r/kelowna • • 3d ago

I'm Daniel Fritter, a candidate for Kelowna city council, AMA! (officially starting at 10 am tomorrow, October 15)

Hi there, I'm Daniel Fritter, a candidate for our city council.

I'm here to answer questions about the upcoming election, municipal issues, my background, and what matters to our community.

I'll officially answer questions from 10 AM to about 10 pm tomorrow, but if you're curious now, I'll try to reply.

Ask me anything!

11 Upvotes

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u/tewkberry 3d ago

Your website says you want to take a leadership position on micromobility. Can you expand on this, especially about safety and accessibility?

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

Yup.

I think we should have tabled a resolution to amend the MVA to incorporate micromobility solutions at the UBCM. We have a lot of experience with them, and as one of the largest cities in the province, it was an opportunity to take a leadership position on a contentious file that impacts our community a lot. Unfortunately, that opportunity has passed, and another jurisdiction did precisely that.

What I'd like to see is legislation that prohibits e-bikes capable of higher speeds from multi-use pathways, the city put a few bucks into dividing popular multi-use pathways into walking/riding pathways vis-a-vis the seawall (basically paint lines dividing the rail trail to say walking to one side, riding to the other), and Kelowna having input into a broader scope of legislation that allows us to put more onus on Lime for their rental fleet.

They make a ton of money off our city hosting their fleet, there's a noticeable uptick in visits to our hospital when their seasonal availability opens, and I'm tired of seeing their bikes and scooters abandoned along the rail trail or across a sidewalk. I love the idea of e-bikes and scooters as a way to get around, but if we're going to allow a giant US company to make profit off our city, they should be held to a higher standard.

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u/tewkberry 2d ago

Appreciate your well thought out answer. Agree with a lot of what you are saying, especially about Lime.

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u/Heavy_Arm_7060 3d ago

Hi Daniel,

I wanted to ask about City on a Hill and their endorsement of you. How specifically do you and they align in terms of values?

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

I actually didn't know they'd endorsed me.

I can't speak to where they see alignment, but, trying to be objective, I suspect we align on the city council's responsibility for the materials available in schools and libraries, and on parental involvement when a child makes a personal disclosure or request to school counsellors.

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u/Heavy_Arm_7060 3d ago

Can you expand on your stance on those?

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

Yup.

Regarding school disclosures - look, I know this isn't a universally acceptable answer. I am not inured to the notion that schools have very real, meritorious reasons to withhold things from parents. I get it. Some parents aren't super supportive and some parents are even worse than that.

But I didn't answer that questionnaire (or this question) as some ambiguous "anyone." I'm running as me, to be one of eight people on what I hope will be a diverse council bringing forward an abundance of opinions, so I answered from my perspective: As a guy who desperately loves his kids, regardless of how they identify or who they like, and who just wants them to be happy. So if my kids were going through something, I'd like to at least be informed, so I can try and understand, adjust, or just do whatever I can to help - even if that means doing nothing. I'd just want to know if they're dealing with something.

Again, I know there are reasons to argue the opposite, and I think those arguments have merit. But I chose to answer as myself and how I feel.

Regarding my stance on the city council's responsibility vis-à-vis materials in libraries and schools, I subscribe to the notion that "there's only one taxpayer," and on local issues like school materials or libraries, city councillors should be prepared to answer for that.

Is the material selection entirely within their purview? No. City council isn't (nor should it be) deciding what books the library buys. But when it comes to taxpayers and the services their taxes should provide, especially community-centric ones like library or school materials, they are (and should be) the closest link between taxpayers and government. Ergo, responsibility.

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u/Flaky_Dimension6208 2d ago

I’m incredibly confused by the second part of this answer. City council has literally nothing to do with schools or school boards, how that money is allocated and then spent, or in making decisions about confidential disclosures. Quite frankly, elected trustees don’t even have much to do with any of that other than allocating funds through the district budget. Otherwise, decisions rest with curriculum departments, administrators, and individual schools.

Just because you might be physically closer to a taxpayer, doesn’t mean you are responsible. That’s like saying you’re the closest option so when I have healthcare concerns, you should be able to fix them for me. That’s also not your jurisdiction. Something being a community service also doesn’t make it your business or you’d also have to answer for federal government decisions.

What role, legally, do you actually think a city councillor plays in any of those arenas? Why do you think it is relevant for constituents to hear your opinions on schools and school policies? Why are you taking public stances and adding to your campaign issues you can’t address in any tangible way if elected?

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u/hikeskiwork 2d ago

Thank you for answering honestly, both this question and the questionnaire so we can understand what kind of councilor you would be.

If you do get elected to council, I would urge you to reconsider your stance on disclosure. Ultimately this kind of decision probably isn't in the scope of what city council can do, but I would love for you to think more deeply about this.

You seem to be focussed on your personal experience in this hypothetical, while you are aware that not all parents may share the honest motives you have for wanting to know that information. It sounds like you would show kindness to your own children (i hope) in a situation like this. However, if you are ever in a position to make a policy-level decision like this, your own response as a parent isn't relevant- you now have become responsible for how other parents may respond to information like that (and there are absolutely parents who will respond poorly).

I work with teens and frequently ask parents to leave the room when I am discussing more personal topics. My standard policy is to ask ALL parents to step out the room, even parents that I know well, and who would respond well to difficult information. I have two very good reasons to do this with everyone: 1) if teens know that information they share will be immediately heard by their parents (or disclosed to their parents) then they are smart enough to not talk about it and this makes it harder for me to help them. (Note - the law makes it clear that there are limitations to that confidentiality when a child may be at risk of harm in situations of abuse or suicide/self-harm) 2) it actually isn't part of my job to decide which parents are safe to include and which parents are not. So while you personally would want to know and believe that you would respond with love and kindness to your kids, I ask you to have the humility to recognize that not everyone is like you in that way and there isn't an easy way to know which families are safe and which are not.

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u/Evening_Fishing_2122 2d ago

Do you want bibles in schools? Or fictitious material for young students to be brainwashed by the clergy?

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

I think the Bible should be available in school libraries, but only because it's a tremendously influential book among western societies, and is worth having as a reference for that reason... not for brainwashing or anything like that. Like, a lot of classical literature has biblical overtones - having the original source of that influence is valuable for study.

But public schools should not be pushing any religion on anyone.

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u/Evening_Fishing_2122 2d ago

I’m highly biased but this screams the false prophet. Kids should be able to be kids, and not be influenced by religious figures or overtones at a young age. Sure, if you’re brought up in a faith based family, by all means, but now you’re asking to push these books (which discriminate against anything or anyone who doesn’t abide) into an environment where kids don’t even have the capacity to think rationally or anecdotedly.

That is my problem with religion. Be religious, but leave it out of politics and schools and quiet with the BS propaganda.

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

Just to clarify, I'm not asking for these books to be "pushed" on anyone. As someone with a degree in English Lit, I think it's a good thing to have on hand for reference, because it is the most prolific influence on Western culture extant. Films, books, art - its reach stretches from the statue of David to Shakespeare and beyond.

So to ban it from schools seems unwise.

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u/Evening_Fishing_2122 2d ago

Schools should be educating students about real life. Do Catholic and Christian schools not already exist? Unless someone wants to grow up to be a pastor or missionary (unlikely unless they grew up in a religious background) then why include it in a curriculum where it would provide little value in the real world. It’s simple minded, and maybe my views are simple minded, but however you want to word it it’s pushing something that doesn’t need to be. Do you see the sikhs or muslims or other religions pushing for these changes or standing at their little booths or babbling in the downtown cores on a megaphone or discriminating against people who don’t fit the little psalms in the book?

Get real pal.

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

Fine. I'll bite. Your views are literally the definition of simple minded.

It's the most influential book in Western society. Banning the base from which so much of our art, culture, and literature references and/or grew from because you're worried some kids might like it too much is ridiculous.

Get real, pal.

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u/AspieReddit 3d ago

To clarify your position from City on a Hill’s website: if a child comes out as gay to a school councillor, you believe the counsellor should have no choice but to tell a parent?

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

Yes.

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u/RivendellAndChill 2d ago

As a parent, holy smokes!

As a councillor, holy smokes!

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

Are you a school councillor? I only ask because, if so, I have a legitimate question I've been curious about since having kids myself: How do you decide when to involve a parent in an issue a child may bring up?

I ask because I can't imagine there's any sort of diagnostic checklist that would be sufficient to suit all circumstances, and it seems like a massive burden/risk to just leave it up to discretion?

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u/RivendellAndChill 2d ago edited 2d ago

I don't want to answer where I have worked as that's too close to home for online communication for me. But I have done counselling with a variety of different populations, including youth.

There are well known and longstanding practice standards and ethical frameworks within the profession that deal with confidentiality and the limits there of. These are not only established by working profession meaning they're practice informed, but also by multiple regulatory and accredation bodies and leading academic and professional training institutions. As well as there is established and good legislation (ie The Infants Act, which despite its name covers to the age of 19) that governs some of these areas. And lastly levels of professional supervision.

In the same way that there are codes for building buildings, the same idea exists for the counselling professions. I don't really feel obligated to teach everything about these standards at this time, at this time of night, but I would encourage your curiosity to keep exploring should you so wish.

All this is to say decisions are never made lightly but guided by these professional standards and ethics, where client safety is always paramount. An obvious one is if a child is at risk of suicide, where it could make complete sense to involve protective factors such as parents or caregivers (overiding confidentiality). However a child expressing their sexual attraction is very different. As a counsellor I can attest that it is unfortunately not too uncommon, even in these days, that violating a youth's confidentiality around disclosures of their sexual attraction can actually lead to immediate harm at home (violence, neglect, abuse), among other associated problems and harms.

In this particular case you mentioned a child expressing who they're attracted to, that because they're attracted to people of the same sex as themselves, a counsellor should tell the parent, disregarding confidentiality. Why? Where is the harm? Is homosexuality being pathologized? Would you equally suggest that if a youth expressed attraction to someone of the opposite sex, a counsellor should still tell a parent?

A youth discussing who they're attracted to, on that information alone, there is no reason to break their confidentiality. Ever.

As a parent, I hope my children will always feel safe in telling me whats important to them, how they may identify, and who they're attracted to, as I try to foster an environment where they can always be comfortable with who they are. But I am under no obligation to know details. These are afterall private and personal details. It is my responsibility to be present and available for when and if they feel comfortable sharing things important to them, about themselves. That's how I keep them safe.

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

Thank you for this, sincerely.

I read it last night, and it was impactful enough that I wanted to just sit with it for a while. To be honest, I've been thinking about it ever since. What you said about sexuality being pathologized really landed.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not ignorant of the disclosure rules for adults; I have PTSD and GAD and have for years seen a psychologist, and value the privacy of our conversations immensely. Where I have trouble is with disclosure rules for minors, and therein your post found my own bias, in that while I'm perfectly willing to accept anything my kids say or feel, their potential conversations with councillors and issues aren't about me - they're about them. And they should be protected.

So what you said made me reconsider my stance. I was wrong. Disclosure shouldn't be required, but perhaps rather the default position, from which councillors can make the decision not to include parents based on the code and professional guidelines you referenced.

(Although I gotta say, as a dad, it kills me to type that out. The idea that my kids wouldn't feel comfortable with me knowing about something that rose to the level of warranting a chat with a school councillor is brutal - but I guess that's my bias showing again, and as they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions).

So overall, thank you for educating me. I really do appreciate it, not as a candidate, but as a dad.

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u/RivendellAndChill 2d ago edited 2d ago

Hey I appreciated your response too.

These sort of situations are things I deal with on the daily, which is why I understand them so well. However not everyone deals with these shades of grey situations as frequently as part of their day-to-day. Throw me in a situation I'm not familiar with and I'll stumble and need help.

Disclosure shouldn't be required, but perhaps rather the default position, from which councillors can make the decision not to include parents based on the code and professional guidelines you referenced.

Honestly, there's new(erish) impetus in the field to include parents as they're momumental and doing the hard work 24/7. It always makes sense to work with the primary attachment figure of the child. Counsellors have an hour once a week, at best - parents are a perfectly placed resource and source of love (even if it shows up in a difficult way). I firmly believe in working with families. There's whole frameworks of counselling (Multidimensional Family Therapy - kinda corny name I know, to name one) that sees parents as core agents, or the medicine, to help children. So by helping and resourcing parents, you're helping kids. Therapy is great when parents can be brought in. It's a beautiful thing to experience when done right, so you're not wrong. As a counsellor with kids, I absolutely have a profound respect for parents. Yes, there are tragic situations where parents are the major source of problems (like I talked about before: abuse, exploitation, controlled). In those situations, hopefully there's a safe attachment figure (a grandparent or guardian). Fortunately it's not the norm. Most parents are great parents just doing the best they can.

You're coming from a place of love and support, so your convictions are in the right place. We're all figuring it out. Us dads and parents have to lift each other up. You have my respect as well for listening and opening up about yourself. It's not an easy thing doing what you're doing.

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u/AspieReddit 3d ago

In your City on a Hill questionnaire, you said that “Ultimately, city council should be where the buck stops for materials provided in city facilities, be they schools or libraries. And city council should take that responsibility seriously when it comes to the materials made available to minors.”

What do you mean by that? And in what sense are schools (run by the school district and Ministry of Education) and the library (run by a board representing a very large multi-municipality service region) “city facilities”?

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

I meant precisely that.

City council isn't where the decisions about library or school materials are made, but it should be where the electorate can find accountability for those decisions.

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u/jenh6 3d ago

To elaborate on the control of materials, are you in support of book bans?

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

Certain books should be age-controlled in the context of schools.

For example, my six year old brought a book version of the Amityville Horror home from school last week. Try explaining the opening act of that story to a kid that age. It sucks.

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u/Hopeful-Ad-3343 3d ago

A key role of City Council is to work with other government bodies. In a post on X, you equated Prime Minister Carney with Mao. Are you going to spew this kind of stuff if you are elected to represent us?

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

The tweet in question was in reply to Diana Fox' statement: “I have been told of university students already being required to read my husband's now quite famous Davos speech."

I will always oppose a politician's speech being exalted thusly to the level of required reading for students.

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u/Stalepan 3d ago

Just to be clear, you would equate Lincoln to Mao as well due to the Gettysburg Address being exalted as required reading for many students in the US?

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

During Lincoln's tenure? Yes.

Many political speeches are worthy of study. Ive studied many myself. But to make one required reading during the speaker's tenure, in the jurisdiction they are the leader of, is where things start to shift from historical appreciation or literary study and into the potential for something else.

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u/PerfectEquipment5169 2d ago

Go on, finish that though, potential for what.

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

Political influence.

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u/Flaky_Dimension6208 2d ago

You realize that reading speeches from previous leaders or deceased leaders does the same thing right? The political message doesn’t go away because they’re no longer in office.

Required reading also doesn’t mean endorsement. Depending on the class, it could be incredibly relevant. What if it’s a class on economics and they’re talking about the world stage - the speech in that case isn’t necessarily political influence but instead necessary to enter the economic landscape in Canada right now.

Plus, as an English teacher, there are so many benefits to reading and studying speeches from living people because you can follow how their positions or perspectives change or shift, identify when or if they use speech writers, and try to gain an understanding of how politicians speak when they have specific goals. It also helps students understand current world affairs and be educated citizens.

Would you say the same thing if Poilievre had a speech worth studying? Because frankly it’s disturbing that you want to get into politics but don’t see the value in learning about politics.

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

Context matters. Like I said, I've studied speeches. I agree with everything you have said about the merits of doing so. I actually majored in English Lit when I got my BA (although admittedly, I primarily studied African women's lit).

My issue was with the PMs wife boasting that Carney's speech had become required reading for students. And yes, I would have the same stance if Poilievre was the PM and his wife boasted about a speech becoming required reading.

How would you feel if Melania boasted about a Trump speech becoming required reading?

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u/Flaky_Dimension6208 2d ago

I mean, to be honest, I don’t read that tweet as boasting but more so as a fact and she seems proud of him. Again, she didn’t say what kind of class or context was involved here.

Also, I’m honestly pretty sure some conservative campuses in the States already require reading of Trump’s speeches. I’d be shocked if Melania “boasted” about it because she doesn’t seem to care about him at all, where Carney and his wife seem to have a healthy relationship.

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

Maybe it was pride, but either way, it rubbed me the wrong way.

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u/mackop 3d ago

Hi Daniel. We should get to know you, for sure, so thanks for the AMA.
Something you could do to show what type of person you are is to unlock your comment/post history.

Curous minds want to know.

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

Done! I actually didn't realize it defaulted to hidden.

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u/mackop 2d ago

Good call, thanks!

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u/RandomPersonInCanada 3d ago

It seems Kelowna mods don’t like this question or people sharing links about it, so I’m going to ask it anyway.

With a U.S.-based company’s Canadian division selected as the preferred operator of Prospera Place from 2029, do you support this direction, or would you push to keep management Canadian-owned? If the agreement proceeds, what safeguards would you seek to protect local jobs, Canadian suppliers, and accountability to Kelowna residents?

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

I would push to keep management not just Canadian, but local. Given our unemployment rate, we need to do everything we can to safeguard local jobs.

In terms of what controls I would try and achieve if the agreement were to move forward - I'd try and ensure the contract had clauses mandating Canadian, and local employment and supply chain ratios related to Prospera's operation.

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u/Working_Difference11 3d ago

Years from now, when you look back on your time as a councillor, what do you hope you’ll feel you made the biggest difference on or helped move the city forward on?

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

In a word? Jobs.

If I'm lucky enough to be elected to city council, I'd want my legacy to be a more diverse local economy with fulfilling career paths that could take our residents from low-barrier, entry-level positions to retirement.

To this end, one of the things I'd like to deliver in my first year as a councillor would be a week-long wine festival on a scale that would attract national attention; provide City Park as a tasting and seminar venue, live music and tastings at Tugboat Beach, a long-table dining setup hosted by our local restos to open the Meet Me On Bernard season, wine tasting tour shuttles from downtown to the local vineyards, etc. We're already known as Canada's wine capital - why not lean into that with a large-scale event that could be the highlight for wine and food aficionados nationwide and attract tourists from across the country?

It may seem like small potatoes compared with the larger issues Kelowna faces, but it could provide an annual shoulder-season boost to our hospitality industry and (hopefully) create a platform for downtown revitalization, with regional vineyards opening tasting rooms.

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u/Hot_Piano_4387 3d ago

Hey Daniel, who pays for growth?

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

Depends on the growth we're talking about.

Economies and business? Customers and clients.

Infrastructure? Taxpayers.

My wife's rose garden? Me.

My kids' enthusiasm for radio controlled cars that go faster than their reflexes? My ankles.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/Sodiumtdawg 2d ago

What would be your plans for reducing traffic congestion in this city?  Do you view transportation as a cost of living issue?

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

Yes, I do see it as a cost of living issue, because not only does it add hours to our workdays but it directly influences the costs we pay; if a plumber takes twice as long to get everywhere, they need to charge more per hour on the job to cover their overhead.

In terms of what I would do, pragmatically? Entirely within council purview? Revise the Transportation Master Plan. Simply put, it currently seeks to do too many things (it outlines 16 goals, including things like improving health), and doesn't serve its purpose of providing staff with a prescriptive document that can be used to quickly and easily reach conclusions. It invites debate, rather than informing it, and should be distilled down to focus on actual transportation goals: Moving people and things quickly, via as many means as possible, as cheaply as possible. I think that's at the foundation of fixing our congestion issues.

Not pragmatically? Pie in the sky? We need rapid transit before densification closes the best corridors for it to happen. I know people say it's too expensive, but between West Kelowna and us we're not exactly a small population, and given the city owns a former heavy freight railbed that was serviceable until relatively recently, there is an existing corridor for at-grade light commuter rail that could be delivered for vastly less money than the Skytrain lines BC taxpayers are familiar with: A park and ride on the westside, making use of the proposed sixth lane expansion of the bridge, running north past city park, up Water where there is minimal residential property incursion, around Prospera, and then east to the rail trail and out to UBC/YLW just makes sense.

And it'd require removing that bloody light at 97 and Abbott, so that's a bonus.

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u/CollieKlay 3d ago

You were previously asked this question:
“Would you support attaching any conditions to permissive tax exemptions, for example, requiring non-discrimination policies before they're granted or renewed?”

And you replied with the following:
“No, because the BC Human Rights Code provides an exemption to groups that are defined (broadly) by the same terms as those exempted by the Community Charter and Kelowna's bylaws around PTEs. So if the city were to require documentation aroundnon-discrimination policies, we'd just end up getting sued for the tax we tried to collect from non-compliant religious organizations, and the requirement for them to adopt non-discriminatory policies would probably just end up getting removed as a result - but only after we likely had to pay a court-ordered sum that may include damages for(ironically) enacting discriminatory tax policy and the legal fees.”

Your response is troubling to me because it is not based in the law. The city is well within its rights to create conditions for originations to receive non-mandatory tax exceptions such as on land surrounding a place of worship. For example the city could require the religious organization to a) provide a service to the public such as daycare, charity work, or recreational space and b) provide the service without discrimination based on protected characteristics. Conditions such as my above example are well within the authority of the city to implement and any challenges from religious institutions would be unlikely to last very long in the courts. Given this would you reconsider your answer or do you still believe it would be a violation of the rights of religious organizations to NOT grant them a tax exemption on land surrounding a place of worship that doesn’t serve the public (such as parking lots) or that does in a discriminatory way (such as services only available to people of a specific religion, race, or sexual orientation)?

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

Such conditions would violate the BC Human Rights Code.

A city cannot tax, or not tax, a religious group based on that group signing a contract that violates the rights provided to them by the Human Rights Code.

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u/vanessabellwoolf 2d ago

That’s actually just not true. Cities can and do tax religious groups. It does not violate the BC Human Rights Code or the Charter.

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

They can tax religious groups, yes, but they cannot do so specifically based on that group signing a non-discriminatory agreement.

It's not what anyone wants to hear (and a bit ironic given the act's name), but the BC Human Rights Code actually gives religious groups the right to be discriminatory, meaning you cannot tax them based on that criteria.

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u/CollieKlay 2d ago

I already made up my mind how I will be voting which is why I didn’t ask a follow up question myself, but it says a lot about what a person stand for when bigotry, not only in beliefs but in actions as a part of excluding people from services, is a part of their religious beliefs. The city grants tax exemptions to non-religious charities too, as such a rule requiring all groups, religious or not, wanting a tax exemption to provide their charitable services without discrimination is very clearly not in any way religious discrimination since such a policy applies equally to all organizations.

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

I think you're misunderstanding me.

The question was about levying a property tax on religious groups based on them signing a non-discriminatory agreement, and my answer was that such an agreement would be illegal under the BC Human Rights Code, which would in turn render any subsequent taxation similarly illegal and expose the city to lawsuits.

That's just reality, and my acknowledging it shouldn't be inferred as endorsing bigotry, because it's not.

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u/otoron 3d ago

Tell us, Mr. Fritter: apple, blueberry, or banana?

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

If I had to pick? Apple.

But honestly, I'm an éclair man.

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u/otoron 3d ago

Thank you for your attempt at service — and sense of humour/tolerance of what is no doubt by now a rather flogged dead horse!

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u/CalibreMag 3d ago

With a last name like Fritter, I learned that a sense of humour is a good attribute a long time ago... and they are pretty tasty.

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u/malamikigo 2d ago

What is en passant and why is it a BS chess move to make?

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

Inb4 this comment gets nuked, but it's when a pawn makes a two square jump next to your own pawn on the fourth or fifth rank depending on colour, and can be taken.

And it's a bit bullshit because players forget it can happen.

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u/excelaccessoffice 1d ago

Will you name your daughter Apple, should you have one in the future?

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u/CalibreMag 1d ago

I actually have a daughter... but her name isn't Apple.

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u/primal_explorers 2d ago

I have a question in regards to your stance on our growing homeless population, I have now moved to an area with quite a presence and due to this had quite a few run ins and situations happening with the most recent being a Crack pipe on my driveway. It feels that Rutland has become a forgotten part of the city so that being said, have you any plans or opinions on addressing kelownas growing issues with drugs, homeless and addictions in general?

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u/CalibreMag 2d ago

Thank you for asking! I live in the North End, near the Rail Trail, so I can commiserate with your experience. It's a big reason why I'm running, and an issue that's really important to me.

But I didn't know much about homelessness solutions when I embarked on this campaign, so I sought the advice of social workers, which was quite illuminating because they were unanimous in their response: While the circumstances surrounding an individual's homelessness vary from "I lost my job and can't pay rent" to "an undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who self-medicates with drugs," the solution is universal: Homes. Because regardless of the problem, a stable and safe place to call home is the first step towards a solution.

So that sent me down the rabbit hole of looking into what Kelowna provides in this regard, and I didn't love what I found. In addition to the two tiny home villages that are already established and working well, we have just one project underway with BC Housing, which is set to deliver 40 spaces by 2029. Kamloops, by comparison, has six projects that will deliver over 600 spaces over the same span - 200 of which were scheduled to be available this year.

Adding to this context was the most recent point-in-time homeless count, which found that there are over 800 homeless individuals in Kelowna as of last November, which means we actually have either the highest homelessness-per-capita of any city over 100K in BC, or the second highest, depending on how you localize the stats.

Now, seeing as BC Housing is a tremendous asset capable of delivering everything from wrap-around supportive housing to low-income senior housing to off-market, income-tested rent-controlled homes, but is beyond the purview of a city councillor with regard to decision-making, what I would like to see is twofold: The city simultaneously provide the budget and staff necessary to secure vastly more projects with BC Housing, and provide the property necessary to build them. It just makes sense to me.

With regard to addiction and substance abuse issues, a lot of that falls outside the purview of city council and lands with Interior Health. That being said, city councillors can and have advocated for solutions, the latest of which was to round them up and admit them into involuntary care in the Oliver prison. I think that's disgusting. I would advocate that Interior Health instead increase its capacity for mental health and substance abuse treatment within our community, and if that includes involuntary care, that such services be delivered in a health care setting that is compassionate - not a friggin prison three hours away.