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Justice, food, snow, dogs, trade and pipelines on topic

North Okanagan letter writers share their thoughts
11191008_web1_Letters-to-the-Editor-Small

I am appalled that Foerster pleaded guilty to his crime and then got off with a slap on the wrist , so to speak.

The world lost a beautiful young life when the lovely Van Diest girl was murdered.

She could have possibly been saved if the person who assaulted her had any speck of humanity at all and had even anonymously called an ambulance.

Our justice system is a joke. More and more it is serving the guilty rather than the innocent.

The scales have over balanced. DNA and forensics have become more sophisticated today and are increasingly becoming more so.

It is time the Justice System served the public better and did their job as it should be done.

We the people demand that Governments and the Supreme Court of Canada best do due diligence and get their focus where it should be.

Elinor Turrill

I am shocked to hear that we have lost our good food box. Losing the good food box means as a low income family it makes it very difficult to provide affordable healthy fruits and vegetables for my child.

Rachel Tessier

Hyperbole is an excellent tool in creative writing, but Coun.Brian Quiring should reconsider using this tool when speaking about snow removal in the downtown area. It was not spectacular,in fact for most of the winter, it was not even adequate for anyone trying to get out of their vehicle curbside. Icy or mushy snow mounds made it difficult to open car doors and harder to step out. People with mobility issues often could not get out in front of the stores they were trying to access.

If downtown Vernon is to move forward as a place to shop and visit, please boost the services to improve accessibility and safety.

Janet Woollett

Vernon

Regarding Len Eddy’s letter in The Morning Star dated March 14th. It just shows that rules can be bent for the select few, for shining example the keeping of three aggressive pit bull dogs when the law says only two dogs per house are allowed.

It is only a matter of time, not if, but when, those dogs escape, which one has already. My heart sinks when I think of a beautiful girl or boy getting mauled, the pain, the extended time in hospital. Of course everyone will be feeling sorry if that happens. I hope the owner has liability insurance, he will need it. Also the bylaw officers and Armstrong City council will be on the hook for some big bucks, but never mind, Armstrong taxpayers will pay for that.

Arthur R. Cayford

Spallumcheen

Dear Anna Maria – It’s most certainly time for Canadians to retaliate (by each of us) to avoid using any US product where our lives will not be seriously impacted, negatively. If we all act in concert, we can demonstrate to their government which seems to be unwilling to learn from history (e.g. – Herbert Hoover’s administration and their trade war disaster). If we voluntarily boycott US products as individuals, it should help our government in their negotiations regarding NAFTA. It’s time for us to show our mettle!

We enjoy your program very much – thank you.

Vern Polotikis

There have been recent letter submissions that cite the hype found in print headlines and TV segments. It now seems time to examine primary sources in the pipeline debate. Environment Canada, Transport Safety Board of Canada, Fisheries & Oceans Canada all have submissions within the National Energy Board Report. The 553- page document is easy to read, albeit non-sensational, summary of the application and consultation process for the pipeline approval.

Let’s start by clarifying that independent scientific studies were included in both phases of the approval process. The legitimate concern about coastal spill response has received extensive coverage in the Report and multiple sources have clarified that diluted bitumen does not immediately sink: lengthy analysis is given to how long it floats in various weather conditions, how to extend its floatation by varying the diluents and how to deliver a range of response methods. Spill prevention and spill response (using worst case scenarios demonstrations) are critical to every Canadian and weighed heavily in the document.

The National Energy Board, as most folks know, has the constitutional authority under Section 92 for the pipeline to proceed and has further taken a position, in fact over-ruled, efforts to block site construction. The City of Burnaby lost a bid recently; its bad faith tactics and unreasonable jurisdictional position were noted in the ruling.

Also, we would expect, critical to every Canadian, is the understanding that $40-50 million (CIBC report) flees the country daily as we discount oil to our neighbors, at least until we have our pipeline. Imagine what tax revenues could purchase towards developing Canadian renewable energy and Canadian social programs.

Terry Jones

Coldstream