Basran for mayor

[BoBillyBob]

How tall is Sopa?

The tallest tower is 8 stories

[cuba108]

How tall is Sopa?

The tallest tower is 8 stories

I own a unit on the 11th floor and there is someone above me, try 14.

[BoBillyBob]

They must count the businesses below then? Sure does t look like 14. But I stand corrected if so


I own a unit on the 11th floor and there is someone above me, try 14.

[the truth]

No enough is enough if this guy..... all the back patting on what he has done on the homeless front is a laugh. I’ve attended several meetings with city officials and it’s a complete joke... he’s a perfect politician just keep talking talking talking.... it’s time for a change in Kelowma so we can enjoy walking downtown again ! He won’t get my vote when he runs for provincial politics either... come on voters pay close attention to the details this time!!

assran is a useless clown , he has done nothing for the homeless mental health ,and the homeless criminal junkies are out of control in this town

[Chessman]

the truth... while I get your frustration with Basran, the solutions required to address the drug/crime don’t seem to come easy.
Vernon, Penticton , Victoria and East Vancouver all have the same issues ( or worse in E. Van ) to Kelowna. There are no silver bullets laying around to solve this issue. It is easy to make Basran the scapegoat but we will still have the problem with any other Mayor unless it is addressed “with” a plan co developed with various levels of government including Kelowna. The key word is “with”, Kelowna can not solve this alone.
How can anyone without a bias towards Tom Dyas think he is the person to lead a solution to this issue? He has already been part of the plan currently in place which may or not work if it is given time. How can he be the person to coordinate a multi level of government solution? We will need seasoned, collaborative ,caring political leaders to build and execute a plan to solve. It is very evident that Tom Dyas is not a politican and you need to ask, can he ever be a politican? He is just a business person. Listen to him talk about a wide range of issues beyond business related stuff. Is what you hear in his responses,what you would expect from a successful or potentially successful Mayor?
Tom Dyas like to gives the impression that he (and his handlers )will address this by some vaguely ill expressed commentary that he has tried to outline so far in the campaign. Ask specifically how Tom Dyas will solve this crime/drug problem in Kelowna? So far he is short on substantial substance and more blah , blah , blah .
From what I have read and witnessed you have to ask ,how he can not build a coalition with other levels of government to get this addressed? Do you think he can work effectively with the NDP government in B.C. or the federal Liberals?

Back to Basran, at least he has worked with other levels of government and has some successes.

[dle]

the truth... while I get your frustration with Basran, the solutions required to address the drug/crime don’t seem to come easy.
Vernon, Penticton , Victoria and East Vancouver all have the same issues ( or worse in E. Van ) to Kelowna. There are no silver bullets laying around to solve this issue. It is easy to make Basran the scapegoat but we will still have the problem with any other Mayor unless it is addressed “with” a plan co developed with various levels of government including Kelowna. The key word is “with”, Kelowna can not solve this alone.
How can anyone without a bias towards Tom Dyas think he is the person to lead a solution to this issue? He has already been part of the plan currently in place which may or not work if it is given time. How can he be the person to coordinate a multi level of government solution? We will need seasoned, collaborative ,caring political leaders to build and execute a plan to solve. It is very evident that Tom Dyas is not a politican and you need to ask, can he ever be a politican? He is just a business person. Listen to him talk about a wide range of issues beyond business related stuff. Is what you hear in his responses,what you would expect from a successful or potentially successful Mayor?
Tom Dyas like to gives the impression that he (and his handlers )will address this by some vaguely ill expressed commentary that he has tried to outline so far in the campaign. Ask specifically how Tom Dyas will solve this crime/drug problem in Kelowna? So far he is short on substantial substance and more blah , blah , blah .
From what I have read and witnessed you have to ask ,how he can not build a coalition with other levels of government to get this addressed? Do you think he can work effectively with the NDP government in B.C. or the federal Liberals?

Back to Basran, at least he has worked with other levels of government and has some successes.

Well, see here's how I view the situation. We are all well aware of how s-l-o-w-l-y the Provincial Govt moves on anything - especially when they have to cough up money. However, ONLY the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Our civic leaders can't just present an idea to the Prov for a bypass, a bridge for a second crossing, money for rehabs, money for this or that, and then sit back on their heels on that project to await a response. They then move on to another idea, get that on the table, and move on with it too. So we sit with all these excellent plans but no action. A 20 year plan isn't going to cut it, and also gives the civic leaders the idea it WON'T happen for 20 years so they don't bother squeaking. As a result we have a bunch of half-baked plans in the oven and NONE of them happen! Besides in 20 years they have to go back to the planning stage and start from scratch with all the wasting of more of our money doing studies - our original plans are out-dated and useless.

I.E. We need a bypass. We need to have someone being a burr under someone's saddle in Victoria ON A REGULAR BASIS and not just leaving a message - "oh yoo hoo how are we coming along on that bypass" kind of thing. Doesn't matter if they tell us to go away....tough noogies....not going anywhere and we need to be a severe pain in their butts. I.E. We need rehab dollars...same plan of action. Whatever serious things we need....same plan of action.

Have any of you heard, or read, any news of a contingent heading to Victoria, coming back from Victoria, planning a trip to Victoria to holler about our needs? Maybe I've missed it. It's become a token request every couple of years and then the City says, "we are working on it". Uh huh.....

Locally, it's the same with the downtown problems - Journey Home - get on it! Stop with this incessant "there is no easy fix"! Nobody said it would be easy! We just need people assigned to that task alone, to roll up their sleeves and get the dang thing done!

Is it going to cost us money? YES!! LOTS!! That's a no brainer so let's just fork it out and get on with things. Our taxes have gone up astronomically since Basran has been in office and none of these things have happened. We do need more policing so lets give them more money. We DON'T need $800,000 loos in the park, or glass tourism centres on the lake. Grrrr! We need some common sense in City Hall.

Mayor Basran for sure has "there is no easy fix" down pat. Time for someone else to take a run at it. I'm also NOT saying that solution will come from Tom Dyas. I see them as two peas in similar pods. Remember as well: it starts with the COUNCILLORS so we need to make sure the ones we vote in there have what we envision as our goals front and centre. We all have different ideas on what we need but if we get a good mix in there there will be BALANCE and ACTION.

Also, City hall has to be more on the ball with developers who change plans midstream and the City just allows it because it's already done. You know, the old, easier to push through if they ask forgiveness later than permission now.

This council just isn't showing any teeth and stick-to-it-iveness!

[dle]

@cuba108


Re Sopa

...and it's plenty high enough....also, everyone on the top floor knows a ladder truck can reach them....just sayin. Sopa is very attractive and what a great area! Have a particular affinity for the fro-yo shop myself

[kelownman]

Gotta Love BC politics and the wild wild west as far as rules for 3rd party advertising and what they can and cannot do. The case in the lower mainland, Richmond, Vancouver and Surrey, where a group advertising on a Facebook page offering voters $20 or something dollars to get a ride to the polling stations to vote for certain candidates running for mayor or council. Or groups or individuals filing mail in ballots for people who had no idea their name was being used.

And now locally, an anti Basran Facebook page has apparently been taken down because someone paid Facebook to "boost" this page in order to get a larger audience. That apparently violates election rules whereby 3rd party groups must register if they are spending money to support or criticize a specific candidate. (I would post the news story, but because it is a competitor of castanet, the forums wont allow links from this online publication. But you can google "anti basran facebook page")

It should be noted that making political comments on a Facebook page is perfectly legal and within the election rules!

Looks like the election law introduced and passed in time for the municipal elections has done its job. I think, however, there needs to be more work to strengthen electioneering and invoke large penalties for rule breakers in BC!

On a side note, I cant vote for Basran, I wont vote for Dyas! Kennedy or Schewe.... GOD help us all!

[Vacancyrate]

Basran is still fighting the speculation tax when we have a 0% vacancy rate and home prices have no relation to anyone's income in Kelowna.

25% of downtown is owned by people who don't live or work here.

Someone should tell him that Alberta residents can't vote in Kelowna for mayor.

[gman313]

They must count the businesses below then? Sure does t look like 14. But I stand corrected if so


I own a unit on the 11th floor and there is someone above me, try 14.

so a story and a floor are not the same thing.

[csm]

I'll be voting for Colin! He has done a great job

Well Colin, at least you will be getting one vote - yours - lol!

[csm]

Basran is still fighting the speculation tax when we have a 0% vacancy rate and home prices have no relation to anyone's income in Kelowna.

25% of downtown is owned by people who don't live or work here.

Someone should tell him that Alberta residents can't vote in Kelowna for mayor.

Ok, but I guess it's ok if they live in the 9 other provinces and territories?

[csm]

the truth... while I get your frustration with Basran, the solutions required to address the drug/crime don’t seem to come easy.
Vernon, Penticton , Victoria and East Vancouver all have the same issues ( or worse in E. Van ) to Kelowna. There are no silver bullets laying around to solve this issue. It is easy to make Basran the scapegoat but we will still have the problem with any other Mayor unless it is addressed “with” a plan co developed with various levels of government including Kelowna. The key word is “with”, Kelowna can not solve this alone.
How can anyone without a bias towards Tom Dyas think he is the person to lead a solution to this issue? He has already been part of the plan currently in place which may or not work if it is given time. How can he be the person to coordinate a multi level of government solution? We will need seasoned, collaborative ,caring political leaders to build and execute a plan to solve. It is very evident that Tom Dyas is not a politican and you need to ask, can he ever be a politican? He is just a business person. Listen to him talk about a wide range of issues beyond business related stuff. Is what you hear in his responses,what you would expect from a successful or potentially successful Mayor?
Tom Dyas like to gives the impression that he (and his handlers )will address this by some vaguely ill expressed commentary that he has tried to outline so far in the campaign. Ask specifically how Tom Dyas will solve this crime/drug problem in Kelowna? So far he is short on substantial substance and more blah , blah , blah .
From what I have read and witnessed you have to ask ,how he can not build a coalition with other levels of government to get this addressed? Do you think he can work effectively with the NDP government in B.C. or the federal Liberals?

Back to Basran, at least he has worked with other levels of government and has some successes.

Solving the homeless / drug problems, does not fall squarely on the lap of a municipal government.

You also have to take into account Federal and Provincial inaction with the subject, and I'm sure that this council has made repeated arguments to both entities, although what appears to be "deaf ears".

I'm not a fan of Basran, Singh, and a few other councillors, but under this subject, their hands are tied.

You give these Vagrant drug and alcohol abusers shelter, they won't stay there unless it's a last resort. You can quadruple the space, yet they will always migrate to the doorways, parks, etc. where they can drink, shoot, smoke and steal.

You can provide the shelter, but there is no law saying they have to stay, and nobody but the Police have the power of arrest, and they can only do that if there is a Law that is broken - bylaws don't fall into the criminal code, and they can't arrest someone simply to take them to a shelter - just jail.

You can triple the amount of welfare they get, but all you will do is line the pockets of the drug dealers and cartels even more, because it just doesn't solve the issue, it will actually worsen it.

The issue must be dealt with in the Federal Legislature and within the current constitution, but "girly-boy" is too interested in destroying the rest of Canada and looking In a mirror to be concerned.

There is no easy solution, and the only tool ( other than a criminal conviction ) is to identify those who are mentally ill to the point they are a danger to themselves or others ( section 24 of the mental health act ), and then they can be taken into custody for their own protection and forced into psychiatric care, but even that has a very short timeline unless the Dr's are willing to sign committal papers to extend the treatment and confinement.

Once these people get the medication they should be on ( and it takes time to get to therapeutic levels ), many (not all) can likely lead normal productive lives, but it's getting out of the trap that is the toughest. Not to mention, being able to afford the medication and maintain a dosage schedule once on their own.

Illegal drugs don't require a dosage schedule once your hooked - your addiction is a time clock.

I'm not sure how much education is in the schools regarding where one could end up if you get involved in drugs, but maybe it isn't enough and the kids aren't taking it serious enough, and I'm convinced that's one important place to start or enhance.

Perhaps some field outings to the Gospel Mission and other places for a hands on example might drive home the message. I don't know, just a thought.

People find their way into this trap though various methods, and no your not going to solve it, because this has been going on a lot longer than most of us have been alive, so reduction can be the only realistic goal, but to simply write them off is a mistake in my opinion.

I have dealt with many these people for years, and there are many I feel sorry for, because I know they are in a place they don't want to be, but are trapped.

There are those that will argue that there are "treatment programs" available - yes there are, but from my understanding, from the very people that have gone through them and reverted back to the lifestyle, they are inadequate, and even trying to get into one can take weeks to months.

So, in the meantime, they have to continue playing Russian roulette, and further destroying their health and their future.

Addicts have died from withdrawal, and what they experience in withdrawal, is nothing like most have ever felt in their life, or hopefully, ever will.

[Jflem1983]

2 more days. ABCD. Anybody but Colin. Or Dyas.


Seeing the paid agitators waving Basran signs. Tells me the rainbow warrior is in trouble.

How many tax dollars were spent paying these sign wavers.

The best part. Hardly anyone honked . I have spoken to quite a few people about this election. I smell blood in the water. Pack your rainbow macaroni box Basran.

Someone do a worthless politician poll. Put JT and Basran on there. See who wins

[Gixxer]

Looks like he won again. What say the haters?