Most Canadians agree that we live in the greatest country in the world.
And when you live in the greatest country in the world, you’re allowed to travel all over this great country whenever you like.
For the past 25 years, a large number of young people from Quebec have made the long pilgrimage from eastern Canada all the way to Osoyoos so they can enjoy the finest weather Canada has to offer.
Some of them come to work, picking fruit starting in early summer and they leave once the harvest is complete.
However, as many Osoyoos residents have learned so well over the past quarter century, a large number of these transients gather in Osoyoos and don’t do much of anything at all except sit on the town’s main beach day after day.
Once again, there’s nothing wrong with that when you live in a free country.
But when you spend many of those days drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and smoking marijuana in plain view of the thousands of tourists who flock to Osoyoos each and every summer, you have crossed the line.
Since early June, dozens of young transients have gathered at the town’s main beach at Gyro Park and many of them spend endless days getting high and drunk – there’s really no other nice way to say it.
After numerous complaints by tourists and locals alike, members of RCMP management and Town of Osoyoos council gathered last week to discuss what has become an increasingly serious problem in this town.
Town council and RCMP Sgt. Kevin Schur agreed one way to tackle the problem would be to give police officers the right to issue expulsion letters to people who won’t obey the law in town parks and on town beaches.
These are legal documents that effectively ban a person from the town’s parks and beaches for a pre-determined amount of time. Common violations warranting a letter include, possessing liquor in a park, creating a nuisance, damaging park property, being in the park after hours and interfering with enforcement officers.
Dumping hundreds of gallons of liquor from violators wasn’t addressing the bigger problem, but these letters should, said Schur.
Anyone issued an expulsion letter has the right to contest it with the town or have it amended or revoked.
If violators refuse to listen, they can be issued a second ticket with a heavy fine and if they then refuse to leave, they can face criminal charges for trespassing.
This may not be the final solution to what has become a big problem, but it sure can’t hurt as numerous visitors have commented to town officials about the problems with drugs and alcohol being consumed in front of their children at the town’s main beach.
Having a bylaw officer present in the Gyro Beach and Lions Park area every day from noon until 10:30 p.m. is also a terrific idea as is having RCMP foot patrols increased in the area.
None of these measures would have been necessary if a small, but determined group of young people would obey the law like virtually everyone else does in this town.
They say you reap what you sow in life and these measures are living proof and they were needed to clean up a messy situation that was getting out of control.