The Capital News

[CRCP]

Members' posts follow

[Rick Shea]

Sent to the Capital News on March 11, 2007.

Dear Sir:

It is indeed ironic that Phil Milroy is part of the opposition to Jim Strachan's proposed subdivision on Lakeshore Road. Many of the reasons Mr. Milroy gives for his opposition apply equally well to his proposed Lawson Landing development in the city centre.

That aside, I very much appreciate your comment that "sometimes our elected officials need to do what's best for the greater community, and just say no." It's refreshing to see a member of the Kelowna media finally put that opinion in print.

Of course, a point of contention is regarding what really is best for the greater community. I find it difficult to believe that driving up taxes and making housing unaffordable so that members of the community can no longer afford to live in Kelowna is the best we can do. I find it difficult to believe that clogged roads, sprawl, and crowding people into high density developments is the best we can do. I find it difficult to believe that building mansions on hillsides and high end condominiums that cater to the wealthy out of town buyer is good for the greater community.

"Expanding the tax base" has done nothing to keep taxes down, help the homeless and those who can hardly afford housing in Kelowna, help infrastructure keep up with development, and build that social capital that is essential for a healthy and vibrant community. Kelowna is no longer a community. It has become just another opportunity for speculators and for those with money to satisfy their whims.

Clearly, growth is now the problem, not the solution.

Thanks very much for that column. Keep up the great work!

Best regards,

Rick Shea

[John Zeger]

Since the Capital News thought so well of Robb Stevenson's letter to the editor ("Zeger welcome to move to Westside if Kelowna is so bad," Capital News, July 1, 2007) that it published it twice that weekend, I thought that it would only be fitting for me to respond.

Examining some of Mr. Stevenson's arguments, first he says that an increase in crime and traffic congestion is a common occurrence in B.C. towns and cities. That may be so but not to the extent that Kelowna has experience them. In 2005 Kelowna had the dubious distinction of having the second highest crime rate in the nation and it also had the highest motor vehicle accident rate in the Southern B.C. Interior.

Stevenson says that our local governments have worked hard to solve these problems. No, they haven't. They have merely applied band-aid solutions of hiring more police and building more roads but haven't come to grips with the root cause of these problems which is population growth. There have been numerous letters in the local media lately complaining of the worsening traffic congestion in our city. One writer even went so far as to suggest a moratorium on growth until road capacity is increased to meet the existing needs. In regards to crime, the U.S. FBI recognizes population growth as being a strong correlate of crime. in other words, the bigger the urban centre, the more crime you are likely to find. A recent study of B.C. communities bears this out.

Second, Stevenson says that Kelowna is developing into "a beautiful, modern and sustainable urban centre." I disagree. We are rapidly losing our beauty as open space is being developed for residential subdivisions and the mountains are disappearing piecemeal behind highrises. I personally know of this as the Centuria highrise at Bernard and Gordon is obscuring a once beautiful view of the mountains that I enjoyed. As for Kelowna becoming modern, it has been modern for some time now. What is Stevenson's notion of modern -- a city full of highrises?

Is Kelowna becoming sustainable? No. Kelowna will not become sustainable until it limits it population size to what the environment can handle. Just putting green roofs and solar panels on buildings will not make us sustainable while the city grows by thousands every year. Experts have told us that we are heading to the time when there will not be enough water here to meet all the needs. However, no one at city hall is paying any heed to what they are saying and their perspective is that there are no limits to growth and that we can keep on growing forever.

Lastly, it is regrettable that people like Mr. Stevenson always have to resort that old redneck mode of thinking, " if you don't love it leave it." Thank you for the advice, but I don't plan to leave anytime soon and will continue to work for Kelowna keeping whatever quality of life it has left.

[Rick Shea]

And my two cents worth:

Dear Sir:

So, Robb Stevenson would have John Zeger move to the Westside (“Zeger welcome to move to Westside if Kelowna is so bad”, Capital News, July 1, 2007). Given all Mr. Zeger’s hard work over the years, this is indeed ironic.

Mr. Zeger has been unswerving in his attempts to convince city council to create more affordable housing. Mr. Zeger has been unswerving in his attempts to maintain and improve the quality of life in Kelowna in the face of increasing crime, pollution, homelessness, and traffic over the years. Mr. Zeger has been unswerving in his attempts to persuade city council and city hall to realize that “sustainability” means being able to do what we do forever, and is not just a smokescreen to allow developers to continue to make profits.

Rather that write Mr. Zeger off in his arrogant fashion, Mr. Stevenson would do well to nominate Mr. Zeger for citizen of the year, and perhaps even the century. But then again, citizens who truly care obviously aren’t welcome in Kelowna.

Sincerely,

Rick Shea