We should all die with dignity
Dear Editor:
I would like the opportunity to have an advance request to enable me to have a dignified death should the conditions be met that would save me from years of unwanted suffering.
鈥 Inability to make advance requests should be a high priority with our politicians during this election.
鈥 I recently had most of a brain tumour removed and expect at some time for it to return and begin to erode my quality of life significantly and painfully before causing my death.
Please help publicize the request for advance requests for a dignified death should it become necessary.
John Kerr
Coldstream
Happy to support Stephen Fuhr
Dear Editor:
I have called sa国际传媒 home for over 28 years and have always cared about the direction our community is heading.
As a professor at UBC Okanagan and a trustee on the Central Okanagan Board of Education, I鈥檝e had the opportunity to engage with critical local issues directly and I know how much strong and compassionate leadership matters. That is why I am proud to support Stephen Fuhr as the Liberal candidate in our riding.
I have known Steve personally since his 2015 campaign, and over the years, I鈥檝e come to admire not just his accomplishments, but his character. He is kind-hearted, generous, and a genuinely good listener, and while we haven鈥檛 always agreed on every issue I have always felt respected and heard.
In a political landscape that can often feel cynical, Steve stands out as someone with integrity who truly wants to serve his community.
His record as a former Member of Parliament speaks for itself. He delivered real infrastructure funding for sa国际传媒 and he knows how to get results in Ottawa.
But what matters just as much to me is his ongoing commitment to the issues that affect us here, like education, the effects of climate change, and the local economy.
When he was MP, Stephen helped bring in millions of federal dollars for infrastructure development at UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College, and he was directly responsible for securing $1.3 million for the popular Okanagan Rail Trail.
After the Mill Creek flood emergency in 2017, Stephen helped secure $22 million from the federal government toward the Mill Creek Flood Protection project. More recently, Steve experienced the local effects of climate change himself when he lost his own home in the 2023 McDougall Creek wildfire.
As a school trustee I see how important food security is for families in our district. The National School Food Policy is bringing $39 million to sa国际传媒 over three years to support school meal programs; our school district is now receiving the benefit of this funding and we need it to continue. Stephen supports this program, while Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives voted against it.
We need local leaders who show up, listen, and care; leaders who can bring tangible benefits that will have lasting positive impacts on students and families in our community.
Stephen Fuhr does exactly that. I鈥檓 proud to support him, and I hope sa国际传媒 will too.
Wayne Broughton
sa国际传媒, BCg
Not sold at all on Mark Carney
Dear Editor:
Like other politicians Mark Carney has impressive academic credentials -- think Michael Ignatieff.
After Oxford, Carney spent 13 years at Goldman Sachs where time was spent on maximizing profits for the bank and its investors. Returning to Canada he became Chairman of the Bank of Canada and has inaccurately claimed to be the most influential in lessening the impact of the 2008 recession on Canadians.
He did lower interest rates which helped but the heavy lifting was done by PM Stephen Harper and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty when they put into place an infrastructure programme (roads, bridges and docks which employed many workers and has been beneficial to Canadians and the economy ever since.)
Carney then became Governor of the Bank of England. Many in the UK are astounded by the Canadian positive response to Carney as British critics on both the right and left found him to be a 鈥渄isappointing failure鈥, a man with a 鈥渧olatile temper鈥 and 鈥渉e created a difficult mess to clean up鈥. Former PM Liz Truss called him a 鈥渄isaster鈥.
Back across the Atlantic he joined Brookfield Asset Management and was UN Special Envoy on Climate.
Back in Canada he became the Liberal leader and quickly followed Justin Trudeausa国际传媒 steps with a short jaunt to Europe at taxpayers expense of about $500,000 and what did it achieve?
In the current election campaign he said he will quickly boost our natural resource industries and make Canada an energy 鈥渟uperpower鈥 while at the same time refusing the cancel Bill C69 nor lift the cap on oil production. For this you need electricity and wind and solar cannot meet that demand and it takes years to build hydro and nuclear projects.
Media has given little attention to his environment plans. Both he and his wife were founding members of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ). If you like Steven Guilbeault you will love Carney as he will be Guilbeault on steroids.
He plans to create a new federal bureaucracy to build 500,000 new rental homes in his first year. Where will he get the trades for this and do we need yet another federal department?
It is so easy to make promises such as hiring more RCMP and Canadian Border Service agents but what is lacking is how the government will pay for the promises.There are hints of cutting or freezing government spending. Maybe he will just resort to the Trudeau practice of turning on the printing presses to churn out more cash which will lead to more inflation. We need answers.
Allison Budd
sa国际传媒
You can鈥檛 hide your lyin鈥 eyes
Dear Editor:
Re: 鈥淐arney 鈥榣ied鈥 about his support for relocating company from Canada to U.S., Conservatives say鈥 (National Post, Feb. 26)
Now that the Liberals鈥 fortunes which were sinking like Tesla stock, seemed to have turned on international wonder kin Mark Carney, swooping in to raise the moribund party into the stratosphere, I would just like to ask Liberal supporters a simple question.
Not those Liberal supporters that still supported Justin Trudeau until the bitter end as they are a bit of a cult, but the old-time supporters of Paul Martin and Jean Chretien back when Liberals were the middle of the road party.
Sure, the Liberal party has the same MPs and ministers that presided on the disaster of the last 10 years, but as they steal platform after platform from the Conservatives, they鈥檝e changed.
My question to you is, are you OK with the fact that when Mark Carney finally had a hard question from a reporter asking: 鈥淗ow Canada could trust him to protect businesses in Canada when he moved his company, Brookfield, from Toronto to New York immediately after Trump started talking tariffs.鈥 (He lied.)
He said he had left the company by that time, when in fact, he chaired the meeting, recommended the move and even emailed shareholders asking them to accept the move. Carney could have offered a mea culpa; by saying it was his job as chair to make the best decision for the company, but he chose to lie.
While there have been other fabrications and claims from Carney during the campaign, my question to Canadians is: are you OK with that? Has your dislike for Poilievre and the Conservatives become so profound that you would rather choose someone who lies easily and not wonder if he is truthful about his platform and his conflict of interests?
For me, lying is not OK. I too, used to support the Liberals, until Trudeau and his ministers were caught in lie after lie. Most Canadians still believe in the truth and that lying is bad and fervently hope that the tribalism in todaysa国际传媒 politics doesn鈥檛 win over truth.
Andy Richards
Summerland
Poilievre has little to offer
Dear Editor:
Pierre Poilievre is not my choice for the leader of our country.
I have tried to listen to his speeches to figure out where he stands and what he stands for. All I hear is that the last nine-to-10 years Justin Trudeau has failed on everything.
Poilievre seems to have forgotten about the pandemic, the world-wide housing and inflation crisis.
Poilievre has made a lot of promises, I doubt he鈥檒l accomplish much but he鈥檒l always have an excuse... Trudeau .
I wonder how he would deal with a worldwide crisis. And here we go, we have one right now... Trump. From Poilievre we hear nothing, we鈥檝e heard plenty from our other Conservative leader, Albertasa国际传媒 Allison Smith. She鈥檇 join the U.S. in a minute, her oil and gas companies are insisting.
I also wonder why Poilievre is being very selective about what lucky journalists get to ask four questions.
This is what Trump is doing, so I feel we would never know the truth.
I do not trust this man, I have never heard him say anything positive about the environment. I prefer someone who鈥檒l answer the tough questions.
Anne Henschel
Penticton
Celebrating young songwriters
Dear Editor:
We are thrilled to share the success of our fourth annual Youth Songwriting Camp, held during the Ignite the Arts Festival last month.
Over the course of a dynamic and inspiring week, a dozen young musicians explored self-expression through music and lyrics, supported by professional musicians, Tereza Tomek and Naomi Shore.
Congratulations to all participants.
Your creativity and courage were on full display at the packed showcase concert at The Dream Caf茅. The original songs you shared were powerful and moving, offering us all a glimpse into the hearts and minds of a new generation of storytellers.
This camp is a highlight of our year and it would not have been possible without the support of our community.
We gratefully acknowledge Holy Cross School for providing the perfect venue for our week-long camp, and the Penticton Art Gallery and Ignite the Arts Festival for including the camp as part of its annual celebration of creativity.
Thanks also to The Dream Caf茅 for hosting the concert in such a welcoming and professional setting.
Most importantly, we offer our sincere thanks to the Deux Mille Foundation for their generous financial support of the camp. Their commitment to nurturing youth and creativity made this experience possible for every participant.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this yearsa国际传媒 Youth Songwriting Camp a resounding success.
Catherine Jones, Executive Director
Penticton Academy of
Music and Dramatic Arts
Staffers put stain on Liberal party
Dear Editor:
Re: CBC News reporter Kate McKenna turns in Liberal party staffers attending the Conservative 鈥楥anada Strong and Free Networking Conference鈥.
The staffers provided and planted several divisive buttons mimicking sayings from Donald Trumpsa国际传媒 campaigns which is a gimmicky tactic and dirty trick -- which really shows how desperate the Liberal Party is to control the election.
The comments of Mark Carney stating this situation were wrong and then redeployed the same staffers to a different branch of his government is wrong. This is blatant election interference and the Liberal government should be charged with this wrong doing.
The Commissioner of Canada Elections is responsible for ensuring that the Canada Elections Act is complied with and enforced. Every complaint received is reviewed.
Please submit your concerns to 鈥楾he Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections鈥.
Leo Jacques
sa国际传媒
Want Carney? Then vote Liberal
Dear Editor:
I believe Mark Carney is by far the best choice to lead this country through a Trump-caused economic crisis. Contrary to the oft-repeated NDP messaging, the best way to keep Mark Carney working for us as Prime MInister is to vote for the Liberal, Gloria Morgan. There are at least two national websites which identify the best choice for strategic votes against the Conservatives in every riding in the country. In our riding,both VoteSmart and VoteWell recommend voting Liberal.
Letsa国际传媒 keep our eyes on the prize. If you want a Liberal Prime Minister, you need to vote Liberal.
Bob Nicholson
Penticton
Forum failed to address key issue
Dear Editor:
I attended the federal election All-Candidates Forum on April 9 in Penticton. Notably, the Conservative candidate did not show up鈥攃iting 鈥減ersonal reasons鈥濃攁nd the Liberal candidate isn鈥檛 even a resident of the riding.
I left discouraged. The event felt like a political echo chamber, with candidates chasing their own tails. Not one addressed the two core issues undermining life in Canada and weakening our society: overpopulation and democratic decay.
Overpopulation 鈥 too many people 鈥 is the root of nearly every issue they touched on: lack of doctors, strained hospitals, rising homelessness, housing shortages, burnt-out healthcare workers, and collapsing infrastructure. Yet, not a word about it. Instead, vague promises and hollow plans, with no understanding of the pressure an unsustainable population puts on every system in this country.
No one acknowledged the real consequences of high immigration levels, despite growing public concern. Instead, they toed the corporate line: grow the economy endlessly, feed the business sector, cut 鈥渞ed tape,鈥 and let citizens bear the costs鈥攈igher taxes, stretched services, degraded environments. Only one candidate even hinted at reducing immigration. The rest? Eager to ramp it up.
These politicians seem to believe any talk of limits to growth is a radical idea. Their blind devotion to the mantra of endless economic growth 鈥 make, spend and consume more 鈥 is mindless and deeply out of step with ecological and societal reality.
Each candidate promised to 鈥渓isten鈥 to us 鈥 as if listening alone will lower grocery prices, find you a family doctor, protect old-growth forests, or reform bloated bureaucracies. I didn鈥檛 hear a single meaningful proposal for democratic reform. Where is the plan to give citizens real, legal power to influence decisions between elections? Nowhere. None of them seemed willing to challenge the status quo.
Justin Trudeau has been a prime example of this disconnect. From skyrocketing immigration levels to imposing UNDRIP without broad consultation, his government has made sweeping decisions without public input鈥攄ecisions now costing Canadians billions and creating legal chaos.
Listening isn鈥檛 enough. Canadians deserve more than token consultation. We want 鈥攁nd deserve 鈥 a seat at the decision-making table.
Dr. Brian L. Horejsi
Penticton
Theresa国际传媒 a silver lining to Trumpsa国际传媒 nonsense
Dear Editor:
Under Trumpsa国际传媒 idiotic tariff nonsense, cars will become too expensive, but no worries... we have bike lanes.
Paul Crossley
Penticton
No fact checking on Poilievre visit
Dear Editor:
The coverage of the April 5 Pierre Poilievre rally read more like a Conservative press release and party talking points than the Heraldsa国际传媒 usual reporting.
I waded through it, looking for questions or fact checking from reporters. However, considering Poilievresa国际传媒 adversity to scrutiny and contempt for the press, I shouldn鈥檛 have been surprised by their absence in your report. Recently, Poilievre only answers four questions and April 5 may not have been the best of times.
Nor were there reported comments or statements from local Conservative candidate Helena Konanz. Konanz was absent from the all-candidates forums as well.
Is she afraid to meet voters? Does she have ideas independent of the Conservative talking points? Is she really prepared to represent this constituency?
David Flater
Okanagan Falls
Councillors must finish their terms
Dear Editor:
Two people are reaching into my pocket and are about to steal my grocery money. These two individual women have violated our trust in our city council and think we won鈥檛 notice that we now will have to pay the debt they created by not fulfilling their contractual obligations.
I don鈥檛 buy the argument that Amelia Boultbee didn鈥檛 promise to stay for the length of her term. Were Penticton citizens made aware of this - that she was already planning to cut and run to a 鈥渂etter鈥 opportunity?
Now we know that there is no integrity here: Amelia Boultbee and Helena Konanz do not care at all about all of us, the people of Penticton. I suppose they feel that they are entitled to subject $85,000 or more for another byelection, on you and me and our families.
The only way for you, Amelia Boultbee and Helena Konanz to solve this problem is to pay all the money back to the taxpayers who supported you and paid your salaries. Otherwise, who will want to vote for you?
Lynn Greene
Penticton
