iN DISCUSSION: ‘Discriminatory’ religions shouldn’t get tax exemptions

This is where cold facts yield to the hottest of takes.

Here you’ll find reader responses to stories and newsletter editorials, or letters to the editor for the week of June 9. They may have been edited slightly for readability. The opinions expressed are not those of iNFOnews.ca, unless we occasionally add our own style, like this:

Countdown Timer

That’s our official Recall Tara Armstrong Countdown Clock!

Tara Armstrong is currently the MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream. As far as we can tell, she has never lived there, never showed her face or said anything in the election campaign where she rode the coattails of the BC Conservative Party, got elected, then rejected and left the party to serve as an Independent because the Conservatives were too left wing. Now she gets to spout moronic, hateful rhetoric and claim that her riding supports her.

Elections BC says you can recall an MLA if 40% of eligible voters in the riding sign a recall petition — but not for the first 18 months after an election. Some people started an online petition calling for a byelection once she made a shift to Independent, but it won’t mean anything until the countdown clock hits zero.

So let the countdown begin!

Got something you want to add? Send an email to editor Marshall Jones at mjones@infonews.ca.

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RE: Monday, June 16 editorial on welcoming the tourists who might occasionally cause a teensy bit of frustration

Hi Marshall,

I wholeheartedly agree with you. As someone who previously had “red plates,” I can attest to often being unfairly labeled as contributing to higher costs and not sufficiently supporting the local community. In my experience, this couldn’t have been further from the reality. Fortunately, the majority of locals throughout the Shuswap and Okanagan regions had a much more welcoming perspective, embracing us as part of their community. Because of this positive reception we ultimately chose to retire in this beautiful part of the country and continue to pay it forward by ensuring others feel welcome to enjoy all this area has to offer. — Jerry Cox, Vernon, via email

I agree with your editorial thoughts on tourists. I’m in Kamloops. We get about 40,000 overnight guests every year from the Via Rail train alone. This keeps people on our downtown streets, and our restaurants open. I’m very tolerant of those. What I wish we had less of is big companies booking blocks of spots in the parks, and not showing up. That is a systems issue that should be addressed. People driving around campsites, looking at reserved tags, and no one ever comes. Sites stay vacant, and local folks go without. — Chris Ortner, Kamloops, via email

Great advice! We felt that during Covid and have continued the practice, place a business card clipped to a $20 bill and a welcome note.
One Albertan framed it. — Jonathan McCormick, Kamloops, via email

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BC teacher with a history of touching female students barred for 1 year

Wow! Why would anyone consider EVER allowing this sexual predator a position teaching young people again? This kind of obsessive behaviour doesn’t just “go away”… why put more kids at risk? — Karen Klein, Kamloops, via email

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How controversial Okanagan MLA Tara Armstrong got herself a raise

Tara’s pinnacle arguments include declaring that 100% of Wallace Wu’s 1,000 clients in his family psychology practice are transitioning genders, and that 1.5% of Kamloops school potential grave sites being excavated proves that all residential school burial grounds are false. Of course they want to give her a raise. — Saturday Delson Sazaran, via iNFOnews.ca

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Kamloops film director wins support for debut feature on homelessness

I enjoyed Shannon Ainslie’s story describing Cjay Boisclair’s journey into film-making. More proof people who end up living on our streets are human beings, no different than any of us. We’ve all made mistakes, we all have challenges – it’s just that some people’s mistakes cause them much more harm and suffering than others. They need our love and support, not our judgment or abuse.
Cjay’s story is only one of many where someone stuck in a cycle of self-harm and hopelessness received caring support to help overcome what’s killing them. Awesome she’s done so well for herself and I can’t wait to watch her new film. — Karen Klein, Kamloops, via email

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Atheist group says ‘discriminatory’ religions shouldn’t get tax exemptions in Kelowna

Don’t like a church’s rules, don’t go. There are other places for you to go. Don’t push your likes and dislikes on others. — Kay Anderson, iNFOnews.ca

Finally, someone fighting for a cause I can get behind. — Gary Kirkpatrick, via iNFOnews.ca

Hard to argue with their point, I’d say. — Dick Dawson, via iNFOnews.ca

I am in absolute support of the group in Kelowna who are working to have churches pay taxes.  Beyond the human rights discrimination prevalent in churches, the fact is churches are businesses based on the main character in a violent story written by men, for men. All other characters must bow down to the male. Not all, but most churches promote cruel judgment, righteousness, and even hate (as evidenced on pretty much any social media site.)
Look no further than the Broadway-show mega-churches, whose preachers and associates live in mega-mansions, for proof of the business model under which all churches operate, no matter their bottom line.
Also, churches sell a product that there’s no proof even exists. Some people seem to need the fantasy, but as the basis for a profitable business, it seems kind of “scammy” to the majority of us.
For those reasons and many more, it makes sense that churches should be taxed in the same way as other businesses. — Karen Klein, Kamloops, via email

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BC woman sexually abused by stepdad awarded $900,000

Finally, a punishment worthy of the crime. I’m really hoping he’s made to pay up. — Dianne Jackson, via iNFOnews.ca

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Airbnb says thousands of B.C. reservations at risk, blaming ‘rushed’ rental rules

Typical government FUBAR. You can Google what the initials mean. It looks like the government people do it on purpose but it’s just ignorance and incompetence. It’s so sad. — Robert Bishop, via iNFOnews.ca

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Municipal affairs minister says Kamloops council dysfunction ‘cannot continue’

A Council should not be allowed to gang up on a Mayor, like what has happened in Kamloops. — Doug Hallat, via iNFOnews.ca