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Steve Arstad
I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.
Steve Arstad's Stories
Oliver wineries confident wildfires won’t affect quality of crop
OKANAGAN - The full effects of Friday’s wildfires on Oliver wineries may not be known for awhile but winery owners are breathing a sigh of relief no wineries have been lost during the blazes. Fire crews continue to make progress in their efforts to quench the Testalinden Creek and Wilsons Mountain fires this week. What still...
Okanagan First Nations develop new business with sustainable sockeye initiative
PENTICTON - Years of hard work and dedication by the Okanagan Nation Alliance to re-establish the Okanagan sockeye has resulted in a new and emerging interior fishery, as well as a new business opportunity for local First Nations. The Alliance reintroduced sockeye fry into Skaha Lake in 2003, entering into cooperative water sharing agreements with...
Structure fire at Oliver business
PENTICTON - Oliver has been rocked by another major fire, this time a structure fire to a business. Following two major wildfires near the town last Friday, August 14, the Oliver Fire Department is fighting another fire this afternoon. Members of the Oliver Volunteer Fire Department have been fighting a blaze that broke out at...
The danger of drones in wildfire zones
PENTICTON - One of the members of the B.C. Wildfire aircrew who spotted the drone flying over the Testalinden Creek fire near Oliver Sunday says it was pure luck they saw the unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV. The errant drone prompted an immediate grounding of eight helicopters and five planes, and as a result, the...
A&W claims first ever ‘float-thru’ on Penticton channel
PENTICTON - A&W sent an actor and crew to Penticton recently to film a commercial for its Facebook page. The series of ads feature a float-thru rather than a drive thru on the Okanagan river channel through the Peach City. There were no shortage of floaters ready for a free burger. Too bad no one...
Penticton water users appear unfazed by level four drought conditions
PENTICTON - Recent escalation by the province to a level four drought rating for the Okanagan Valley and the City of Penticton appears to be having little effect on water use in the city. “We’re not meeting our targets,” communications officer Simone Blais says, referring to a July 17 request from the city asking residents...
Commemorative weekend to honour Hedley’s first war vets
PENTICTON - The community of Hedley is planning a commemorative weekend to honour their First World War vets. The event is planned for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 22 to Aug. 23. This year the focus is on the Hedley Boys, a group of 17 men who all signed up the same day in August 1915,...
Uneasy calm in Oliver after frantic night firefighting and evacuating
PENTICTON - Hundreds of people remain out of their homes as crews continue to battle the two wildfires in the Oliver area today. There is an uneasy calm after the frantic firefighting and evacuations last night. Smoke plumes dot the mountainsides west of the community today, Aug. 15, after the Wilsons Mountain and Testalinden Creek fires...
UPDATE: Crews battling two wildfires near Oliver
PENTICTON – The fight continues today to get a handle on the pair of wildfires burning near Oliver, which have forced hundreds out of their homes and destroyed a house. The wildfires broke out yesterday, Aug. 14, and grew quickly thanks to high winds pushing the flames through grass, sage and open timber, forcing the...
Wildfires break out in Oliver; evacuations ordered
PENTICTON - Two wildfires are burning out of control north and south of Oliver this evening, Friday, August 14. The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen issued an evacuation order tonight for 200 homes in the Wilson Mountain area north of Oliver and in the Testalinden Creek area south of Oliver. Emergency Social Services has been...
Shooting victim facing further victimization by bureaucracy
PENTICTON - The man allegedly shot by prolific offender Ronald Teneycke finds himself frustrated by bureaucracy as he continues to heal from the harrowing experience. Wayne Belleville, 58, says he’s not quite ready to talk about being shot by Teneycke after meeting the man on a remote logging road above Oliver on July 22. As...
UPDATE: U.S. wildfire crosses border into Okanagan
UPDATE: 4:49 a.m., Friday, Aug. 14, 2015 The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has now rescinded the evacuation order for residents of Nine Mile Place on Anarchist Mountain due to a reduced threat of wildfire. Nine Mile Place, along with residents of Raven Hill Road and Raven Hill Place, will remain on evacuation alert due to...
Topless rally planned to protest municipal mindset
PENTICTON – A group of South Okanagan women are planning a topless march on Penticton…
Hospital foundation to benefit from bathtub racers event
PENTICTON - The South Okanagan Similkameen Hospital Foundation will be the major benefactor of a new summer event being staged out of Summerland. The Summerland Yacht Club presents the Great Ogopogo Bathtub Race on Saturday, August 22 beginning at 9:30 p.m. in Peach Orchard Park in Summerland. All entry and admission fees, in addition to...
Lightning strikes keep crews hopping dousing wildfires
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Thunderstorms moving through the region ignited several new fires in the Kamloops Fire Centre. The fire danger rating for the Kamloops Fire Centre is high to extreme, with more lightning in the forecast for today, Aug. 13. “We did see lightning move through the area, followed by reports of fires yesterday, so we...
Penticton native centre provides cultural grounding
PENTICTON - A First Nations educational initiative that began more than 40 years ago has grown into a cultural institution aiming to connect and strengthen Aboriginal Peoples with their heritage and culture. The En’owkin Centre got its start in the 1970s as the Okanagan Indian Cirriculum Project and provided instruction for native students from Kindergarten...
National park proposal part of provincial intentions paper
PENTICTON - As calls for a national park in the South Okanagan continue, the province is inviting public input to provide feedback for an intentions paper proposing how land might be protected in the South Okanagan region. The policies proposed in the paper will be applied only to three distinct areas in the region. The...
ELECTION 2015: New federal electoral boundaries in place
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Boundary changes for ridings in the Thompson, Okanagan and Similkameen regions are in place for the upcoming federal election. The redistribution process of the most recent review, which is required every 10 years, began in 2012 and new federal electoral districts were approved for the first general election to be called after May...
Why you’ll want to reserve your Okanagan red wines this year
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - All through the Okanagan region, winemakers are getting excited about prospects for this year’s grape crop. Hot, sunny days that have been relatively constant since early June have brought this year’s vintage along at blazing speed, and Okanagan winemakers believe the conditions are right for one of the best vintages ever. “It’s definitely...
Customer reels in crustacean crook
PENTICTON - A Penticton man with a penchant for prawns has a future court date following his apprehension for shoplifting. Bryan Murray Moxam was arrested Friday, Aug. 7, after being chased out of the Penticton IGA by a customer who realized Moxam had merchandise he hadn’t paid for, according to RCMP media spokesperson Cpl. Don...
Reel Peach Fest film festival expected to return
PENTICTON - The first Reel Peach Fest film festival was a success and it's expected it will return again next year. Winning entries were announced at the conclusion of the Penticton Peach Festival on Sunday, Aug. 9. Thirty-two submissions were displayed over the course of Peachfest, consisting of one to three minute videos in two...
Close call for Penticton cat caught in leg hold trap
PENTICTON - 'Look at what the cat dragged in' is rarely used to describe something pleasant and for one Penticton couple that was certainly true this weekend. Terri Lynn Stroomer and Chris Whalen’s cat came home Saturday evening, Aug. 8, dragging a leg hold trap. The feline had been caught in the old trap, which...
Peachfest a success in eyes of the law
PENTICTON - It was a relatively quiet Peach Festival week in the city, at least from an RCMP point of view. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says the week was 'fantastic, overall.' “Other than the first evening, the weather cooperated for the rest of the week, there was a good family atmosphere in the city...
South Okanagan senior athletes ready for 55+ Games
PENTICTON - Sixty-three seniors from the South Okanagan and Similkameen are taking heed of advice to stay active as they get older. A group of Zone Five participants in the upcoming 55+ Games, formerly known as the B.C. Senior's Games, took part in a photo opportunity this morning, August 10, at the South Okanagan Events...