Penticton chamber offers letter of support for mayor

Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce is lending its support to Penticton Mayor John Vassilaki and Penticton city council in its dispute with the province.

The business group wrote an open letter of support for the mayor to B.C. Premier John Horgan regarding the city’s temporary winter shelter at Victory Church, located at 352 Winnipeg Street.

The shelter has been mired in controversy since the province used its powers as a higher level of government to keep the shelter open, overriding the city’s mandated March 31 closure.

READ MORE: Penticton homeless

The chamber conducted a survey of Penticton businesses regarding their experience with changes to the neighbourhood brought about since the shelter opened.

The survey found:

  • 61.82 per cent found people sleeping in the doorway of their business or on their property
  • 45.45 per cent have had to deal with human waste on or around their business premises
  • 43.64 per cent have had to deal with complaints from their staff
  • 40 per cent have involved the police
  • 38.18 per cent have had customers and/or staff harassed

“We do not dispute the need to provide shelter and care for those experiencing homelessness, however we do support our mayor and the recent declaration from the Union of B.C. Municipalities, to decide where any future shelters should be located in their community. Furthermore, we strongly feel that the province should provide additional funding to support shelters,” the chamber stated in its letter.

The chamber described further shelter support coming in the form of additional police funding, and funding to address addictions and mental health issues.

“The chamber understands fully that we need to ensure that the safety of the city’s most vulnerable are provided shelter, however, we ask that the province work with elected local officials and allow them to make decisions that best meet the needs of the community,” the chamber said.


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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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