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politics
This is how young people in Penticton are bringing awareness to mental health
PENTICTON - There's a group of five Penticton 20-somethings creating a plan for a new non-profit organization to help bring support and awareness of mental health to town — because of what happened to someone they know. They gather at a coffee shop on Main Street in downtown Penticton, their computer screens glowing, pages of...
Election season officially here
KAMLOOPS - While current council members and several others have already announced their intention to run for city council this fall they can now make it official. As of this week nomination packages are available at City Hall and online for those wishing to run for mayor, council or school trustee. The packages must be...
Time to grab your election nomination forms
PENTICTON - Nomination packages for the uncapping municipal election can be picked up starting today at the Regional District offices and online. The packages include necessary forms and information to help candidates, such as dates, process and strategic plans. Candidates are required to have two qualified nominators sign their nomination. There is no nomination deposit...
ARCHER: A lot of talk, how about some action?
The group TimeForChangePenticton has become a sort of phenomenon over the last few weeks. I “liked” the page early on and my Facebook feed has been blowing up with notifications of posts and pictures and comments. People are talking about issues that many argue were not being talked about (enough) before. All the talk is...
STAHN: Casino relocation shows the power we hold
Let’s not fool ourselves about who holds the power when it comes to politics, especially at the municipal level. The casino debate at City Hall recently makes clear it's not city staff, it's not city councillors but you—the vocal voting public—who has the power. On Tuesday, I watched a procession of nearly 30 people take...
Penticton Indian Band wants fairness in financial transparency
PENTICTON - The Chief of the Penticton Indian Band says he doesn't mind releasing his band's financial statements so long as the federal government treats band politicians and government politicians equally in terms of salary and pensions. The band posted its audited financial statements for 2013-2014 on its official website Wednesday, allowing anyone to see...
TCC repairs to be complete this fall
KAMLOOPS - Repairs to the leaky walls and ceilings at the Tournament Capital Centre Fieldhouse will be completed this fall, about a year after council committed to the repairs. The vapour barrier was identified as being ineffective and has been causing condensation when the outside temperature is just above zero Celsius. The water has then...
City wants bylaw officers to have more power to protect dogs
KAMLOOPS - Hot dogs, cold dogs and loose dogs — city council wants to give bylaw officers the authority to deal with them all. “This is more complicated than just breaking windows,” Coun. Ken Christian says. “You can’t legislate against stupidity and we keep trying to do that, and we keep trying to do that...
HOUSE WINS: Casino allowed to relocate to Aberdeen
KAMLOOPS - Gateway Casinos is now free to move the downtown casino to the former Rona location after a public hearing last night and approval from Kamloops city councillors. While nearly 200 people showed up for the public hearing at the Coast Hotel and Conference Centre, only a handful took to the podium to voice...
Pay by phone finally arrives
KAMLOOPS - Drivers now have another option for paying for downtown parking, their cell phones. The pay by phone system is aimed at offering convenience to drivers, but you’ll need to register with telepark.com before you can use it. Once registered you can text or phone in your start and stop times for downtown street...
Group wants stiffer penalties to help protect pooches
KAMLOOPS - A group of citizens, veterinarians and local business owners are asking the city to implement heavy fines for leaving a dog in a vehicle during hot or cold weather. A bylaw in Calgary, which allows bylaw officers to check inside temperatures using an infrared thermometers, is pointed to as a good example of...
Wine would be winning addition to markets
KAMLOOPS - The province now allows liquor to be sold at farmers markets but city staff are not quite ready to make the leap, suggesting council move to a public hearing first if they wish to explore the possibility. Shawn Haley, co-chair of the Kamloops Regional Farmers Market Society, is requesting the city approve a...
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...
Mixed feelings about casino relocation
KAMLOOPS - While Gateway Casinos representatives say the people coming out to the information sessions have been mostly supportive of the plan to move the Lake City Casino from downtown to Aberdeen, the opinions in the feedback the city has received so far has been mixed. In advance of the Tuesday night public hearing on...
Nudists on Facebook
PENTICTON - The conversation about keeping Three Mile Beach as a clothing optional space has moved online. And a lot of people are talking about it. The issue was most recently brought up on Monday by poster Darren Laughlin. He asked people their thoughts on the issue on the Time For Change Penticton Facebook group, a...
Options for back to school as strike continues
KAMLOOPS - As of Friday morning, B.C. teachers are still on strike and with only three weeks before back to school it’s time to start planning for what to do with your kids if a deal cannot be made before Sept. 2. Monica van der Meulen of the YMCA says the local group will be...
“Head-banging druggie” discussion positive for community, says city councillor
PENTICTON - A controversial comment made by a Penticton city councillor has sparked imaginations in Penticton with the creation of t-shirts, hashtags and Facebook groups with the slogan “head-banging druggie,” but the councillor being targeted sees the backlash as a benefit for the community. Coun. Katie Robinson said, “I’m not a head-banging druggie,” at last week’s...
July good for multi-family housing
KAMLOOPS - While the number of permits for multi-family units was significantly higher for July 2014 over the previous year overall, units are still down quite a bit this year. Last month permits were issued for 60 new multi-family units, up from only 12 in July 2013, but that did help put a dent in...
Teens finalists in World Summit Youth Award for epilepsy support
SUMMERLAND - A group of young activists are finalists for the World Summit Youth Award for their work in epilepsy awareness. The Epilepsy Awareness Squad, created by high school students Caitie Shaw and Dan Nixon in June 2013, was among 1896 applicants from 138 UN countries for the award. The group uses its website and...
PHA wants to move forward, work with city
PENTICTON - The Penticton Hospitality Association plans to move forward with a positive attitude now that the lawsuit is over between the association and the city, but directors are not impressed with how the city dealt with the matter. In a press release, association directors said the city has been out to get them since...
Casino public hearing set for Aug. 19
KAMLOOPS - If you have questions or concerns about the proposed relocation of the downtown casino to Aberdeen, next week is your chance to make yourself heard. Council decided late last month the public and the company behind the proposed casino relocation should get a chance to speak before any decisions are made as to...
Vassilaki considering trading his council seat for mayor
PENTICTON - Local businessman and city councillor John Vassilaki plans to run for mayor in the upcoming municipal election this fall. Vassilaki says he is considering running for mayor and will make a public announcement at the end of the month. He will have some competition for the hot seat, as current Mayor Garry Litke...
City encourages residents to take WaterWise pledge
PENTICTON - Residents and visitors will get a chance to learn how they can make water work at next week’s farmers’ market. City officials and regional partners will be at the market on Saturday, August 17 encouraging residents to take a pledge to conserve their water use. There are six different types of pledges residents...
ARCHER: This one goes out to all the young people
Looking around the city council table, there are a lot of, how do I put this gently, wise faces, especially now that the youngest member, Wes Hopkin left for law school in Toronto. The 25-year-old councillor, who 22 when elected, brought a youthful spirit and fresh outlook to city governance. At his last council meeting...