Recently I received an e-mail from a person who opposes the prison in Lumby. This e-mail claims to have done a lot of research, but I have found many errors in this document that went on ad nauseam.
It's claimed that only a small number of people will benefit from the jail and the rest will only benefit for a limited time.
How would anyone know that unless they had been employed in a provincial jail? There will be 240 high-paying jobs in the prison and more jobs for those people employed in the support system. Applicants will be given equal opportunity.
It's claimed business in Lumby, is still doing good, but quotes how it was 20 years ago. People have said that you could hardly see across the road due to the smoke from the bee hive burners. How good is that industry?
They are distressed at being ignored by village council, yet most of the “NO” people have never gone to Kamloops, or looked at the outside of the prison. They also refused to participate when they were offered a cost-free day to visit the Kamloops Correctional Centre. All they have is their own biased opinion, not research.
They try to compare our small provincial correctional centres to the big maximum security prisons in the United States. This is an absurd comparison and if they were to open their eyes they would realize that. Ask Marc Emery, the Prince of Pot. The prince has his supporters and legal team working overtime to get him out of that American hell hole and come back to Canada to serve out his sentence.
They claim Lumby’s business is doing just fine. Balderdash. Small business in Lumby struggles because they don’t get the support of our rural and village people, who shop in Vernon.
All of the “No” people think they are experts on the topic of Drumheller, yet many have never seen and most know nothing about that community. The prison in Drumheller is bigger but completely out of sight. It has a large housing unit outside the wire for low-risk offenders.
Drumheller has a world-class palaeontology museum and is home to “The Passion Play.”
Now you know.
Cliff Wedgewood
Lumby
