Skip to content

Letters: Fortis a year-round headache

Two-tiered system not just a problem in winter for reader who runs irrigation pumps in summer

Government bullies

Just when I thought the federal government was lying to us and not giving us the whole story about climate change and how the pipelines would interfere with the environment they proved me right by cutting funding and closing 14 labs across Canada. They also did not allow these people to take their findings with them.

Now, in most cases the scientists will not be able to carry on with their research. Why we cannot have the findings of experts heard is our fault as we should demand it and then be allowed to make our decisions.

The next brainwave they did is to force sick people who need marijuana to now pay an unrealistic and unaffordable price  for the medicine they need. Or they could  go back on pills that will cost the health care plan millions and more people could end up with complications that will cost even more to treat and for some could result in death. Then the police may have to arrest people for getting the drug underground and that will waste police time and our money when the courts are involved. That will really help the victims and the health care budget.

Because an election is coming up, our federal government is more concerned with decisions that will bring in votes. It does not seem to matter if the decisions affect people and places in the long term. And that will be after these overpaid politicians have  retired with a  huge pension and all the benefits they can muster.

I am really tired of the Senate scandal and the Conservatives trying to cover their behinds. The Senate is now a joke and so are the expense accounts  of senators and MPs.

Have I missed anything? We voted you in and maybe it is time to work for the voters instead of yourselves.

Or we could vote them out before they get their eight years in and retire. I do hope some of them have a second vocation in the back of their mind. Oh, and how come there are no prerequisites for running for a seat in the government? Every other field requires some schooling or experience.

Marion Irving

Penticton

*****

Fortis a year-round headache

A while back someone referred to the two-tiered system used by FortisBC as being seasonal.  True, but they didn’t realize that summer usage is also affected.

We have a field that has to be irrigated, our pump is run by electricity, not gravity.  So my husband only irrigates when necessary, doesn’t leave the water going 24/7 as people on gravity-fed irrigation will do.

We’re trying everything we can to keep consumption down, I might add, years before all this came about.

We’ve always been aware of and considerate of the use of electricity and water, there’s only so much to go around.

Also, we have a wood stove that we keep going day and night in the cold times, even the damp cold days of spring and summer.  But, everything else is electric, including baseboards.

I can just see our Fortis bill jump through the roof  on our next bill with this cold weather we’ve had, even with the wood stove blazing.

On another note.  We do not have an opinion on smart meters, not enough information yet.  But, we wonder why the people that install the meters are fully clothed with hazmat suits if the meters are safe?

Mary Churchill

Penticton

*****

Hope for Scotty Rae

(re: Community steps up for Scotty Rae, Western News, Feb. 12)

I read the story about the young Mullins family tragedy and it hit me hard.

It hit me hard and, as clearly shown, a lot of other Pentictonites.

All I want to say is in about 16 years time, I’m sure we will see the little gal riding on top of the Peach Festival Parade float.  She will be holding the Peach Festival Queen sign and another saying, Scotty Rae.

It will hit me hard again, believe me.  God bless her and her mom Christina.

Bob Fozzard

Penticton

*****

Offer to relocate

Once again I extend my offer to the city  of Penticton an alternate and cost-saving measure for the relocation of deer that roam the residential areas.

I own and maintain a 60-acre block of property in the district of Willowbrook (White Lake Road) that I have designated as a wildlife protection area.  The lot is completely surrounded by federal land, unfenced, and a year-round water supply supplements the suitability for deer habitat and other wildlife.

I am not asking for any monetary reimbursement for the land use, I would just like to see a humane solution to this controversial issue.

Penticton residents can be assured that if the deer were relocated to my wildlife sanctuary at Orofino Farm they would have no desire to return to the bright city lights.

Dave Chaplin

Willowbrook

*****

Go Canada Go

(re: Missed opportunity, Editorial, Western News, Feb. 12)

You say, “Go Canada go, if it’s convenient,” and the athletes let you down.

I say balderdash. Human rights in Russia is, and should be, the furthest thing from our Olympic athletes’ minds. Their mission is simple: train for four years, and go up against the best of the best.

The whole reason the Olympics have survived for so long is that they have stayed out of issues in the host country.

Canada hosted the world in 2010, without visiting athletes protesting any of our policies.

Would we stop killing baby seals, or mining oil from the tar sands, or aborting unborn babies, just because people from other countries don’t agree with us?

Don’t write an editorial  chastising Canada’s athletes for not being rude to their hosts in Russia. They have a job to do, and, it’s our job to support their efforts.

I say “Go Canada Go,” with no ifs, ands, or buts.

Steve Brooks

Penticton

*****

Liberals delusional

Regarding a recent article about Liberals getting together and thinking about electing a Liberal government in 2015, are the Liberals delusional?

Have they forgotten, conveniently, their long and tragic reign and how they are directly responsible, due to their arrogance, for the election of Brian Mulroney and his “mini-me” S. Harper?  I would not and will not vote for the Liberals, even if they offered me $15,000 US to let bygones be bygones.

Patrick Longworth

Okanagan Falls