The president of a local veterans organization was disgusted to hear of the pile of garbage amassed in front of the clubhouse on Wednesday morning.
Robert Kruk, a volunteer at the Army Navy & Air Force Veterans in Canada (Unit 379) on North Avenue, said a janitor spotted the mess, which included drug paraphernalia, underwear, and food waste, when she arrived for her shift this morning.
“It’s disrespectful to our veterans,” he exclaimed.
“They fought for our country, and they fought for the rights of these people.”
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This is not the first instance of rampant littering, Kruk noted.
“There was a really big mess under the tree on our property,” he said.
“It took me a day-and-a-half to clean it up.”
Kruk said he is sympathetic to the plight of the homeless and those suffering from addiction issues – mentioning the club donates money to local shelters, the One Way Club society, and Cythera Transition House.
“We try to help our community, not just veterans,” he said.
But after speaking to another club president in North Kamloops, where the windows were all smashed, he said, ‘enough is enough.’
“I’m a volunteer, and I really love this place, and when you see things like this happen, it’s just not nice.”
The club will be re-opening on Thursday, May 27 at 10 a.m.
“I’m inviting everybody to come down and enjoy this place,” Kruk said.
“We are a private club, but anybody can join.”
Is there more to the story? Email: ronan.p.odoherty@blackpress.ca
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