My heart hurts for the trees and natural habitat of Skaha Lake Park.
I am reminded of the verse in Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell, 1970 and Counting Crows, 2002 (sill appropriate today). “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you got, til it’s gone. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” At one time Penticton had two operating waterslides across the street from each other. Now we have paved parking lot.
Mr. Mayor and members of council, we are currently in a stage 4 drought situation. How is a waterslide going to affect our watershed? Was an environmental impact study done and was it reviewed by council? Remember the body’s primary needs are oxygen which trees and grass provide, water which waterslides subtract form the environment and food which we are restricted in growing because of our restrictions on water use. Will our personal consumption be further restricted? Will our rates for water use skyrocket in the future? Will the waterslide still operate if we reach stage 5 drought conditions?
Have you mindfully and intelligently thought this through or are you more willing to line the pockets of the few who would rather rape and pillage Mother Earth?
I am embarrassed to admit that I voted for you Mr. Mayor and some of your fellow counterparts foolishly thinking that future change would have considered sustainability, environmental concerns and reverence for life. If I had known there would be such manipulative and corrupt behaviour within our council I would have chosen differently. Could it be Mr. Mayor that the reason the public is “misinformed’ is intentional? You may have blindsided me and many of the voting/taxpaying citizens of Penticton this time and I can assure you it will not happen again.
Iris Ewanchuk
Penticton