I have been following this debate (sic?) as I am sure most of Cranbrook has been doing. I have read all the accusations of fact vs. fiction and probably like many folks I see the difference between the facts vs. fiction becoming very blurry. It is difficult to take many of the slogans seriously.

Facts have to be substantiated and to this end I am not seeing definitive proof that expansion is this "panacea" to my standard of living that is going to create this utopia once the expansion goes forward. I am being bombarded with generalized information from one side of the debate only in both this newspaper and the radio. It is difficult to really take this deluge of advertising seriously since all we are hearing is from the YES campaign and very little from the NO group. Unfortunately, those with the most money will get the final say.

I would like to question Mr Sim's views on Salmon Arm as the poster child for expanding its boundaries. What he has stated in a radio ad is just not factual. I grew up in the area and still have family and friends whom I visit regularly. Salmon Arm is a tourist and retirement destination period. In the past there was logging and sawmilling (nearby Canoe), farming, particularly dairying and more recently an outreach Community College has been added to the mix. Newnes machinery, a sawmill fabrication plant, was a large employer and recently was purchased by Coe an American company interested in their expertise in sawmilling fabrication. This plant still has a presence but has downsized considerably the last couple of years. There are just no major industries creating well paying sustainable jobs in the area. Go through their Industrial Park and there are several small to midsize enterprises just as we have in Cranbrook which are good for any community. Salmon Arm is strategically located along the Trans Canada Highway, which one would think would be beneficial in attracting quality industry. It has not.

In the 1980s and 1990s building was happening at exponential rates as folks from the Coast and the Prairies were retiring there. This was great for developers, real estate salespeople, building trades and building supply stores but it did not last as prices escalated and the demand went down. This created a short lived superficial economy. The boom has dried up. You can now drive around the area, and in particular the large subdivisions near the Lake and see For Sale signs everywhere as the folks who retired there are now becoming too old to look after their homes. All this building did not create long lasting well paying jobs in commercial and industrial activity. It did create a major demand for low paying service sector jobs. In the summer there is chaos around the city with the tourist influx, but revisit after they leave and for nine months Salmon Arm becomes the sleepy village.

I have a friend with a son and three girls; all have left the area to get good employment. Another friend's two sons have left Salmon Arm. My nieces and nephews still reside in the area but leave their families for the week to work outside the area.

I think the City and Chamber of Commerce should get serious and work diligently to secure major industries. Industries move to an area if they see an economic advantage and a quality of life for its employees. Creating another subdivision will help a few with a vested interest but it will not create all this "opportunity" they speak of. If you want your kids and grandkids to stay in this community go out and recruit quality industries.

Jim Ellingson

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