The latest Pentictonite to announce their intentions to run for council this fall says it’s all about raising awareness of the problems faced by community members on fixed incomes.
“If I get 10 votes in this town, I will be thrilled. I am not expecting to win anything here. I am just trying to get some awareness out there of what is going on,” said Paula Cattani.
The 48-year-old former peer support co-ordinator said she herself has been on a fixed income since a young age.
“I collect a federal pension and I collect a provincial disability pension, so I have lived off a budget since I was 22 years old. And there has been no increase in that budget,” said Cattani, adding she understands the concerns of others.
“I have 92-year-old neighbours here that are on fixed incomes as well and they are worried about their pension, their property, the medications they have to take,” said Cattani. “These are concerns that are community concerns, so I would think they are my concerns too.”
Cattani would also like to see more promotion of Penticton as a year-round home for industry.
“We live in a beautiful spot. I have lived here for 30 years so I have seen it at its peak and in the winter when it turns into a ghost town,” she said. “I don’t understand why we are not utilizing our population and our people and creating jobs that could be there.”