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Six-year-old Shuswap student’s letter about friendship will melt your heart
SHUSWAP - Here is your dose of adorable for the day. Hillcrest Elementary School student Brody S. wants to create Friendship Day, and he’s looking for support from Salmon Arm City Hall, specifically the mayor herself. In what must have been the best letter the mayor received that day, six-year-old Brody S. outlines his vision...
Okanagan Indian Band embraces Lake Country mayor’s support for land claim
VERNON - Lake Country Mayor James Baker appears to have thrown his support behind the Okanagan Indian Band’s land claim to the Commonage Reserve including the portion which includes the CP Rail line intended for the Okanagan Rail Trail, and the band intends to hold him to his words. Chief Byron Louis says he welcomes...
Former mayoral candidate facing assault charges
KAMLOOPS - A mayoral candidate from last year's municipal election is facing an assault charge in Kamloops Provincial Court. Piero Luigi Filisetti, born 1959, is facing one count of assault with a weapon after he allegedly assaulted Brandon Burke with bear spray on Jan. 17. Filisetti, who is more commonly known as Pierre, had his...
New Vernon mayor and council sworn into office
VERNON - Vernon’s new council members officially took their seats for the next four years Monday evening. Mayor Akbal Mund, incumbents Bob Spiers, Juliette Cunningham, Catherine Lord, and Brian Quiring, along with new councillors Scott Anderson and Dalvir Nahal were sworn into office by Justice Mayland McKimm to a packed room at City Hall. “Collectively,...
Basran, new council sworn in for Kelowna
KELOWNA – The youngest mayor in Kelowna’s history was sworn into office Monday night along with his new council of eight. In his first speech as mayor, Basran, 37, thanked his family and supporters and outlined the areas he feels are key to a successful term. Areas like transportation, support for small business, social programs,...
Vernon voters welcome cultural diversity to city hall
"THIS IS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT AND A FEAT" VERNON - Vernon’s rich cultural diversity is being reflected and celebrated on the community’s new city council. In the 2014 civic election, voters elected Akbal Mund for mayor and Dalvir Nahal for city councillor, making them the first individuals of South Asian heritage to sit on Vernon city council....
Outgoing council has tearful goodbye at last council meeting
PENTICTON - There were tears around the council table during the meeting Monday night as goodbye speeches were made by three outgoing members, all of whom have served Penticton for nearly a decade. Coun. John Vassilaki, who has been a councillor for twelve consecutive years, went first, listing council’s accomplishments over the years and giving...
What would happen if the Vernon vote was left up to high school students
VERNON - Vernon’s newly elected council would look a bit different if left up to a group of high school students. According to Student Vote—a province-wide program giving youth under the voting age a chance to learn about democracy and voting—Vernon Secondary School students had some different ideas about who should sit on council. The...
ELECTION 2014: Who won in the South Okanagan
SOUTH OKANAGAN - You voted and the results are in for the mayors and councils of the South Okanagan who will start their four-year terms in December. Summerland welcomes new mayor Peter Waterman, who won with 1,197 votes. Joining him on council is Toni Boot with 2,819 votes; Erin Trainer with 2,214 votes; Erin Carlson...
ELECTION 2014: North Okanagan voters elect new councils, school trustees and regional district reps
WHO WON IN VERNON, ARMSTRONG, SPALLUMCHEEN, COLDSTREAM, ENDERBY AND SALMON ARM NORTH OKANAGAN - Voters have chosen new councils, school trustees and regional district representatives. In Vernon, voters kept four councillors, welcomed in two new ones, and chose a new face to represent them as mayor. Political newcomer Akbal Mund is Vernon's new mayor. There's been...
ELECTIONS 2014: Vernon voters have their say
VERNON - Local residents are having their say on who they want as city mayors, councillors, school trustees and regional district representatives. Many voters have already cast their ballots. Over the three days of advance voting, a total of 1,957 people cast their votes, up several hundred from the 2011 election. Those numbers suggest Vernon...
West Kelowna candidates forum tonight
WEST KELOWNA – On the day advanced voting opens across the valley, candidates for mayor, councillor and school trustee will be at Constable Neil Bruce Middle School in West Kelowna Wednesday night for the first all candidates forum. The three part forum, organized by the Westside Board of Trade, starts with candidates for council at 6:30...
Former Coun. Hopkin endorses Jakubeit for mayor
PENTICTON - Former Coun. Wes Hopkin has officially endorsed his colleague and mayoral candidate Coun. Andrew Jakubeit for the hot seat. In a letter, Hopkin said his experience working alongside Jakubeit as councillor for three years showed him that Jakubeit has the leadership skills to successfully run the city as mayor. Hopkin said he has...
Vernon Mayor calls for MP resignation for ‘disturbing’ homelessness comment
VERNON - Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes is under fire for ‘disturbing’ comments he made at a recent homelessness event, with Vernon’s mayor suggesting he resign. In what was meant as a solemn dedication by the community to commemorate and recognize some 14 homeless people who have died on Vernon streets in the past two years,...
Get your questions ready for the mayoral candidate forum
PENTICTON - Mayoral candidates will take the stage this week to discuss their goals and answer citizens’ questions at a public forum. The forum, organized by the Chamber of Commerce and the Penticton Herald, will be held on Thursday Oct. 30, 2014 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Lakeside Resort. Each candidate will...
Citizens organize forum to educate community on Penticton election issues
PENTICTON - Local citizens are taking the election campaign into their own hands and educating themselves about the candidates and the issues in the upcoming civic vote. Members the community Facebook group Educate Encourage Empower Penticton have organized two candidate forums; one for the candidates for council and one for mayoral candidates. Candidates must RSVP...
Candidates square off at first mayoral election forum
KELOWNA – Five of the eight candidates for mayor were at Manteo Resort Wednesday morning for the first public forum of the municipal election. Mayoral hopefuls Colin Basran, Sharon Shepherd, Kelly Row, Glendon Smedley and Chuck Hardy were each given two minutes to answer eight questions put forward by the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce. During...
Upcoming election forums are your chance to meet the candidates
KELOWNA – As the election draws near, several groups and organizations have candidate forums planned where residents will have the opportunity to meet and ask questions of those running for council, mayor and school trustee. The first forum is for mayoral candidates only and is organized by the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce. Participating candidates will...
Given to run for council, not mayor
KELOWNA – First term councillor Gail Given, who has hinted in the past she was considering running for mayor next month, will instead seek to keep her seat on council. Given, who has lived in Kelowna more than 30 years, says with the majority of the councillors leaving she wanted to ensure there will be...
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...
Mayoral candidate says his crimes are in his past
PENTICTON - Mayoral candidate Jukka Laurio says his time spent in jail for sexual offence is in the past and people should focus on what he’s doing now to improve the community. Laurio, who announced he was running for mayor of Penticton last week, has a serious criminal record including drug trafficking and possession conviction...
Political cyber sabotage in Kelowna mayoral election campaign
KELOWNA – The RCMP are investigating after someone hacked former Kelowna mayor Sharon Shepherd’s old Twitter account. It appears someone used the Twitter account to attack the mayoral candidate’s reputation in an effort to discredit her. “Those who know me soon realized my previous accounts had been take over without my knowledge or permission, for...
ELECTIONS 2014: Your Kamloops candidates
KAMLOOPS - Nominations are officially closed and we appear to have a decent sized race for councillor and school trustee seats, and four candidates are vying for the mayoral seat. At the end of the nomination period Friday, incumbent councillors Donovan Cavers, Ken Christian, Nelly Dever, Tina Lange, Arjun Singh, Marg Spina and Pat Wallace...
ELECTIONS 2014: Your Vernon candidates
VERNON - Nominations for the upcoming municipal election officially closed at 4 p.m. Friday, leaving the following candidates vying for seats. Five are running for mayor of Vernon: Victor Cumming, Jamie Morrow, Akbal Mund, Mary-Jo O’Keefe, and Klaus Tribes. The 14 who tossed their hat in for one of the City of Vernon’s six councillor...