Stories posted on kelownacapnews.com run the gamut from local to Okanagan Valley, to provincical and international issues. Readers are able to get the news first and comment on the stories on our web. Here are some of the stories making waves:
Story: B.C. Liberal leadership front-runner slams planned election referendum
Kelly Carmichael:
It’s really important that all Liberal candidates look at the evidence around changing the voting system. Proportional representation will level the playing field to treat all voters, politicians and parties equally.
Right now, a party can seize complete control of the provincial purse with as little as 20 per cent of the vote. For instance, federally, you have one party with all the control with 39 per cent overall support. In reality, half of those voters cast ballots in ridings where a different party candidate won. Out of 25 million eligible voters, only 4.6 million elected the 184 MPs that hold all the power.
Not only does our current voting system, first-past-the-post skew the results and deliver false-majorities, it leaves half of all voters without a representative aligned with your political values.
First-past-the-post is tied to our colonial past where elites wanted to look democratic while at the same time, keeping the commons out of decision making.
Devon Rowcliffe:
Dianne Watts is completely wrong about proportional representation, which makes me question her suitability for provincial party leadership.
At present, rural ridings contain fewer voters than urban ridings, giving the average rural voter a louder voice than urban voters. That would not change under proportional representation. Rural B.C. would see absolutely no reduction in power. For Watts to suggest otherwise is a bald-faced lie.
If Watts worries about British Columbia being divided, she should be desperate to replace first-past-the-post voting. Our current voting system causes a regional polarization of seats that simply doesn’t exist in the popular vote.
If Watts wants to safeguard representation for rural B.C., why would she defend a voting system that almost completely shut rural B.C. out of the provincial government? Under proportional representation, every region of B.C. would elect representatives to both the government and the opposition. Instead, rural voices are mostly missing from the government at present—and that’s entirely the fault of B.C.’s current voting system.
Why would Watts want to maintain a voting system that caused the BC NDP to focus their election campaign almost entirely on swing ridings in Metro Vancouver (Surrey and Port Moody) while ignoring the province’s North and Interior?
Under proportional representation there would no more need for strategic voting.
Story: Pro-life rally targets Kelowna students
Brigitte Pollock:
Pro-lifers don’t seem to understand that the point of the matter is not whether abortion is right or wrong but who has dominion over the woman’s body. And of course it must always be the woman, not the doctor, not the church, not the government.
Story: New parking plan unveiled for KGH
Bea Kline:
I think the parking by the ER should be public, no staff parking at that site. With statistics of patients coming into KGH on a daily basis it is needed to accommodate the patients.
Crystal Spring:
I drive a wheelchair accessible van and to my knowledge there is only one appropriate parking spot for my vehicle on the entire site. Please tell me this will be addressed.
Story: Thanksgiving meal a full house at Gospel Mission
Kandy Dandy Gloria:
Thanks for another awesome Thanksgiving dinner, we all love and appreciate what you do for those of us in all demographics, thanks to the mission our lives are much healthier than without the great support, staff and volunteers.
