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municipal politics
ELECTIONS 2014: Where to hear from the candidates
KAMLOOPS - As we get closer to electing a new council and school trustees, several groups are doing their part to ensure we get the chance to get to know the candidates and where they stand on several key points. The Council of Canadians kicked off the forums with an event in October and then...
Homeless concern a city survey surprise
KAMLOOPS - Nearly 200 people responded and more than 60 per cent say they love Kamloops because of the weather or recreation, but it was the responses on what the city could do better that offered a bit of surprise to Coun. Arjun Singh. Singh put out the survey as a way to gauge the...
Last minute mayoral candidate passionate about Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Pierre Filisetti wants a more liveable Kamloops, a Kamloops residents can be proud of and the rest of the world won’t look down on, and he wants to help create that from the head of the council table. Filisetti says he decided to run for mayor at the last minute when he realized...
ELECTIONS 2014: Candidate ‘alliance’ emerges
KAMLOOPS - A ‘loosely-knit alliance’ of five city council candidates announced Tuesday morning they are running under the umbrella of Vision Kamloops, but they were not yet ready to say what they stand for as a group. Dieter Dudy, Jenny Green, Brad Harrison, Daphane Nelson and Denis Walsh say they began talking about the possibility...
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...
Pitbelly drops out of mayoral race
KAMLOOPS - Mr. Open Pitbelly has stepped out of the ring and is no longer running for mayor. Elaine Sedgman, who dressed up as Pitbelly as satirical performance art, did not want her name to be on the ballot in place of Open Pitbelly. “After a walk in the park, his manager Elaine Sedgman, has...
Kamloops to take a look at what kind of arts centre best suits the city
KAMLOOPS - Arts and culture has taken yet another leap forward thanks to approval of a study that will outline exactly what Kamloops needs in a performing arts centre. While the study into what a performing arts centre would need to look like in Kamloops was approved alongside the city budget earlier this year the...
Retired firefighter joining council race
KAMLOOPS - Andy Philpot is an avid volunteer who has worked with the Kamloops Fire Department and St. John Ambulance, and now he is looking to add city councillor to his repertoire. This time around he says he is focusing on representing all areas of Kamloops and promoting public consultation. Sustainability, sport and culture are...
A look at what election issues are this fall
KAMLOOPS - Ajax? Arts? Parking? Property taxes? A new survey is focused on finding out exactly what Kamloops residents are most concerned about heading into the Nov. 15 civic election. The Kamloops Voters Society is conducting an online survey from Oct. 5-15 to find out what election topics residents are most concerned about before candidate...
ELECTION 2014: Who’s officially in the race to city hall so far
KAMLOOPS - With one week down and one more to go for candidates to file nomination papers we have already seen more than a dozen people officially throw their hats in the ring for a spot on city council. Three of the candidates are ones who had not previously declared their intent to run and...
STAHN: Who’s backing our candidates?
In this day and age, doesn't it seem wrong that we won't know who gave money to political candidates until the election is over? A couple of council candidates have already turned to online fundraising, and these platforms require at least some transparency, but the rest of the candidates are set to keep their backers...
So you want to be a city councillor? Here’s what it takes
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Most people realize there is a city council in place to help run the city, but few understand just what goes into being the mayor or a councillor. While the roles can change significantly depending on the city, the council member and the needs of the community at that time, we decided to...
ELECTIONS 2014: Let the filing begin
KAMLOOPS - Today is the day the civic elections really get rolling. It is the first day nomination papers can be filed for anyone interested in running for city council, regional director or school trustee. Nomination papers must be filed between Sept. 30 and Oct. 10 at City Hall and by Oct. 20 the candidates...
THOMPSON: City focus should be on small business
KAMLOOPS - Yes Ajax is a big issue, but small businesses should be where the city focuses resources according to the most recent candidate to announce he is running for a city council seat. Glen Thompson, 51, moved to Kamloops earlier this year. He has been a community activist for most of his life and...
Labour council lending hand to candidates
KAMLOOPS - Several candidates have received endorsement from the Kamloops and District Labour Council after making it through the first round of interviews. Barb Nederpel, the first vice president of the labour council, says after a round of ‘speed dating’ type interviews with several candidates last week they decided to offer endorsement to Peter Kerek,...
UPDATE: Bepple wants back on council
KAMLOOPS - Former Coun. Nancy Bepple stepped down from her council seat in March due to health reasons but Wednesday morning she announced her intention to run in the upcoming election. Bepple said her health is now under control and it will not impact her ability to be serve the city. "It was a chronic...
ELECTION 2014: Innovation changes everything in this campaign
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Knocking on doors, shaking hands, advertising and putting up signs: If you ran for council anytime before the last 10 years, that’s how you got exposure. If you ran in 2011, you probably added Facebook and Twitter to your arsenal. But this year, candidates have all the tools of a major political party...
Councillors ‘think money grows on trees:’ Vassilaki
PENTICTON - While every member of city council has traveled to Whistler this week for the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, Coun. John Vassilaki says they are wasting money by sending so many people to the same conference. Vassilaki, who announced his mayoral candidacy at the beginning of the month, says the cost for sending...
TimeForChange members to speak out at council
PENTICTON - Members of the “TimeForChange” Facebook group are taking the conversation offline and onto the streets this evening. They have organized to meet in front of City Hall at 5:30 p.m. Monday before the city council meeting. The goal of the congregation is to make sure city council knows the group is serious about...
Hopkin resigns as city councillor
PENTICTON - The youngest member of Penticton City Council, Wes Hopkin, announced he will be resigning as councillor in August, after one short term. Hopkin is moving East to attend law school at the University of Toronto and has to leave before his political term is over this fall because of school scheduling. The council...
ARCHER: Holding government leaders accountable
Government bodies get a bad rap when it comes to spending money, and sometimes the facts prove our tax dollars are not being well spent. But when government officials show us what's in their pockets, it becomes easier for the public to trust their leaders and the decisions they make on behalf of the community....
Sister city delegates to experience Canada Day in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Nearly a quarter of a century later the bond between sister cities remains strong and this year delegates from Uji, Japan will once again get to experience Canada Day celebrations in Kamloops. In a letter to council Uji Mayor Tadashi Yamamoto confirms a group of five official members and 12 citizens will visit...
City hopes to add more police in 2015
KAMLOOPS - If the city wants to be considered for new RCMP officers in 2015-2016 a decision will need to be made this week. City council is being asked to authorize a letter of ‘Approval in Principle’ for two new officers. It is believed these officers would be required to help support the proposed nuisance...