Kelowna's slow death

Costco will be just another victim of another blind city council.

Fifty years ago, this was a warm and wonderful place to live and raise a family. City council had great vision and was looking out for ours and future generations.

We has clean industry with good-paying, unionized jobs. People made good money, and they spent that money supporting local business. They brought us the sawmill, Crown Packaging, Western Star Trucks, Westmills Carpets, Magavines Bread Bakery, Homecoming Mobile Homes, Vanguard Travel Trailers, Hiram Walker distillery, and I'm sure I forgot someone.

These companies employed my father's generation, my generation and would have employed my kids' generation, but Kelowna councils chose to tax them to death until they left leaving us to try and adapt or move.

For some reason, they thought tourism is the only way to save jobs. They gave away our farm lands for development. Yes, fill our valley with people and highrises and high-density development.

They messed it up so badly, my children who were born here can't live here. Life is just to expensive and jobs are to low paying.

Which brings me to Costco. The airport industrial park already has large commercial buildings, a hotel, and it sounds more like a shopping mall, so why not Costco? It is a perfect fit for the area, and you just might be able to find a parking space. 

Thank you, Kelowna city planners, for your lack of vision.

Randy Shkrabuik