Kelowna

Do you know this Kelowna armed robbery suspect?

KELOWNA – Almost 48 hours after a Kelowna convenience store was robbed, RCMP are asking for the public’s help to find the suspect. Police were called to the Mac’s at 2147 Richter St. around 2:49 p.m., Tuesday, May 12 following the report of an armed robbery. RCMP say in a release that a man walked...

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...

Identity of elderly man killed in car crash released

KELOWNA - The B.C. Coroners Service has released the identity of the man killed in a car crash near Peachland earlier this week. Peter Hudyma, 84, of Oliver, was the driver and only occupant of a car which left the road in the 6400-block of Highway 97C near Peachland at about 5:50 p.m., Tuesday, May...

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...

No shortage of May long weekend fun

KELOWNA – Two annual events which have been happening in Kelowna for more than 50 years are back again and taking over Kelowna this May long weekend. Rutland May Days and the Knox Mountain Hill Climb have been annual events in Kelowna for the last 56 and 58 years respectively. The Hill Climb, which attracts...

Your low-down on the May long weekend weather

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Environment Canada is calling for some pretty spectacular weather this May long weekend. Across the Thompson-Okanagan there will be sunny skies for much of the weekend, with highs getting up to 26 Celcius. Those in Vernon can expect sunshine and a high of 26 C on Saturday, followed by a reprieve from the...

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...

Memories stolen in Mission Creek Park theft

KELOWNA – When Amber Coyle would visit her dad at the extended care home where he spent his final years, she’d always look through his wallet. “He had all of my school pictures from Kindergarten through Grade 12 in there," she says. "He also had pictures of my mom and my sister and I so...

Possible arson at Gatzke farm

LAKE COUNTRY – The owners of Gatzke Orchards are hoping someone knows how a suspicious fire started on their property Monday night. According to a post on their Facebook page, the fire started on the south end of the property on May 11 but was noticed before it could spread out of control. “Feeling a...

About the recent spike in moose sightings in Kelowna…

KELOWNA – Two separate moose encounters in Kelowna have made the news in the last couple weeks, and several more sightings have been reported to WildSafe B.C. during that time, but is the number of moose sightings this year any different from last? Conservation B.C. spokesperson Barb Leslie says it isn't. According to her, ten...

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...

Kelowna man dies days before life-saving surgery

KELOWNA – Friends and family of a young man from Kelowna are in mourning today after Joel Roshinsky, 20, passed away in Ottawa while awaiting surgery this week. Roshinsky suffered from Graves’ disease as well as a host of associated illnesses. He was admitted to Kelowna General Hospital in January last year after an eye infection led...

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....

Electoral boundary changes go to public hearing in Kamloops, Vernon

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Changes are being recommended in many electoral areas across the province and this week you can get your say in on those changes at three meetings throughout the region. The B.C. Electoral Boundaries Commission held public hearings in the fall and earlier this year a report outlining the recommended changes was released. In...

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...

Fire danger ratings reach extreme

OPEN BURNING RESTRICTIONS START FRIDAY THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Open fires were already set to be restricted in many parts of the Kamloops fire centre beginning May 15 but with unseasonably warm and dry weather well under way, the entire fire centre will now be put under restrictions beginning this weekend. The Clearwater and Salmon Arm fire...

Serious assault in Kelowna puts Armstrong teen in hospital

KELOWNA – A weekend assault in Kelowna has left a teenager from Armstrong in hospital in serious condition. The 18-year-old boy was rushed to hospital at about 9:36 p.m., Saturday, May 9, after he was hit in the head with a blunt object during a fight between two groups of people in Rutland’s Davie Park....

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...

Mother’s Day moose on the loose in Rutland

KELOWNA – A Mother’s Day surprise when a young moose took a stroll through a busy Kelowna neighbourhood on Sunday. Amy Eder was loading her family into the car to go for Mother’s Day breakfast around 8 a.m., May 10, when she saw something big and hairy walking down the road in Rutland. “It was...

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...