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Kelowna
Marijuana testing to be allowed under new city zoning bylaw
KELOWNA - Sounds like a dream job for some — working at a marijuana testing facility — but the reality is the analytical testing of dried pot is a mundane affair, done wearing lab coats not tie-dyed T-shirts. It’s also going to be an allowable use if Kelowna city council accepts staff’s recommendation that allows...
Increased avalanche risk and near-record temperatures on tap
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As temperatures rise to near-record highs this weekend avalanche forecasters are warning of an increased avalanche risk. With a warm storm likely to drop rain on a weakened snowpack, Avalanche Canada is forecasting a high risk at treeline and alpine elevations on Saturday for both the North and South Columbia ranges and at...
School board gets an earful from parents over Lake Country catchment boundry changes
FRENCH IMMERSION EXPANSION INTO GLENROSA MIDDLE SCHOOL ALSO A CONCERN KELOWNA - School board chair Moyra Baxter said an emotional meeting yesterday where a large contingent of anxious parents blasted the board over proposed catchment changes in Lake Country have revealed deep divisions in the community. “There’s a real animosity between areas out there. It’s...
Glitter revenge website starts up in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Two Kelowna women think they have a sparkly solution for anyone looking to send a fun, harmless message to friends or enemies they think could use a little more glitter in their lives. Sendrevengeglitter.com is a Kelowna-based website that for $9.99 will mail an anonymous envelope containing the most infuriating craft product there...
Oscar nod for Kelowna film maker
KELOWNA – For one local filmmaker working out of a basement suite, an Academy Award nomination came as quite a surprise. “Our goal is always just to make something that is thought-provoking and that the audience will like,” says Kelowna native and now Academy Award nominated film maker Adam Scorgie. “But when you find out...
No real opposition to rail corridor purchase: Lake Country mayor
KELOWNA — Lake Country Mayor James Baker says he’s not aware of any organized resistance in his community to the proposal that the district borrow money to buy into the CN Rail corridor acquisition. “There’s a few people who have been writing letters against it,” Baker said, just prior to the first open house the...
Is Kelowna hostile to medical marijuana?
KELOWNA – The police raid of a marijuana dispensary in downtown Kelowna last week appears to be an extension of a Kelowna bias against medical marijuana facilities, sources say. Police said they raided Kaya Clinic on Lawrence Ave. Jan. 15 based on complaints from the public, including complaints forwarded by the City of Kelowna. Inside, police...
Say good-bye to confusing rail crossings with completion of CN Rail corridor purchase
KELOWNA - The CN Rail corridor purchase will be defined in Kelowna by what it gains — a multi-use transportation corridor — and what it loses — a bunch of annoying level crossings on local roads. “CN has an obligation to remove the railway ties and remediate the land,” said Doug Gilchrist, director of community...
Double-digit temperatures on the way
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It’s nearly the end of January, a time of year when winter can rear its ugly head. Luckily for us Mother Nature has decided to tame Old Man Winter for at least a little while and we can expect temperatures to reach the double-digits across the region. Temperatures will be close to seasonal...
Big storm clean up continues as response cost becomes clear
KELOWNA - The first thing to know about Kelowna’s clean-up response to the near record snowfall that pummelled the city two weeks ago? It’s not over. “It’s carrying on right now,” confirmed City of Kelowna roadways supervisor Stephen Bryans, who said city crews continue to deal with the aftermath. “And it certainly dented our snow...
RCMP track phone and footprints to find alleged thief
KELOWNA - Police followed fresh footprints in the snow to find an alleged thief in the act of stealing an off-road vehicle from a Rutland garage Sunday afternoon. RCMP received a report of a break and enter in the 900 block of Old Vernon Road at 2:38 p.m. Jan. 18, 2015, according to a media...
Kelowna man caught driving great big bright stolen Hummer
KELOWNA - Perhaps stealing a gold Hummer wasn't the best idea an alleged thief ever had. Mounties say that's the detail that led them to a 32-year-old Kelowna man who now faces potential charges of theft and possession of stolen property. He was arrested when they pulled over a gold 2003 Hummer on Asher Road...
Dwindling student body means grade changes coming for Rutland Senior Secondary
KELOWNA - The end of the echo boom is hitting Rutland Senior Secondary, forcing the Central Okanagan school district to change grade configurations or risk losing some of the school’s unique programming. “We had a wave of high school students pass through in the last few years,” the school district’s secretary-treasurer, Larry Paul says. “This...
What inspired a Kelowna man to try changing the world
KELOWNA - For most people, life changes gradually. For Michael Lavigne however, a single day in 2013 marked the start of his new life. Although a successful businessperson in Manitoba, he found himself depressed to the point his doctor prescribed him medication. “Here I was, newly married, a good job, making lots of money but...
Parking the tipping point for micro-suite apartment approval
KELOWNA - For such small suites, Kelowna city council has some big problems with a high-density apartment building proposed for Dickson Avenue near the Landmark complex. Designs submitted by the developer Dickson Avenue Holdings call for 90 suites, about half of which would be 29 square metres with one parking space included for each unit....
New HOV lane rules take effect; RCMP ready to enforce
KELOWNA – If the high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Kelowna rub you the wrong way, they will only be rubbing you the wrong way during the daytime on weekdays as of today, Jan. 19. Instead of 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the HOV lanes are now only in effect between 7 a.m. and...
Firefighters to get new ride after council approves truck replacement
KELOWNA - Looking to buy a fire engine? Get ready for some sticker shock and a lengthy wait because it turns out buying one of the specialized emergency response vehicles is nothing like buying a new car. “You can’t just walk into a dealership and buy a fire truck,” says Larry Hollier, deputy chief of...
More snow is on its way; heavy snow for mountain passes
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The forecasters at Environment Canada are predicting heavy snow for mountain passes on the Coquihalla and the Hope-Princeton highways. The 20 to 30 centimetres of snow will start to fall late Saturday and continue overnight into Sunday, according to a Special Weather Statement. “A warm front will bring copious amounts of moisture to...
Kelowna drug house raided by RCMP
KELOWNA – Drugs and guns were seized during an RCMP raid at a known drug house in Kelowna. Police executed a search warrant at the house in the 1800-block of High Rd. on Tuesday, Jan. 13 on the look for guns, according to an RCMP media release. Mounties say there were a large number of...
Chicken-killing bobcat tranquillized and relocated
KELOWNA – A Kelowna resident lost four chickens to a bobcat earlier this week—maybe the same cat seen hunting in neighbourhoods in the Upper Mission. Conservation office Ed Seitz says he was called Wednesday after the chickens were killed at a property in the lower Mission along Lakeshore Road. Last week, a bobcat attacked a...
Grave concerns lead city to cemetery master plan
KELOWNA - The first phase of a 25-year plan to ensure the eternal viability of Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery, the municipally-owned cemetery, begins this year giving new meaning to the phrase rest in peace. With an aging infrastructure, changing consumer trends and limited space, cemetery manager David Gatzke says the time was right for a...
More snow on the way this weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The temperatures are warming up but we are not out of the woods when it comes to snow just yet, Mother Nature may add another layer of the white stuff before the weekend is over. According to Environment Canada people in Kamloops can expect snow today, Friday, Jan. 16, and Saturday along with...
Tax axe nowhere in sight as city council approves increase
KELOWNA - After a day spent hearing submissions, Kelowna city councillors are considering a potential property tax increase of 3.46 per cent, down a touch from what staff originally recommended in a budget year dominated by increases to police services and a new building to house them. Mayor Colin Basran led city councillors — some...
Gas price slide means savings on civic operations
KELOWNA - Questions about the impact of collapsing oil prices are starting to filter into Kelowna’s civic operations as the possibility of an extended downturn in fuel costs becomes apparent. Several councillors queried city staff during presentations at 2015 budget deliberations about the topic that has recently been dominating headlines in Western Canada. The first...