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politics
Summer school will be picketed if no deal reached this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The teacher collective agreement will be discussed by both sides at a meeting today but the union president says teachers have agreed to strike through the summer if needed. “Mediation is the only way to bridge the gap between the two sides,” Jim Iker says. “(If no agreement is made) teachers will extend...
PenMar Society receives loan from city for theatre improvements
PENTICTON - The PenMar Community Arts Society was chosen by Council to receive city funds to help with the construction of the theatre’s extension. The society can receive a loan up to $125,000 from the City’s Amenity Fund for improvements made during construction of the PenMar Theatre’s addition. Different organizations submitted applicants to receive the...
Election 2014: Councillors could be chosen out of a hat
KAMLOOPS - Council members were fighting during Tuesday's meeting as if their seats are already on the line while discussing possible changes to the election bylaw for 2014. And the general election — when eight city councillors and a mayor will be chosen — is still almost five months away. Several changes were recommended by...
Council questions whether Boonstock is a good idea for the city
PENTICTON - The topic of Boonstock caused a bit of a stir during this week’s council meeting when one councillor said she does not support the event. During a discussion on issues arising from the Protective Services Advisory Committee, Coun. Katie Robinson said there was a lack of substance in the Boonstock plan. Whenever there...
UPDATE: Bridge upgrades approved
$9.42 M BORROWING BYLAW UP NEXT KAMLOOPS - The entire Overlanders Bridge deck is set to be resurfaced in 2015 and council has agreed to tag on a multi-million dollar attached sidewalk project as well. In January, council agreed to postpone the bridge construction in the hopes of saving funds by completing the two projects...
Council pay and expenses revealed
VERNON - Three out of seven Vernon councillors spent 88 per cent of the money given to council for expenses last year. According to a financial statement for 2013, council was reimbursed for a total of $13,356 in expenses — such as mileage and accommodation — related to the job. The three highest reimbursements were...
Recreation services getting more expensive
VERNON - It will cost more to take a dip, go for a skate and bounce a basketball at Vernon’s public recreation facilities this September. Prices for rentals, programs and services will rise by 2.6 per cent, even though the department’s costs are inflating by 5.6 per cent owing to wage and utility increases. The...
Vernon councillors backtrack on mixed martial arts ban
VERNON - Vernon councillors are backing down on a decision to ban mixed martial arts events. There’s concern the wording of the ban would prohibit youths from participating in competitions, which was not the initial intent. “We have many young kids that are involved in various martial arts, almost like gym classes they do downtown,”...
Group continues fight to save Stuart Wood
KAMLOOPS - It may be too little too late but a group of concerned citizens are not giving up their fight to save their downtown school. Denis Walsh, the chair of the Downtown and West End Residents Association, admits they were a bit slow out of the gate but based on previous changes within the...
STAHN: Who the strike is really hurting
‘This is not the way I wanted it to end.’ It’s a line I heard over and over again during the teacher strike. It’s applicable to both retiring teachers and the students who saw their school year end with less than 24 hours notice. Many of the students, abruptly told last Thursday would be their...
More savings for city in road rehabilitation
KAMLOOPS - Another road project ready to start, another $1 million in savings for the city. The lone bid for the rehabilitation of Windbreak Street came in at just under $2.3 million, well below the $3.3 million put aside in the 2014 budget for the project. It was originally thought the project just needed some...
Kelowna chamber to press government on Okanagan corridor
VERNON - Another force is joining the fight to preserve the railway between Vernon and Kelowna for public use. The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce has passed a motion to encourage federal, provincial and municipal governments to preserve the railway in a way that benefits the Okanagan. “The concept of a public access use of the...
Regional district payroll disclosed
VERNON - Around half the staff at the Regional District of North Okanagan are taking home at least $75,000 a year. According to this year’s mandatory statement of financial information, 34 employees earned more than $75,000 in 2013, up from 24 employees in 2012. David Sewell, the district’s chief financial officer, says the jump comes...
Teachers and government ‘not even close’ to a deal
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — There is still a major gap between the teachers' union and the government when it comes to a new collective agreement and the education minister says as it sits the union’s proposal simply is not affordable. “We are not even close to where we need to be to get a negotiated agreement,” Peter...
Council faces off: Is Stuart Wood more important because it is downtown?
KAMLOOPS - More than an hour was spent discussing the merits of keeping Stuart Wood as an elementary school and whether the city should step in to provide ‘support’ to the school district in making the decision. “Where was this passion for John Tod last term?” Mayor Peter Milobar said, “Was it because it was...
Teachers unpaid during strike
FUND HAS BEEN EXHAUSTED THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With salaries cut back during the strike and a fund normally used to cover teachers during strike action exhausted, local teacher associations are now setting up hardship funds for those needing help. “There is a slight fund but it’s exhausted. It’s the same fund we used to fight class...
Boonstock attendees seek accommodation on classified sites
PENTICTON - Thousands of people have purchased tickets for Boonstock music festival this August long weekend; some are camping, some are staying in hotels or with friends and family. But what about the people travelling from out of town looking for another option? People have been posting “wanted” ads to classified sites like kijiji.ca hoping...
Now’s your chance to learn about Boonstock
PENTICTON - Boonstock is less than two months away and if you still have unanswered questions about the festival, here is your chance to talk face-to-face with organizers. A public information session will take place July 8, 2014 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Wine Country visitor’s centre. Organizers, including Barb Haynes, will...
What the strike means for Kamloops students
KAMLOOPS - We know there is no school while teachers engage in a full strike but what does that mean for report cards, year end dances and items the could not be cleared out of desks and lockers in time? Grade 10-12 students will complete exams as scheduled beginning tomorrow but only Grade 12 students...
Government responds to BCTF accusations with proposal details
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — The teacher’s union had its turn this morning to voice displeasure with the government but this afternoon the government put exact details of proposals by both parties up for inspection. B.C. Teacher’s Federation President Jim Iker said this morning the union tabled a ‘fair, reasonable and balanced’ proposal and said it was ignored for...
No deal reached over weekend, teacher strike imminent
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Though the teachers union presented a revised list of demands to the provincial bargaining group over the weekend, a deal was not reached and the union is prepared to wage a full scale strike starting tomorrow. However, there is still hope on both sides that a deal can be reached before the end...
City could see savings on Tranquille upgrades
KAMLOOPS — New sidewalks, a roundabout and even a lookout point are all in the plans for Tranquille Road near the airport and with the help of Kinder Morgan the effort to beautify one of the main gateways into our city could move forward a lot more quickly. The project, from Desmond Street to the...
Celebrate a revitalized downtown at the city’s block party
PENTICTON - The City is hosting a block party next week to celebrate the newly revitalized Westminster-Martin western gateway. Revitalization of the 200 block of Martin Street between Westminster Avenue and Nanaimo Avenue was the first phase of the City’s Downtown revitalization plan. Construction began in late February and finished at the end of May,...
Chamber of Commerce on board for an Okanagan rail trail
VERNON – The push for an Okanagan rail trail is picking up steam. The Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce has joined the movement to preserve the rail bed between Vernon and Kelowna as a recreational corridor. The chamber unanimously passed a motion to call on all levels of government to take a leadership role in...