Dear Editor:
Please tell me that last week’s decision by the board of trustees with School District No. 53 to close Osoyoos Secondary School comes as a surprise to anyone.
This was a well-planned hit.
Somebody got their palms lined to deliberately overbuild Southern Okanagan Secondary School in Oliver and it escalated from there
I, along with my employer and many others, took the effort to attend the community protest meeting held several weeks ago in the gymnasium at Osoyoos Secondary School.
More than 1,000 other community members joined us at this meeting.
Despite the impressive turnout, it obviously accomplished little.
Couple this with a town that has made zero effort to attract young families to this area and it should not surprise anyone that the decision to close our local high school has been made.
It’s not rocket science people.
No students equals no school.
What are people to do? Work in a fast food restaurant or a vineyard for minimum wage?
Give me a break.
I have been in the workforce for over 40 years and currently make the same hourly wage in this town that I did in 1986. But that’s my own fault as I choose to live here.
Our tax base in the Town of Osoyoos appears to come from a bunch of cheaply-built, overpriced vacation condos that owners can’t claim tax exemption from because most are rentals.
Many local residents have said our spiffy new fire hall is overkill. Any chance they were right? With the high school about to close, many families who live here now are talking about leaving.
That’s very unfortunate and food for thought.
Like it or not, a bunch of retirees from Saskatchewan sipping free coffee refills at fast food restaurants all winter doesn’t pay the bills.
Andrew Diack
Osoyoos, B.C.
