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politics

Stickle Road plan in Vernon evolves again

VERNON - Vernon’s MLA believes the latest Stickle Road plan will be a winner. It’s the third concept being looked at to improve safety at the intersection of Highway 97 and Stickle Road just north of the city. Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster says the new plan involves connecting a frontage road along the highway with...

Vernon MLA lambasted over comments about school cuts

VERNON - Vernon’s MLA is standing by comments he made about cuts to school bus routes after getting slammed by the NDP’s education critic this week. A number of bus routes were cut in the Vernon School District this year, leading parents to speak out in protest. The decision was the result of funding cuts from...

Building a new arena is in the hands of Greater Vernon voters

VERNON - Greater Vernon residents will head to the polls to vote on a new arena next month. A referendum is set for Nov. 28 which will ask voters to borrow $13.2 million to decommission the Civic Arena and add a second arena at Kal Tire Place. “Civic has served its purpose, its time is...

ELECTION 2015: What having an opposition MP means for Kamloops

KAMLOOPS - The results of this week’s election was a split between three parties in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding and now for the first time in seven years, it will have an opposition member of Parliament in Ottawa. After a tight race between the Conservatives, New Democratic Party and the Liberals, Conservative Cathy McLeod was re-elected...

ELECTION 2015: Conservative Mel Arnold ready to work

VERNON - Mel Arnold plans to spend his first day as a member of Parliament saying thank you. “So many people kicked in to make this campaign successful,” Arnold says. “I want to thank the volunteers that came out and supported me and the people that voted for me. That means so much moving forward.”...

ELECTION 2015: Conservative win in North Okanagan-Shuswap

VERNON - Conservative candidate Mel Arnold is the North Okanagan-Shuswap’s new Member of Parliament. Arnold had a healthy lead right off the bat Monday evening, and while Liberal candidate Cindy Derkaz was on his tail, he was declared elected as of 8:30 p.m. with about 40 per cent of the vote. Derkaz stood about 10...

ELECTION 2015: Conservative Mel Arnold leads in North Okanagan-Shuswap race

VERNON - When North Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes announced he wasn’t seeking reelection, the riding was guaranteed a brand new representative out of the 2015 federal election. That new representative was chosen tonight. The riding has been a Conservative stronghold for many years, and tonight's results show that tradition will continue for another term.  Conservative...

HELSTON: Learning to vote is like learning to drive, we all need a little practice

In Canada, you might be born with the democratic right to vote, but you’re not born with a magical gene that makes you a natural voter. That’s a skill that takes time and patience to cultivate. And, no, I’m not talking about the basic hand-eye coordination required to draw an ‘X’ on a piece of...

Questions arise over new Vernon arena cost, location

VERNON - Building a new arena in Vernon hasn’t even gone to referendum yet and is already generating concerns. Local officials are currently waiting for the province to sign off on a borrowing referendum to decommission the Civic Arena and add a second ice sheet at Kal Tire Place — a process that has been...

Vernon councillor calls for action over ‘crazy loud’ shrimp boats on Okanagan Lake

VERNON - It might be saving Kokanee salmon populations, but a Vernon city councillor says shrimp harvesting on Okanagan Lake is ‘crazy loud.’ “It’s like, wow, you hear this thing from across the whole lake,” Coun. Brian Quiring said at a council meeting Tuesday, Oct. 13. “I mean, we have to find a way that...

Splatsin First Nation launches lawsuit against B.C. government

ENDERBY - A local First Nation has filed a lawsuit against the B.C. government accusing it of ignoring the band's jurisdiction over the welfare of its children.  The Splatsin First Nation in Enderby served the province a notice of claim during a rally outside Premier Christy Clark’s constituency office in Kelowna Tuesday, Oct. 13. The...

The cause of that foul odour at Vernon’s Polson Park

VERNON - It should smell like the fresh outdoors, but instead Polson Park in Vernon has been wrinkling noses lately. People are complaining about a foul, septic smell in the park, and Vernon city councillor Juliette Cunningham says she’s not only heard from community members about the problem, but experienced it firsthand. “I walk on...

More questions about Vernon blue bin recycling program

VERNON - Vernon city council is embarking on a blue bin fact-finding mission. Spurred by a pair of motions brought forward by Coun. Scott Anderson, council agreed to investigate concerns — and possible solutions — around the Multi-Material B.C. blue box recycling system which came into effect in May 2014. "Numerous people have expressed dissatisfaction...

ELECTION 2015: New polls paint different pictures in North Okanagan-Shuswap

VERNON - Hot on the heels of a poll released by local citizens, two other groups have commissioned surveys and the findings show mixed results. The latest poll, conducted by Mainstreet Technologies and funded by Liberal candidate Cindy Derkaz’s campaign team, found 38 per cent of decided voters plan to vote for Conservative candidate Mel...

Vernon MLA disappointed by arena ‘hiccup’, says minister is on it personally

VERNON - Vernon’s MLA isn’t happy about ongoing delays surrounding a referendum for a new ice sheet.  The provincial government rejected, for a second time, a referendum proposal from the City of Vernon and the North Okanagan Regional District, putting the initiative even further behind schedule. Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster says he’s ‘disappointed with how...

Ongoing delays for new Vernon ice sheet costing taxpayers: Mayor

VERNON - Red tape continues to delay a borrowing referendum for a new ice rink in Vernon. The North Okanagan Regional District still doesn’t have authorization from the provincial government to hold a referendum asking voters to borrow up to $13 million to decommission the aging Civic Arena and build a second ice sheet at...

Future of Civic Arena unclear if Vernon’s ice sheet referendum succeeds

VERNON - As the conversation around a new ice rink in Vernon continues to move ahead, some are wondering what that means for the historic arena it would be replacing. When the Civic Arena was constructed in 1938, it was the first indoor ice rink in the Okanagan Valley. In April of that year, the...

North Okanagan locked into recycling system, says MMBC director

VERNON - Those demanding changes to the North Okanagan’s recycling system appear to be out of luck. Allen Langdon, the managing director for Multi-Material B.C., says the new program is working well in the North Okanagan Regional District and, overall, generating few complaints. “We had some around the launch but in the last few months...

Disagreement over use of Vernon dog park has council at end of leash

VERNON - City officials continue to spar over the use of a green space near Marshall Fields as an off-leash dog park. Residents have been using the area, which runs alongside Marshall Fields by the Lakers Clubhouse, to let their dogs run off leash for years, but now the City of Vernon is now tightening...

Clock ticking on Vernon ice sheet referendum

VERNON - It’s crunch time for local government officials looking to hold a November borrowing referendum for a new Vernon ice sheet. The City of Vernon wants to decommission the aging Civic Arena and add a second ice sheet to Kal Tire Place — but has had to jump through some hoops just to bring...