Dear Editor:
My three kids and I visited the beautiful new playground behind Osoyoos Elementary School and the Sonora Community Centre a couple of weeks ago.
It was amazing.
The next day we went back with a picnic and planned to spend even more time there.
Unfortunately, when my two year old son went down one of the double slides he was shocked that his pants were wet. Wet with paint, to be exact.
Paint had been poured down both slides and covered the picnic table.
On the table, in the paint, was written the words “native pride.”
Now my son’s only pair of pants that we brought here have a permanent reminder of the thoughtlessness and disrespect shown by some people.
Alcohol was almost definitely a factor as a nearly finished bottle of spiced rum lay in the grass beside the picnic table.
I spoke with one of the mothers from the elementary school and her disappointment wasn’t surprising. She told me that there was a tremendous amount of fundraising that went into getting the funds to build the new playground.
She couldn’t fathom, and neither can I, what would possess people to do this for “fun”.
My kids and I went back to the playground for the third day in a row, as it is still amazing. I am happy to report that the paint didn’t stick permanently to the slide and was peeled off. The picnic table still bears the ugly mark of vandals but could be easily rectified with a fresh coat of paint.
Thank you for letting me write about this incident and letting your readers know how much we enjoyed that playground.
Linda Colbert
Calgary, AB
