SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
65
-
ISSUE
NO.
43
•
S U M M E R L A N D,
B.C.
• T H U R S D AY,
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
OC TOBER
25,
2012
•
24
WHAT’S INSIDE:
Liberal pick
All four candidates who ran for the Liberal nomination are Summerland residents, including the winner, Penticton Mayor Dan Ashton.
Valdy and Fjellgaard in concert here next month.
Page 23
Lights out
What Summerland did when the power went out.
Page 6
100 lunches
Singers and Players doing gourmet comedy.
Page 12
Dementia info
Dial in to teleworkshop tonight.
Page 11
Out of ALR
Bantams unbeaten
Nesters House team is on a streak.
Page 20
YOUR SMILE Failure is not falling down; it is not getting up again.
$1.15
INCLUDING
HST
Fewer buses in plan by John Arendt
Contenders play
Page 9
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Greyhound looks to halve number of buses in region
Page 3
Agur Lake Camp applies for exclusion.
PA G E S
Picture perfect
John Arendt Summerland Review
Christena Tonge of the Summerland Pleasure Painters works on a painting during a recent Friday session. Beginning in November, the painters will meet Fridays in the Harold Simpson Memorial Youth Centre.
Cells vacant as prisoners housed in Penticton cells by John Arent Summerland’s newly opened RCMP station has three prison cells, but they have not been occupied since the detachment opened in July. Cpl. Bruce Haley of the Summerland RCMP detachment said Summerland has not housed prisoners in its
cells since 2005. Earlier, when the police were still operating out of the building on Jubilee Road West, the cells were condemned and could no longer be used for prisoners. While the new cells are good, Haley said the cost of staffing must be considered. “The cost of housing prisoners in Penticton is cheaper
than hiring guards,” he said. If prisoners are arrested during the day, they are held for a court appearance. These arrested at night, often for alcohol-related offences, are taken to cells until they sober up. For Summerland to house prisoners, at least half a dozen guards would be needed, he said.
Greyhound is planning cuts to its service between Kelowna and Penticton. “There is not enough ridership to support the amount of service that’s out there,” said Grant Odsen, Greyhound’s regional manager of passenger service for British Columbia. At present, Greyhound offers four buses each direction each day. The 12:15 p.m. bus from Penticton to Kelowna averages just 3.9 passengers each trip, far short of the bus’s capacity of 54 passengers. The highest passenger load, on the 10:15 a.m. bus from Kelowna to Penticton, is an average of 11.8 passengers. “It’s been that way for quite some time,” Odsen said. Greyhound’s proposed changes would reduce the number of buses to two each day in each direction. From Kelowna, buses would leave at 8:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. while Penticton buses would leave at 7:30 and 10 a.m. Odsen said the details of the schedule have not yet been finalized. “It’s difficult to forecast what the schedule will look like,” he said. Before the bus changes are approved, the bus line needs approval from the Passenger Transportation Board. Mayor Janice Perrino said Summerland needs the service, especially since a regional transit is not yet in place. “This is not a time to be cutting service when we don’t have B.C. Transit,” she said. “Until we have the transit service in place, don’t reduce our services now.” The municipality has been speaking with B.C. Transit about getting a regional service, but so far the service is not in place. “Until we get transit, we’re not going to have enough freedom of movement,” said Coun. Peter Waterman. “This cut puts Summerland in more of a straightjacket than it already is in.” Coun. Orv Robson said bus transportation is not yet popular within the community. “There’s got to be a whole mindset change before people start using public transportation,” he said. Municipal council will write a letter to Greyhound, urging the bus line to leave the service as it is.