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John McDonald
John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.
It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.
But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.
If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca
Increasing conflicts convince West Kelowna to get bear help
WEST KELOWNA - Increasing bear conflicts on the fringes of West Kelowna has convinced the city to sign on with WildSafe B.C. to provide a seasonal bear awareness worker. The city will pay as much as $8,350 next year - depending if other partners sign on - for a medium level service contract with the...
Okanagan theft ring targeting Ford trucks broken up
THOMSON-OKANAGAN - An Okanagan-based theft ring with a taste for Ford F-350 pickup trucks has been busted by police. Seven people have been charged with multiple offences after a seven-week investigation by the Kelowna RCMP street enforcement unit, RCMP spokesman Const. Jesse O’Donaghey said during a press conference today, Nov. 13. An upswing in Ford...
Elderly woman fends off violent home invader in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - An 85-year-old woman is doing okay after struggling with an attacker for 20 minutes during a violent home invasion in the early hours, Sunday, Oct. 25. West Kelowna RCMP aren’t naming the woman, who managed to escape and call 911 at her neighbour’s house in the 2300-block of Butt Road. The suspect...
Medical marijuana pain clinic eyes Kelowna expansion
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - A new clinic focusing on treating patients for pain management and prescribing medical marijuana as the treatment is looking to open in Kelowna. Medical Cannabis Resource Centre Inc. is already operating a clinic in Vancouver, just recently bought an existing clinic in Kamloops, and is now eyeing the Kelowna market for possible...
UPDATE: Missing Kelowna woman located
UPDATE: 2:18 P.M., NOV. 12, 2015 RCMP says Crystal Schmid has been located and is safe and sound. 10:05 A.M., NOV. 12, 2015 KELOWNA - RCMP need your help locating a Kelowna woman who was last seen five days ago. Crystal Schmid was last seen Saturday, Nov. 7. She is a 32-year-old Caucasian female, 5‘7”...
Keeping memories of sacrifice alive during Veteran’s Week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - "As the hind of the company reached the street corner about a hundred feet away a shell landed in their midst. About six men went down… The Company Commander lay on his face with the back of his head sheared off… Three other men were killed and lay beside him. The Company Sergeant...
Okanagan musician honours uncle with Remembrance Day song
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A local musician thinks the Remembrance Day song he recorded 10 years ago about his uncle's wartime experience should underscore the futility of war for a new generation. “I’m a pacifist myself,” Barry Mathers says. "But as I always say, we didn’t start it but we had to finish it. We couldn’t let...
City of Kelowna take lead on homelessness file
KELOWNA - One of the front-line agencies dealing with the homeless in Kelowna is thrilled to see the city step up and provide leadership with plans to hire a full-time homeless coordinator. Local John Howard Society executive director Gaelene Askeland also says the city is on the right track embracing the low-barrier housing first philosophy...
Big storm to hit Southern Interior Thursday
THOMSON-OKANAGAN - A series of powerful storms are set to move through the B.C. Interior beginning tonight and lasting through the end of the week. The first storm will begin tonight and a second storm, more powerful than the first, will hit the Interior on Thursday and Friday, producing strong winds and heavy rain, according...
Okanagan Connector crash victims identified by coroner
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The B.C. Coroners Service has released the names of three people killed in a collision Nov. 6 on the Okanagan Connector. The victims have been identified as Sean Robert Anderson, 40, of Westbank, Kim Christine Dunstan, 26, of West Kelowna, and her brother Jarrett Francisco Dunstan, of Westbank. Anderson was driving a rented...
Bear season brisk for conservation officers in the Southern Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – It was a busy bear season for conservation officers in the Southern Interior,…
Local animation studio Yeti Farm Creative expands into original work
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Yeti Farm Creative, an animation studio based in Kelowna, has announced a serious expansion and the the completion of two original digital first productions. The company recently expanded into a 7,000-square-foot facility dark fibre studio in downtown Kelowna, Okanagan film commissioner Jon Summerland says in a press release. The company also announced...
How Kelowna city hall plans to spend a billion dollars
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - A billion dollars and change — that’s how much the City of Kelowna is estimating it will spend over the next 15 years on infrastructure — roads, sewers, buildings, vehicles — but also such things as waste water treatment and domestic water supply. Infrastructure planning manager Joel Shaw broke down the draft...
Big White to open early for the first time in years
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Big White is opening two weeks early, the first time in 14 years the ski resort has begun operations this early in the season. “This is early. This is not usual. Mother Nature has given us a gift and we’re giving it back to the locals,” Michael J. Ballingall, Big White’s booster-in-chief, declared...
Kelowna’s funky Queensway transit exchange wins award
KELOWNA - The wavy new roof gracing the Queensway transit exchange has caught the eye of the people who judge such things and been recognized with an award. The Council of Southern Interior Construction Association gave the transit exchange an award of excellence in the category of community institutional construction. The design of the wood...
Kelowna city council aims to take lead on homelessness
KELOWNA - Admitting it’s out of touch with current community efforts to combat homelessness, Kelowna city council is hoping to jump into a leadership role by hiring a homeless coordinator and adopting a new, more direct housing strategy. The initiative comes amid signs of increased homelessness in Kelowna, including a doubling in the number of...
Busy conflict season winding down as Central Okanagan bears seek higher elevations for hibernation
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - An extremely busy bear season might be coming to an end, at least as far as local conservation officers measure it. “I think this is the first day we haven’t had a call for service,” Sgt. Josh Lockwood said this morning. Nov. 6. “Of course, it’s early yet.” The most recent numbers...
Some risks in Kelowna’s civic block condominium plan
KELOWNA - Right now, visitors to 350 Doyle Ave. are usually of the reluctant kind, brought there in the back of a police cruiser or paddy wagon. But if the goals of the civic block plan are realized, 350 Doyle Ave. — current home of the Kelowna RCMP detachment — could find favour within a...
Interior Health Authority old stomping ground for new CEO
KELOWNA - The new head of the Interior Health Authority spent the first week on the job travelling and expects to to do a lot more before things settle down. “I was out talking with staff, physicians, community leaders, volunteers. I’m just going around to communities and listening to what people are telling me. I...
The changing gym culture in Kelowna
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Newcomers to the Okanagan, once they get past the wineries and beaches, often remark on the fitness culture here and how everyone seems to be doing some kind of workout. That’s reflected in the many gyms that serve the Central Okanagan, from huge commercial facilities with lots of equipment to small boutique...
UPDATE: Body discovered following suspicious West Kelowna house fire
WEST KELOWNA - The body of a woman has been discovered after a suspicious house fire in West Kelowna early this morning. West Kelowna Fire Rescue and RCMP responded to the fire at 2311 Boucherie Road around 1:45 a.m., Nov. 4, RCMP spokesman Cpl. Joe Duncan says in a press release. Jason Brolund, the West...
Kelowna’s Stuart Park named Canada’s best public space
KELOWNA - Locals know Stuart Park, with its seasonal ice rink and funky public art, as a great place to hang out. Now the downtown park has been recognized on a wider stage, winning best public space in Canada, as judged by the Canadian Institute of Planners. “Stuart Park bridges the re-emergence of Kelowna’s downtown...
West Kelowna looks for choices in Okanagan Lake second crossing project
KELOWNA - A project that would see a second crossing installed over Okanagan Lake has yet to get the full backing of West Kelowna council. West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater says his council doesn’t have the full understanding neccessary to take a firm stand on what the city wants from the Okanagan Lake second crossing...
City not much help in downtown Kelowna rat battle
KELOWNA - Just because you’ve never seen a rat, doesn’t mean Kelowna doesn’t have rats. Just ask Gary Mandl, who never saw a rat in his downtown Kelowna neighbourhood until his neighbours started composting last year. “We went from zero rats to all of a sudden being able to catch a rat, reload the trap...