Imagine a trafficless Victoria Street

Editor:

Regarding Mel Rothenburger’s comments about the Seymour Street and Lansdown Street one ways. I may have an idea that could end the discussion. Making Seymour a two-way street again would create an imbalance of traffic lanes and create more congestion on Seymour. 

I would propose turning Victoria Street from Second to Sixth (or Seventh) into our own version of trafficless Granville Street in Vancouver. This would allow Victoria Street to become that people-friendly, quieter, storefront-forward place for all of us to enjoy. A walking Victoria Street would allow the streetlights at Third, Fourth and Fifth to be replaced with a pre-planned, syncopated set of pedestrian lights on both Seymour and Lansdown, which would hasten traffic flow and be safer for those on foot. Considering the lack of foot traffic on Victoria Street now I can see this being a win-win for traffic and business in our downtown core.

I would love to have lunch or dinner downtown on a real, comfortable, made-for-people restaurant patio where patrons can truly feel like they can “relax and stay awhile”!

Jeff Owens
Kamloops

Hoping to see a strong voter turnout

Dear Editor:

It has been a long time since I last penned a letter to the editor of a Kamloops newspaper. I was initially very unhappy with the discontinuation of our regular local paper and pleased to see the emergence of the Chronicle. I have always been a proponent of local print media for its connection to the community and importance in offering valuable information, be it sports, obituaries, political endeavours, controversy, and occasionally holding feet to fire if necessary. As well as so much more. 

Given the municipal election being on the horizon, and the nature of some of the online opinions (as noted by Arjun Singh recently),  I very much hope that voters will make a strong turnout and be very careful in marking their ballots. The anticipated large number of candidates could have a negative effect on the outcome, and encouraging a wholesale change in our municipal government might be the wrong plan.

Thanks for the Chronicle, and I will continue to enjoy the updates on what is happening in our fair city.

Patrick C. McDonald
Kamloops

BC Wildfire Service needs to do better

Dear Editor:

With each passing fire season, and now with large fires burning in the Okanagan, Cariboo, and Fraser Canyon, it is becoming increasingly clear that the senior leadership of the BC Wildfire Service and the Minister of Forests need to be replaced. Every spring, the Minister says the province is ready and prepared for the season ahead. Really? And when a fire goes over the hill, they are ready with their excuses.

B.C. needs leadership that moves beyond excuses.  A good start would be giving a higher priority to pushing the success rate upwards on initial attack.  Every fire caught early means a great deal to those living nearby. 

In an era of changing weather and landscapes, when fires burn hotter and spread faster, an extra fast, hard-hitting and sustained air response is critical. Playing the odds or penny-pinching on air attack is not strong leadership. The B.C. air fleet needs considerably more aircraft on seasonal standby, especially heavy lift rotary aircraft.  As a former BC Wildfire Protection Officer and Incident Management Team member, dispatching the right type and number of aircraft upon discovery determines the outcome.

More powerful aircraft available for both day and night operations is essential to hold fires promptly, improve initial attack success, and reduce the risk of mass evacuations, widespread smoke, and destruction. In times of drought all fires deserve to be held quickly from the air before smoke or stronger winds make suppression more difficult, or before they multiply in size days later.    

With the right senior leadership, the BCWS can do better.

Clarence Friesen
Kelowna

Lack of response from council

Dear Editor:

I recently wrote individually to some councillors running for re-election about a long-standing community safety concern involving a nuisance property in my neighbourhood.

Four out of six did not reply.

After I later wrote to the entire Council expressing my disappointment, Coun. Bill Sarai, currently Deputy Mayor, did reply. He provided some background and indicated that the City, RCMP, and Community Safety are aware of the problem and continue to deal with it.

I thanked him, but replied that his response had not addressed my main question: Are there any further steps or other avenues that could be pursued to bring this long-standing problem to a resolution?

I received no response to that follow-up.

I understand there are limits to what municipal government can do. But when a community safety problem has persisted for years, I believe residents have every right to ask: What else can we do?

I remain disappointed that I received no response from some of the other councillors I had originally emailed. I don’t expect councillors to always agree with me or have an immediate solution, but I do expect elected representatives to respond when citizens raise serious concerns.

In my view, it’s high time for fresh ideas, fresh voices, people prepared to think outside the box, and councillors who will respond to citizens’ concerns.

Those will be important considerations when I cast my vote in the upcoming municipal election. I hope other citizens feel the same on election day.

Nick Carter
Kamloops