Letters to the editor

The Province newspaper on Feb 24 had a special report indicating that the state of Kelowna is rotten and paradise is lost. The report emphasized that Kelowna is becoming a crime and drunk driving capital. The increasing domestic violence is alarming. The poor planning of growth makes Kelowna ugly. Also, increasing growth makes city problems worse.

The report shocked Mayor Gray in his protective self–admiring, narcissistic bubble. Instead of taking off his rose-coloured glasses to face reality and finally admit that the quality of life for the majority of citizens is declining here, he remains in stubborn denial. He claimed the Province article lacked any sort of proof and was void of any statistics.

The reality is that Statistics Canada’s report for 2011 ranked Kelowna as the first in BC, and third in Canada for domestic violence.  Kelowna has the highest drunken driving rate in the country.  Also, Kelowna is the fourth most expensive place to live.

Regarding the Bacon gangland shooting with bullets spraying the waterfront, Mayor Gray said the shooting was a story about crime in BC, not in Kelowna.  How can he deny that organized crime is well established here? Almost everyone knows that organized crime have clubhouses and drop-in centres here. 

What kind of leadership are we getting at city hall? Leadership that avoids reality by wearing rose-coloured glasses and lives in a bubble? Leadership that insults citizens by using denial, distortion, deflection, deception, phony excuses? 

Enough is enough. Citizens; before Kelowna becomes unliveable and rotten beyond repair, get rid of the conceited, self-admiring dysfunctional, inadequate mayor and council at the next civic election.

Robert Cichocki