Rhetoric on sheriffs is overblown

Re: “Shortage of sheriffs exposes ‘failure to put public safety first,’ ” Feb. 21. So where exactly does the reality lie in B.C.? According to Dean Purdy, spokesman for the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union, sheriffs can’t make a living in Victoria or the Lower Mainland at $56,000 to $60,000 a year ($27-plus per hour), yet a $15-an-hour minimum wage is said to be way too high for everyone else struggling to get by on B.C.’s minimum wage.

There are thousands of people in B.C. who would do anything for that level of income for their families. Time to stop the overblown rhetoric. Scott Lyle Courtenay