LETTERS: Subjects near and 'deer'

A deer challenge to all incoming council and mayor

Dear incoming mayor and council, I am writing this letter in hopes that you, unlike your predecessors, will have enough chutzpah to do something about the ongoing deer problem.

I have written letters, spoken to the mayor, was interviewed in a magazine about the deer in my neighbourhood and here I am again waving a red flag.

Recently my dogs and I went walking half a block from my house when a family of five deer, on the lawn of a neighbour, decided to cross the street and come after us. My dogs were on leash, were not barking or lunging and were completely under control.

My old girl who is 13 years old tried to run away from the attacking deer and, as her back legs are very wobbly, slipped and fell. The deer then tried to come at her and was about to stomp her when a neighbour came out yelling and screaming. Both of us yelling at the top of our lungs caused the deer to pause. I then had to get my old girl up, cut across a lawn and go way out of our way to get home, the old girl limping in tow.

As I have previously stated the deer out there are not the fearful, gentle Bambi of years gone by. They have morphed into urban deer without enemies, without fear and with an attitude of entitlement.

This is at least the 10th time we have been attacked either in our yard or just a few metres from our home. Bears don’t frighten me the way these urban deer do.  So to all of you Bambi lovers out there, I challenge you to bring a dog up to Ridgedale Avenue and take a little walk around when the deer are feasting on the flowers and the shrubs and see how sweet they are when they charge you with that steely glaze in their eyes. And to all the incoming candidates, I challenge you to do more than set up a deer hot line that never gets answered or returns messages.

Daryl Meyers

Penticton

I find it interesting that Summerland mayoral candidate David Gregory wants to restore the importance of public committees if elected.

When John Boot presented Kettle Valley Dried Fruit’s application for non farm use of ALR land at the Feb. 16, 2006 Agricultural Advisory Committee, it was debated and supported by all but one. This was expected. What was not expected was that this person would lobby the mayor to the extent he believed the AAC minutes were inaccurate.

Rather than asking any of the other committee members, the corporate officer, the recording secretary or the assistant planner who were all present, he chose to email a low ranking bureaucrat from the Department of Agriculture who was only on the committee in an advisory capacity for his comments.

Aside from ignoring land use precedents that have been established with the wineries, he proposed the three options the AAC had already rejected. This was to be the start of an Agricultural Park that would hopefully attract other clean, value added business similar to Summerland Sweets. Kettle Valley Dried Fruit was to be the first. Yogopogo Yogurt was to be the second but left town when the application was not granted.

If, the mayor only wanted the bureaucrats opinion, why did he not insist they only reply to the him?

The outcome was the mayor gave this bureaucrat the opportunity to send his comments to the ALC and as a result the entire Agricultural Park was lost.

I have no doubt that he would have sent a response to the ALC on his own but the mayor’s name would not have appeared in the address. The obvious inference that can be drawn from this is the mayor had second thoughts. The Agricultural Advisory Committee accepted it’s role as an advisory group and most didn’t get “bent out of shape” if the mayor and council didn’t accept the committee’s resolution supported by our minutes. But, we do expect the mayor to respect them.

Lloyd Christopherson

Past chair, Summerland’s Agricultural Advisory Committee

Help for homeless

Recently it was Homelessness  Awareness  Week. The South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society (SOSBIS) is currently working towards lessening the impact of homelessness on our society, and the mental states of the currently homeless. We would like to thank and show appreciation for the help we have received from our community partners and businesses that have joined our Homeless Outreach Program in working towards this goal.

This program works closely with our most vulnerable community members who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness. The first step of eliminating homelessness is to remove the initial boundaries stopping individuals from obtaining stable housing.  This is done by giving assistance with acquiring shelter, food, clothing, identification, and information regarding income assistance, and housing assistance. SOSBIS has been responsible for moving over 200 individuals into stable housing, and advocating for over 50 individuals in the past year alone.  We would like to sincerely thank all landlords and community members that have helped make this happen, and helped with continual support making maintaining housing even a possibility.

We would like to make the community aware of our Extreme Weather Shelter opening up later this season. This shelter will open on nights colder than -7 C and will be taking place in either Cheers the Church, or at the existing Salvation Army shelter, Compass House.  This decision to open the shelter will be made daily by 10 a.m. depending on weather forecasts, and the decision will be advertised at many community outlets.

Members of the community can help by donating cash or gift cards to SOSBIS.  This will greatly help people get set up in their homes.   We will also gratefully accept donations of outerwear such as warm coats, hat, gloves, snow/wind pants.

If you or anyone you know is looking for more information on the Homeless Outreach Program or any of SOSBIS’s other programs please inquire at 250-490-0613. Once again a very big thank you to all our community partners for your efforts for those who are most in need, it is very much appreciated.

Linda Sankey

Executive director,

South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society

Manipulated by lies

I’m sure Rolf Loths’ letter (Penticton Western News Oct. 24, Misinformed on Russia politics) will meet with the wrath of the Canadian Jewish Congress and folks who won’t spend a lick of time researching their opinions, but still feel free to express their emotions based on long-standing ignorance.

I spent over 45 years collecting militaria and interviewing veterans from the Boer War through Vietnam. What I found was a complete opposite picture than that portrayed by our education system, conclusion being that our taught history is riddled with mis-truths.  I will steadfastly support Mr. Loth’s statements regarding Putin’s suspicions about the Western powers and their continued agenda to undermine Russia with propaganda and economic boycotts. I had the privilege earlier this year to sit down with a professor of Eastern politics (himself a born and bred Ukranian who had served in Russian military),  a man given to facts only. His take on the so-called crisis in the Ukraine (read: Crimea) is diametrically opposed to the position taken by Harper and our Conservative government. This gentleman’s pet peeve lies with the laziness of the general population who swallow news media propaganda, which in turns paves the way for a false sense of national patriotism that leads to needless bloodshed.

My studies have conclusively proved to me, that both world wars had nothing to do with the protection of freedoms or liberties, but a contrived series of power pushes orchestrated by that select ultra-rich few who sat back in the comfort of their estates in New York and London while the little guy spilled his guts.

When you look at a person like Winston Churchill who is portrayed as the consummate hero-leader, then consider his own personal writings circa 1923 where he stated he had no objections to using chemical weapons on uncivilized tribesmen (British dominance in Mesopotamia), one cannot help but wonder what else his mind envisioned.

Here in the West, we like to think of ourselves as simply wonderful, almost bordering on virgin-like perfection but how quickly we forget of our involvement in the Boer War where 23,000 Dutch Boer children were starved to death and almost half that again of women and men, in British death camps, for no other purpose than to please the Jewish gold and diamond merchants.  Or, of how England provoked the Chinese during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, when they refused to stop the British merchants from sending shiploads of opium to Chinese drug addicts.

The more history I have researched the more I see how we have been manipulated by lies for no other reason than to keep us in a state of enslavement. I close with this, history always passes through three stages: first it’s ridiculed, secondly its violently opposed and lastly it is accepted as true given fact. Where are you? Thank you Mr. Loth for your boldness and objectivity.

William R. Hill

Penticton

Being open and transparent

I am writing this letter prior to our civic election where I am a candidate for city council. I am very much in favour of being open and transparent so with this in mind, I must let all voters know that over 10 months ago I made rental arrangements out of country for this January and February and plan to follow through with these commitments.

I will, however, if elected return home midway through and also be available by phone and email throughout.

I will make different arrangements from then forward. I promise to you that I will give my all through the remainder of the year should you see me fit to represent you on council.

Doug Maxwell

Penticton