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- Kona Sankey |
Although I am running for School Board and not council - and I will not have a vote towards any of your inquiries - I still felt it was important to reply to your questionnaire.
[School Board Trustees do not vote on regular City Council matters.]
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.
My family has always adopted our kitties from the SPCA. When I moved to Penticton over 25 years ago, the first thing I did was to register as a Big Sister through the Big Brothers and Sisters organization; the 2nd thing I did was take my 'little sister' Sara to the SPCA to adopted a kitty. My 'Moses' lived to the ripe old age of 19. Then 5 years ago Kehler and I adopted two more SPCA fur babies. We are passionate about our adopted family members.
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?
What are your thoughts on the economic impact of non-use on our local pet-amenities and residents regularly commuting for preferable options?
Personally I will always be one to encourage economic growth in our community. I sat on the Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen board for 15 years and I am a cheerleader of entrepreneurship. If there is a demand for services and/or products then the community will support these amenities in a sustainable way.
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?
Unfortunately there are many elements of the Residential Tenancy Act that need to be amended, but unfortunately this is a provincial issue.
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?
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?
Yes I am aware...a number of my friends have experienced this stress. I feel this is again an economic growth question. Maybe if the veterinarian industry could ban together and share the emergency service demands equally...similar to how the physicians rotate with shifts in the emergency department.
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