Many benefits of proportional vote
Dear Editor:
The BC Government has formed a special Committee to explore ways to make our political system more democratic, and how to motivate more people to engage in the political process.
In the last federal election, an incredible 49% of Canadians voted against a party or candidate they did not like, rather than vote for a party or candidate they wanted to elect.
During elections in Denmark, where they have used Proportional ballots for decades voter turnout is usually more than 80%, and 90-some percent of the ballots cast in an election usually helped elect an MP.
A Proportional ballot is the only ballot that can destroy the incredible lock on power our political leaders have assumed over the politicians, by hijacking the nomination process, to control who is allowed on the ballots.
The ballot also separates the party vote from the candidate vote, by listing the parties on the left side of the ballot, and the candidates on the right side of that same ballot. It’s like using two ballots, completely independent of one another.
Voters mark the left party-side of the ballot, to make sure each party gets the ‘seats’ they should have according to the popular vote.
They mark the right side to vote for any one of those the candidates, regardless of party association.
Using a Proportional ballot politicians are no longer free to respond to the demands of the party leaders. To get (re)-elected they have no choice but to cater to the needs and demands of the voters.
B.C. has had three referendums on electoral reform, parading and promoting a ranked, run-off, preferential ballot just like the ballot Trudeau was promising Canadians, and never delivered. Only the last referendum included Proportional ballots.
A Proportional ballot will consistently produce truly democratic governments where the people make all the decisions, that are then implemented by our politicians who will be performing like the Trustees they are.
Andy Thomsen
Kelowna
Albas engages in political spin
Dear Editor:
Re: Congratulations Stephen Fuhr” (Courier/Herald, May 16)
In his May 16 column, MP Dan Albas wrote: “As the Official Opposition, we were concerned to see that 14 of PM Carney’s 39 ministers and junior ministers were former front-bench ministers from Prime Minister Trudeau’s cabinet.
For those voters who wanted change, this cabinet selection does not reflect that signal.”
If Albas wasn’t engaging in blatant political spin, he could have written instead: “For those voters who wanted change, the majority of PM Carney’s ministers and junior ministers -- 25 of 39 -- are not former front-bench ministers from Prime Minister Trudeau’s cabinet.”
It’s common sense that Carney would want to have some familiar faces in key positions who have experience, and know how to drive change in their departments. Did Albas -- and his leader Pierre Poilievre -- really expect Carney to pick 39 rookie MPs for cabinet ministers?
Albas asks: “Do you agree with the Liberals’ decision to delay providing this necessary budgetary information until the fall fiscal update rather than releasing it this spring?”
Yes, I do. A government doesn’t need to present a budget to function. Albas knows that a detailed budget usually takes at least six months to be rolled out. How likely could *any* Canadian government accomplish this in the few weeks that remain on the 2025 House calendar?
In Prime Minister Carney’s May 18 news availability, he said there will be “a much more comprehensive, effective, ambitious, prudent budget in the fall. You do these things right, and that’s what we’re gonna do.”
Carney was asked by a reporter: “Why not present Canadians with a budget at the very first opportunity?”
He replied: “There is not much value in trying to rush through a budget in a very narrow window -- three weeks -- with a new cabinet, effectively a new finance minister, just reappointed but a new finance minister, rush that through.”
He gave three factors for delaying the budget:
1. The NATO summit takes place in June -- after parliament rises -- which will have fiscal and budgetary implications for Canada.
2. Advance Canada’s trade discussions with the U.S.
3. Improve the efficiency of government spending, looking where to reduce costs and improving the productivity of the public sector.
According to Rob Russo, Canada correspondent for The Economist, “the quickest budget ever brought in after a government was elected was [Liberal] Paul Martin’s, in 2003. The person who took the longest was [Conservative] Stephen Harper, in 2007. He took nine months to bring in a budget.”
My question for Dan Albas: If you believe Pierre Poilievre is not above the law, why do you think he hasn’t moved out of the Stornoway residence, since he is no longer the leader of the Official Opposition?
David Buckna
Kelowna
What’s with all the flower boxes?
Dear Editor:
Re: “Obstacle course on South Main Street,” (letters, May 21).
Thank you Mike Hawley for your letter to the editor. I couldn’t agree more.
I find it hard to drive down South Main and see what City Hall has done to a once very drivable street. The mind boggles at the crazy design of flower boxes and concrete obstacles that motorists now have to navigate around.
Please don’t let the City Hall employee responsible for this debacle be allowed to look at any more street changes.
Jan Finlay
Penticton
Make it easier to wait in an ER
Dear Editor:
Emergency room wait times in British Columbia are routinely between five and 24 hours.
During this time, patients — many of whom are already in significant pain or distress — are forced to sit in uncomfortable chairs, under harsh lighting, often surrounded by others who may be contagious.
This environment can exacerbate suffering and, in some cases, borders on inhumane treatment.
Given modern communication tools, I find it difficult to understand why hospitals cannot offer an estimated wait time and allow patients to return home or wait elsewhere more comfortably.
Patients could then be contacted by phone or text when they are within an hour of being seen by a physician. At the very least, patients should be given the option to leave and return shortly before their expected consultation time.
I understand Alberta has implemented a system along these lines, and I believe a similar approach in B.C. could significantly improve the patient experience.
Allowing individuals to wait in the comfort of their homes or another safe space would not only reduce their physical and emotional strain but could also ease the burden on crowded ER waiting rooms.
This small change could make a substantial difference in how we deliver care to those most in need.
I urge the government to consider adopting a more compassionate and modern approach to managing ER wait times.
Jonathan Gage
Victoria
Don’t deny seniors prostate screening
Dear Editor:
The news that former U.S. president Joe Biden has advanced prostate cancer is concerning from the point of view of prostate cancer screening. This diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer Gleeson nine was and is avoidable.
The prostate specific antigen test known as PSA is an early warning sign of the possibility of prostate cancer.
The investigation often requires an MRI of the prostate, followed by a biopsy of suspicious areas that might harbour cancer in the prostate.
Unfortunately, prostate cancer screening has been by protocol discouraged after age 70.
With life expectancy increasing, it is obviously important that healthy, vigourous active men continue to be screened for prostate cancer as they age.
I have several examples of patients leading healthy active lives in their late 70s and early 80s who were told by their physicians not to have PSA testing, only to be found out to have high risk Gleason 8, 9 or 10 cancer of the prostate with metastatic spread to bone lymph nodes and liver.
High-risk prostate cancer causes significant morbidity and cost to the health-care system.
To deny relatively healthy older men prostate cancer screening is tragic and inexcusable!
Dr. Peter Pommerville, BA MD FRCSC
Clinical Professor
Department of Urological Sciences
University of British Columbia
Victoria
One root cause of war in Ukraine
Dear Editor:
Here we go again — more talk of peace talks! The Russian head of state, “Rash” Putin, claims that his main goal is to eliminate the root cause of the “crisis” in Ukraine.
Earth to Vlad: There is of course one major crisis in the Ukraine: A war, started by Russia invading Ukraine in 2014 and again in 2022.
And the “root cause”?
Can someone please hand the Killer in the Kremlin a mirror?
So, yes! By all means, eliminate the root cause, the sooner the better.
Gordon Zawaski
Parksville
Russia and U.S. versus Canada
Dear Editor:
The Canadian Armed Forces has a shortage of 16,500 military personnel. If Vladimir Putin attacks from the north and Donald Trump invades from the south, do we simply send out the Welcome Wagon?
Cheera Crow
Esquimalt
Gilbert doesn’t seem concerned about park space
Dear Editor:
Given that Penticton City Councilor Isaac Gilbert claims to have served as a ranger for BC Parks, one assumed he cared about the intrinsic values of our limited parkland in Penticton.
However, Gilbert’s recent actions as Council liaison for the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee reveal otherwise. His support for controversial pickleball courts soon to be installed at Skaha Park ignored and overruled the Committee’s objections, as well as their proposal to seek more suitable land for that project.
Additionally, at the May 13 Council meeting, Coun. Gilbert supported allowing off-leash dogs as a shared use in the entire south end of the “underused” Riverside Park. During his comments he wanted to be sure that residents of the north end of the City wouldn’t be shortchanged by not hav-ing enough space to watch their dogs run around in parks.
This was despite the fact that north end Penticton dog owners already have access to off-leash dog space at: the City Yards Dog Park at 2088 Dartmouth Drive, Ellis Creek Dog Park at 100 Industrial Pace, Okanagan Lake Dog Park Beach at 45 Lakeshore Drive East, the entrance to the Water Treatment Plant 1900 Penticton Ave, (plus the public pathway leading to that site), and the Three Mile Beach Dog Park on the boating beach at 802 Three Mile Road. (Source: Dogs in Parks page, City of Penticton website).
At that meeting it was also acknowledged by Council that they had heard from many residents who don’t (and shouldn’t) trust every off leash dog they encounter. I appreciate that some dog owners don’t have appropriate fitness levels to exercise their dogs on leash, but surely there is already enough space for off leash dogs in north Penticton.
My public thanks to Couns. Campbell Watt and Jason Reynen for their comments and their votes against the staff recommendation motion by Isaac Gilbert to allow this so-called “shared use” in Riverside Park. My appreciation also goes to past Parks and Rec Committee Chair John Archer for his work on behalf of preserving Penticton’s parkland for appropriate uses.
Loraine Stephanson
Penticton
Councillor stands by City’s process
Dear Editor:
I appreciate the dialogue and passion around Skaha Lake Park. The park is used by many residents and visitors for walks, tennis, volleyball, swimming, paddle sports, and picnics. It is well-used for many activities and brings so much life to the city. That is why it is important the City and Council follow a process and consult with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC). The pickleball courts in Skaha Lake Park followed that process.
On May 16, 2023, Council approved a strategy to expend the $7.2 million Growing Communities Provincial Funding. On June 20, 2023, Council approved the terms of reference for the Growing Communities Capital Program, which allocated 10% through an open call for proposals.
On March 6, 2024, PRAC was presented with the full details of all the applications submitted. This included a shortlist of projects, one of which was the option to convert one tennis court into four pickleball courts in Skaha Lake Park. The committee was also presented with the timeline of the application process and when they would be consulted.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, with John Archer as Chair, voted in favour of the shortlisted projects, including the four pickleball courts in Skaha Lake Park, to move to Phase 2 of the application process. There were no comments or concerns at the meeting about the four pickleball courts in Skaha Lake Park from the committee. There was no indication from PRAC members that they expected to be consulted again in Phase 2.
On March 16, 2024, Council endorsed the recommendation advised by the committee. On Sept. 10, 2024, Council received the results from Phase 2 and the refined projects. Council then adopted the projects from Phase 2 into the 2025 Financial Plan.
Adding more pickleball courts in Robson Park would not adhere to the Robson Park Master Plan, which only calls for eight pickleball courts. Building new courts in a park would require more financial investment and removal of trees and green space. The City resurfacing the Skaha Tennis Courts—removing one of the three tennis courts and adding four pickleball courts—is the most cost-effective option. It requires no removal of trees and has minimal impact on green space.
Pickleball is a sanctioned activity in parks and will be accompanying another racquet sport. It is also in an area of the park with volleyball. All these activities come with a level of noise when being played, and I understand pickleball has a distinct sound. However, the planned location is five times farther from residential buildings than the pickleball courts in Robson Park.
I stand by the process the City followed and am always willing to hear from the committee about how we can improve. I am also going to miss working with John Archer. I spent four years with him when I was on the committee before being elected, and I appreciate all the work he has done for the community.
Coun. Isaac Gilbert
City of Penticton