Lumby Mayor Kevin Acton has stated publicly that Lumby welcomes a prison because it would be a boon to that village, where jobs are scarce since the closure of the mills there.
In his one statement Mayor Acton has attempted to promote two falsehoods.
The first is that the village is fairly unanimous in “welcoming” a jail. Many residents are completely opposed to a jail and some recent numbers show these may in fact be a majority in the neighbourhood of 60 per cent.
Secondly, Lumby is doing very well and has not been dependent on the forest industry for over a decade. Lumby has a diversified economy that includes small business and tourism. Its demographics show a steady rise in families with children, as well as retired or independently wealthy adults.
Lumby’s building boom shows homes of larger than average size, and jobs are being created at a faster rate than many throughout the province. Between 2001 and 2006 the total labour force grew by 26.2 per cent compared to 8.1 per cent in the rest of the province. In that same period the value of an average home in Lumby increased 101 per cent compared to 81.5 cent for the province.
Instead of giving the impression that Lumby is a depressed town whose only hope is to become a jail town, Mayor Acton should listen to some of the excellent and realistic ideas given by residents during the last economic meeting, which he himself called.
Lumby is one of the best small communities in B.C. and one wonders why anyone, let alone an elected council, would want to ruin it by turning it into an essentially one-industry prison town.
Russ Collins
JUNCTION FUNCTIONS
We are writing to publicly acknowledge the many community supporters who, over the past year, helped us keep the doors to Teen Junction open. We often felt overwhelmed by the enthusiasm that emerged during the more challenging times. Businesses, service clubs and individuals hosted unique fundraisers, donated their time and their money to help us maintain the important services we provide to youth in the region. The list of supporters would fill this page. However, we’d like to acknowledge some notable contributors.
The City of Vernon provided grants last year that bridged a six-month gap in gaming fund allocations. They kept us open and the mayor and council members have continued to encourage our drive for stable funding. The Vernon RCMP dedicated the proceeds of their golf tournament to our transition program which is now underway.
Silver Star Rotary Club, who year after year provides funds for our food program, also volunteered their time to paint the centre – inside and out! Brian Martin and SunFM generously publicize our events and provide amazing experiences for our youth. The Morning Star writers and photographers have raised the community’s awareness of Teen Junction with regular stories and editorials about our kids, their lives and their need for a welcoming place.
Recently, the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee voted unanimously to include Teen Junction in their 2011 budget. We are grateful to the representatives from Vernon, Coldstream, Areas B and C who were able to set aside their differences and find a way to stabilize our services. Their belief in the resilience and potential of the youth in this region will pay off in spades!
We appreciate every volunteer hour, every donation and every word of encouragement and advice. For the board of directors, youth and staff at Teen Junction, it certainly is a Happy New Year!
Debbie Schiller, Executive Director
Michelle Freebairn, Youth Programs Coordinator
THANK YOU
As a social worker in our community I have the opportunity to meet with people at some of the toughest and challenging moments in their lives.
Recently I connected with a family with a new infant who required weekly medical care for six to 12 weeks that is only offered at BC Children’s Hospital.
This treatment plan posed some challenges for them to arrive in Vancouver safely each week given the state of their vehicle along with the changing winter weather conditions. In search of ways to support this family, I approached Vernon Toyota, to explore the option of some support for this family and to help address the concerns for the safety of the vehicle. Without hesitation, Vernon Toyota jumped in and provided what was needed to allow this family to have a safe vehicle for these necessary trips. I would like to take this opportunity to send out a big thank you for their support to this family and one of our newest little community members.
Niki Knight
