I鈥檓 very frightened by 47th president
Dear Editor:
Watching the news the last few days has caused me sleepless nights.
One lie after the other spewing out of Donald Trumpsa国际传媒 mouth. Almost getting use to that. I鈥檓 very happy to hear that our provinces seem to be working together, even the Alberta premier, she always likes to work against Canada. Even she is willing to work together.
Then theresa国际传媒 Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, he must be so bored. When he opens his mouth it is just words against Justin Trudeau on and on and on.
This is a man I would never vote for.
Very happy to hear that Mark Carney is running for the leadership of the Liberal party, he worked together with Stephen Harper in 2008 to get through the financial crisis, so working together can be done.
Please buy local and skip the U.S. when planning Your next holiday.
Anne Henschel
Penticton
How are trees identified?
Dear Editor:
You can say any fool thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, 鈥楳y God, you鈥檙e RIGHT! I NEVER would have thought of that!鈥
鈥 Dave Barry, in 鈥淓arning a collie degree,鈥 (Miami Herald, Sept. 8, 1985)
In the most recent 鈥淐ouncil Connect鈥 column by sa国际传媒 Mayor Tom Dyas (鈥淢aking sure taxes are spent wisely,鈥 Jan. 3/25) he mentions 鈥渁ccountability鈥 and 鈥渢ransparency鈥:
鈥淎ccountability and transparency are central to every decision we make.鈥
鈥淚n the spirit of transparency, let me walk you through how we build the budget.鈥
鈥淓ach proposal undergoes rigorous review, including evaluation by the audit committee, to ensure transparency, accountability, and proper use of taxpayer funds.鈥
Now, a month later, Ron Seymour reports in his article, 鈥淭rees face chop for dog run in sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 City Park鈥 (Jan. 30, 2025): 鈥淭otal cost of the project is currently estimated by the city to be $750,000.鈥
The cost of the dog run wasn’t included in the City of sa国际传媒’s own Jan. 30, 2025 press release. Read: “Unleashing public spaces for you and your canine companions” on the website.
Seymour continues: 鈥淭hree of the trees that face the chop are said to be invasive species, while the other six have been declared hazardous in the estimation of the municipal arborist.鈥
Invasive trees are non-native trees that spread outside of their natural range and harm the local ecosystem.
Two questions for the arborist:
鈥 How are the three trees identified as 鈥渋nvasive鈥 harming City Park?
鈥 In what way or ways are six other trees in City Park 鈥渉azardous鈥?
By comparison, I wonder how much the City of sa国际传媒 -- not our provincial government -- has spent to deal with sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 homeless population in 2024.
I bet itsa国际传媒 nothing close to $750,000.
I tried to find out. On Dec. 30, 2024 I sent an email to ask@kelowna.ca
The text of my email read, in part:
Subject: Q: sa国际传媒 how much money in total has the City spent in 2024 to deal with sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 homeless situation?
Tom Dyas: 鈥淗omelessness, while closely tied to policies from other levels of government, has increasingly become a cost and responsibility shifted onto municipalities. This has required local governments to address the issue directly, often requiring integrative strategies and local solutions.鈥
sa国际传媒 how much money -- in total -- has the City spent in 2024 to deal with sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 homeless situation?
eg. cost of providing warming buses; cost to hire the bus drivers
eg. cost of garbage clean-ups along Rail Trail; cost of transporting garbage away from site
eg. City funding to the sa国际传媒 Gospel Mission
eg. City funding to any other shelters
eg. City funding of security personnel
eg, City funding of portable toilets and servicing
eg. City funding of routine cleanings of overnight sheltering sites
eg. Shelter Dashboard
(kelowna.ca/our-community/social-wellness/outdoor-overnight-sheltering)
eg. The Alexandra Gardner Women and Children Safe Centre
(nowcanada.ca/vendors/)
Etc.
David Buckna
sa国际传媒
Equalization
payments unfair
Dear Editor:
The equalization formula created in 1957, was designed to distribute wealth from the richest provinces to areas of Canada that were not as prosperous. Atlantic Canada was touted as an example.
The plan considered wealth from oil and gas being used to produce energy plus other resources. Hydroelectricity has not been considered in the equalization formula. Why not? Hydroelectric, too, is a source of energy. Ontario and Quebec produce a lot of hydroelectricity and in this fiscal year Ontario received $54.6 million and Quebec gained $13.6 billion.
This equalization formula is grossly unfair. The two most populated and prosperous provinces are receiving enormous handouts even while blocking Western energy from reaching export destinations. Quebec in particular has been most obtuse while gleefully raking in billions annually.
The equalization fund was to be examined and revised in 2024, but the Trudeau government postponed any discussion until 2029 鈥 no doubt, because political support would have been lost. Once again, political expediency sidestepped common sense and reality.
Ever since the early settlement of the West, wealth from the Prairies has been drained away to benefit Eastern Canada. This must stop. Period. An Energy East pipeline needs to be expedited forthwith or all equalization payments should be cut off. Itsa国际传媒 that simple. Canada cannot afford this unequal status quo.
Jim Church
sa国际传媒
Theresa国际传媒 great
value in condoms
Dear Editor:
$50 million for condoms? If only Fred Trump had spent a single dollar for one condom.
Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia
I beg you, do
your homework
Dear Editor:
These pearls of wisdom never cease to impress me. An NDP is 鈥渁 hack鈥. A Liberal seemingly leaves one speechless, and becomes merely 鈥渙ther鈥. Both are 鈥渞egurgitating鈥. Not only 鈥渃urious鈥 but downright unhealthy. An expression of truth is 鈥渁 slight鈥.
Pierre Poilievre has 鈥渢rained for the job鈥 and 鈥渟erved Canada all his life honing his skill鈥, we are told.
Have you observed the daily House of Commons proceedings in the last 10 years? 20 years? Vicious personal attacks, misinformation and name calling are not normally applauded 鈥渟kills鈥.
Consider that the fleas on a dog contribute nothing to the well-being of the dog, indeed are a detriment to the health of the dog, but are extremely proficient, one might even say skillful, at benefiting themselves.
The 鈥渟corched earth policy鈥 of the former Conservative government has cost Canada an enormous amount of money to repair and as for Canada 鈥渘ot being for sale鈥, just what did you think the Conservative privatization of everything including healthcare and all our resources has done but sell out Canada, setting us up for the present situation.
But 鈥渋ncrementally done鈥, to quote Stephen Harper, whose adulation of the U.S. continues ad nauseum, and who also 鈥渉oned his skills鈥 by stabbing his mentors in the back and stepping over their bodies, from the Imperial Oil mail room, on. No 鈥渟unny ways鈥 from that quarter. Rather a 鈥渟urvival-of-the-fittest鈥 contempt for Canadians.
鈥淲hen I get done with Canada you won鈥檛 recognize it鈥, he boasted. Well how do you like it ? Now you suggest the fox can fix the henhouse it emptied and destroyed.
Hardly! I beg you, do your homework.
Elaine Lawrence
sa国际传媒
No comparison to John F. Kennedy
Dear Editor:
Americans oppose tariffs on Canadians according to a survey by Angus Ried.
John F. Kennedysa国际传媒 often-quoted, 1961 Ottawa speech: 鈥淕eography made us neighbours; History made us friends, Economies made us partners鈥 - this sentiment has guided us since but now has been upended.鈥
Trumpsa国际传媒 tariffs are unfair, unconventional. He is unafraid of challenging established relationships and ways of conducting business and diplomacy. He is contemptuous of history and interested in the quick transactions not the long game. He thinks Canadians are Democrats.
American leaders have turned to tariffs before. Alexander Hamilton, the first treasury secretary, advocated tariffs to pay off the debt from the Revolutionary War.
In fact, so important were tariffs the second law passed by the newly formed Congress was the 1789 Act, - for 鈥淟aying a Duty on Goods, Wares and Merchandises Imported into the United States.鈥
The Depression era Smoot-Hawley tariff prompted prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to impose countervailing duties on 16 American products in his 1930 budget, which represented a third of all U.S. imports into Canada at the time.
King was Canadasa国际传媒 longest serving prime minister, 1921-1930, losing the 1930 election to Conservative leader R.B. Bennett, a tough-talking millionaire from Calgary, who brought us the Bank of Canada, the Canadian Wheat Board and the CBC radio -- however Bennettsa国际传媒 business skills didn鈥檛 always serve his political interests -- and King was re-elected PM again from 1935-1948
In his diary King wrote of his strategy towards his political rival, -鈥漌hat will Bennett have left to say, when trade with the U.S. is being decreased and Britainsa国际传媒 increased.鈥 - So, we are old hands at trade wars. But we don鈥檛 always agree on how to do it.
In a Halifax campaign speech, Bennett railed against King, 鈥淚magine a country sunk so low that the Prime Minister says he will not do his duty by his country because if he did, he might provoke someone. Is that the way your forefathersa国际传媒 built up this country?鈥
This sentiment may reappear in the next Canadian election.
Jon Peter Christoff
West sa国际传媒
