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Following are a collection of reader responses to stories or letters to the editor for the second week of December 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.

iN RESPONSE to Friday, Dec. 13 newsletter editorial on Kelowna’s removal of a Keep Christ in Christmas sign

Jesus is the reason for the season. We are losing all our rights, we can’t say anything to anybody anymore. They get offended. What happened to church on Sundays and family dinners, and spending the holidays together with family? What happened? Our families are broken. Our lives are destroyed by OK to accept homosexuality and lesbians, but they’ve taken out God’s Prayer in the schools. That’s not right. If you’re gonna celebrate one, then you’re gonna have to celebrate them all. — Brenda Spooner, via email

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If you do not agree with the way Christmas is celebrated in Canada, then go live somewhere else. I am tired of people immigrating to Canada and then trying to change our way of life. Take the oath of citizenship and live it, or not and leave. The choice is yours. You are free to celebrate your religion, and so are we. — Ted Guthrie, via email

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Christ is Christmas. You can enjoy whatever part of it you choose to. When our neighbours celebrate Diwali, we enjoy their lights and fireworks, and when they close our highway for them to have a parade, we stand on the sides and enjoy. Stop looking for something to be miserable about and enjoy life. — Donna Hoover, via email

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My understanding is almost all people think Xmas is wrong. Christmas is Christ and should be Christmas. If other religions want to put up their nativity set, go ahead as long as it promotes good.
It used to be that democracy was the majority, now the small minority controls the narrative. The bad part is this attitude has destroyed democracy. A show of hands or vote always determined a direction. Now? So far no civil unrest, but it will come. There is a saying if you are white and male in Canada you lose. Majority loses, it's not a good way to run things. Sorry, but democracy is more important than anything else. — Ken Caldwell, via email

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The story of Christmas is far more complicated than many people think. The early Christians did not celebrate it. The date was more or less arbitrarily chosen to fit in around the Pagan celebration of the solstice. Regardless "Christmas" became a Christian celebration but has also evolved into a very secular holiday that now begins sometime shortly before Halloween, as you can witness in many department stores. It's interesting that while the early church, more or less, claimed a pagan celebration as a symbol of what it valued, it finds itself trying to hold onto a celebration which is being claimed by a society to celebrate the new values of merchandise and profit. None of this bothers me so much as the fear that the dispute will be seized by the far right and the bigoted to cast the blame on immigrants and other religions for trying to destroy their "Christian" culture and society. My experience is that those most affronted by the Christian message are those who have little religious faith in any religion and are not immigrants at all. They are simply people who feel they are enlightened and self righteously feel they should protect anyone else from their own perceived effrontery. — Mike Nichols, via email

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Keep all religions the hell out of public spaces including, and especially, schools. It's bad enough some innocent and very unfortunate kids still have the fable 'The Bible: Threats and Bribes for Everyone' shoved down their throats in private homes. The clear headed must stop this fictional compilation of utter nonsense, written by human males to placate and control the naive and frightened people of their time, from continuing to spread its ugly stories of killing, cheating, hating, fear and destruction. Thank gawd an ever increasing number of thinking folks have learned to trust science, something that actually exists, and recognize religions of all kinds for what they are today: money-making businesses created out of a combination of greed and gullibility. Think people, and keep that weird stuff out of all public spaces. — Karen Klein, via email

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I am really grateful to the Kelowna MLAs who are stating the obvious: the sign asking people to keep Christ in Christmas should have been allowed to stay in place. It defies logic to remove a sign like this from a nativity, which is the origin story of Christianity, because of the birth of Christ. There's a creeping bigotry in Canada against people who are Christian, especially Catholics. If any group lobbied to remove something directly relevant to any other religion, there would be an outcry. Imagine removing a sign asking us to keep Buddha in a religious festival about Buddhism, it would never happen. People can celebrate their winter holidays in any way they wish, however a nativity scene is about Christ. Freedom of speech should extend to stating the obvious.— Judeline Tyabji, via email

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Our country was based on a history of Christianity, why do we have to stop what this country alway was guided by? I get we are a melting pot, but when our immigrants arrived here, this was their choice to be here. This choice might have been because they appreciated what our countries morals beliefs and religions were. Perhaps older Canadians aren't as vocal as new Canadians, which is more than frustrating as we are loosing all which we once stood for. 'Leave the Christ in Christmas'. — Linda Chamberlain, via email

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I agree with 'Keep Christ in Christmas'. I hate it when people use Merry Xmas as well. If they don’t like it, ignore it. It is a Christian holiday. How many people are out there that celebrate Christmas and have never gone to church. Some people celebrate Santa but say Merry Christmas. Too bad. Everyone quit trying to ruin everything. — Alf Norrish, via email

Vernon woman appeals after insurance company ignores doctor, cancels disability benefits

Canada Life, why doesn’t that surprise me! Since the change of the Public Service Health Care Plan to Canada Life from Sun Life, denials, for me, have risen and payouts for medicines and treatments I have been receiving for ages, have fallen. While I cannot condone what happened to the CEO of another health insurance company in NYC, I can certainly understand the frustration with money grubbing insurance companies that imperil people’s lives and can lead to a response like the shooter’s. Maybe insurance CEOs need to rethink some of their “deny first” programs, lest they imperil themselves. — Darrell V. Marleau, via iNFOnews.ca

Grinch cuts, steals blue spruce off family property in Kamloops

My heart goes out to you. What terribly upsetting news to wake up and see. Stealing in the season of giving. So strange. — Lindsay Williams, via iNFOnews.ca

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Preposterous and outrageous. — Leslie Smith, via iNFOnews.ca

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Can the police request dash cam videos? That may help. — Raymond Odland, via iNFOnews.ca

Here's the latest on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Vancouver

I want to see the Kansas City Chiefs change their name to the Swifties. — Robert Bishop, via iNFOnews.ca

HOUSING CRISIS: Kelowna factory builds economic, sustainable modular homes

Modular is a great solution for many applications. Regulations are a huge issue affecting all building methods. Let’s reduce cost and speed up the process through de-regulation. Start with flushing the home warranty scam down the toilet. — Macy Jane, via iNFOnews.ca

JONESIE: There's indeed a snake at Kamloops City Hall

Put it to a vote and vote him out, or, let us vote him out. Enough is enough. — Mike Therrien, via iNFOnews.ca

iN RESPONSE to Monday, Dec. 9 newsletter editorial on unemployment and a possible recession

I have been self administrating my own retirement plan for 40 years, which involves research on many companies. One of the things that must be watched is currency exchange. People don't realize how important the exchange rates are to our economy. One thing that drives our dollar down is having lower interest rates. Big money people move money where they get a better rate, and by doing so, they sell Canadian dollars and buy the other currency. This causes our dollar to lose value. Then when we import things, it costs more.

Food has risen in price for three main reasons: United States imports are a much higher dollar value. Fuel is in everything. Food companies have a higher Private Equity than in the past. Profit!

When a food company buys a can of beans that was $1 last year and is $1.32 this year, with a 25% profit they now make 8% more. They feel this is just business, ask Mr Weston. 'Business is business', is what they say. — Ken Caldwell, email 

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I've worked most of my life but haven't gotten far financially, because of saving and spending habits, and mostly working in low pay jobs.

I worked in security for years for more than one firm. The best was Contemporary Security during the Vancouver Olympics. I left security when getting shifts was becoming harder due to a bad relationship with the last firm, Paladin Security Group. I worked on a farm for two months, then left the Lower Mainland.

In Penticton, I worked for Walmart over five years, then it was over and I worked for Safeway for five years, and might still have been there, except for decisions I made. I left for the coast, no job awaiting me and unable to transfer within Safeway, and it was not easy.  Places would refuse to even accept a resume, insist on online applying or insist on filling out a paper form and leaving a resume. I talked my way into an interview for the meat department at a Safeway. They didn't need or want anyone in regular grocery, in which I had over ten years experience.

I applied to Save-On-Foods, a location I had never even seen in person or online, and they hired me for deli. I had no experience in that. They trained me poorly, shamed me for their failings and only gave me four hour closing shifts. I ended up having a breakdown because of the workload and stress etc. I ended up in hospital for observation, then was released. I have seen the worst things about living in BC.

I made my way back up to Penticton where I was told I had community, but was merely placed into a shelter where I have been sorting out myself, although I am a fully sober person in a wet shelter where other people are using substances. The churches I am connected to have been there for me "as much as they can be", but it strikes me as sad that there are no church programs to help people in the most effective ways that shelters are run, as the shelters reflect whom they are run by. The government gets away with this inhumanity and through the inhumanity of the Ministry of Poverty Reduction.

— Patrick Longworth, via email 

Municipal budget season means a preview of tax hikes in Kamloops, Okanagan

"If I find happiness in my own back yard, will it increase my property taxes?" This is a quote from a Randy Glasbergen cartoon

On Dec. 5, members of Kelowna City Council approved the 2025 preliminary budget and settled on a tax increase of 4.34 per cent. The budget vote was seven to two in favour, with only councillors Ron Cannan and Gordon Lovegrove opposed. Some of the comments made after council's seven hours of deliberations are as followed:

Coun. Rick Webber: “I think that the city is in for a period of intense development and growth to keep up with the population, and I think we’re doing everything that the city, most residents, want us to do."

Coun. Luke Stack: "I’m really proud of the staff and for the city, together, all of us, coming up with a number that I think is very supportable in the general public.”

Coun. Maxine DeHart: "I also am very proud of this budget."

Coun. Mohini Singh: “This is a people’s budget. There’s something in this for everybody, something that'll improve their lives, and impact their lives."

Coun. Ron Cannan: "For a lot of people this year, reality has been a tough year, challenging for individuals, families and many businesses, especially in the tourism sector.... and I think an increasing number of working poor in our community... find it difficult with the rising costs of living... but the (local Food Bank) recently reported that they have seen 4,430 new clients so far this year. It's a 43 per cent increase in the last 12 months, of two-parent working households using the Food Bank, which is the fastest growing demographic. So as people line up at the Food Bank, folks, I believe that we as elected officials need to be cognizant. We can't raise property taxes that are double the cost of living."

Cannan continued: "So, I know some of you will say that we heard (Kelowna property taxes) are one of the lowest in the province, and I recognize that, but also, comparing property taxes between cities in B.C. is often viewed as a poor basis for financial planning because these rates do not provide a complete picture of the overall tax burden or service levels. The reality is there's no two cities that are the same. Municipalities differ in their services."

Cannan concluded his remarks: "Your Worship, this is the third budget of this council and the trend has been a steady increase in the number of employees that outpaces the growth rate of our city, which is a trend that I think needs to change... I’m a fiscal conservative, so, and that's what I ran on, so I have maybe a different vision for our city.... So the city has grown since our first budget, 10.2 per cent, yet the bureaucracy has exceeded that rate at 12.8 per cent because we've added 135 more employees since our first budget. This doesn't include the numerous consultants and contractors."

Coun. Wooldridge: "You know, I agree with Coun. Cannan that life is hard right now for people, and what I know is that in those times, it's public services that people lean into most. It's what they need most. It's parks that they can access for free. It's recreation centres that are subsidized, and people get excited about increasing services. When I talk to people, they don't ever say to me 'I wanna dial back those services'. You know, 'We should close that rec centre a little bit earlier.' You know 'I think my snow clearing should be reduced.'"

Coun. Gordon Lovegrove: "Not all our priorities were addressed. If we’re actually serious about tree canopy, how is it that we could not fund something from council priorities to get this tree canopy going? Seventy-eight per cent of it is on private property. That is — we're in a climate crisis... There's things like getting folks on a community U-Pass to get more folks on transit... What happened to that?... and where's the cost-benefit ratio on a two-lane road?"

Coun. Charlie Hodge: "I will be supporting (the budget). I think we've had better budgets, and I think we've had better process to get to better budgets... I think we've made a major error by not supporting the tree canopy fund... and not just adding a little bit of money that was asked for, for this, I think is a mistake. And if you read through the comments about it, so much of what we've done needs to have that funding, and we've turned it down, and I don't understand why."

Mayor Tom Dyas: “This is a positive, very positive budget moving forward."

By their comments, seven of the nine members of council must be living on Earth 2. In my opinion, they are completely out of touch with the general public.

On June 22 of 2022, when Mr. Dyas announced his candidacy for Kelowna mayor, he said, in part: “Residents need a Mayor who will listen to them when they say crime has gotten worse, housing is unaffordable, roads are congested, and a 29% increase in property taxes is too much."

In a Sept. 9, 2022 interview, Coun. Hodge said: "I've been called lone wolf all my career... I represent the general public." 

Not anymore. 

That mantle has now passed to Ron Cannan, who would easily be elected Kelowna's next mayor in the October 2026 municipal election, should he choose to run for the office.

— David Buckna, via email

Open letter: Remove Political Ideology Sign From Nativity Display

Dear Mayor and Council,

It has come to our attention that the City of Kelowna has once again requested the Knights of Columbus to erect a religious nativity scene in a downtown public park.

The Kelowna Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists Association (KASHA) acknowledges that nativity scenes are part of a Christian folklore tradition associated with end of year celebrations. We also recognize that people of many faiths and secular perspectives celebrate this season with symbols such as lights, festive trees and other decorative displays.

However, we take issue with the inclusion of signs on the site reading “Keep Christ in Christmas.” This message is not merely festive, it is political, advocating for a specific religious interpretation of the holiday.

It may appear inoffensive and inconsequential for the city to endorse one religion so overtly, but it is important to understand that this does impact people of other faiths, and people who have no religious beliefs. It makes them feel less Canadian.

By the City of Kelowna requesting a religious group to erect such a display, including this sign, the City of Kelowna is violating the principles established in the 2015 Saguenay decision by the Supreme Court of Canada. This ruling affirms the government’s duty to remain neutral and avoid privileging one religion over others. Allowing this sign on public property undermines the ideal of religious neutrality expected of government institutions.

We respectfully urge the City of Kelowna to remove the sign reading “Keep Christ in Christmas.” Private properties and places of worship are more appropriate venues for displays and messages reflecting specific religious beliefs. Public spaces, funded and maintained by all taxpayers, should remain inclusive and neutral of government endorsement or promotion of any one religious viewpoint.

We also encourage the City of Kelowna to refrain in the future from requesting or facilitating religious displays in public spaces. While public spaces allow organizations to express diverse views, it is not the government’s role to solicit such displays.

 — Janice Selbie, Saturday Sazaran, Darrel Lewis, Joyce Kunzelman, Nina George, and Wendy McLeish of the Kelowna Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists Association

Kelowna removes Keep Christ in Christmas sign from downtown nativity display

I am a bit tired of the whole shebang whether it is the "Keep Christ in Christmas" crusade or Nina's prejudice against it. If that banner is not allowed then no to "Happy Diwali" or "Happy Ramadan" or "Happy Holidays". — Patrick Longworth, via email

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Christians could write in as well asking for the display and sign, but because they are offended it was not allowed. Everyone could be offended for different reasons. It's sad that some are not allowed to share their beliefs, while others are allowed to share their non belief. — Marvel Enge-Taphorn, via iNFOnews.ca

THOMPSON: President or dictator? Time will tell as Trump picks his administration

Exactly, watch this space and let me know how you like the price of eggs and gas a year from now! — Bonnie Derry, via iNFOnews.ca

Penticton plans to expand monitored security camera program

It’s not just the up front costs, but the ongoing cost to monitor the footage and so on. Cameras are OK and do help, but boots on the ground is the real answer. — Dick Dawson, via iNFOnews.ca

HOUSING CRISIS: Kelowna factory builds economic, sustainable modular homes

Land prices, along with zoning being so bespoke and unique in every community, makes a relatively factory-standard product like this difficult to customize to meet all of the unique codes. The thing with craftsman homes, and similar historic versions of modular, is that they preceded these rules, and the tax and regulatory system was more favourable to small scale prefabricated development. I wish them luck, but there’s a lot of hurdles that governments have put in their way. — Davis Kyle, via iNFOnews.ca

First Kamloops code of conduct report released a year later

I can’t wait to see how the the entrapment recording goes. Seems to me it’s going to be nothing. — Chris Webster, via iNFOnews.ca

iN RESPONSE to Wednesday, Dec. 11 newsletter editorial on BC Conservative Party infighting

Our First Past the Post electoral system is the real problem. It forces different ideologies into a big tent so that they may win the golden ring of total power in this highly flawed electoral system we call democracy.

Most of the world’s democracies use some form of proportional representation. Only some of the commonwealth countries and the states, who are descendants of common wealth, use this outdated winner take all plurality system. This system is protected by the wealthy few because they know if they can control the two main parties, they can take control of government and all that goes with it.

So to be specific about the BC Conservatives, it is no surprise that there will be infighting. The membership is always jockeying for control of the big tent, because with control they can dictate the direction of that party. All parties are like this but in proportional representation multi member democracies, there can be many different parties and independents, and the voters will be more informed of who they really are. Governance is done by majority rule, not by party rule.

Fair Vote Canada has a wealth of information on this subject. YouTube is a good source or their website. It’s is no surprise that there is infighting in this party, particularly because this party was hastily thrown together. Infighting and party takeovers are common of all parties and is more common under First Past the Post because the tents are filled with like minded, but not the same, ideological groups.

Make America Great Again is taking over the Grand Old Party, or Republican party, is a glaring example of this. But we’ve seen it in the United Conservative Party in Alberta. The takeover from Social Credit of the BC Liberals, then they tried a name change that didn’t work so they took over the struggling BC Conservatives. The BC New Democratic Party were nearly taken over by the Dogwood group during its recent leadership race. The BC NDP saw what was happening and cancelled the Dogwood candidate, causing the Dogwood group to cry foul to no avail.

So this is to be expected and will continue until all these ideologies forced into the big tent can stand on their own and have a chance at being elected to fight for their own ideology, and not the big tent’s leadership ideology. Of course there will be fringe parties, but they’ll be easy to recognize and will only get the support given to them unlike with First Past the Post, where they are hiding within a big tent party.

Anthony Plourde, via email 

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It may not be good to wish others ill, I certainly don't, even if they have hurt me. I do want justice to be done in this sad sack province of BC, and the Conservatives are reaping what they have sown. I have no sympathy for the party values, even without extremists. I wish to see the BC NDP, BC Conservatives and BC Liberals and BC United gone from the province for all time.

Sincerely,
Patrick Longworth, via email 

Once a piggery, only rubble remains on historic Tranquille site in Kamloops

Another wonderful story about local history! — Cindy Herrick, via iNFOnews.ca

Kamloops praised for homelessness approach at national convention: councillor

Just keep inviting more. — John Walsh, via iNFOnews.ca

Kamloops councillor says name 'cleared' in report while civil suit looms

Please, just step down and stop this laughable example of civic politics. — Kerrie Brown, via iNFOnews.ca

Letter to the Editor regarding Kamloops City Hall

Dear Marshall,

Thank you so much for your article about the snake at City Hall in Kamloops.  It takes some courage to speak out and you’ve done that.

I’ve been a supporter of Reid Hamer-Jackson, not because he is the best Mayor Kamloops has ever seen, but because he has been the victim of sustained bullying ever since he was sworn into office. Reasonable people would ask a simple question: why?

The latest “news” is the apparent vindication of Councillor Neustaeter because the Mayor cannot prove her performance and language on St. Patrick’s Day of 2023 did him any harm. Good Lord, Katie, what did you expect to accomplish?

In cases where a man has been accused of an improper act involving a woman or a child, the man is often assumed to be guilty unless he can prove otherwise. How many men have had their lives unjustly ruined by a false accusation?

For about 3.5 years, I was involved with a therapy dog program and I loved taking Buddy, our dog, to different places. He has always loved kids so I had thought of getting certified to visit kids with him. I was discussing the idea with a friend of mine while having coffee at a local coffee shop, when a guy, who I didn't know, came over to our table and asked me something. He asked, “are you sure you want to do that? One accusation can ruin your life.”

Marshall, I never forgot that and I never did go through with getting certified to visit kids with our dog.

I wonder how many men don't take the chance on being Sunday school teachers, for example, because of the danger involved of being falsely accused? Why are so many checks and balances in place to protect men from being falsely accused in other situations?

I don’t believe for a moment that the intentions of the St. Patrick’s Day fiasco at City Hall were anything but deliberate and put into action to be accusatory and to leave Mayor Reid in a position where some people would label him as a pervert, just as he is claiming.

Before some stories are written, maybe the person writing the story to vindicate the accuser should do some soul searching first and imagine how his own life could be changed by a false accusation.

Best of the season to you.

John Noakes, via email 

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