Kiwanis purchased AED

What an amazing article about Mr. Cox’s passing and then deciding it wasn’t his time.

The folks had the fortitude to push ahead and use the tools available to them. I am speaking of the AED.

I am a member of the Kiwanis Club of Oliver. A few years back Bob Grant and I were talking about what Kiwanis might do to help Oliver recreation. It got around to maybe we could do something that could be used year round – at the arena in the winter and the pool in the summer.

Automated external defibrillator (AED) was the subject that came up, and as a member of the board of directors for the Kiwanis Club I brought the proposal forward.

I can report that the request for funds was approved and the AED went into service. I don’t believe it was ever used until January 17.

Prior to discussions with Bob, there had been a couple of occasions where the AED had saved the life of a person (I think in the Penticton arena).

Although Kiwanis likes to think of themselves as the children’s advocate for many things, we are in fact a bunch of local individuals who like to help our neighbours and neighbourhood. Yes, we do stuff for kids, but we do operate a seniors housing operation, and something we think is our crown jewel is the Aktion Club for adults with disabilities.

We are not just about the Kiwanis Market; anything made there is returned to the community. Ask a Kiwanian what we do and who we support, and would you be interested in joining us?

Call Rosemary Pritchard at 250-498-0426.

 

Peter Morrow, Oliver

 

Let’s protect land reserve

Interesting, our Kelowna MP B. Bennett’s reference to BC undergoing a core review of said land reserve. We have noticed through the years that often when a new cabinet minister takes over,  they just cannot leave a good thing alone.

One of the best that happened by Premier John Oliver was to make this valley between Okanagan Falls and Osoyoos a dry desert area into an Eden. Then Premier Dave Barrett brought in the Agricultural Land Reserve. Now our present government wishes to consider reconsidering .

No doubt we do have a good thing with the ALR. Since arriving here in 1926, this valley has been blessed. We need no messing about. There are so few agricultural areas in BC I feel strongly that it should be left alone. If you value our area of BC, remember the pen is as mighty as the sword.

This past summer I flew into Terrace and from there a trip into the Nass River Valley Basin, most of which is under the aboriginal reserve.

We visited three lovely villages and a beautiful new museum. BC’s aboriginals will profit by as much as $700 million should the pipeline be approved, allowing fracking in there.

This is prime fishing country with great salmon up to 50-60 pounds. Yes, I have seen it is so and many smaller rivers are spawning waters.

I imagine if fracking, oil pipelines and the oil sands are allowed through our BC lands and coastal areas, there will be no guarantee of no oil spills; it will be when. Nothing much will be left for the people living there, especially since our First Nations are adept to living off natural foods.

Our North is precious; let’s leave it that way.

Many logging mills are idle as so much of our timber is stripped and sent as is to Asia to become boards. How convenient for them with their cheap labour as well as many of our own illustrious companies making use of the cheap labour.

This makes these companies very cheap as people. So start fighting for our Canadian rights. If left to the present governments we won’t have the Canada we are so proud of.

Agnes Sutherland, Oliver

 

Trudeau’s senate reform good

I’ve heard so much about this move on Justin Trudeau’s part regarding senate reform, and I’d like to give my opinion on this issue.

I hear the government side saying that it means nothing and that all that happens is that the senators who are Liberal get to sleep in one day a week.  That’s hardly the point.  That one day a week is a caucus meeting where the senators get inside information from the party and that’s hardly at arm’s length.

Senators who are Liberal are no longer supposed to raise money for their party and that is a good thing. Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin were touted as the best fundraisers for the Conservatives.  They travelled all over the country (on our dollar) not for the good of the country but for the good of the Conservative Party.

I’ve also heard commentators say that no other party has made a move on this issue. That is a falsehood. The NDP put forward a motion asking for the same thing – arm’s length from the government – and Trudeau voted against it as did the Conservatives. Little mention is made that the NDP have never been in power federally and have no senators, so their hands are tied as far as actually doing anything.

I think it’s a good first move on Justin Trudeau’s part and I’m looking forward to the next step – the abolition of an appointed senate that can strike down an environmental bill that was passed by the elected MPs.

Donna Stocker, Cawston

 

Rate hikes need moderation

(The following is a copy of a letter sent to the BC Utilities Commission.)

 

In the Fortis winter 2014 electricity customer newsletter they state that the January interim increase is 3.3 per cent.

This is not a lie, but it is deceitful. Are they ashamed to admit that the increase over the Tier 1 (1600) kWh is in fact 4.53983 per cent ($0.588)? Spin, spin, spin! At the very least why not tell the facts . . . all of the facts. Fortis should be chastised for their selected truth.

Why do you continue to hurt those who must heat with electricity?

You are often cited by Fortis as the cause of the two-tier system. However, I notice that this does not stop them from constantly asking for more money no matter the rate group.

The recent rate hikes are no surprise to you, as they must ask you for authority to make such increases. We are told that 70 per cent are saving with the new rate structure. Who are you kidding?

Since January of 2010 the rate has been increased from a flat 8.085 cents per kWh to the outrageous 9.09 and 13.54 cents per kWh. Yes, those with other than electric heat have not been robbed as have those of us who invested in electric heat pumps. Remember all the incentives to install heat pumps? Wow, I bet those who participated are sorry now.

Have you no compassion for the ratepayers in this unfair system?

I live in a modern house that was rated as 80 out of 83 in the energy evaluation report of September 12, 2013. With a new heat pump we would rise to 82.7 out of 83. That will only cost us about $10,000. For your information, we are reduced to 60 F overnight and 65 F between 8 am and 6 pm in an attempt to keep the power cost as low as possible. We can reduce nothing else.

There are many households in the Fortis world who do not have the capital for improvements of this nature and who are having to choose between electricity or food and medicine, etc.

This continued rate escalation hurts those who have few (or no) options. It is for these people that I advocate moderation. It is a word that the BCUC and Fortis do not seemingly understand.

 

James and Nanene McGinnigle, Oliver

 

History shapes this fair land

In my view, letters discussing a national park reserve have been unreasonably critical of our member of the legislative assembly and others, and does not take history into consideration or social values, but discusses primarily economic values.

Our western mountains have been kept as grasslands by fire for 3000 years. Extreme rains have gouged coulees on our mountainsides during this time frame.

Cattle for more than a century have kept the grasslands in a better state. Cattle use their tongues to pull the top off bunchgrass leaving a healthy centre for the plant. These cattle cannot survive on spear grass and must move to higher ground after a short time of grazing.

Ungulates trample twigs and leaves and fertilize the soil thus stabilizing and building up the soils. Of  more importance is that the parallel trails they create gather rain and melt waters, preventing quick runoff, saturating the duff, leading to filling the aquifers.

Fires have shaped the grasslands which then have become extreme deserts. Examples of fires are: From Osoyoos Lake to McIntyre Creek; Fairview to Willowbrook; Vaseau Lake to top of Grouse Mountain; and Naramata to Kelowna. In the year 2003, tens of thousands of economic damage occurred.

Forests need maintenance, trees dying from Tussock Moth and disease need removing. Mature trees need thinning, interface areas near communities need attention. Understory density also needs thinning.

The best example of good forest management is Johnston Creek near Bridesville. An example of dying forest is near the top of Waterman’s hill.

Mining may still take place in the future for gold, silver, lead, zinc and copper as it was mined at Fairview. Drilling and staking is still ongoing.

Public access is free to the top of Kobau Mountain, and firearms restrictions apply (at the request of hunters).

Agriculture (as stated in the community plan) requires quality soil, water and space. If we take away any one of the three, agriculture will fail in the desert environment.

What will the future become?  The Okanagan is facing a water shortage, and snow levels will be above 1400 metres. The semi-arid desert will become an arid desert affecting the ability to sustain human habitation. Agriculture production of primary foods will decline. Plants and animals will adapt to the arid desert at higher elevations. Cattle herds will decline and be established in the Cariboo region. Grasslands will expand. Aquifers will decline. Streams will dry up early.

A national park attraction will build on our population base over time when the Okanagan population is already growing too rapidly.

Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson is correct in representing people who live and work on this land.

My remarks are based on: history and research, my time as a regional district advisor, the book “For My Children’s Children,” part of the Okanagan Basin study, Climate Change 2004 by Stewart Cohen, Environment Canada, and Managing Your Woodland (BC government).

David Evans, Oliver