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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
Conservatory dream dies, strip mall could rise from the ashes
KELOWNA - When the Conservatory was first proposed 15 years ago on the corner of Glenmore Drive, the high-end seniors housing project was big news. Original plans called for twin towers containing some 1,200 strata units with commercial space and a two-acre indoor tropical garden housed in a glass-walled atrium. Somewhere along the way that...
City puts cash behind Strong Neighbourhoods program
KELOWNA - Strong neighbourhoods make for strong towns and cities; that’s the basic premise behind a new program launched by the City of Kelowna and they are putting some cash behind it. It’s early days but Strong Neighbourhoods hopes to tap into growing evidence that getting to know your neighbours is good for your physical...
A Royal Affair fundraiser channels Marie Antoinette for Opera Kelowna
KELOWNA - Royals are hot right now and Opera Kelowna is well placed to take advantage of that with its latest fashion show fundraiser. The aptly-named A Royal Affair will look to royals of the past; think Marie Antoinette and the Chateax de Versailles, long a style icon for modern day fashionistas. Staged by stylist...
Local Crime Stoppers program tops province with help from Kelowna RCMP
KELOWNA - It’s National Police Week and the Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers is praising the local detachment for its pursuit of the tips the crime prevention group receives. “RCMP Supt. Nick Romanchuk and his team doggedly pursue tips to the Crime Stoppers tipsline, making the Okanagan program the top producing program in B.C.”, says Central...
Restaurant competition heats up in downtown Kelowna
KELOWNA - So you wanna open a restaurant in Kelowna? Better bring your A-game because there’s a lot of competition. BNA Brew Co. is just the latest on the scene with its 8,000 square feet location in a historic former warehouse next to Flashbacks nightclub on Ellis Street. “We’re a restaurant that brews its own...
West Kelowna water supply vulnerable if drought continues
WEST KELOWNA - If you were able to visit West Kelowna’s Rose Valley reservoir right now, you would find it full, water lapping right to the edges of the man-made storage water facility. However, if you were to judge the district’s water health as normal by that same measure, you would be wrong as the...
TimeDrive lets young professionals donate their skills to local charitable groups
KELOWNA - Proving millennials are not all about themselves, TimeDrive 2015 goes tonight. It's an event which connects young professionals with non-profit organizations in need of their skills or services. “The younger demographic, from early 20s to late 30s is generally who we appeal to,” says organizer Victor Narynskyyi, a member of Gennext which is...
Cost to rest in peace set to rise in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Prices for interment should begin to rise next year at the Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery as part of a plan to ensure its long-term viability. “I would look to 2016 for a price increase if council agrees to it,” cemetery manager David Gatzke says. The increase would be part of a series of...
Accepting gifts a potential minefield for city councillors
KELOWNA - When is it acceptable for a Kelowna city councillor to accept a gift and when is it not? That is the question city staff are currently looking to clarify. “We had a conversation about what constitutes a gift and what doesn’t and what the disclosure requirements are,” city clerk Stephen Fleming says. Rules...
Province to hold public meetings on second Okanagan Lake crossing
KELOWNA - It’s at least twenty years before it will be built but the province still wants to hear what you have to say about a second lake bridge in the Central Okanagan. A press release from the Ministry of Transportation says two open houses are scheduled next week, one in Kelowna and the other...
Fire in bark mulch prompts staff evacuation at Glenmore school
KELOWNA - A fire in a bark mulch pile a few feet away from L’Ecole Glenmore Elementary school this afternoon, just after the students had left for the day, still caused enough concern for staff to evacuate the building. “Staff here at the school had put it out before we got here,” incident commander Capt....
West Kelowna moves closer to becoming a city
WEST KELOWNA - A bid by the District of West Kelowna to apply for an updgrade to city status is moving to the next level after only 166 counter petitions were submitted during the alternative approval process. “There is no significant concern from the public and I think we made the right call using the...
New name and price approved for Memorial Parkade
KELOWNA - Despite a jump in final price to more than $19 million for the Memorial Parkade, Kelowna city councillors had little say about the increase. Instead, what little debate councillors had was centred around the aesthetics of the 6.5-storey structure, slated to begin construction this summer in time for completion next summer. Coun. Luke...
Breastfeeding moms could prevail in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - Breastfeeding is a right protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom and according to a report from staff, District of West Kelowna staff should be trained in to recognize this — to do anything else is sex discrimination. The staff report recommends West Kelowna get behind a request originally made...
Power outage planned for part of Kelowna
KELOWNA - Fortis customers in the central city area of Kelowna can expect a planned power outage tomorrow morning. Fortis B.C. is advising customers they will be shutting off power from 4 to 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 13, for emergency repairs. The affected area is primarily between Richter Street and Ethel Street from Sutherland Avenue...
Pot protesters call for mass phone-in to Kelowna mayor
KELOWNA - With the tang of marijuana smoke in the air, anti-cannabis prohibition activist Dana Larsen lead a protest outside City Hall this afternoon against what he says are Kelowna’s outdated bylaws regulating medical marijuana dispensaries. “Let’s help show Kelowna council they do have an option, they have the option to follow the Vancouver model...
City of Kelowna chooses contractor for new cop shop
KELOWNA - The city has chosen Bird Design-Build Construction as the primary contractor for the new RCMP police services building to be built at Clement Avenue and Richter Street in Kelowna. The contract is valued at $39 million and calls for the Calgary-based construction company to shepherd the specialized police services building through the planning...
Cost of new downtown Kelowna parkade on the rise
KELOWNA - The number of parking stalls planned for the city’s latest downtown parkade has jumped but so has the price tag. In a report to council, director of infrastructure Allan Newcombe says capacity of the new parkade will jump from 438 stalls under the original proposal to 566 stalls. The original budget of $15.83...
Intersecting trends making mead a sales phenom
KELOWNA - So is it the current Viking craze, Game of Thrones mania or just plain old hipsters that have thrust the ancient beverage mead back into the modern world? Judie Barta isn’t exactly sure but what she does know is that she can barely keep up with demand for the honey wine she makes...
Okanagan Basin Water Board demands more action on invasive mussels
OKANAGAN - The Okanagan Basin Water Board is calling on the provincial government to step up the fight against invasive quagga and zebra mussels by establishing permanent inspection stations at the five main highway entrances from Alberta. As well, in a seven-point position paper, the water board is calling on the federal government to immediately...
Lots and plots predicted to be hot commodity at Kelowna Cemetery
KELOWNA - A consultant has identified one particular housing market segment in Kelowna where demand is only going to go up and where the city can eventually make some serious money — cremation lots and burial plots. Current inventory at the city-owned Kelowna Memorial Park cemetery is predicted to run out within eight years. The...
Summer watering restrictions likely as province records average lowest snowpack levels in 31 years
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The lastest snowpack measurements from the provincial government’s river forecast centre are showing record low levels in some areas including the Okanagan and Similkameen regions. Without substantial rain in the next couple of months, reservoirs across the region will also be lower than normal, likely leading to water use restrictions in many communities...
Young hockey player’s sad story may have a happy ending
KELOWNA - It appears the story of the nine-year-old boy who quit his hockey team in tears after being repeatedly benched, may have a happy ending after all. Our story about Sam Lescarbeau has gone truly viral with people from all over Canada writing to encourage him, share similar stories from all manner of sports teams...
New pet registry promotes microchip implants
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The SPCA is promoting a new province-wide pet identification registry where animals with microchip implants can have their information stored in a centralized database. "We’ve created a first for British Columbia — a centralized database for pets who receive permanent identification at any B.C. SPCA shelter, veterinarian or microchip clinic across the province,”...