Storm are generous to the community.
Editor:rnI would like to take this opportunity to remind the citizens of Osoyoos of the thousands of dollars generously donated by Barry Dewar and the Storm Jr. B Hockey Team to this community and Oliver, too, come to think of it. Yes, thousands!rnI know this to be true as I have paid these monies out in cash at the end of each game for over four years now. Most of the money has gone to South Okanagan Minor Hockey Teams, but not all. Other recipients include Osoyoos Dry Grad, Lake Osoyoos Dragon Boat Paddlers, Osoyoos Royalty, Jobs Daughters, Osoyoos Skateboard Park, Frank Supernak family, Slater Foundation, Oliver High School Sr. Girl's Basketball team.
In exchange for receipt of this money the Storm ask for six adults to assist at games as security, program sellers and 50/50 ticket sellers. For that they receive 25 per cent of the 50/50 money. It usually averages to about $100 per game.
So let's see – four years with 25 home games yearly, along with maybe 18 playoff games and maybe eight exhibition games total. 4×25=100+18+8=126 games x $100 per game – well that's $12,600 over the four years.
Now, well into our fifth season and the same generous cash sharing tradition con-tinues. This year all exhibition games monies were donated to the Canadian Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund which amounted to approx. $1,200. No other Jr. Hockey Team I've been associated with is this generous.
As the tallier and payer of receipts at the end of each home game, I'm always hopeful that the money the Storm takes in from program sales and 50/50 ticket sales will cover the cost of paying the game officials and their travel. They are the only people who get paid for doing a game. Most nights it's pretty close.
At any rate my point is – The Osoyoos Storm and Barry Dewar speci-fically are very generous patrons of this com-munity. Would the Storm be missed? Yes, I think in more ways than one.
Margaret-Anne TurnerrnOsoyoos
Editor:rnThis upcoming municipal election does not just determine who will be Mayor and Council, it determines whether my family and many others can continue to live in Osoyoos.
Growing up here, I never would have believed that I could find a job and be able to stay and raise my family surrounded by grandparents. I would never have thought that my future family could be fortunate enough to live in this beautiful community.
Steady growth over the last five years has made this dream a reality.
However, the tone of this election seems to be anti-development.
Without development many of the local youth cannot stay in Osoyoos; as well, many new families cannot make this beautiful community their home.
We all know that growth creates jobs, attracts recreation and sporting events and provides access to higher education (UBC Okanagan University).
Without growth there would be no trades jobs “ such as electricians and plumbers, local businesses could not increase staffing levels, new businesses could not commit to year round services and we would all have to rely on the summer tourists and winter snowbirds for our survival.
Instead, many new businesses have been created, along with jobs. Growth and development has brought families to Osoyoos and this has benefited restaurants, retail stores, sporting functions, service clubs, volunteer groups and medical facilities.
I can afford to support my young son and family because I have a job that would not have been here without development. I cannot tell people who to vote for and I do not wish to.
I just want people to know that thanks to the steady growth, I can afford to live in Osoyoos, raise my family in Osoyoos and eventually retire in Osoyoos.
I urge all young working members of the community whose jobs depend on growth to get out and vote in the upcoming election. Be educated on who you vote for and what they stand for. As many of the candidates have said this is the most important election in Osoyoos history.
This is the election that determines the futures of all young Osoyoos residents. Can we afford not to vote? Can we afford not to go to the polls? Without our vote, we may not have a future to raise our families. Remember this election is our future “ without our votes, Osoyoos may not hold a future for us.
Devon HillsonrnOsoyoos
Editor:rnRe: Casa del Lago proposed dock size too great (Oct. 26 issue).
The reduced dock size will eliminate moorage for many owners.
There will be increased traffic of boats on trailers to and from the public launches or traffic to and from commercial docks where owners' boats are moored (assuming the commercial docks are not similarly restricted).
Depending on weather conditions this will be a frequent trip.
This is not the least impact choice for the community but it is the only one not now stripped away.
Casa del Lago has been singled out despite several other larger docks already in place.
For the first time ever, Land and Water BC requested comments from the town.
This is unusual and concerned, fair-minded voters may wish to know who initiated the process and why before the upcoming election.
For the record I am not a current boat owner and I will soon be a full time resident of Osoyoos (by choice thanks!)rnTerry LambrnWhite Rock
Editor:rnI fear that if this city doesn't react quickly she's going to face big problems, regardless of the lack of reasonable accommodations here. The first problem is linked to the homeless issue while the second is a shortage of workers.
I, myself was a 'homeless' person. Although my husband works in the construction area, we lived in a trailer from April 2005 until June 2005. The reason is simple; either the rates are exaggeratedly high or either the apartments are reserved for the seniors. At least two owners told us we were too young despite the fact that my husband is 47 years old.
This city will be short of skilled workers soon, because there is no good place to stay for them. This is what's happening in Whistler now. These two problems are bad for Osoyoos' economy.
Homeless people are certainly not a good thing for the tourism industry while businesses will close if there are not workers.
Cathie CormienrnOsoyoos
rnEditor:rnThis election appears to have some of the candidates afflicted with Pinocchio disease.
Just who is telling the truth?rnWho has the most to lose by not getting elected?rnSome are laying claim to accomplishments resulting from volunteer/citizen pressures and some are simply from doing what the job description calls for. These are not individual accomplishments!rnI believe accomplish-ments should be:
– Get all the residents along the lake onto the town system.
– Assist the developer of the senior extended care facility in acquiring property close to the other seniors amenities such as those behind the post office ie: Elks Villa instead of on Main Street. Keep Main Street for retail type businesses. We don't have much of Main Street left.
– Bring in long term businesses with long term jobs such as manufacturing and government agencies.
– Acquire property from developers along our lakeshore for proper roads and sidewalks, walking paths along the beachfronts with green space in harmony with the developments.
I don't view the condo developments as accomplishments as they are now advertising to rent them out by the week and the month. These are not long-term residential properties. By allowing short-term rentals, this puts tremendous pressures on our long time businesses such as the hotels and motels that hire local people. Most of the economic benefit (other than taxes) from these has or will leave town as most of the contractors and workers are from outside of Osoyoos.
It now seems that all of the candidates are saying the same things.
The candidates we think are telling the truth or the ones who have the most to lose from not getting elected?rnFred Cawdell
rnEditor:rnPro development done right.
By some of the letters written last week seemed either you were for development or lock the gate and throw away the key kind of person, that's not true.
I for one am for development done right and think the vast majority would also agree. I think with development it does bring in additional facilities and services which can add to the quality of life of everyone.
Now there are examples of develop-ments that have gone well but others have not and that is when people become frustrated and start to demand something better.
That is my case now because I live next to the golf course condo development. I built and have been in my house for just over fours years and look out my dining room window at a rotting construction trailer, rusting fork lift, garbage bin and various other pieces of now useless construction material.
This trailer has become little more than a death trap for birds as they get inside, and then fly against the window till they either break their neck or just die of exhaustion trying to get back out. I find this particularly disturbing because I myself am in a chair due to a broken neck and all I can do is hope they have a quick death. Sure not only do I and many of my neighbors also consider it an eye sore but my property assessment has been reduced by twenty percent because of it and I'm sure that's the case for others, so I think our concerns are valid.
The property has been in this condition through the entire mandate of the current Mayor/Council and for the most part of the one prior to it. I do hope after the election who ever gets in will finally address this and put controls in place so others don't have to deal with a similar situation and make developers accountable from start to finish because when it is done right everyone benefits. I do think those who would benefit the most would be the developers themselves, not the ones in it for a quick buck but those who truly want to make a positive change for our community.
Now many of my neighbors have complained, written the editor and I too wrote Mr. Slater over a year ago about it and did not even get an acknowledgement of receipt, let alone a response to that letter. I would question how the current Mayor and Council could ever expect our vote after being ignored for so long?rnMike StilesrnOsoyoos
rnEditor:rnSomehow this got missed in the election hype. Just want to make sure that residents of Osoyoos know that Fortis is planning to soon replace the already unsightly wires and poles in our tourist/commercial district with bigger poles and wires! Wow, this is the way to beautify our town.
These industrial-looking giants will be going right in front of the lovely walkway and gardens along the water. Right in front of the windows of restaurants and resort hotels like the Holiday Inn. Classy. But volunteers, please keep on working on beautifying Tulip Park. Maybe it will divert everyone's eyes from the blasphemous 'creation' overhead. Hell-lo!.. where are our heads? In a time when towns whose economic base is tourism are burying wires, Osoyoos is putting in bigger, uglier ones. Wake up while there is still time to avoid the iceberg lurking out there ahead of us! Once we hit it…it's too late (and too expensive) to turn back.
This proposal by the B.C. Utilities Commission for Hwy 3 and Kingfisher will affect Osoyoos residents, developers, tourism, property values, development and future employment. It will negatively impact the east entrance to town and our recreation base. But wait… there is hope! On Oct. 20, 2005, there was an open house on this Osoyoos 63KV Tie-In Project. Now there is a window of opportunity for you to talk to the mayor, councillors, Planning Commission members or the Chamber of Commerce. But most important is to let the B.C. Utilities Commission know that we don't want these immense, ugly wires and poles in our beautiful town. Bury the wires for our future. Contact B.C. Utilities Commission at 1-800-663-1385 or email www.bcuc.com with your opinion.
Jan RobinsonrnOsoyoos
rn
