my 50s and my folks had rental properties when I was young. It used to be you would make a bit monthly and save a bit to cover expenses, but in the end you get a paid for place to keep renting or sell. Nice deal. Now people are wanting big monthly profits as well as having others provide you with a mostly free chunk of equity. It’s too much and the only way to both keep it and increase it was with these Airbnb units. Sorry but you get no tears from me, as there are lots of other investments you can play with. These rules were created to protect housing for people who live here, not your easy come income. — Dick Dawson, via iNFOnews.ca

Haha, what would you expect investors and Air BNB to say about this? They are obviously not going to be happy about it. Fact: It has put more homes on the market. Fact: Supply and demand dictates that when there are more homes on the market prices will either come down or stay stable. If this was fair journalism you would have presented both sides of this issue. You could have also interviewed hotel managers, low income housing agencies and renters to get another perspective. If rent is too expensive and they can’t get long term tenants, they will need to lower rents. If they can’t afford to lower their rent then they will need to sell. If a lot of houses go on the market, prices will come down. This is a long term plan, not an instant fix. People who use housing as a business were taking the same risk of market changes that every other business takes. They should not have been using housing for profit in the first place. Sorry, not sorry. — Lesli-Ann Lancaster, via iNFOnews.ca

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BC Conservative Kelowna Centre candidate posted conspiracies, pandemic holocaust comparisons, and more

Holy. The BC Conservatives are hugely dysfunctional. Avoid voting for these examples of something horrific. Fill in the blank for that descriptor. — Greg Carr, via iNFOnews.ca

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Elections BC throws cold water on feud between Penticton candidates

Is it not time to get down to brass tacks instead of the Lilliputian nonsense we read about the antics of those seeking membership in the Legislative Assembly? This elector is concerned such antics are a smoke screen which masks serious issues we face. Such as? Such as the inadequacy of health services, the profligate spending and borrowing of the current government of BC with little or no disclosure, street violence, general crime and taxation to identify a few. — Gordon M Clark, via iNfonews.ca

Really, Amelia Boultbee, how petty. This has nothing to do with representing the people. — Loretta Scott, via iNFOnews.ca

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Vernon cobbler will fix just about anything to keep the trade alive

True story, they are sewing a bag out of a moving blanket to keep our portable BBQ covered in the back of our truck when we are on the road. — Bonnie Derry, via iNFOnews.ca 

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Rustad's major housing tax rebate plan overshadowed by anti-vaccine comments on video

Yup, this ended my curiosity in John Rustad. — Barb Krulitsky, via iNFOnews.ca

I was going to vote Conservative until Mr. Rustad indicated that he was an anti-vaxer and would remove Dr. Bonnie Henry as Provincial Health Officer. — Michael Blair, via email

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Driver high on cannabis nabbed by North Okanagan RCMP

All my life I have seen people drive after smoking weed and never once have I seen someone mess up, unless they are new to it and still get the “cherry” high from using. I would love to see a 5-year smoker take a sobriety test to see what the effects really are. For sure people shouldn’t be smoking lots of grass while driving but I would like to see what the legal limit really does to someone. — Dick Dawson, via iNFOnews.ca

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WEEKS OF MISERY: Wife of dead Kamloops man demands transparency from RCMP

This whole thing seems extremely bizarre and definitely some pieces of the story missing. He was taken to the hospital because he was drunk the night he went missing then got his truck in the morning. OK, super weird. You don’t just go to the hospital because you’re drunk. They left the belongings of the two crackheads in the truck so any evidence there would be are ruined after they gave her the truck back. Then she claims to have found his belongings under the red bridge weeks after he went missing so the cops didn’t even look for any clues. Then on top of it right where his truck was found someone tried to burn the bridge down.  — Michael Taylor @Mike86Taylor, via X.com

Things don't smell right in this case. Interesting the Red Bridge was burned down not long after. I wonder if there was any evidence on the bridge? You're right, police don't take someone to hospital after being held in city cells unless there is need for medical clearance. —  Angela@BarefootCounsel, via X.com

What a nightmare. That poor family. — Paul Paulson @PaulPauBombers, via X.com

This is unbelievable story. It looks like very amateurish and sloppy investigating job. Finding the truck of a missing person and not checking it very thoroughly? That must be the first one. I am sorry for the family to be put through this situation, whoch has been multiplied by stress imposed on them by an unacceptable investigation practice. — Jan Nademlejnsky, vie iNFOnews.ca

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Three arrested in vicious swarming attack of young girl in Kelowna

The Youth Criminal Justice Act has got to go. Try those rotten POS as adults. Jail is the place for them, not the streets. — Joe Culp, via iNFOnews.ca

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Vernon truck driver fired for turning safety sensors off gets job back

This story reads like a company that desperately needs a union presence. This is a pretty awful way to treat guys with 20 and 30 years with the company. — William Mastop, via iNFOnews.ca

All three drivers had a combined 70 years of service and built up the company’s food service footprint in the Okanagan. TheTeamsters, Local Union No. 31 and its legal team was proud and honoured to have represented these fine drivers in this major legal victory. Following the BC Labour Relations Board’s decision to reinstate the three drivers, the Union won its certification vote to represent Transfer Drivers at GFS locations in Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna, West Kelowna, Penticton and other areas throughout the province. — Teamsters Local Union No. 31, via iNFOnews.ca 

Letters to the editor 

In the upcoming election, I'm voting for Loyal Wooldridge because he is the most experienced candidate by far. His six years on city council and in this region's politics make him the only choice in the Kelowna centre riding. Wooldridge's deep knowledge of the issues that truly matter to Kelowna residents and how to bring about change are truly impressive. He also has a proven track record of listening to his constituents and following through on issues, from safety to healthcare and even in the short time since Loyal stated his intentions to run, he has already made a positive difference for our city. I find it inspiring to have such an experienced and knowledgeable candidate to vote for, and I can't wait to see what he does for us as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Victoria. — Fiona Lehn, via email

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In addition to the environmental importance of the Kelowna Springs Golf Club, its value as a golf course is also important. Golf is very popular and people pay $100,000, $200,000 and much more to belong to golf clubs. Obviously they are getting plenty of pleasure and benefit, be it physical, social, economic, so why can't we, as a city, provide benefit to the folks at the other end of the economic scale, middle and low income.

My advice to city officials is to buy Kelowna Springs, establish an economic model whereby adult residents can pay $40 and kids, less, so we have a tremendous facility for the pleasure of all residents. The Kelowna planning department favours the destruction of the golf course to be replaced by warehouses. Forget about human benefit, surrounding agricultural benefit, ecological benefit, let’s just store stuff and pay workers minimum wage to move it all around.

Planning staff downplays the environmental importance of the land and the adjacent wetland. They are not to be trusted as evidenced by a couple of examples. Firstly, there is the UBC Okanagan debacle where developers were given the green light by staff all through the approval process and beyond while knowing the soil conditions and ignoring several warnings on the construction process used after work began. Their chief engineer merely said “crap happens” as surrounding buildings were being damaged, with one entire, new residential building having to be evacuated.

The second example is the heritage area which is on a flood plain, according to the city, limiting what can be placed in crawl spaces of homes in that area. However, for developers of large apartment buildings, the area is not considered a flood plain by city planners, so they can build at will.

Planning staff opinion appears strongly biased towards developers and we must do everything we can to protect and improve our quality of life. A round of golf at a typical 18 hole, full length course, other than Kelowna Springs and Shadow Ridge, the latter to be part of the airport, costs $150 to 185 and $80 for juniors. An adult wanting to play with 2 kids will pay $310 plus GST for an afternoon of golf. With a municipal course priced right we could have the same family paying about $80. That would open up individual and family activity for so many more of our residents.

What a positive impact it would have on their lives. — Don Henderson, via email 

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I agree with you, in terms of election fatigue. For me, the beginning was the endless signs that ticked me off, especially when they were placed on highway signs or were view desecrations or when the teams failed to pick them up. A Penticton counsellor had an election sign nailed up on private property that was primed for development long after the most recent election. X, formerly twitter, is a disgrace more and more with two or more coinciding elections, whether the American propaganda sweepstakes or the Canadian federal or provincial elections. I see tweets from Saskatchewan even. My disgust with the NDP is so complete I have even considered voting for the horrifying BC Conservatives. I am disappointed with all of the parties, frankly. — Patrick Longworth, via email 

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I don’t think there is any twisted reality within the electors. It’s just rather you want to hear the truth or not. The truth isn’t always nice but sometimes things aren’t nice in life. — Sergei Tashlikowich, via email

Pit bulls in Kamloops pet mauling tested positive for meth, cocaine, city says

The owners need to be charged! — Bonnie Derry, via iNFOnews.ca

Keremeos senior, former Rotary Club president charged with attempted murder of wife

I don't believe this. It sounds to me like she's trying to play the victim and she's trying to make him out to be a monster. I hope the court will consider his side of story and not just sweep it aside. — David Sebelius, via iNFOnews.ca

iN RESPONSE to newsletter

Hello, I agree, it is the time to vet our political candidates. One of these people will be speaking for me. I’m not going to allow someone I know nothing about make any decisions for me. The candidates non-action speaks louder than words. They don’t care. They don’t want us to know them. They don’t want to know us. The candidate that shows up for me is the candidate that gets my vote. — Sharon Boyko Morley, via email

So these people place their names before the voting public and then expect the voters to vote for them, sight unseen, these candidates seem to have a desire not to want to discuss platforms.  Another indication of what is happening in society, no respect for the voting public. — Lawrence Beaton, via email

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