sCapital News Wednesday, October 7, 2015
www.kelownacapnews.com A3
News FEDERAL ELECTION
Liberal taunt draws feisty NDP reaction Alistair Waters
Kelowna-Lake Country candidates (from right) Stephen Fuhr (Liberal), Ron Cannan (Conservative) and Norah Bowman (NDP). Bowman said the NDP will raise much of the money it needs for promised programs, such as more daycare spaces at a maximum of $15 per day by increasing taxes on big corporations to 17 per cent from 15 per cent and working with the provinces. Cannan touted his party’s plans to fund infrastructure across Canada, calling the program the biggest investment in infrastructure this country has ever seen. In doing so, he cited a long list of local projects that have received federal money. He said that was part of the reason he ran for MP in the first place, to make sure this community received as many federal dollars for programs as possible. Fuhr, a retired Canadian Air Force fighter pilot, said growth and jobs are the main issues in this election. He said the Liberals will fund programs aimed at increasing jobs so families have options when it comes to issue like daycare. Both he and Bowman, a professor at Okanagan College, repeatedly said that under the federal Conservative government, Canada has lost 400,000 jobs since 2006. The all-candidates’ meeting was originally planned to be a joint meeting for both the Kelowna-Lake Country and Central Okanagan-SimilkameenNicola candidates. But it ended up limited to just the Kelowna-Lake Country candidates after Conservative Dan Albas initially, followed by the other three Central-Okanagan-SimilkameenNicola candidates, choosing to attend a meeting in Summerland instead, said Jeannette Mergens, with the Canadian University Women’s Club, which organized the Kelowna meeting.
MARK BRETT/CONTRIBUTOR
In the end, it was at the end that the sparks finally flew. Two of the three candidates seeking election in Kelowna-Lake Country left it to their wrap-up remarks Monday during an all-candidates meeting to take direct shots at each other. Liberal Stephen Fuhr started it when, in appealing for support, he told the audience there is no way the NDP will form the next federal government and locally, no way NDP candidate Norah Bowman would attract moderate Conservatives—who he called the “Conservative swing vote”— who are fed up with their party’s leader Stephen Harper. The remarks brought loud boos from Bowman’s supporters in the crowd of about 100 people at the Kelowna Seniors’ Society Centre. Not to be outdone, Bowman, when she was given her turn at the microphone, shot back, reminding the audience the NDP had 103 seats in the last Parliament compared to the Liberals 34. And she didn’t stop there, blasting Liberal leader Justin Trudeau as someone who has not stood up to Harper in the past. “How can he stand up to someone like (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin if he can’t stand up to Harper?,” said Bowman to cheers from her supporters. Meanwhile, the man Fuhr and Bowman are trying to unseat, Conservative incumbent Ron Cannan, avoided the fray, sticking to listing achievements for the riding since he was first elected MP in 2006. The exchange between Fuhr and Bowman capped a 90-minute question and answer session that allowed the three candidates to tell the audience what their respective parties would do on a wide range issues including climate change, funding science, help for Canada’s aboriginal people, poverty and even the CBC. All three claimed to love the CBC and their parties would support it. The Conservative government has been criticized in the past for budget cuts to the CBC. Both Bowman and Cannan stressed their party’s plans to balance the budget, while Fuhr defended his party’s plan to run a deficit budget for three more years to fund tax cuts for the middle class that he said, will help in a number of ways.
ALISTAIR WATERS/CAPITAL NDEWS
awaters@kelonwacapnews.com
Doug Eades, of Kelowna, was a member of the Monster Smash team taking part in the Oliver Festival of the Grape on Sunday, part of the Fall Okanagan Wine Festival. The Monster Smash team won the best costume award. For more information about wine festival events this week, check out the website thewinefestivals.com.
LAKE COUNTRY
Police seek connection between victim, shooters in home invasion Kathy Michaels kmichaels@kelownacapnews.com
A home invasion and shooting that rattled a Lake Country neighbourhood Sunday night shouldn’t cause community concern, say the Mounties. “Home invasions are rarely random. From what I’ve read in this file the (alleged perpetrator) knew who these people were and there was some connection along the way, but (the victims) don’t know who it is,” said Cpl. Joe Duncan, media spokesperson. “The general public isn’t at any
risk.” As for the victims, a 61-year-old woman who was tied up during the invasion and a 65-year-old man who sustained a bullet wound during the crime, Cpl. Duncan indicated they were being cared for. The man had surgery at Kelowna General Hospital and is healing from an injury to his buttocks. Meanwhile, the investigation is ongoing, although the file will likely be transferred out of the hands of Kelowna RCMP and given to the Southeast District. The Tyndall Road incident was reported to Lake Country RCMP at
11:33 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 4. A victim indicated that two masked men entered a home with a gun, tied up a woman resident and injured a man. An RCMP police dog was called in to try and find the men and forensic identification officers were also called to the scene. Anyone with information is asked to call the Kelowna RCMP at 250762-3300. Anonymous tips can also be reported by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online at www.crimestoppers.net or text to CRIMES (274637) ktown.
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