Contributed – November 3, 2023 at 10:31 am | Story: 455568
I’ve seen two posts on Castanet against the idea of tiny homes to house homeless people in Kelowna.
We need a solution to reduce the number of homeless people in Kelowna. If this can be done properly, through safety checks, police patrols, removing any criminals and providing these people with mental and social assistance to get off the streets permanently, then it is a good idea. But, as I expected, there would be complaints from business owners near the site, and there have been.
The homeless have to go somewhere, but any ideas to help them are always met with anger and a “you’re not near me.”
I get it. I don’t like drunks or drug addicts near my house either but not all homeless people are like that. They will never go away without action by our local and regional governments.
Most people are not very far from becoming homeless, if they get sick or lose their jobs. I was on the verge of becoming homeless but I got help from my parents, help is not available to everyone.
The people who complain about these tiny houses will also complain about the homeless people loitering in front of their businesses but they are against any solution.
With rents so high in Kelowna, the number of homeless people will increase if there are no ideas on how to help low-income people get and keep a place to live. In the end, it benefits everyone in this city.
Mullins
Contributed – November 3, 2023 at 10:14 AM | Story: 455561
Re: Third deer attack in a week (Castanet, November 3)
It’s time to cull deer in Kelowna neighbourhoods.
We always carry pepper spray now when we walk our dogs after deer threatened us on four occasions. Even when we were not near (their fawn), we were charged or unable to turn around to go the other way because (the fawn) blocked the path between us. These events were on our street and on a paved walking path near a playground for young children.
It’s enough to be overwhelmed with aggression or dollars. When we can’t walk in our neighborhood, that’s execution time.
L. Allen, Kelowna
Contributed – November 3, 2023 at 9:54 am | Story: 455550
Repeats. Chris Jarwasiuk’s letter “Residents’ Disappointment” (Castanet, November 1)
Writer Chris Jarwasiuk laments that Kelowna residents don’t participate 100 percent in the annual free candy party (Halloween), but gives a pass to those whose religion might prevent them from being part of the “disaster.”
For your information, Halloween is not an official holiday, and has no religious significance and participation in it is not obligatory. I’m sure there are many others who, like me, refuse any participation in what has become an entirely commercial occasion (such as Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day), but not for religious reasons.
Furthermore, equating candy distribution with “community engagement” is naive, cruel and spiteful. There are many ways to get involved in your community than buying candy (probably not made locally), promoting dental problems and adding to the ever-increasing amount of litter on our streets and in our landfills.
I have an equal aversion to the commercialization of all these occasions. Guy Fawkes Day, the harbinger of the Halloween we know now, had no candy. However, it had fashion. Let’s get back to that.
Mark Levy, Enderby
Contributed – November 3, 2023 at 9:45 am | Story: 455546
Don’t get me wrong, the Food Bank (Central Okanagan) is doing everything it can to help thousands of people who need help, including me, but with all the fundraising, donations and Stuff the Bus events going on, why don’t you get me wrong? Do I continue to receive expired foods?
I’m a single person with no dependents, and when I empty my box each month, the majority of my food items are or will be expired within a couple of days.
Does all the “good” food go to families? I no longer receive milk or eggs, the canned items are usually over a year old and nothing is fresh.
Hilton (Global Hotel Corporation) recently donated more than $20,000 to the Central Okanagan Food Bank.
Maybe a responsible person could understand these concerns, and give the bachelors fresh, usable food that doesn’t have to be eaten on the day we bring it home or it will spoil.
I am so grateful for the help and support of those who donate and to the food bank itself but it seems to me that families take priority. I’ve seen the products they get in their boxes every month, but mine fail in comparison.
Sarah is good
Contributed – November 3, 2023 at 9:32 am | Story: 455544
As the British Columbia government seeks to educate Grade 10 students about the atrocities that human beings commit against each other, I hope they will not focus on a specific group or event.
Sadly, history is full of leaders associated with the deaths of millions, and Idi Amin (in Uganda) and Pol Pot (in Cambodia) immediately come to mind.
Perhaps parts of the Bible should be discussed in lessons, as a good book describes some bad battles that benefit some at the expense of others.
Peter Kane
Contributed – November 2, 2023 at 2:21 pm | Story: 455359
Repeats. Little Houses, Big Fears (Castanet, November 2)
I don’t understand how this will help anything. The tiny houses given to people on the street seem ridiculous to me.
There are a lot of people who work and pay taxes. There are families with two incomes, perhaps with children, who can barely cover rent and basic necessities.
Why don’t we let people who work and pay their bills apply for a tiny house? I know a lot of people love a tiny house. For example, low-income seniors would benefit from a tiny house. A working couple each earns approximately $100,000 a year and still cannot get a mortgage (they would like to).
There is something wrong with this picture. A lot of money has already been spent on people on the streets — addiction centers, resource centers, mental health facilities, government assistance. When does it stop?
When will Canada and British Columbia put working residents first? When will we be able to wake up every day, go to work, and come home at the end of the day without worrying all night?
(The county) takes a lot of taxes and I don’t see the benefits from all the taxes I pay. It seems to me that it is all aimed at making life easier for addicts and people on the street.
More and more families are being displaced from their homes because the government is spending all its money elsewhere instead of helping working families stay in their homes. This makes no sense to me.
If you don’t pay taxes, why do you benefit from the taxes that are taken? I don’t work to support people who live on the street and smoke drugs (illegally) in parks. I work to support my family. This in itself is a struggle.
I know not all people on the streets are addicts, but let’s face it, (many) are. Where is my little house?
Jazmine Simpson
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