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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
Valley mayors push for early start to water conservation
OKANAGAN - Mindful of the dry winter the Okanagan has just experienced, valley mayors and councillors joined the Okanagan Basin Water Board for an early launch of the Make Water Work conservation campaign today. Mayor Doug Findlater, who chairs the water board, used his own community of West Kelowna as an example of why the...
Fintry Queen still waiting for forever home
KELOWNA - She looks a little lonely out there, anchored in Sutherland Bay, waiting for something to happen but the man tasked with selling the iconic Fintry Queen says interest has been steady since it was put up for sale two months ago. “We’re still marketing it, still waiting for the right buyer but we’ve...
Union takes fight for hospital laundry services to the street
KELOWNA - Hospital Employees Union members took to the streets outside Kelowna General Hospital today to push for the Interior Health Authority to reconsider a plan to privatize laundry services. “These are workers that perform a very important health care service, they ensure that operating rooms are stocked with clean linens. Here at KGH 17,000...
Central Okanagan school trustees turn down pay raise
KELOWNA - Central Okanagan school trustees, perhaps mindful of how it could be perceived during a budget deficit year, turned down the chance last week of giving themselves a raise. “I think trustees thought, in a time of budget constraints, that it was a bad idea,” school board chair Moyra Baxter says. Baxter still believes...
West Kelowna pushing city status bid under the radar
WEST KELOWNA - Opponents of the district’s push to seek city status say mayor and council have tried to slide the issue under the radar when it deserves a full and open public debate. Gordon Ficke, President of the Historic Westbank Association, says council ignored a request from the group to hold a townhall meeting...
Hard lessons from California drought to be learned in the Okanagan
KELOWNA - With snowpack levels on the west side of Okanagan Lake at extremely low levels coupled with the dry winter the valley has just experienced, a comparison with drought-stricken California and the measures they must now take to avoid catastrophe is perhaps inevitable. “People say jokingly the best planning is done in advance… what...
Gas prices jump in the Central Okanagan
KELOWNA - If you’re running low on gas and can find a gas station that has yet to get the memo, you might want to fill up. Gasbuddy.com users are reporting an 11 cent jump in the price of regular gas, from $1.11.9 to $1.22.9 at stations across the Central Okanagan. And you might have...
The heart-breaking reason this nine-year-old boy quit hockey
"TO WIN AS A TEAM AND LOSE AS A TEAM IS A PRICELESS CONCEPT THAT SHOULD BE CHERISHED AND VALUED MORE THAN WINNING AT ALL COST" KELOWNA - A young hockey player made a heart-breaking decision to quit his hockey team with only two games left in the season and his father’s written reasons for...
Kelowna property tax increase comes in lower than originally planned
KELOWNA - It’s not much, but homeowners in Kelowna will be happy to hear the property tax increase for 2015 will be a bit less than originally planned. Adjustments to the final budget will see an official tax increase of 3.2 per cent, down from the 3.46 per cent established in the provisional budget submitted in...
South East Kelowna residents facing big rate hikes
KELOWNA - Water managers from the South East Kelowna Irrigation District heard loud and clear from residents concerned with the $23.7-million price tag for a water system upgrade. Irrigation district chair Brian Wright described the discussion around the proposed system as “robust” but claimed most residents understand it has little choice but to upgrade water...
Kelowna Fire Department calls up two per cent
KELOWNA - The release of the 2014 annual report by the Kelowna Fire Department provides a glimpse of what the largest fire department in the B.C. Interior goes through in a year. “Kelowna Fire Department responded to just over 9,500 calls for service which was a two per cent increase from 2013,” says fire chief...
Kelowna honours outstanding contributions during 40th annual civic awards
KELOWNA - The City of Kelowna celebrated its 40th annual civic and community awards at a gala event at the Kelowna Community Theatre. The awards recognize outstanding contributions and achievements by Kelowna residents in a range of categories. The full list of award recipients is provided below: Teen Honour in the Arts Antony Knight Honour...
Who is killing the stone people of Knox Mountain Park?
KELOWNA - Silently they stand, motionless, offering mute testimony to what their cold hard eyes have witnessed. Which is nothing, really, because they are just piles of rock. Locals and the more adventurous hikers have long known of the intricate free-style stone sculptures which have come and gone in a remote corner of Knox Mountain...
Backyard pools contaminating Okanagan Lake
OKANAGAN - Backyard pools are a source of fun and relaxation for many Okanagan homeowners but if improperly drained they are a source of excess chlorine and contaminants for Okanagan Lake. “Chlorine is unfriendly to the lake and the surge of people emptying their pools and hot tubs in the spring and fall adds to...
School board says superintendent’s pay raise long overdue
KELOWNA - A pay raise negotiated last year by Hugh Gloster, the superintendent of schools for the Central Okanagan School District, was long-overdue and well within the normal range for the educational sector, according to the school board chair. “His contract was up for renewal July 1 and we did negotiate a pay raise with...
School board searching for $1.5 million in budget cuts
KELOWNA - Some late additions to the Central Okanagan school district’s 2015 budget has pushed the anticipated shortfall to $1.5 million on a budget of $220 million. “The superintendent wanted to add two programs he thought were worth supporting,” says secretary-treasurer Larry Paul, who pegged the cost of the programs at $133,000. “He’s looking to...
Pay raise on the table for Central Okanagan school trustees
KELOWNA - Central Okanagan school trustees are considering the politically delicate subject of giving themselves a pay raise next year and how exactly to calculate it. Director of Finance Eileen Sadlowski, in a report to the school board, is recommending they choose one of three options; a raise that reflects the consumer price index, a...
Codling moth tax levy approved by Kelowna council
KELOWNA - Orchardists, and the rest of Kelowna, will pay just over $1 million in 2015 to combat the codling moth, a destructive pest that preys on apples and pears. Kelowna council approved the local levy and parcel tax, which covers all properties within city boundaries. Properties of at least 0.3 acres, containing 20 or...
Cameron House caught up in debate over heritage restoration
KELOWNA - The future of Cameron House, the iconic log structure that sits in the middle of the Richter Street park that bears its name, is still in limbo. This week city councillors wrestled at length with the issue of whether the house, built in 1929 using log-and-chink construction, has signficant heritage value and is...
Kelowna council proposes alternative to public prayer
KELOWNA - Councillors have decided to scrap a public prayer at the beginning of its Tuesday night meetings and instead will reaffirm their oath of office after receiving a report from staff on the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling on the constitutionality of prayers at council meetings. "Council directed staff to bring forward an amendment...
Drop the video game controller and head to Exit Kelowna
KELOWNA - I’m not sure if this counts as a spoiler but if you think playing a round of Exit, the real-time escape game trending large in Japan and the U.S, means you need the skills of a ninja or a Navy Seal, you would be dead wrong. In fact, Exit is a game of...
Yes side claims resounding victory in rail trail referendum
LAKE COUNTRY - With a voter turnout that puts other elections to shame, about 75 per cent Lake Country voters showed their support for the CN Rail corridor purchase with a resounding yes vote. In a media release from the district, chief election officer Reyna Seabrook says 4,4462 or 47.9 per cent of eligible voters...
West Kelowna keeping an eye on medical marijuana dispensaries
WEST KELOWNA - A pair of businesses in West Kelowna may have the distinction of being the only legal companies in the province allowed to act as de facto medical marijuana dispensaries. While such dispensaries abound in Vancouver — over 80 at last count — none of them have business licenses, but intstead operate as...
Public prayer could be suspended by Kelowna council
KELOWNA - City councillors are moving quickly to stem possible controversy over its practice of offering a prayer before some council meetings in the wake of a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling. City clerk Stephen Fleming, in a report going before council Monday morning, will offer three options for consideration; suspend the recital of a...