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federal government

ELECTION 2015: Why North Okanagan-Shuswap candidate Cindy Derkaz wants to earn your vote

VERNON - You might know her from her days working at Derkaz Shoes, her parent’s shop, or from her involvement in organizations like the Shuswap Community Foundation or Shuswap Trail Alliance. And now, Cindy Derkaz is introducing herself in a new capacity, as the Liberal party candidate for the North-Okanagan Shuswap riding. Derkaz grew up...

Project to guarantee clean water for Kamloops residents moving forward

KAMLOOPS – Projects aimed at ensuring clean water for Kamloops and Black Pines residents are moving forward following a funding announcement today, July 6. More than $3 million is being contributed from both federal and provincial governments for an emergency water intake project in Kamloops, and just under $450,000 from federal and provincial governments each...

Vernon joins Canada-wide rallies against Bill C-51

VERNON - Vernon residents will protest a controversial piece of government legislation at a rally Saturday afternoon. The focus of the protest is Bill C-51, the federal government’s Anti-terrorism Act. The proposed legislation would allow federal authorities to investigate terrorism by accessing the public’s private information, and sharing that information among intelligence and law enforcement...

City and RCMP open to policy changes following jury recommendations

PENTICTON - The City and RCMP are actively considering implementation of recommendations made by a jury following a coroner’s inquest into the death of 30-year-old Steven J. Scott who died in police custody two years ago. The RCMP have already implemented some changes after Scott’s death that the jury also recommended be made. One suggestion...

HELSTON: We should expect more from our MP

The Vernon mayor and our MP are duking things out in a war of words, sparring over the federal government’s role in reducing homelessness. But never mind the federal government, what is the role of our local MP? Colin Mayes, the Member of Parliament for the Okanagan-Shuswap riding, is our elected representative at the House...

MP’s remarks were ‘uninformed and disappointing’: Vernon homeless shelter

‘I WISH I HAD CONFIDENCE THAT I HAVE SUPPORT FROM MY MP’ VERNON - The executive director of a local organization committed to getting Vernon’s homeless people off the streets says recent comments made by the region’s MP are misinformed, especially considering the high number of deaths on its streets the past two years. Barbara...

Changes to foreign worker policy impacts local ski hills

VERNON - Crackdowns on Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program have put local ski hills in a bind. Ken Derpak, managing director for Silver Star Mountain Resort, says the process for hiring a temporary foreign worker now carries a $1,000 fee. Before the overhauls, it cost only $275 per person. Silver Star typically hires 20 international...

Kelowna chamber to press government on Okanagan corridor

VERNON - Another force is joining the fight to preserve the railway between Vernon and Kelowna for public use. The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce has passed a motion to encourage federal, provincial and municipal governments to preserve the railway in a way that benefits the Okanagan. “The concept of a public access use of the...

Chamber of Commerce on board for an Okanagan rail trail

VERNON – The push for an Okanagan rail trail is picking up steam. The Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce has joined the movement to preserve the rail bed between Vernon and Kelowna as a recreational corridor. The chamber unanimously passed a motion to call on all levels of government to take a leadership role in...

Rail trail a good, but expensive, idea: MP

VERNON - Federal, provincial and municipal governments are discussing the fate of the Okanagan rail corridor. Colin Mayes, Okanagan-Shuswap MP, says there was a meeting of elected representatives at the federal, provincial and municipal levels about the possibility of preserving the land for use as a recreational corridor. “I feel the corridor is very important...

CN offers Okanagan railway to federal government

VERNON - Time has run out for interested parties to resume service on the section of rail between Vernon and Kelowna. Monday was the deadline for companies negotiating with Canadian National to buy the line, and CN spokesperson Warren Chandler says no deal was reached. “The time period has elapsed, now the 30-day window to...