Letters to the Editor - October

The Editor and Point Bob:

I have never written to our community in the past, but I read something that resonated with me in the last week about the divided lines in these United States. We all know what I’m talking about, so back to their story.

The story was about a long time California family who, wanting to be closer to family, packed up and moved to Kansas. It was a great read about farming in Kansas and wanting a garden, rather than lawns in ‘Frisco. The comparisons became more alike to the writer, than the differences. He felt we are more blended than the news and the internet lead us to believe.

Now here we all are in Point Roberts. We are Yanks and Canucks with a common love of a common place. No different to the entire U.S.A. is amongst fellow Americans.

Last week I read a letter to the editor in the All Point Bulletin about basically “slow[ing] down when you see horse riders.” The driver replied, “I was doing the speed limit.” I thought, sometimes we should go slower. In Point Roberts we should all slow down.

My wife and I are fortunate to, I suspect, have more American friends than most Canadians here in “Bob.” You are a proud people and why not. Thanks for being the neighbors you are to all of us and to Canada.

Now whether we are this political party or that; whether we believe in a God or not; pro-life or pro-choice; let’s remember to slow down when we should and let’s give everyone the benefit of the doubt; we are more blended than we think. I’ve spent 60 years hanging from Lily Point to Maple Beach from Max’s South Beach House to Brewsters to Ingrid’s Breakers to Nick’s Reef and thank you, Pam, for Saltwater.

And it’s crab season and my recipe for y’all is open up an avocado, lay in lots of cleaned crab and top with seafood sauce. Horseradish and catsup, a squeeze of lemon and a shake of Worcestershire is a great alternative to the sauce.

Ron LaPorte

Point Roberts

The Editor:  

For the last 11 years, Christopher Carleton has served as your fire chief. He has developed an advanced, forward-thinking, and very active fire department to preserve your safety, improve your access to quick medical care, and construct a community that is well-equipped and prepared to assist one another in times of need. He has put in a lot of effort to be your champion and ambassador to improve your quality of life and the growth and prosperity of our community. Even in the face of a worldwide pandemic that separated our community even farther than our geography already did, he and his incredible team of volunteers made every effort to contribute to Point Roberts’ ability to forge ahead and survive. 

Chief Carleton has developed cost-effective solutions to assure the availability of trained, skilled and caring responders. He has established ongoing outreach programs in home healthcare, public education, and training. Under his guidance, the fire district increased its capabilities to react to crises in our one-of-a-kind, standalone community by reconfiguring the response and the staffing necessary to meet the 379 percent increase in service requests the fire district has experienced over more than a decade.

In November, you will be asked to approve or reject the fire district’s request for a new levy. The fire district’s current levy will no longer support the improvements made for our community’s rising needs, nor meet over $4 million in unfunded capital and infrastructure needs over the next decade and beyond. The fire district is debt free, and desires to keep it this way. The levy increase will sustain and improve current service levels, and meet the evolving facility, infrastructure and response coverage needs through the next decade. I think it is safe to say that most, if not all of us, understand that our household incomes from 12 years ago would not be enough to cover the cost of living in 2023. The 40 percent rise in living costs since 2010 has impacted the district’s financial ability to maintain the emergency services, community outreach, and support we deserve and have grown accustomed to as residents of Point Roberts.

Public meetings are being held and information is being disseminated by flyers to ensure that everyone understands what the district is asking for and how the new levy will be used to sustain and improve the delivery of emergency and support services to our community.

We are very fortunate to live in a community that has the high level of emergency services provided by our fire district. The incredible care, professionalism and dedication of the volunteers is admirable. I am grateful for knowing I am never truly alone and, when needed, the members of our fire district will be there to support me in my time of need. With the community’s support, Fire District 5 can continue its mission of providing emergency services to us, our families, friends and neighbors beyond the next decade.

Virginia Lester

Point Roberts

The Editor:

Whatcom County lost a true environmental champion with the passing of Wendy Harris on August 31. Wendy was fiercely independent, outspoken, brilliant, funny, engaging, irascible and fearless. She embodied the traits and skills one would find in a truly effective leader.

Wendy had a true compassion for animals and, by extension, all living things and the preservation of the natural environment. It was a full-time job and one that she did particularly well. The lesser among us give lip service to these lofty ambitions, but Wendy was able to effectively channel her fierce commitment and passion in a manner that made county decision makers take notice and ignore her at their peril.

Wendy could analyze, interpret and challenge the minutiae of a complex environmental impact statement or planning department land use proposal more quickly and effectively than any citizen advocate I have ever worked with. And she did so regularly throughout her 20 year career as a citizen journalist.

In retrospect, her positions, particularly those relating to water quality and land use, were correct and will be remembered as her legacy.

Her brilliant mind, Stanford law degree and an unbridled passion for environmental advocacy and animal welfare made her a force to be reckoned with when speaking before councils of government. That voice is now sadly silent.

John Lesow

Point Roberts and N. Vancouver, B.C.

The Editor:

I wish to comment on how our local U.S. post office is being run in our beloved Point Roberts.

Has anyone been refused mail delivery? Been told by the postmaster that you need an occupancy certificate before mail can be delivered to your address?

Have you been told that as you cannot legally live here? That as a non-resident you cannot get mail here? Have you been told that if you are not on a resident list for an address? That your mail has been returned to sender? Well, if so, you are not alone.

The postmaster in Point Roberts is Leanne Gruber, who told me that I needed an occupancy certificate to receive mail delivery and as I hadn’t supplied one my mail was being returned to sender. The solution she offered was to get a post office box.

I contacted the U.S. postal service at the customer service center and was told that to have mail delivered that I only needed a valid address, which is issued in Point Roberts by the Whatcom County engineering department. I got a service request number. Within two days the post master contacted me and told me that I could have mail delivery to my new address if I brought her a valid address certificate, which I did. Her request for an occupancy certificate had been dropped.

The postmaster told me that the mail delivery in Point Roberts is done by contractors who bid on each route in a five-year cycle. When a new address is added they don’t get paid any more money. So the goal is to limit the amount of mail they have to deliver. This can explain the postmaster’s other comments, “that they don’t want all the Canadians who own property here to get their mail here” and why only people registered on the database filled out by the residents of each address is actually used to screen mail delivery and deny any mail for people not on the residence card list.

What appears to be happening here is that the Point Roberts post office has made up some arbitrary rules to limit and deny mail delivery so they keep the bid prices they pay the delivery contractors down and encourage the rental of post office boxes. This is contrary to the “Universal Service Obligation” that governs the conduct of the U.S. postal service where anyone can receive mail provided they have a valid address.

Brian Rundle

Point Roberts