I’m Voting NO on Oct. 17
Penticton's Sports Land Belongs to All of Us

Like many of you, I’ve been watching the upcoming October 17 referendum closely, and I just can't shake a growing sense of frustration.
When you look past the polished city releases, the core question is simple: Are we really about to give up the historical 1912 Indenture trust on the South Okanagan Events Centre (SOEC) campus just to make room for private hotel developers?
Over a century ago, forward-thinking members of our community set that land aside with a clear, timeless vision: to keep it permanently protected for public recreation, games, and sports. Once we vote away that legal safety net, it’s gone forever. We won't get that public footprint back.
What bothers me most as a local sports advocate isn't just the commercial push—it's the massive imbalance in how our city treats different sports groups.
Right now, we are looking at roughly $70 million moving toward a twin-pad arena project that heavily serves hockey and specialized commercial academies. Look, I love hockey as much as the next Canadian, but where does that leave everyone else in our community?
Ask around local gyms and courts. You'll quickly see the reality:
Lacrosse families constantly lose dry-floor access the moment seasonal shifts happen.
Basketball and volleyball clubs are forced to scramble and fight over bottlenecked school gym hours.
Pickleball and badminton players of all ages are stuck on endless waitlists with zero dedicated multi-court indoor facilities.
We shouldn't have to beg for basic court space while public land is handed over to commercial interests. Imagine what that space could mean if we protected it for a modern, multi-sport indoor facility—a place where hundreds of our kids, families, and seniors could play side-by-side every single day.
Community recreation shouldn't be about prioritizing single-user groups or hotel developers over the everyday needs of the wider public. The 1912 trust was created to protect our sports legacy for generations. If we give up that leverage now, we lose our chance to build a space that truly serves everyone.

I'm voting NO on October 17 to protect our public sports land—and I hope you will join me.