Response to parking crisis

Dear Editor: Re: City of Penticton parking survey on the South Okanagan Events Centre, Memorial Arena, and casino

I do not believe the parking issue at the South Okanagan Events Centre is an SOEC problem. I believe it is a casino problem. The fact some genius decided to build the casino there has now made this a city issue.

The casino should have been forced to build a parkade to facilitate their customers.

The Penticton Lakeside Resort was forced to build its own threestorey parking garage when the casino was located at the resort.

It was a condition of the Lakeside being granted a building permit.

Why was the new casino not required to do the same when they built their new location?

Was it because the city did not want to create waves that would force the casino onto the reserve? We lost that battle behind closed doors, giving away our tax dollars and now we have lost our parking for the SOEC, the Penticton Community Centre, Memorial Arena, the curling rink and the Penticton Trade and Convention Center.

Possibly another idea would be to tear down the convention centre, since a beautiful one was just completed at the Lakeside, and make that your parking lot. Come to think of it, the convention centre would have been yet another improvement on the casino location. Rod Ferguson

Penticton