Scott Yule - Council Candidate

[Jo]

This thread is for Scott Yule, council candidate.

[Nom_de_Plume]

I had a chat with this candidate after the event at the mental health centre.
He's a very regular guy, and seems to truly care about this city.
He does get flustered talking in front of large crowds but I imagine that's something he'll get used to in time.

[Lady tehMa]

I had emailed him asking a question, and was very impressed with the amount of thought put into his answer. He was also the quickest person to respond to me (I've been asking a LOT of the candidates questions by email).

[shortstuff86]

I am not impressed with this candidate.

I don't know if anyone has been reading the Daily Courier column "20 questions in 20 days", but a few days ago they asked the candidates if they agree with the bunny cull.

Scott Yule first said he does, because they are pests. He then said that we should have used the rabbits to feed the homeless.

This response is SO offensive. In once sentence he calls the rabbits pests, and then suggests feeding them to the homeless! Why don't we just feed our homeless garbage?! How condescending! I would like to know if Scott Yule would give the homeless the beef and pork he has in his freezer and he can eat the pests carcass.

Also- thanks for educating yourself Scott Yule. The rabbits in Kelowna are not even the right breed of rabbit that people eat. They have no nutritional value and really no meat for eating.

I would never EVER vote for someone who treats our homeless like this. I can't even believe these people still exist in society. Blows me away!

[Nom_de_Plume]

You of course are entitled to that opinion, however you may want to research some information on rabbits.
1. Just because these animals are ecological pests doesn't mean they are unfit for human consumption.

2. Rabbit meat is highly nutritious http://www.vermontqualityrabbits.com/nutritional.html

3. The most common rabbit breeds for meat are :New Zealand, Californian, Champagne D'Argent, Florida White and Flemmish Giant.

As a former rabbit meat farmer, I can tell you that many of the enterprise rabbits are of (or related to) the above mentioned breeds.

I hadn't actually read those 20 questions in the newspaper or this candidate's answers to them.
However it seems to me that converting culled rabbits into food instead of landfill makes better economic sense (assuming that the animals are healthy)

[mechanic_virus]

Please list 5 of your top priorities, and how you would deal with each issue if it were completely up to you.

[Scott Yule]

(1) Reduced urban sprawl and more focused growth in urban centers. People who object to this don’t realize what the benefits of this really are and more importantly haven’t experienced it. Good planning combined with high density solves so many problems. Let’s take Tokyo for example. Tokyo is mostly a mess of moderate density buildings packed together. There are some parks here and there across town but for the most part, it’s an urban jungle. However, in the “The Sky Scraper District” (which is actually what they call it, not my pet name for it), where the density is highest, is one of the few places you have room to walk freely and due to its design, one of the few places you can relax and see the sky. Ironic, yes, but it is possible to combine density and a livable area with good park land. Moderate density construction helps no one. Either go high or low. I’m a big believer with in the family home. I grew up in one and would like my children to grow up in one too. If you are in an apartment, do you care how many floors there are? If Kelowna went only high and low, then we would have enough space for both and a much nicer community.
It’s when we mix up our planning goals (or actually lack any planning goals), that we get into trouble. Carriage houses are an excellent example where the original density of an area has been messed with and the aesthetics and functionality of a neighbourhood damaged. Low density should remain low density save for logical, rational changes that don’t negatively impact on the neighbourhood.
Redoing the downtown core into high density is an excellent idea. The plans in place are largely sound and really, the Lawrence and Leon area is pretty dead making it an ideal area to revitalize. Rutland also has good potential as another high density core.

Reducing sprawl helps us reduce the number of fire stations we need (and currently we need one more station to cover the north end as it stands and about 35 or so more firefighters and that is another of the topics I plan on addressing as city councilor so that’s number 2), and if well planned represents a reduced cost of infrastructure per taxpayer. It’s a win-win situation.

(3) (and 4) Restoring the balance of living costs and rental/housing cost. We have to attack this problem 2 ways. One is that we need to develop a business development strategy that attracts and assists in the development of companies that can provide our residents with a decent wage. We are on the cusp of increased unemployment with the downturn of the economy and Council needs to be proactive on this matter. Waiting to solve the problem of high unemployment after it happens is a mistake. But to stay on topic and keep this brief, residents of Kelowna need higher wages to be able to afford their accommodation. Making accommodation cheaper is happening naturally with the economic downturn. As I’m sure you are aware, both rental and sale prices of real estate are down due to the market sentiment. However, there still remains an unhealthy lack of rentals on the market. The first step to balance this would be to allow basement/in-law suites in all areas where appropriate and I would define inappropriate where it has a negative effect on the neighborhood and community.
(5) I’d like to see a resurgence of the festivals that used to be great part of the attractiveness of the city, for example Regatta, Snowfest, Wakefest etc. Hooliganism and high policing costs are often touted as strong reasons for the banning of said events. The hotel industry surprisingly has come in against some of these events. Even though they provide an increase in business, damage to rooms has been significant enough for them to be less than eager for Kelowna to house such events. To this specific point, I wonder why they don’t make credit card prints mandatory and have the “hooligans” pay for the necessary renovation, redecorating and loss of revenue. This makes a loss into a win for the hotel. Similarly, new bylaw fines should be issued in addition to any RCMP action for anyone participating in violence, being a public nuisance, destroying public property, inciting riots etc. during these events. Have these fees start at $1000 and go up from there depending on severity, publicize them well prior to the events and this will help ensure that events go off smoothly.

Anyhow, that's all for me for now. I'm in Montreal at the moment trying to bring some jobs back to Kelowna. Have a great day.

Scott Yule

[Scott Yule]

To unimpressed Shortstuff 86. Which part are you unimpressed with? Suggesting to feed the homeless or killing rabbits? You are in err if you think they have no nutritional value and rabbits are considered a delicacy. How does a food that is considered a delicacy become garbage? Perhaps I should have suggested harvesting the meat, having a $50 a plate fundraising banquet at the Capri serving Chilpote Hasenpfeffer and Le Filet De Lapin A La Moutarde with a nice merlot with the proceeds going to feeding the homeless? Would that have been more politically acceptable to you?
The Courier gives Candidates 50 words to express themselves on each of the questions. It’s not a lot. It’s not enough to suggest that it’s questionable for council to have spent taxpayer money to dispose of what I consider a resource. I believe in using resources and preferably using them to help the people most at need. In this case, I advocated helping the homeless.
It’s not enough to remind people that the initial release of these animals was an illegal act and that the “do-gooders” that suggest relocating them are not only breaking at least the intent of the law if not the law itself but are helping to spread an invasive species with foreseeable and unforeseeable negative effects on the environment. It’s not enough to suggest that the methodology employed by the group hired to cull the animals is both bizarre and barbaric and I wonder what rocket scientist working for them came up with it. Its not enough to express my curiosity if council was aware of the methodology the extermination company was going to employ when they hired them?

I am sorry if I offended you and shouldhave explained more, but it was a little difficult to do with such constraints.

And for the record, I don’t have a freezer.

And this message was over 300 words long. I hope it better explained my position on the subject to you and hope you are at least, less offended. If you are still offended, I would be delighted to hear why and respond again.


Sincerely,
Scott Yule

[mechanic_virus]

Thanks for your response, Scott.

[shortstuff86]

Hi Scott,
Thanks for the response (although I did find the beginning of it slightly sarcastic and defensive-not really professional for a man who is trying to win my vote). I played a large role in the rabbit protests here in Kelowna, and spoke with numerous people who consider themselves "bunny experts" and own rabbit farms. I was told over and over again that this breed of rabbit has absolutely no nutritional value. This breed of rabbit is the kind families have for pets, not the ones you hunt in the boonies to bring home for dinner. However, that is really besides the point. What I found offensive is that in one sentence you called them pests, and then suggested feeding them to the homeless.
Animals that the majority of us eat on a daily basis (cows,pigs, chicken, etc) are not considered pests, so the idea of calling rabbits pests and then suggesting feeding them to the homeless is absolutely degrading. It would be like suggesting feeding disgusting city rats from Vancouver to the homeless- regardless of whether or not they have nutritional value.
According to dictionary.com "pests" are defined in 3 ways:
1. An annoying person or thing; a nuisance.
2. An injurious plant or animal, especially one harmful to humans.
3. A deadly epidemic disease; a pestilence.
NOT ONE of these definitions sounds like something I would ever want to feed to anyone.
While rabbit may be a delicious treat for many, it is NOT an overly popular food here (for example, you cannot just walk into save on and buy rabbit meat), so I believe it shows that you think the homeless are "less than" and deserve your "pest" meat. I personally believe that persons who are homeless deserve to eat the same kind of meat that the average person does, not the "pests" on the side of the road that we need to get rid of.
I understand that you had very little space to answer your questions for the daily courier, but you probably should have thought about your answer before saying it. If you believe these rabbits are a delicacy, then you probably should not have opened your answer by calling them pests. Bit of a contradiction.
If you want to advocate for the homeless, advocate for affordable housing, more homeless shelters, easier access to resources, outreach services for persons with mental illnesses and/or drug addiction. Suggesting to feed them pests sure does not sound like advocacy to me .
This letter is also probably over 300 words, and I hope it helps you understand my position more.

[mechanic_virus]

Alive, they may be pests. Dead, they may be delicacies.
I'd consider a dozen chickens pecking around my living room to be pests. It wouldn't stop me from eating them.
What do you expect to accomplish by arguing definitions? Had he said, "Our city is budding with tasty delicacies, I say we roast them with butter and share the wealth with our homeless population", would you have written a 300 word position statement admonishing him?

[shortstuff86]

meh, I don't mean to argue, nor do I really want to. He asked me why I was offended, I told him. No biggie. I find it offensive, I know not everyone will.

[macker]

Any candidate who has not taken the time to have a website or "go-to" place so I can learn more about the prospective councillor does not earn my vote.

[LedZeppelin]

The only candidate who has stated that he would prefer the City to lower taxes and lower service levels.
Definitely not getting my vote.

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