Recently Ms. Girard (North Vancouver) wrote a letter to the editor on the water park development and the need for some (Penticton Western News, July 17, To those opposed to Skaha development).
It seemed easy for her to say that the water park is a needed venue to promote tourism and facilitate local families and their children. She stresses the need for this venue and how local and tourist interests might be better served. I applaud her for following developments and reading about same.
It would seem to appear some people, along with the city, appear to be somewhat myopic in vision here as well. The real point is that no one is completely and totally against the water park, they are against the proposed land used for same. The controversy has been of park land utilization, not of what’s being proposed.
Ms. Girard heralds and trumpets the benefits of the Trio development and its benevolent attitude toward the city. This is easy to do when you are not a registered voter or taxpayer in the city. She has no idea of the “land use boondoggles” that ghost the city recently, I suspect.
It is relatively easy to stand on a mountain top far away and conclude that all is well in Camelot when you only visit Camelot on occasion. Ms. Girard needs “to walk a mile in the local electorate and taxpayer’s shoes to get a real dose of reality.” Visitors should also remember the old adages you can’t judge a book by its cover, or, you can’t judge how far a frog will jump just by looking at it.
I applaud Ms. Girard and her statement of support for Trio and the city. Freedom of the press is guaranteed in Canada, as we all know. Opinions, good, bad or indifferent are not hard to make on issues that affect us. As a taxpayer, I find it somewhat ludicrous that outsiders weigh into a local issue and expect that the rest of us should buy into what is said as well.
I say, to visitors, welcome to Penticton (should you choose to relocate here). When and if that happens, I encourage you to get a mitt and get into the game! You might really find out “Who’s on first!”
Ron Barillaro
Penticton