Dear Friends:
There couldn’t be a worse time to call a federal election. The skies are still grey with smoke. Going to the beach these days is like going on a very hot winter’s day. Dark Dank. Nothing to see. Very dispiriting. But the dogs plunge happily into the lake anyway even if I do not.
My garden is bursting with produce; people drive in and out of the yard every day, as they have always done, every summer. They pick fruit or vegetables. They go for a swim, come for tea.
But, there is an election and I am worried about my grandkid’s future. So this election I am supporting Wayne Stetski because I have gotten to know him personally, as an amazing storyteller, and as a man who has spent his life very sincerely and in a very hard working personal way, in service to the Kootenay Columbia area. Wayne has served as Mayor of Cranbrook; Director of RDEK; Director of the Kootenay East Regional Hospital District Board; Manager of the East Kootenay, Conservation Program; District Manager of the BC Parks; Manager of the Kootenay Region, BC Environment Ministry and Member of Parliament.
Wayne has raised his family here and has worked as an environmentalist on many projects. He helped finally stop the Jumbo Ski Resort. He helped keep jet boats out of the Columbia River marshes. He has a good warm working relationship with the Ktunaxa and the Secwepemc. I know this because I have seen him in action.
He still, very quietly, delivers food from the Food Bank, all over Cranbrook, every week. He cheerfully rides his bicycle everywhere. He loves to do street walks, listening to people, and asking how he can help. He works quietly across party lines to solve problems. He supports local food and local farmers.
Right now, we are faced with huge issues: climate change, recovering from covid, and rebuilding our economy. We need good-paying jobs that don’t destroy the environment and that support us all. We need affordable housing. And we need to invest in public health, education, and eldercare.
These are Wayne’s priorities and mine as well.
He’s the only one who can carry our concerns to Ottawa and make them heard.
Luanne Armstrong MFA Ph.D
August 15, 2021