Explosive interview with Michael Ryan is tendentious. It should be stressed this is about the social, economic and ecological issues the community is facing it is about issues not persons. In his interview with Michael Ryan, the Osoyoos Now Society, Robert Shuster tendentiously or rather blunt blatantly promotes the Town’s economic development model and contract with Destination Osoyoos. Hopefully, people don’t buy a car because an ad or TV commercial shows the car sitting on a mountain top. Hopefully in their guise as taxpayer and voter people will recognize tendentious political purpose driven interviews and educate themselves on the issues. One must assume that the major concern for the Osoyoos Now Society, and Michael Ryan and all other’s, is the

In reflection on the Osoyoos Times British Columbia editorial August 25, 2004 regarding the Chamber of Commerce vs. Town of Osoyoos, in British Columbia, – issues vital for Canada at large. It is reasonable to believe that any reasonable thinking person in Osoyoos, BC and elsewhere agrees with the leader in the local paper. That the disputes between the Chamber of Commerce versus the town and the town’s contractor the Destination Osoyoos Corporation, is negative for the community. Needless to say, working together with other organizations in the best interest of the Chamber members and the community, promoting the community as a nice place to do business, live and visit, which is a natural part of the Chamber’s activities. However,

Vote and do something about it! Osoyoos British Columbia – a lesson in democratic failure? In the early democracy of ancient Athens, when a small group of bullies and their followers took power and violently oppressed the opposition, people discovered democracy is no guarantee against bullying and abuse. More importantly, people also discovered that the problem was not the bullies and followers. As Albert Einstein stated: “the world is a dangerous place to live in, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” Roughly, 2400 years later in Osoyoos BC, the action of a small group of people in concert with the Town Council, against the Chamber of Commerce,

There is more significance than meets the eye in the peer recognition of Penticton’s Economic Development Officer. The Economic Development Association of BC has named one of their peers – the City of Penticton’s Economic Development Officer – “The Economic Developer of the Year”. The recognition is for the EDO’s effort that attracted a US company to locate a Call Center in Penticton. Penticton EDO’s effort is commendable, and presumably the Mayor, Councilors, and Administration all played a role in the US company’s decision. According to press information, the Call Center now employs around 600 people in the Okanagan. Even if many are part-time jobs, they are in an area where investment in job generating economic production is scarce. All

Canada’s Auditor General and the Chamber of Commerce in Osoyoos, BC address the same issues. Will the community demand changes? Canada’s Auditor General has accountability concerns for the federal government’s accounting and arbitrary transfer of billions of tax dollars to foundations and private non-profit corporations that are only accountable to themselves. For example: the $300 million to the Green Municipal Fund. On municipal level in Osoyoos, the Chamber of Commerce is concerned for, and involved in a legal dispute with the local Town Council over, the local government transfer – without cost benefit analysis and tendering process – of $1 million of the taxpayer’s money to a non-profit private corporation (the Osoyoos Business and Community Development Centre). From completely different

To the Editor Osoyoos Times Open Letter to Destination Osoyoos Dear Mr. Mandziuk: Thank you for your invitation to discussion in your Community Matter Column in Osoyoos Times, September 14, 2005, in which you seek to address and discuss issues that affect “us all”, for which I am sure the community welcomes (and needs). I am accepting your invitation, because understanding the issues society faces is the lifeblood of democracy, and understanding emerges from vigorous and open discussions in the press and in the community. Contrary ignorance, greed and complacency are the root of corrupt government, democratic failure, and man made social misery and adversity around the world. It is still my analysis, as I addressed to you and the