POLLUTION IN OSOYOOS AREA IS A DISGRACErn
Editor:
I feel compelled to respond to your November 19, 2008 editorial.
One line in particular jumped out at me” It's no secret that many who live in the Osoyoos area are passionate about keeping our air, water and land clean and healthy for this generation and generations to come.
We recently moved here from Manitoba seeking an environment with clean air and less vegetation as I have fairly severe environmental asthma and allergies to grasses and molds, amongst other things.
In most places, except desert areas, I am unable to even go outdoors, but had been outside here on previous visits.
I arrived in Osoyoos on October 2 and almost every day there has been smoke in the air.
Some days extremely thick, and other days not, but still enough to affect me.
This means that I have had to stay indoors, where the smoke still affects me, or wear a mask when I quickly run to my vehicle.
Yet children are out in this, damaging their lungs.
In terms of 21st century concepts of air quality, I find this situation shocking, appalling, and totally unacceptable.
Why are these people, whether orchard owners, developers, or others, allowed to indiscriminately burn whenever and wherever they wish”filling the valley with their pollution?
Please explain why I am told not to idle my car or go on vacation in order to help the environment, but this is allowed to continue unchecked.
Are there no pollution laws in this province?
Referring back to the editorial statement”where are the results of this passion?
I also spend part of the year in Mesa, Ariz. where there are four million residents in the greater metropolitan area and don't see such pollution as I've encountered here!
As to the water, why are people not encouraged to use desert landscaping?
This is supposed to be a desert, which is a fragile ecosystem at best, and yet I see people with green lawns and non-desert plants”all that suck up huge amounts of water.
There should be a complete ban on lawns, non-native trees and non-desert plants.
I find it a bit of a joke to even talk about clean air in an area like this where the air is severely polluted day in and day out.
Is there any end to this onslaught, I wonder”as I sit at my computer wearing a mask, with my eyes stinging, gazing at the blue mountain!
L. W. Dewar,rnOsoyoos
OSOYOOS TIMES-December 3, 2008
READER THANKS LOCAL CANDIDATES
Editor:
I think all of the candidates who ran in the municipal and regional elections need to be thanked for their commitment.
In the full page ad of your paper, the comments written by a writer to individual candidates were very inappropriate.
Rudi Richter,rnOsoyoos
OSOYOOS TIMES-December 3, 2008
OPPOSITION PARTIES HURTING COUNTRY
Editor:
For three years, the opposition parties have been able to get together to vote out the Tories on any significant policy matter before the Commons and didn't.
However, when their political welfare payments are threatened to be cut off” snap!”they have former leaders involved brokering coalition deals.
They're drafting letters of agreement they can show to the Governor General to justify replacing the Conservatives; they're holding emergency caucus meetings on how to oust Dion today and crown Michael Ignatieff in the same breath.
Three-and-a-half years ago, when Stephen Harper in opposition spoke briefly with the Bloc about bringing down the Liberals over Adscam, the Liberals and their media friends flew into high dudgeon about the Tories conspiring with separatists.
Now the Liberals and NDP are eagerly and openly courting those same separatists and the press gallery merely cheers them on.It is apparent to me that the only principle the Ottawa NDP and the Liberals are prepared to die for is their party's' free money from taxpayers.
The NDP and Liberals are so desperate to gain power that they are willing to hand over a larger share of Canada's fiscal pie.
When the Bloc demands that Quebec's provincial government take over certain federal functions, those which fall under shared responsibility under the Constitution, what will the NDP and Liberals do?
They should be ashamed at what they are about to do to Canada. I will be doing everything I can to protect the Canada that my parents came to and that I grew up in.
I urge all other true Canadians to join with me.
We can do no less.
Rob Zandee,rnOliver
OSOYOOS TIMES-December 3, 2008
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE TOWN OF OSOYOOS
Dear Town,
Thank you for upgrading the channel footpath and constructing new pathways around the airport.
It is a pleasure to walk along these well-built paths and enjoy the beauty of the desert and the surrounding community. I see numerous people walking the paths at all times of the day, what a delight!
That is tax money well spent.
Thanks again.
G. A. Peters,rnOsoyoos
OSOYOOS TIMES-December 3, 2008
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