SPADE showing its true colours

Dear editor: It was interesting to read of Tony Holler's latest open house for his proposed hotel on the south side of Munson Mountain. He is certainly letting the public have a thorough overview of this massive intrusion into the agricultural community.

The question that has to be asked, however, is where is SPADE in this process? You remember SPADE: Save and Protect our Agricultural Land from Development and Extinction.

So active in 2005 collecting names for a petition, a presence in our mall every day and active participants in every council meeting. All because the council of the day purchased land adjacent to Munson Mountain Park in keeping with a 1993 consultant’s report on recreational needs in the community.

Given their regular cry about the dangers of development intruding on agricultural land, the right-to-farm legislation and the importance of lands for growing food, I would have thought they would have been the first at the door decrying the proposed hotel development.

If their silence is deafening it may be because, as many people thought, they were nothing more than a neighborhood NIMBY group looking after their own selfish interests! David Perry Penticton

4. What steps will you take annually to ensure that staff at city hall demonstrate continuous improvement in efficiency and effectiveness?

5. What performance measures will you work toward to demonstrate that staff and the city actually perform more efficiently and effectively, year over year?

6. What is the criteria for the infrastructure deficit calculation and do we really have to change our budgeting and taxation policies?

7. Why did it take so long and so many citizen protests to finally overturn the Skaha Park disposition of lands?

8. What will be done to act in the interests of the community compared to providing endless tax incentives for economic development?

9. What measures should the city adopt to improve the quality of life for all of its residents?

10. What alternatives to “safe” injection sites would be proposed rather than facilitating drug use?

11. How can the excessive costs of police and fire be focused to get best value?

12. Should councillors vote themselves an increase in benefits or remuneration right after they are elected?

13. Why should there be “council’s priorities” when it comes to staff decision making priorities instead of “citizen” priorities?

14. What else could’ve been done with the $2 million and counting in tax subsidies given away through the economic incentive zone bylaws?

15. How do you feel about Penticton having the highest residential property tax rate in the Okanagan Valley and most of B.C.?

16. What changes should be made to the committees of citizens that assist council in making decisions? Should there be term limits of members?

17. What will councillors do to reach out and keep in touch with the broadest segment as possible for the community?

18. How will you support the priorities of the people that elect you to council — will you just be a voice for a business group, sports group, specific group of land owners and so on?

19. Is Max Picton’s most recent motion to pay developers to develop “green” the right thing to do?

20. Should staff only have meetings with developers for low-cost housing? Wayne Llewellyn

Penticton bright colours, spotless downtown and lots and lots of tourists. There is no comparison to Penticton. We need to clean this place up big time if we are to corner the tourist market in the Okanagan.

Maybe mayor and one or two councilors should take a short trip there to see how they do things, and figure a way we can both beautify Penticton while still replacing old infrastructure. They got it right in Victoria. Mark Billesberger

Penticton