School Board Trustee Candidate - SHELLEY CLARKE

[ ! Alternate Response Format ! ]
See Candidate's Summary Response at End of Questionnaire

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.

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?

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?

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?

  I am a candidate for school trustee so don’t have a lot of control regarding pet issues. But I will say I am an animal lover, specifically cats. I have had a cat in my life since I was 8 years old. I believe pets are an important part of many peoples lives and can help with coping with stresses in life . Schools can sometimes be an option to introduce children to animals and reduce anxiety in the classroom. I think pet friendly housing is essential, but also pet owners must try to protect and care for their pets as well as the home owners property. Thank you for your questions.

[School Board Trustees do not vote on regular City Council matters.]

Pet-Friendly Penticton is a non-partisan organization and will not provide any incentive, preference, or endorsement for any candidate(s) to members of the public toward deciding where to cast their votes. We simply hope to encourage as many potential voters as possible to take an active role in our community and the election process.

Each candidate will be given opportunity to respond to the Questionnaire, however, the choice to provide a response and how to respond is up to the candidate. Responses posted are original and unedited with the exception of formatting.