Kudos to Tracy Hughes for taking a kind, humanitarian stand and all the negative backlash that went with it – you certainly don’t owe anyone an apology for your opinion and it’s your sort of spirit of sharing that I so appreciate – whether it was viable was another thing, but it was the thought that counts. Good things come to those who give, even if just in thought…
– Monica Kriese
If you wanted to see Sylvan Lake win then you should have voted for them – you had every opportunity to do so.
– Patty Janning Bruce
As a former resident of Salmon Arm and now resident of Sylvan Lake, your thoughts of donating your winnings makes me proud to be from Salmon Arm. My son has been to the hockey school there twice and is going back this summer. You have a beautiful facility.
– Don Halsey
Just the thought is worth millions. Thank you for your support. One thing that has come together with this for us in Sylvan Lake is how a community has reach outside of its borders. The support of another community is totally amazing – not just communities in the area, but the province and even the country. I just have to say thank you Salmon Arm
–Paola Michael
Are you kidding Observer….If Salmon Arm wins they deserve the upgrades that the winning money can afford.
-Shirley Stenseth, Calgary
Wow! I am so impressed at just the thought of the generosity! If this is the way it works out you can be sure you would have Sylvan Lakers supporting you through to the next round.
-Tracy Stene
I think that when someone puts forward an idea for discussion there is no need for apologies. It was a thought and I’d like to think most people have them. Yes there are things wrong with our rink, but in comparison to some of the other rinks our kids have played in they are fantastic. Building of an outdoor rink could easily be accomplished with the 50k we have already been given. There are rules to every competition and you would expect the participants to know them – people within the population not so much. Tracy Hughes has a huge heart and the de-evolution of the conversation to the point where one would need to apologize is very disheartening when the “heart” of the Shuswap is something fought over here.
– Heather Davis
It was very thought-provoking. Honestly I think how the competition is done needs to change as honestly there are far worse off communities than either Salmon Arm or Sylvan Lake. But the article was not intended to rub anyone the wrong way and was something to think about. If nothing else to see how truly blessed we are to have the facilities we do have.
– BJ Clancy
Typical irresponsible journalism with half the information required, no research (see retraction), and missing facts that we have come to expect from our local “rag.” How to derail momentum and the hard work of a community without providing even half the information. The arena in question is 50 years old. There is a relatively new one beside it. Are they eligible to collect insurance proceeds? Was there negligence by city staff? Can we even share the funds? (Obviously not based on the retraction). I don’t question their need nor do I think we should debate who needs it more or which is a more deserving community. We should keep our momentum by voting Salmon Arm and by showing our community pride. We can certainly use the funds and would love to have the NHL preseason game.
A professional journalist and good citizen would have provided all the facts and consulted with the many local community groups who are working so hard on this…..before using her position of power to potentially sabotage all the hard work and momentum of our community and the many involved organizations.
Nice gesture and feel-good idea. Poorly researched with not enough facts. Go Salmon Arm. Good luck to the other three communities.
– Kevin Flynn
… Let’s not turn this into an argument about who is more deserving of the money. Basing it on incomes is not what this contest is about… It is about bringing communities together for a common goal. The author was basically floating an idea and her opinion, and she knew there would be people that wouldn’t be happy with her. I hope that people will put their tempers aside and enjoy this time as it was intended. We are all passionate about our communities and at times we can be too passionate. We love our communities, which is why we got involved in this contest to start with…right?
– Tracy Will-Schneider
They have a brand new multi-plex, and insurance will cover them as they were up to code before the collapse. I think this is a friendly competition, and Salmon Arm (as much as Sylvan Lake) deserves to win.
– Janice Dewitt
It’s interesting reading the comments and seeing how far the boundaries of people’s “the greater good” reach. Sure, there are arguments against giving Sylvan Lake an extra $50,000 if we win, but we here in the Shuswap are blessed in many ways. I believe that Gilmore Junio gave us the best example of looking beyond our goals and wants to consider the alternatives and what is best… “the greater good.” Denny Morrison went on to win an Olympic silver medal because of Junio’s gesture. Lets put his lesson to the test.
– Dick Mann
An uninformed comment from an uninformed, mediocre editor. Why expect less than that from a less than mediocre newspaper. This paper has gone downhill to the point I won’t pay the money to buy it.
– Rob Connors
It’s unfortunate to see so much negative backlash for a proactive idea. Yes, Salmon Arm residents cast a lot of votes (myself included), and yes Sylvan Lake is in oil country. But they are a community that clearly needs a new arena. The idea that several people would be upset with the notion of some neighbourly generosity is a little bit shocking. All Tracy did was make a humanitarian suggestion to think about others whose community has hit a speed bump, there is nothing wrong with that.
– Dagan Ducharme, Prince George
I’m am a resident of Sylvan Lake, Alta. I am finding some of the previous comments horrifying. Each community has the opportunity to put their names into the draw, regardless of what each community’s story is. The person who wrote this post was merely voicing their opinion. It is all about bringing each community together for the good of the community. This is a unique experience that only a few select get to experience. We need to be respectful. And thank you Tracy. You are kind human being who is selfless and compassionate. There needs to be more people like you in this world.
– Carmen Barrie
