By Lyonel Doherty
A retired Vancouver police detective has some advice for the Town of Oliver: “Get off the pot.” And he doesn’t mean marijuana.
During a recent council meeting, an unidentified man stood up and said Oliver was one of his favourite communities, but the only problem, he added, is it looks the “same today as it did 35 years ago.”
The individual said it doesn’t appear that the town wants to change, noting it consists of all “status quo” people.
However, he noted that Councillor Petra Veintimilla was “good news” for council due to her younger viewpoint.
“I’d like to see Oliver go in a new direction, not status quo,” he said.
The man compared Oliver with Osoyoos, saying the border town is a vibrant, well-lit community.
He stated that Oliver is doing a lovely job on its new homes, but he said the focus should be on the downtown core.
“It looks like a bombed out city with its big empty lots.”
The retired cop noted that the Dollarama sign looks like a big Las Vegas sign. He then suggested the two empty lots downtown be transformed into small parks with a café.
