politics
NEW VERNON WELCOME SIGNS: ‘We’ve been waiting for you’
VERNON - They’re supposed to be inviting, but the signs that welcome travellers into Vernon are looking a little worse for wear and no one is sure exaclty who is reponsible for the upkeep of those signs. Installed at each of the three main gateways to the city the 'Welcome to Greater Vernon' signs greet...
Rail corridor in doubt as Okanagan Indian Band takes land claim to court
VERNON - The Okanagan Indian Band is filing a notice of claim in B.C. Supreme Court, asserting aboriginal title to a portion of the discontinued CN rail corridor between Lake Country and Vernon. It’s part of the same rail corridor local municipalities are working towards purchasing for conversion into a trail, but Okanagan Indian Band...
History of the Okanagan Commonage Reserve
VERNON - With the impending sale of the discontinued rail corridor between Vernon and Kelowna, the Okanagan Indian band has revived a historic land claim on a large tract of land known as the Commonage Reserve. Formed in 1877 by the Joint Indian Reserve Commission (established by the governments of Canada and B.C. to create...
Doubt cast over 2015 season of Vernon’s Avenue Market
VERNON - There’s concern that a Vernon market designed to attract people to the downtown core is actually having a negative affect on some merchants. The summertime Avenue Market, which is coming into its second year, invites vendors to set up on 30 Avenue on Friday evenings. When it started, the hope was that it...
Citizens call for drastic changes to Greater Vernon Water
VERNON - A citizens group is calling on local politicians to overhaul plans for Greater Vernon’s water supply, including the cost to residents. Citizens for Changes to the Master Water Plan made their case to Vernon City Council Monday afternoon, asking for support in taking a “fresh new look” at the plan. Spokesperson Eric Jackson...
Vernon parents left frustrated with City Hall over student safety
VERNON - Vernon parents are disappointed local government isn’t planning to do more to make the roads around Beairsto School safer as a drive-through Tim Hortons is built across the street. Out of 11 traffic safety recommendations made by the Beairsto Parent Advisory Council — such as widening sidewalks, reducing the speed limit on 27...
Vernon joins Canada-wide rallies against Bill C-51
VERNON - Vernon residents will protest a controversial piece of government legislation at a rally Saturday afternoon. The focus of the protest is Bill C-51, the federal government’s Anti-terrorism Act. The proposed legislation would allow federal authorities to investigate terrorism by accessing the public’s private information, and sharing that information among intelligence and law enforcement...
Overlanders Bridge update moving forward
KAMLOOPS - The city is moving forward on the $9.3 million in repairs needed for the Overlanders Bridge deck and sidewalk, work set to take place in 2015. Originally the project was set to fix the bridge deck at an estimated cost of $6.12 million but early this year staff asked councillors to hold off...
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...
Province questions Kinder Morgan
KAMLOOPS — Kinder Morgan has not been providing sufficient information about how it plans to mitigate concerns in Kamloops and elsewhere and the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office is not pleased. The province submitted more than 70 information requests, specific to spill response, prevention and recovery systems as part of the National Energy Board’s review of...
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...
Penticton municipal candidates spent more than $100,000 on campaigns
PENTICTON - It cost an average $4,526.34 to try to get elected to Penticton City Council during last year’s November municipal election. The six successful candidates spent a total of $27,158.09 to get elected. That compares to an average expenditure of $2,322.21 spent by all of the 25 council candidates that tossed their hat into...
Mayor’s race was close from a budget point of view
PENTICTON - The contest for the Mayor’s chair in last November’s Penticton municipal election proved to be a closer spending race for two of the candidates than the results at the ballot box. The province recently released financial disclosure statements for the November municipal elections. In Penticton, winning candidate Andrew Jakubeit’s campaign cost $21,888, while...
Regional board grant will assess public appetite for conservation fund
PENTICTON - The South Okanagan Similkameen conservation program manager approached the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen board of directors Thursday, seeking $65,000 to investigate the development of a conservation fund for the regional district. Bryn White described a regional district conservation fund as “a dedicated source of funding for organizations to work together to conserve in...
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...