city council
Falling loonie could impact Vernon’s plan to buy new fire truck
VERNON – City council had promised Vernon Fire Rescue a new water tender for firefighters at the Okanagan Landing fire hall, but the falling value of the Canadian dollar is impacting the price tag. Council approved the purchase of the new fire truck last fall, but since then, the loonie has taken a beating on...
Continuous pour means dust, noise and traffic tie-ups for downtown
KELOWNA - A big, loud mess: There’s no other way to describe the choked traffic and construction noise locals will experience downtown around Ellis Street and Doyle Avenue starting Tuesday morning and lasting all this week and into the next. City council has waived its own noise bylaw at the request of developer Graham Construction...
Micro suite exemptions from development charges prompts policy review by city staff
KELOWNA - It’s the third micro suite project to come before Kelowna city council in the last month and there’s already concerns about the latest housing trend. Councillor Luke Stack says micro suites are exempt from development cost charges under a provincial policy. It means the city can't collect money from the developers to help...
No such thing as free parking; budget for parkade expansion takes off
KELOWNA - City councillors have found out what the rest of us have known for years — that parking doesn’t come cheap in Kelowna. City staff have asked council to transfer $762,000 from the future Ellis St. parkade budget to the current Library parkade expansion, allowing the project to be complete for summer, 2016. The...
Aging waterworks the target of proposed rate increase
KELOWNA - About half of Kelowna can expect a minor water rate increase sometime soon if Kelowna city council agrees to a recommendation by staff. John Vos, the city’s director of corporate business ventures, is recommending a two percent increase for those homes and businesses serviced by the city water utility. The rest of Kelowna...
Group continues fight to save Stuart Wood
KAMLOOPS - It may be too little too late but a group of concerned citizens are not giving up their fight to save their downtown school. Denis Walsh, the chair of the Downtown and West End Residents Association, admits they were a bit slow out of the gate but based on previous changes within the...
Lorne Street will no longer be part of official truck route
KAMLOOPS - City staff is looking to amend the traffic bylaw to remove several downtown streets from the official truck route. Low-clearance underpasses, a roundabout, road improvements and park areas are listed as some of the many reasons for wanting to remove Lorne Street, River Street and 10 Avenue north of Victoria Street from the...
Glover looks for city council seat
KAMLOOPS - After 18 years as a school trustee, Annette Glover is looking to make the jump to city councillor in the next election. She made the announcement this week as nomination forms became available for pickup. Glover, a former medical lab technician, has also been involved with different city committees and a volunteer with...
So you want to be a city councillor? Here’s what it takes
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Most people realize there is a city council in place to help run the city, but few understand just what goes into being the mayor or a councillor. While the roles can change significantly depending on the city, the council member and the needs of the community at that time, we decided to...
Council keeps neutral stance about Boonstock
PENTICTON - City Council remains neutral about endorsing Boonstock after a letter was sent by the Chamber of Commerce asking council to reconsider its decision. The Chamber has been an enthusiastic supporter of the music festival and said it’s good business to get behind a new business operation of this size. Campbell Watt, Chamber president...
Ex-city councillor, sex offender sentencing delayed
PENTICTON — A sentencing date for an ex-city councillor who pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges, will be set on Monday. Gary A. Leaman, who served on Penticton City Council for three years and ran for mayor in 2008, will face sentencing for the two counts of sexual assault he plead guilty to in January....
Residents will see much-needed infrastructure improvements on their streets
PENTICTON - Residents of Corry Place will see much-needed infrastructure improvements on their street, however council is concerned the cost ratio split between residents and the city could set a precedent for similar projects in the future. Garry Gratton, Corry Place resident and council candidate, spoke to council at Monday night’s council meeting about the...
Keeping the Civic Arena running won’t come cheap
VERNON - It will cost the City of Vernon $75,000 in repairs alone to keep the Civic Arena running until a replacement ice sheet is built. City representatives had little choice but to provide the money for arena upgrades at a council meeting Tuesday. A referendum on decommissioning Civic Arena and borrowing funds for an...
Downtown revitalization and controversial construction on tonight’s council agenda
PENTICTON - There’s a packed agenda for tonight’s city council meeting, including a public hearing, economic development opportunities and new plans for the revitalization of the downtown centre. Council will look at options for the first phase of the revitalization of Main Street, which includes new sidewalk plans for the 100 and 200 block of...
Electronic vote counters challenged by Penticton resident
PENTICTON - Election votes are at risk of being miscounted if the city continues to use an electronic counting machine, says one resident who believes votes should be manually counted, even if it takes longer and costs more. Vicki Lightfoot and Kevin Proteau presented to council Monday night their issue of using electronic ballot counting...