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- Kona Sankey |
If the Pet-Friendly Penticton project has made one thing clear, it's that this community is passionate about their pets – Pets are family!
Do you share that passion? Tell us about the pets in your life!
If you don't have pets at home, let us know how animals have been important in your life.
Yeah, I do share a passion for pets! We have two cats Addie and Felix who are lovely little kitty cats. We really enjoy having them and we really appreciate that our place allows us to have two pets.
Penticton's pet-amenities are a regular point of contention due to issues around
maintenance, safety, and design/materials. Many Penticton residents regularly travel to surrounding communities across the Okanagan Valley for their dog parks and beaches rather than going to our local places due to these issues.
If elected, what solutions might you propose to address the concerns of residents local pet-amenities?
One thing to comes to mind is a dog park for Skaha Lake. We have one on the north end of town but we don't have a dog beach on the south end of town. There is one off East Side road but it is not convenient and accessible for people to get to. This would be a great motion to bring forward to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee.
What are your thoughts on the economic impact of non-use on our local pet-amenities and residents regularly commuting for preferable options?
[ no response ]
Ontario's Residential Tenancy Act, Section 14, states that a Landlord cannot prevent a tenant from owning pets. Meanwhile, pets are being surrendered daily, all over BC, because their owners cannot find pet-friendly housing. Penticton faces additional pressure for housing as we have some of the highest rent rates in Canada, and a severe shortage on long-term and year-round rentals of any variety.
While a change to the Residential Tenancy Act is a provincial government matter, municipal government can still move to include/promote similar clauses on a local scale, and has the ability to push in support of such a change if a Bill were proposed.
What are your thoughts on revising the Residential Tenancy Act in BC, to be like that of Ontario, in regards to pets and rentals?
Well, that's a really good question. It kind of falls outside of the jurisdiction of municipalities because the Tenancy Act is through the province but I am more than willing to lobby for the province to change that to allow for animals to be in residents' homes.
Penticton doesn't have an emergency veterinary clinic!
If something happens and an animal needs to see a vet in the evenings, on weekends or on holidays, residents need to drive an hour out of Penticton in order to reach help. Many pets do not make it, and many more don't because their human doesn't have access to transportation.
Were you aware of this situation?
Our cat ate 18 hair elastics and we needed to bring him to an emergency vet. We had to go all the way up to Kelowna for it. So, yes, I am aware of the situation that we do not have an emergency vet clinic here.
When vital and time sensitive services are missing from a community, what do you feel are a City Council's responsibilities in regards to communication and/or action?
I think the city's responsibility on that right now is to ensure we are attracting vets to Penticton with affordable housing and commercial space opportunities.
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