Editor:
Throughout the world Canadians are known to be among the most welcoming people in the world.
Well, that was not the case on my recent travel back through the Canadian Border at Osoyoos, B.C.
I was greeted, after waiting in line for approximately 25 minutes, by a Canadian border guard who may have been the most unfriendly person I have come across in a while.
Do they not provide their staff with some guidelines on how to at least treat people with some sense of courteousness?
After being grilled at the booth I was asked to go inside and pay duty on a part I was bringing into Canada.
Absolutely no problem at all.
However, inside I watched a border guard deal with a gentleman bringing a trailer into Canada and a family from the USA who were delayed for some reason.
I have never seen such an unprofessional, rude attitude when dealing with customers.
The border official had no patience, could not give him a straight answer and basically had no interest in helping the gentleman with the trailer issue.
If these people had this attitude running a business they would be out of business in a hurry.
The family from the USA simply asked the border guard how long they might be waiting.
He said, “I am not dealing with you: the other guard is dealing with you and I don’t know how long you will be.”
How hard would it have been to walk over to the office and talk to the other officer and ask him how long he would be with their file and come back and let our visitors to Canada know?
Other people in line were just shaking their heads at their behaviour.
As I left, I said to our folks from down south, “Welcome to Canada.”
I thought this unwelcoming behaviour was maybe just one of those days.
We spend a good deal of time in Osoyoos in the summer and I thought maybe I would ask some of the local residents if they ever experienced the same treatment.
Well, their stories were just as similar and one even said they would not go through the border because of the Canadian border guards.
What a sad statement regarding our front-line people who welcome us back and into Canada.
Maybe the folks at the border (not all of them) need to take a few lessons on how to be courteous and welcoming.
Yes you can do your job, but it should be done in a manner that is professional, respectful and polite to all.
If they can’t do that, then I would suggest take a “Happy Pill” before coming to work.
G. McBride,
Delta

OSOYOOS TIMES-August 25, 2010

ANTI-HST MOVEMENT GOING IN WRONG DIRECTION

Editor:
A PATH OF DESTRUCTION.
Bill Vander Zalm is going bananas!
Some years ago “The Zalm” pretty well singlehandedly destroyed the Social Credit Party of B.C.
This time it’s the Liberal Party of B.C. which he has set his eyes on.
Incredibly Bill now has 100 per cent support of NDP members and other allies (some with shovels provided by Bill when he still was in his glory days.)
Good company indeed!
His contribution to the B.C. Tourist Industry meanwhile is commendable, as he must have stayed at hotels all through the Province spreading the HST swearword (started this habit just before he resigned the most honourable position as Premier of this Province.)
Throughout his anti-HST campaign, however, the main professional, economic and business associations in Canada have declared themselves in favour of this very much simplified system which will benefit all citizens of B.C.
Art Molenkamp,
Osoyoos

OSOYOOS TIMES-August 25, 2010

GRATITUDE FOR THE MILFOIL HARVEST

Editor:
My wife and I wanted to express our appreciation for the efforts that the staff of the Okanagan Water Basin Water Board (OBWB) made in July to mobilize the milfoil harvester and arrange for staff to operate the harvester to cut the milfoil from the north end of Osoyoos Lake.
By the end of June this summer, the milfoil at the north end of Osoyoos Lake had grown to the surface of the lake and was preventing the use of the lake by boaters, swimmers and anglers.
We had contacted the OBWB on July 5 and were advised that OBWB would begin the process of mobilizing the milfoil harvester and advised that the harvester may be on Osoyoos Lake by July 9.
The milfoil harvester did arrive on July 9 and we were very pleased and impressed that OBWB had the harvester operating seven days a week until the milfoil had all been cut from the area.
A great response time and a job well done!
Brad and Donna Elenko,
Osoyoos

OSOYOOS TIMES-August 25, 2010

WORK TO REVIVE FISHERY MEANT TO SUSTAIN NATIVE AND RECREATIONAL NEEDS

Editor:
A portion of the letter that I wrote regarding the Osoyoos Indian Band’s protesting the sport sockeye fishery on Lake Osoyoos was not printed.
Partially because it was too long.
Partially because the editor could not print how much the Natives have received over the years from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans because he could not confirm the amounts that I quoted.
In order to confirm those numbers you can go on the Internet.
Go to the DFO libraries web page – http://inter01.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/waves2/index.html
Click on Waves to get English.
Click on Search to get the library’s “card catalogue.”
Once there under Subject type in Okanagan Indian Band.
Then click enter.
Up will come a list of agreements (sometimes there is more than one year’s agreement, so you have to do a bit of looking.)
There you will find that the Okanagan Indian Band received a total of $2,192,354 from 1998 to 2009.
Roughly $183,000 a year.
There you can also read what they were to do in order to receive that money.
Remember as you read the agreements that no one else has access to this money.
Remember that the end result of these contracts was to create a healthy sockeye return to Lake Osoyoos, a return that could sustain two separate types of fisheries, one of which permits the Natives to sell fish, and a sport fishery, which the Natives are annoyed with, because they were not consulted prior to it being approved by DFO.
T. Calwell,
Osoyoos

OSOYOOS TIMES-August 25, 2010