NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN
www.pentictonwesternnews.com
VOL. 48 ISSUE 66
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WEDNESDAY, August 20, 2014
19 3 25 RESIDENTS SOUND OFF ON ROOMING HOUSE “Dr. Frankenstein” of guns arrested in South Okanagan
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Joe Fries
Western News Staff
NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN
Concerns about alleged drug dealing, violence and property crime have prompted someone to give a downtown Penticton rooming house its very own Facebook page. It went live earlier this month to draw attention to Winnipeg Manor, a converted home on the 500 block of Winnipeg Street. The page’s creator turned down an interview request, but a person who lives near the property hopes the added online attention will prompt police and the city to crack down. “My feeling on the place is it’s not going to improve until the landlord gets hit in his pocketbook,” said the woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns. “I don’t have a problem with people that are down and out,” she added. “What I have a problem with is witnessing violence, is (seeing) obvious drug dealing going on. “It’s to the point I don’t walk by the place.” Penticton RCMP spokesman Sgt. Rick Dellebuur confirmed last week he was aware of the Facebook page, but noted Mounties need more than complaints and photos of suspected illegal activity to go on.
ALLEGED NUISANCE property on Winnipeg Street prompted residents to fight back online.
Mark Brett/Western News
“We have certain rules and protocol we have to follow in order to determine who’s doing what, and it takes resources and time,” he said. “Everybody wants (nuisance properties) to be cleared out right away, and it’s just not always possible. We’re aware of the one on Winnipeg Street and we’re dealing with it the
best we can.” One posting on the Facebook page suggests an uptick in activity at Winnipeg Manor is related to the June closure of the low-income Three Gables Hotel, a theory Dellebuur agreed is plausible. “We try to have a little bit more lasting effect, but unless these people get into treat-
ment or decide to change their ways, you (just) chase them and move them around,” he explained. Mayor Garry Litke said the city’s bylaw officers are also working to address infractions at the rooming house. “It’s definitely on our radar. We don’t tolerate these kinds of accommodations that create danger for people,” said Litke. Winnipeg Manor has been on city council’s radar since at least 2011, when a notice was placed on title due to safety concerns and construction activity taking place without a building permit. City spokeswoman Simone Blais said that matter is still “ongoing,” and bylaw officers most recently attended the home to resolve a complaint about garbage accumulation. No one answered the door at Winnipeg Manor when the Western News visited this week. The property is owned by Dennis Hildebrand, who could not be reached for comment. Hildebrand also owned a rooming house at the corner of White Avenue and Ellis Street that was destroyed by fire in 2011. The property wasn’t cleaned up until 2013, when the city dispatched its own workers to the site at Hildebrand’s expense.
Rally draws voters looking for a change Steve Kidd
Western News Staff
Only a week after starting a Facebook page, the Time for Change Penticton group made a strong showing at council this week, with about 75 people rallying in front of City Hall and filling the seats in chambers. “Normally in Penticton, five is a crowd,” said Jennifer Taylor, one of the group’s co-founders, who was delighted with the turnout. “I would say that is a very impressive turnout, given the short notice. We only decided late last week that we would in fact have a gathering outside
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city hall,” she said. “That alone tells me that the voice is only going to get louder.” Taylor and several members of the group were wearing the now iconic “Head-banging Druggie” shirts but she said the focus of the group is now wider than issues related to Coun. Katie Robinson’s comment about Boonstock. “I am actually starting to get tired about people referencing head-banging druggie, because this is much deeper than that with the other people that came out to support us,” she said. “The younger vote is core and central, but their issues are issues for the
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older demographic as well. The lack of transparency and issues that aren’t moving Penticton forward are universal.” Hilma LaBelle, former executive director of the South Okanagan Immigrant Centre, came down to join the rally. “When you have worked community groups for all the years that I have, you wait for that moment in time where these folks step up and speak for themselves. And this seems to be it,” said LaBelle, noting that the group is inclusive and represents a diverse swath of the community. See CHANGE on Pg. 3
PRICE CUTTING DAYS ARE BACK
Penticton Mayor Garry Litke talks with Jennifer Taylor, a cofounder of a social media group bringing awareness to vote, in front of City Hall on Monday.
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Mark Brett/Western News
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