Kelowna

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...

Happy 10th birthday YouTube; local viral videos

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The very first YouTube video was uploaded ten years ago today so InfoNews has put together some of our regions most watched clips of the last decade. The first Okanagan classic is about a focused skater singing the national anthem at a Penticton Vees game in October 2014. It has more than 3-million...

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...

Local fighter readies for UFC 186 in Montreal

KELOWNA - A local MMA fighter is in Montreal this week getting ready for his first match in the UFC. Shane "Shaolin" Campbell is the fourth Kelowna-based fighter to be called by the biggest promotion in the world. He was asked last minute if he would be willing to fill in on the main card...

Mussels with wings; the new front in the battle against invasive species

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The defensive war on invasive mussels hitching a ride into British Columbia’s lakes and rivers via recreational boats has just begun but there’s already talk of opening up a new front — float planes. While recreational boats and commercial boat haulers are the primary target of the recently-launched Don’t Move A Mussel educational program,...

Vaisakhi parade to impact road and transit travel in Rutland

KELOWNA - The Okanagan Sikh Temple and Cultural Society is holding its fifth annual Vaisakhi parade in Rutland next weekend and drivers travelling through the area should be aware of rolling road closures and parking restrictions Traffic control personnel will be on hand for the parade which begins at noon, Saturday, April 25, while road...

Snowfall advisory for Coquihalla

KAMLOOPS - Several centimetres of snow has already fallen on the Coquihalla Highway between Kamloops and Merritt and Drive B.C. is warning of more snow for that stretch of highway before the night is over. Drive B.C. is calling for 10 to 15 cm of snowfall for the stretch of highway from the Portia Interchange...

Pet teeth cleaners recognize need for regulation

KELOWNA – Concern raised about unlicenced, unqualified pet oral hygienists isn’t confined to veterinarians and the college that regulates them: Several groomers who offer dental cleaning in the Okanagan say they are worried the good are getting lumped in with the bad. Since our story last week about Lexy, an eight-year-old shih-tzu which her owner...

The end is near for Croc Talk in Kelowna

KELOWNA – It appears mounting and compounding problems for a reptile and exotic animal exhibition will mean the end for Croc Talk in Kelowna. The east Kelowna facility doesn’t have a business licence, faces numerous city bylaw infractions, has given up several animals to the SPCA, others have been confiscated by conservation officers or lost,...

Queensway transit exchange reopens in Kelowna

KELOWNA - Transit users in Kelowna will soon be using the upgraded Queensway transit exchange when it reopens on Sunday. Built as an all-weather facility, the Queensway transit exchange will cover the centre island of the old bus loop, giving riders shelter from the elements and increased security. Pedestrian crossings around the exchange have also...

Kelowna job fair connects job seekers with the right people

KELOWNA - If you’re looking to kickstart your career, the 2015 Kelowna Job Fair is a great place to begin. Hosted by Juice FM and Vista Radio, the Kelowna Job Fair puts you and your resume in direct contact with potential employers. In fact, you should be prepared for on-the-spot interviews and be ready to put...

Public consultation process goes to consultation

HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A lot of people have recently expressed concerns over how the environmental assessment process works and now the provincial government is asking for input on how to improve the public consultation portion of the process. The B.C. Government's Environmental Assessment Office is asking the public...

Kelowna school to host living library this week

KELOWNA – Students of a Kelowna middle school will get an education in their library this week — but not from any books. The fourth annual Human Library event is a chance for students of KLO Middle School to meet with and ask questions of around 30 professionals from diverse backgrounds. According to a School...

West Kelowna irrigation systems the target of a special brand of vandalism

WEST KELOWNA - Faced with an unusual type of vandalism aimed at its irrigation systems, the District of West Kelowna is asking for help trying to put an end to it. “This isn’t your typical loser kicking over a sprinkler head,” parks supervisor Stacey Harding says. “Whoever is doing this has a knowledge of irrigation...

Adjudicators replace judges for bylaw disputes in Thompson-Nicola Regional District

KAMLOOPS - If you receive a bylaw ticket in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and choose to dispute it, you’ll no longer take it to provincial court. The district gained provincial approval to scrap court visits and bring the debate to a private hearing with an adjudicator instead with the process beginning this month. Regina Sadilkova,...

Upgrades set to begin on Coquihalla Highway

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several stretches of the Coquihalla Highway will get a $15-million facelift this year as part of the province’s 10-year transportation plan. "Rehabilitation of provincial highways and side roads is a major component of our 10-year transportation plan, B.C. on the Move,” Transportation Minister Todd Stone said in a release. “These projects to improve...

Theft of big rig puts local logger down but not out

WEST KELOWNA - The owner of a $300,000 truck and low-bed trailer stolen at the end of March says the theft hit him hard but hasn’t knocked him out. “It was a big financial impact and a huge inconvenience,” Scott Horovatin, who used the 2014 Kenworth and trailer to run his own small logging outfit,...

Kelowna serves up steady increase of new restaurants

KELOWNA - You’re not imagining it. Kelowna has seen a steady increase in the number of new restaurants opening their doors in the last few years. Probably the most obvious example would be the gleaming new Cactus Club Cafe, soon to open right on the waterfront inside the Kelowna Yacht Club. The extremely competitive restaurant...

Daddy’s Little Sweetheart Ball a gala occassion for fathers and daughters

KELOWNA - Here’s your chance to meet Cinderella. Juice FM and Kelowna Mercedes-Benz are hosting Daddy’s Little Sweetheart Ball this Sunday, April 26, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the dealership showroom, 2580 Enterprise Way. Cinderella and a special guest will be making an appearance during a gala evening especially designed for fathers and their...

Occupation of premier’s officer ends, but situation remains

WEST KELOWNA - The occupation of Christy Clark's West Kelowna constituency offices ended today but the situation that caused it — where the Westside dumps its sewage—could continue for years. The chiefs of five native bands, and some non-native protesters from the Lower Nicola valley swarmed Clark's constituency office in downtown Westbank for five days,...

Kelowna pretty satisfying place; Vancouver not so much

KELOWNA – Kelowna holds a solid 12th place when it comes to life satisfaction while Vancouver found itself at the bottom of the list, according to a survey recently released by Statistics Canada. The life satisfaction survey, published this month, looked at 33 metropolitan areas in Canada with data gathered from 2009 and 2013. Kelowna...

Turn your eyes to the night sky this week

NORTHERN LIGHTS AND METEOR SHOWER COULD LIGHT UP THE NIGHT THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you missed the northern lights last week and if the moon was too bright and the clouds too thick to catch the Quadrantid meteor shower in January, you could get a chance at viewing both this week. The Space Weather Prediction Centre...