July 8,9

Red plates are back with a vengeance or at least the traffic is. Half hour commutes are becoming the norm lately. I was hoping the new normal would leave out the heavy traffic of summer. Unfortunately, all I had was hope. Now we have cars, trucks, RV’s and don’t forget the motorcycles. Please watch out for the motorcycles.

In Penticton, there was a person who left a sticky note on a car with an Alberta plate. “Alberta go home and stay home. You are not welcome here shitheads.” Shitheads? Go home? Albertans have financed and contributed to our province since confederation began. Why anyone would spend time and energy writing such a despicable note is beyond me.

Now the RCMP were called in to throw out Albertans from our provincial parks. We need to unite as a country and band together. I hate traffic and all that it brings. I hate the chaos of our roads full of cars, but it means that people are in the Okanagan. People are spending their hard-earned money. There should be more people working, fewer people collecting the CERB. Less of a burden on our country and its finances is a good thing. If people fear covid coming from Alberta I understand and perhaps they need to stay at home. Yet the numbers in Alberta are as good as ours, and they have fewer deaths.

Luxury Lake Tours has been busy with a lot of Albertans. Very nice people only wanting an escape after three months of lockdown. Why chase them home? Our economy depends on tourism. If we lose that, we lose the means to defend ourselves financially if there is a second wave. We may need to prepare for another round of shutdowns.

I took a family from Calgary on the boat all week. They escaped Calgary to spend time in Kelowna before going to Vancouver. A very nice family, separated from their father. They wanted to spend some time on the boat while he is in quarantine. Five days in a row they came on our vessel. They were an amazing group that loved to enjoy what Kelowna has to offer. Four kids, Mom and a friend spent hours riding the tube behind Serendipity. They thrilled with the excitement of our beautiful lake. They relaxed in the beauty of all this wonderful place has to offer.

Last night the two mothers escaped their kids and soaked in the amazing view of an Okanagan sunset. The colour painted the sky. North down the lake, the bridge was a silhouette in front of glowing yellow and orange clouds. To the south, a deep red coated the bottom of the clouds that drifted above the mountains. In mere moments the colours faded away and darkness fell on our rejuvenating valley.

The intrepid travelers were staying in an Airbnb. The regulars that stayed in the same waterfront development made them feel unwelcome. Made them feel like trespassers. These lovely people that are helping support our local economy are being made to feel like they don’t belong. They left early and carried on, shunned by the very people who profited from years of Alberta money flowing into our province.

That is wrong. Kindness to others is the Canadian way. The fear and distrust that has been sewn by Covid is a high price to pay. A price I refuse to accept. A price people in BC should refuse to pay as well. We should be kind to each other, welcome each other, and help each other. It is the Canadian way. The best way.