Trucks put driver in unsafe situation

Editor:rnDuring an evening the last week of February, I was leaving the Avalon Inn and felt I was unduly placed in a very unsafe situation. As I tried to make a left onto Main Street from the parking lot and enter the traffic lane, there was an 18 wheeler truck parked in front of the motel. I could not see around the truck in front of the Avalon and as the traffic was coming from the left, I realized I was being placed in a terrible situation which I understand occurs frequently for guests at the motel. Fortunately for me it was evening and the lights from other vehicles coming up Main was somewhat helpful, but I couldn't help but feel if this scenario had been during the day, it could be a recipe for a horrible accident.
Eventually I was able to get out into the traffic lane, but not without having to pull out into the lane to see around the truck.
Had an oncoming car have hit me, it would created another scenario of who is at fault “ the guy leaving his big rig running in front of the motel obstructing my view or me having to edge out into the traffic lane trying to see around this huge obstacle in the road.
If one is placed in an extremely dangerous situation and there is a horrific accident, I wonder who REALLY IS RESPONSIBLE¦
I know the owner of the motel has been quite concerned about problem, frequently notified the appropriate people and now it is time for something to be done…
Let's not have the inevitable happen to our locals or guests coming to the community for a holiday and leave wishing they had never come here at all…

Penny LaMerernOsoyoos

Editor:rnRE: Boundary Expansion & Other Foolish Ventures of the Town “rnMarch 6th has come and gone and the Rural residents who were courted to join the Town of Osoyoos have summarily rejected the offer. (The rest of us “ Town and other Rural Area A residents “ were not even asked our opinion) Cherry picking of the rural area is over and hopefully the Town Fathers will not attempt to circumvent the system by appealing to Victoria to help them by some other devious means to force those selected portions of rural Osoyoos to join them. Due to a lack of openness, absence of a long-term vision, and no true concern for rural values, boundary expansion has failed for yet a third time.
It is time to look at the bigger picture and the real concerns of our entire community. This means from the 49th parallel to the head of the Lake and from Anarchist Mountain to Richter Pass. We are all proud to be from Osoyoos, we are all part of the same Regional District, and yet the Town tries to split and downgrade the rural residents and their serious concerns.
Primarily, we need sewers around the key portions of our waterways and a better water system in terms of quality. Why can't we form service areas jointly, RDOS and Town, to achieve these goals? The money can be provided provincially and federally. Council simply has to show the will to cooperate with the RDOS – the Oliver and Naramata area residents have and look at what they have achieved.
Another example of Council's folly is Desert Park. For over three years now it has been sitting in limbo with no positive direction or care being shown. It was hugely popular and historically well supported by the rural area residents. Now the Town is going to a referendum for its residents to vote on one issue “ to decide whether some unknown outsider can put in slot machines and take over our superlative venue.
The Rural residents will have no vote. What an insult to all the South Okanagan/Similkameen residents who for so long supported this sporting/recreational facility! It is after all our Stanley Park in the rough and there is a better way to handle this deplorable situationrnWhat happens (as I hope) if the gambling referendum fails in Town? It is above all an equestrian facility but many more locals are involved in other horse eventing besides racing. We need a covered multiplex facility to attract and host these and other large events.
It is time we studied other options of planning and administering our entire Town and Rural community. We need each other and would be stronger together. And we could simplify government by eliminating one level of administration. I realize there are serious rural concerns, for example the agricultural/residential tax rules for farmers if brought into Town, but we must look at the greater good and solve the existing broader issues as one community, in a united front, and not wait till solutions are forced upon us from the outside. After all, we are all proud to tell the world we are from Osoyoos.
There is a way for us to become one larger united community. We just need to explore its merits and avoid all potential pitfalls. The urgency is now while the economy is booming and we are faced with these unprecedented growing pains.
Eike SchefflerrnOsoyoos

In your editorial last week you took a swipe at the B.C. Teachers' Federation for their position on the B.C. government's budget “ and in your own words it was no big surprise. In fact, I'm not surprised that you chose to do so. The Osoyoos Times is notorious for the negative position they take on important educational issues. Unfortunately, these editorials are often ill-informed appraisals of positions taken by teachers on public education matters: matters that impact their working conditions and the learning conditions of students in their care.
Last month you decided that the BCTF's position on Foundation Skill Assessment Tests was a good target and you did so with little background research or understanding of what the issue truly is. The same can be said of the position you have taken (March 1, 2006) on the BCTF's reaction to the government's latest budget “ a reaction that is shared by many British Columbians including the B.C. School Trustees' Association who passed a motion last week voicing their concern about the lack of educational funding in the budget.
The issues of FSAs and educational funding are complex and should not be the topic of short editorials that only serve to raise the ire of readers.
Thankfully there are people in your community who wish to make a collective and intelligent appraisal of what is happening in our schools and find workable solutions. I had the good fortune of attending a conference on class size and composition last month with a delegation that included two Osoyoos residents: Marieza Tarr (School trustee) and Brenda Dorosz (DPAC Chair) and we were able to engage in thoughtful dialogue on the issue. One potential development is the possibility of our own district 'education roundtable' where rhetoric (editorial or otherwise) will be left at the door.
I know teacher bashing has been a favorite pastime for some in the community, but I also know that if ever our community is going to move forward and provide a collaborative and supportive environment for our kids then it's time to offer a hand and not constantly criticize those who stand up for the rights of students in our schools.
It takes a community to raise a child and I offer that as a challenge to you and anyone else who feels they have something to offer in creating a quality public education system that offers equal access to all.
Ritchie KendrickrnPresident, South Okanagan Similkameen Teachers' Union

Editor:rnEarly one morning, on February 24, a friend and I spotted dog droppings at our school. We were disgusted by the sight. This has happened many times at our school and we would like it to stop.
I'm sure all students would love to not step in it. This has become a big issue at our school. All students want to have clean grounds on which to play sports. All we ask of you is to clean up after your dog so our environment will be cleaner. Thank you.
Concerned Grade 6 Students, Osoyoos Elementary School

Editor:rnWhile out of power, Conservatives hailing from both founding parties worked apart, and then together, ultimately to fashion a single party and a set of policies designed to bring back to Canadians an ethical and accountable government. We said we'd do things better.
We'd clean up the mess. We'd treat Canadians with the respect they deserve.
Yet within hours of being elected, by appointing to cabinet David Emerson and the unelected party insider Michael Fortier, Stephen Harper substantially broke four established party policies, one specific campaign promise, over a decade of conservative policy development, and the trust of many Conservatives and most Canadians.
Our party's principles state that we believe in the democratic process, so its of no surprise that Conservatives are rightly questioning why Stephen Harper is violating a basic tenet of our party as one of the first official acts of his government.
A grown-up government works with the cards it is dealt and strives to earn the trust of the people and a better result in the next election. A grown-up leader of the government does not conspire to violate voter's trust in the democratic process.
Conservatives supporting the actions of Stephen Harper, Party Leader, ought to grow up, be true to their party and its principles, and speak out against Prime Minister Harper's actions, for if they do not the public will draw the inescapable conclusion: Conservatives talk about principle, ethics, and democratic renewal only when *out of office* and the public will put us back there soon enough.
Michael WatkinsrnVancouver

Editor:rnOur prayers have been answered! The Desert Valley Care Home is staying open after all, so we won't have to move my dad out of town. Even so, we remain concerned about the long-term future of the Home. Following is my letter before hearing it would remain open for at least the next two years:rnIt was with great shock that we heard the news of the Desert Valley Care Home closing its doors at the end of February! What are we to do?rnMy dad, Kurt Grindler, moved to Osoyoos in 1935 and was instrumental in starting a few businesses here. He started out with his trucking company in 1935 building up to five trucks, used for hauling fruit from orchards to the packing house and on to cold storage in Kelowna. Also, in the winter they supplied firewood to residents of the town. He went on to open a grocery store and built the building which is now Home Hardware.
Then he started the Osoyoos Cement Works and got in on the manufacturing of pumice blocks, which were used in building many homes and businesses through the Valley. He was one of nine members who started the Osoyoos Credit Union in 1946 and is the only surviving member. He raised six children here before moving to Kitimat in 1956 and then retiring back 'home' to Osoyoos in 1972.
He has been a resident of Desert Valley Care for the past two years! Now, with it being closed, where are we supposed to move him? He is diabetic and needs a lot of care, being confined to a wheelchair.
He is receiving the best possible care right now, as the staff are so caring and wonderful and treat the residents with love and compassion, as though they were a family member.
The government should be stepping in and saving this Home! As we all know, it is a well-needed facility in Osoyoos. We can only hope the owners get a reprieve or someone will buy the Home to keep it open so we don't have to move my dad out of town, which will only make matters worse for him and us!rnA person who has spent his life and given so much to the community should be able to stay at home in Osoyoos.
Lyla KallenbergerrnOsoyoos