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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
Highrise eyesores disappear as the economy improves
KELOWNA – It was a study in contrasts — million-dollar condos that looked out over…
ELECTION 2015: Kelowna votes together unless you’re in that area that looks a little like a…
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - They almost got it right when they re-drew the federal electoral boundaries — nearly all of Kelowna votes together in the Kelowna-Lake Country riding except for one little lump of electoral boundary confusion that pushes downtown Kelowna into a different riding. You've heard of Gracie's finger? We call this the Kelowna nipple....
Bear complaints overwhelming Okanagan conservation officers
KAMLOOPS NUMBERS SLOW DOWN AFTER EARLY SPIKE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Conservation officers in the North and South Okanagan regions are being swamped with bear complaints as the large animals begin to prepare for hibernation. While fall always sees an uptick in bear activity, conservation officer Jim Beck says this year is worse than normal. “It’s crazy...
Fishing reopens on drought-affected Okanagan rivers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fishermen can again drop a line in streams and rivers that were closed to angling this summer because of drought in Southern B.C. The natural resource ministry announced in a press release the reopening of fishing on the Kettle, West Kettle and Similkameen Rivers and their tributaries, the Middle Shuswap River and the main...
Last day to book super cheap WestJet flights to London
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - WestJet has announced a super-low airfare to London, England with the cheeky slogan 'If that’s not cheap enough, you can always try mailing yourself.' Pricing for a non-stop flight from Vancouver to London’s Gatwick Airport starts at $299, one-way, with similar deals at select airports across Canada, including Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and...
Kelowna nightclubs granted extra long opening hours for special occasions
KELOWNA - Night owls can soon look forward to a few extra extended bar nights in downtown Kelowna. Councili has endorsed a staff recommendation that allows certain nightclubs and bars three extra extended hours openings per year, on top of the three already allowed. The nightclubs will be responsible for extra policing costs on those...
ELECTION 2015: Cannan hopes marketing background will result in another election victory
KELOWNA - Ron Cannan has shown a flair for winning campaigns when he needs to, something he ties to his extensive background in marketing and sales. The three-term member of Parliament, who’s hoping to add a fourth term after the Oct. 19 election, first put his skills to the test in 1995 with a run...
ELECTION 2015: What happens when you mix green and red
IT'S NOT PRETTY
Locals winners named for Aboriginal Business Awards
THOMPSON-OKANGAN - Some local aboriginal entrepreneurs are coming away from the B.C. Aboriginal Business Awards with wins this week. Troy Fraser Chiropractic of Kamloops has won Business of the Year in the one to two person enterprise category. Skyride Bike and Board Inc. of Vernon has won an outstanding achievement award for companies with three...
Water drilling rush in B.C. Interior to get jump on new water regulations
IMPACT UNKNOWN THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Companies drilling water wells in the B.C. Southern Interior appear to be busier than usual and the reason may be the introduction next spring of the provincial Water Sustainability Act and its new well licensing requirements. While hard numbers of how many wells are being drilled are hard to come by...
Westbank First Nation ponies up for public beach extension
WEST KELOWNA - Local residents can now enjoy an extended beach in Gellatly Bay courtesy of the Westbank First Nation. The band dedicated a portion of band land along the lakeshore of Indian Reserve #9 adjacent to the public beach at Gellatly Bay today, Sept. 14. Chief Robert Louie says the band recognizes the importance...
Kelowna airport still flying high
KELOWNA - The city-owned Kelowna International Airport continues to do well, with most indicators on the rise. Airport manager Sam Samadar, in a report to city councillors, will show traffic continues to grow and will so for some time. Some 1.6 million passengers got on or off a plane in Kelowna in 2014, right in...
Kelowna nightclub owners want to keep booze flowing longer
KELOWNA - City staff are recommending against a request for a half hour extention of hours at downtown bars and nightclubs in Kelowna but would support doubling the number of special event nights with closing times as late as 4 a.m. According to a report by community planning manager Ryan Smith, a downtown industry group...
ELECTION 2015: What does voting got to do with dancing?
KELOWNA - A young voter from Kelowna is determined to put the party back in politics by holding a free youth voter registration dance party. “They’ve been talking for 40 years about how the youth vote is declining and young people are not getting out to vote any more. I’m active in my culture and...
Bear sighting on Knox Mountain prompts warning from city
KELOWNA - A bear sighting in Knox Mountain Park has prompted a warning from the City of Kelowna. Bears are not unusual in the park at this time of year, the city says in a media release, and signs are in place to warn park users. Park services manager Ian Wilson says people should respect...
More than 30,000 Kelowna students find their seats this week
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Thousands of students found their way to new classrooms this week as school resumed at all levels. UBC Okanagan says some 8,400 students began classes this week, while several thousand more started at Okanagan College and another 22,000 started grade school in the Central Okanagan School District. In a press release, UBCO says...
Kamloops and Kelowna among top places in Canada for job seekers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Kamloops and Kelowna have managed to crack the top-20 in a survey noting 50 of the hottest local job markets in Canada. Express Employment Professionals, a staffing agency with operations in Canada, the U.S. and South Africa, released its second annual Top 50 Hot Job Markets survey this week. The survey looks at the number...
ELECTION 2015: Liberal Fuhr says air force experience will help in political dogfight
KELOWNA - It was logic honed by 20 years in the air force that brought Stephen Fuhr to where he is today; federal Liberal candidate in Kelowna-Lake Country. “It was the F-35 program that got me involved in big P politics,” Fuhr says, noting he voted Conservative before then. “When I heard two cabinet ministers...
Health authority moves on residential care bed promise
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Construction of 100 new residential care beds will begin this fall in Kelowna and another 85 are soon expected in Vernon as well. The Interior Health Authority announced in a press release it has awarded the contract to Baltic Properties, an existing contractor who is already providing residential care services in Kamloops, Lake...
Bus fares rise in the Central Okanagan
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - A broad-based bus fare increase for Kelowna Transit riders kicked in this week. The increase began Sept. 1 and was approved by Kelowna city council last March as an attempt to streamline fares and increase to 30 per cent what the city recovers from the subsidized bus service. Base fares for adults,...
Crush of students puts the pressure on Kelowna Transit
KELOWNA - They’re not yellow but considering how many students they carry, regular transit buses could almost be considered school buses. Jerry Dombowsky, the City of Kelowna’s regional programs manager with responsiblity for transit, says moving students is a big part of what Kelowna Regional Transit does. "Students of all ages make up a significant...
Superintendent school awaits new top teacher
KELOWNA - There’s a change in command coming at the Central Okanagan school district but outgoing superintendent Hugh Gloster says his successor will be well supported during the transition. “The plan is for me to continue to manage operational issues of the district until close to the end of the year," he says. "There’s a...
School bus fees double but service still heavily subsidized
KELOWNA - Those big yellow school buses will be back on the road next week, ferrying some 5,500 students to classes in the Central Okanagan school district. Each one of those kids will be paying $200 to get to and from school, double what it cost last year, as the school board found ways to...
Whooping cough still a concern as school approaches
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With the first day of school approaching, parents should remember a recent spike in potentially fatal whooping cough has only just began to drop. “We have been in communciations with schools informing parents about communicable diseases in general and the fact we have been observing increased cases of whooping cough,” Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi...