Penticton Herald

Virtually all meetings can be in cyberspace

- MILLER JAMES James Miller is managing editor of the Penticton Herald. Email: james.miller@ok.bc.ca.

I’ve often been a critic of events such as the B.C. School Trustees Associatio­n and Union of British Columbia Municipali­ties convention­s, asking why they can’t be done virtually.

To me, money could be better spent. If COVID-19 proves one thing, it’s that with technology, meetings can easily be done online. By having a virtual convention, all council members, plus additional senior staff can attend, organizers can line up incredible and additional speakers (because they wouldn’t have to leave their home or office) and taxpayers wouldn’t be nailed for expensive meals, travel and hotel accommodat­ions.

As for networking, you can easily do that online. Many young people have friends from all over the world who they communicat­e with, but have never met face to face.

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Is it just me, or does today not feel like a holiday weekend?

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If hockey is allowed to resume, but with players, referees and bench staff only — no parents or spectators allowed in the stands — that will be the best thing to ever happen for minor hockey.

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A gorgeous house on Lakeshore Drive in Penticton has been removed from the city’s heritage directory upon the request of the owners who said they were not notified at the time of purchase that it was on the heritage list. One would think that two well-educated people would have asked. Who was the realtor who brokered the deal and why wasn’t that mentioned at some point during the transactio­n? Why does the city have a heritage directory to protect old homes if they ignore it?

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I watched “Becoming” the other night, the Netflix documentar­y that follows Michelle Obama around on her book tour. I’ve always admired the former First Lady, but I’m now a super fan. I wish Joe Biden could talk her into being his running-mate in November.

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There is speculatio­n that Justin Trudeau will call an election shortly after the COVID-19 crisis is resolved because his approval rating is high. My guess is an election won’t happen any sooner than November 2021 because MPs require a minimum of six years in office to qualify for the goldplated pension. There are a lot of MPs in Ottawa from all five parties who have just begun their second term.

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Chilliwack school board trustee Barry Neufeld has again made a fool of himself by posting a transphobi­c and racist conspiracy theory which has incensed the Ministry of Education and even the chair of his own board. Neufeld has since apologized and the post was removed. I think what needs to be removed is Neufeld from the school board. Is this the kind of role model we want for our children?

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Not to sound like a broken record but I’d again like to thank all of our readers and advertiser­s for their incredible loyalty to print media during these very challengin­g times. I appreciate each and every one.

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