Since my last letter, I have been able to talk with the mayor and all members of council. The mayor had agreed to be bound by the vote on the day of the petition presentation and councilors Gary Litke, John Vassilaki and Andrew Jakubeit also agreed to be bound by the poll vote. When I last spoke with Coun. Sentes she stated, “I voted for it initially,” meaning the prison. She further stated, “as a councilor I am charged to vote independently.” Coun. Pearce stated, “I will decide on the day in question.”
So there you have it, the majority of council will be bound by the vote which will thus decide if Penticton has a prison. It is now vital for everyone who cares about our future to get out and vote at City Hall June 14-18.
As for my second question: (mayor and council) are you aware that hard drugs are being used within the B.C. prison system? None of the council members chose to discuss this issue. I will make brief comment: After 32 years of police work with some time spent in a prison community, my experience tells me that a prison in Penticton will ramp up the abuse of hard drugs and all the attendant problems they cause.
If they build a prison in Penticton it will be here for a very long time. Do we need the risks? Can’t we do better than this?
Del Ferrel
Penticton