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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
Sweet ending to mystery of the missing ice cream cone
KELOWNA - The owners of a giant ice cream cone have been reunited with their over-sized sweet treat, stolen from outside their ice cream and candy store on Bernard Avenue. “We’re just happy that someone called and we got it back,” Meaghan Ross, an employee of Sweet Cravings and daughter of Ken Ross who owns...
West Kelowna considering lifeguards in Gellatly Bay
WEST KELOWNA - Lifeguards could soon be watching over swimmers at the CNR wharf in Gellatly Bay. West Kelowna staff have outlined in an information report possible options and the cost of hiring lifeguards to watch over the popular swimming spot during the busy summer months. The wharf was reconstructed in 2014, adding in jumping...
RCMP divers search waters around CNR wharf in Gellatly Bay
WEST KELOWNA - RCMP divers are searching the waters around the CNR wharf in Gellatly Bay but the won’t say what they are looking for or what investigation the search is tied to. “All I can say is that it is related to an investigation,” Const. Steve McBride, the senior officer on the scene, says....
Man in jail after starting a fire in a Kelowna law office
KELOWNA - Police don’t have a motive for why a man tried to start a fire inside a downtown law firm earlier today. RCMP media spokesman Const. Steve Holmes says the man entered the Pihl Law Corporation building at 1465 Ellis St. and started a fire in some clothing on the third floor at about...
Coroner names young man killed in ATV rollover near Salmon Arm
SALMON ARM - The name of a young man killed last week in an all-terrain vehicle crash has been released. The B.C. Coroners Service says Brandon James Radnai, 22, was killed July 8 when the ATV he was driving rolled over. A family member was with him when the accident happened. Radnai sustained critical injuries...
Boat sinks itself doing stunts on Okanagan Lake
KELOWNA - A boat that sunk Sunday night in Okanagan Lake may have sunk itself by doing doughnuts. “That’s what it looks like. On a calm surface, you won’t have much issue but if you do doughnuts, you’re now churning up the water and creating an unstable situation for the boat,” RCMP spokesman Const. Steve...
Hey Kelowna, is this your giant ice cream cone?
KELOWNA - RCMP are looking to find the rightful owner of a giant ice cream cone and admit they are ‘licked' without further information. A Bertram Street resident woke early yesterday morning, July 12, to find a large ice cream cone sitting on his front lawn, according to police spokesman Const. Steve Holmes. “The homeowner...
Water board wants more control over what people do in watersheds
OKANAGAN - In an effort to put a stop to mud-bogging and pit toilets near reservoirs, the local water board is supporting a call for greater control over source watersheds. “The board wants our members to have more control and the province to give more support to water utilities to protect the quality of their...
Changing demographics could force school closure in Rutland
KELOWNA - It’s been years since it last happened and there’s no guarantee yet that it will, but in the face of static enrolment and ever-tighter budgets the Central Okanagan School District is once again looking at possible school closures. “I would suggest the next possible school closure would be in the Rutland area,” school...
Unemployment ticks upward in Central Okanagan
KELOWNA - Unemployment in the Central Okanagan has jumped in the last six months however the number of job hunters remains well below the national average. In its latest labour force survey, Statistics Canada is reporting an unemployment rate of 4.5 per cent in the Kelowna census area, up six basis points from last month...
Kelowna and Westside food banks announce merger
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Citing cost and operational efficiencies, the Kelowna and Westside community food banks have announced they are merging to form the Central Okanagan Community Foodbank. Lenetta Parry, already the executive director of both organizations, says the move was prompted by usage rates that remain stubbornly high. “Locally foodbank usage is up 20 per...
Water quality reminder for 400 Glenmore Ellison homes
KELOWNA - Residents in the area of east of Old Vernon Road are being reminded of the continuing water quality advisory for their area. While the entire Glenmore-Ellison Improvement District system is under a water quality advisory, the 400 homes in the affected area just came off a boil water advisory last November. “Normally, this...
Intense 2014 fire season changes mindset in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - Most municipal mayors, when given the chance, will trumpet the achievements of council and staff, but in the preface to its 2014 annual report, West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater talks mainly about one thing — how last year’s fire season affected the outlook of city council and staff. “We had two major...
The power of information during electrical failure
WHO HAS IT, WHO DOESN'T THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - When the power goes out, so do most of the things we depend on for life and business — lights, refrigerators, internet, air conditioning, point-of-sale machines, cash machines — and depending on which power company you use, so does information. The Thompson-Okanagan is divided between Fortis B.C. and...
Huckleberry evacuation alert lifted as emergency operations centre closes
KELOWNA - The last evacuation alerts for the 55-hectare Huckleberry fire in Joe Rich have been rescinded. While the alert has been lifted for the 28 properties along Huckleberry Road, a release from the emergency operations centre says residents can expect to see ongoing fire suppression operations as firefighters work to fully extinguish the fire....
UPDATE: Firefighters gaining ground on Huckleberry fire
KELOWNA - Fire fighters appear to be gaining control of a large fire near Heartland Ranch in Joe Rich. A release this morning says containment guards appear to be holding and the fire didn't grow much over night. It's still estimated at 80 hectares in size. Some 14 structural firefighters from Joe Rich Fire Rescue...
It’s taken 13 years but Central Green in Kelowna is starting to take shape
KELOWNA - It’s been 13 years since the school that once occupied the site known as Central Green closed down and now the second affordable housing project slated for the old Kelowna Secondary School grounds has began construction. Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society and the Ministry of Housing broke ground on the $16-million project this week. The...
Dancing and playing highly encouraged in local parks this summer
KELOWNA - With summer full on, expect a lot more activity in urban parks around the Central Okanagan. The City of Kelowna wants locals to bust a move with the Dancing in the Park program, now in its fifth year and held each Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Stuart Park. All ages and...
No busting the Kelowna buskers: Play on, city says
SECURITY MADE ERROR TELLING YOUNG MAN TO MOVE ON FROM PIANO IN THE PARK KELOWNA - Maybe he just doesn’t like the piano. A young man playing the piano in Stuart Park was asked to move along on Canada Day after a security guard hired by the city to patrol the area came along and...
ELECTION 2015: MP Ron Cannan hopes Conservative track record on economy will ensure him a fourth term
KELOWNA - Ron Cannan, Member of Parliament for Kelowna Lake Country, has the weight of history behind him as he looks for a fourth consecutive term this fall. The former Kelowna city councillor took 56 per cent of the vote in the 2011 federal election, a comfortable margin that far exceeded the Conservative’s record across...
City borrows $57 milllion for cop shop, parkade construction
KELOWNA - The city has signed on the dotted line, borrowing $57 million to fund the construction of the RCMP police service building and the construction and expansion of the Memorial and Library Parkades. Construction of the 100,000-square-foot police services building by contractor Bird Design-Build has yet to break ground on the site at Clement...
Kelowna makes a push outdoors
KELOWNA - Even locals don’t know all the best places to hike, swim and bike — that’s the premise behind the Active By Nature campaign, which will use advanced route signage, a video and an interactive website to promote Kelowna’s outdoor infrastructure. “A proven and effective way to inform residents about our network and to...
Wine and fruit waste prompts Kelowna treatment facility upgrade
KELOWNA - The city is looking at upgrading the Brandt’s Creek Trade Waste Treatment facility in a bid to reduce the amount of biosolids it produces and the cost of hauling them away. Staff are recommending the city pay $450,000 for a centrifuge to be installed at the facility located in the North End industrial...
Car roll over accident claims life of Kelowna woman
KELOWNA - A woman from Kelowna has been identified as the passenger killed when a car rolled on Highway 16 on June 26. Coroner Donita Kuzma has identified Jamie Kathleen Doornbosch, 29, along with driver Paul John Constantineau of Thorsby, Alta., as the two people who died at the scene of the single-vehicle accident aproximately...