politics
Residents make formal complaint about beach-going nudists
PENTICTON - A formal complaint has been made to RCMP about nudists at Three Mile Beach making other beach goers uncomfortable. A group of people who live near the beach brought their complaints to Mayor Garry Litke Tuesday who passed them on again to Supt. Kevin Hewco. “Local residents are feeling intimidated about using the...
Penticton considering spreading advanced polling stations around city
PENTICTON - Voters may get more options as to where they can cast their ballots in the upcoming municipal election. Staff recommended council consider changing locations for one of two days of early voting, to better accommodate people living on the south side of town. Ballots have previously been cast at advanced polling stations set...
Councillor wants city to be more transparent about expenses
PENTICTON - Coun. Helena Konanz is looking to make the city more transparent by publicly posting councillor expenses more than once a year. It will be easier to answer questions from media and public about expenses on a more regular basis, rather than having to refer to notes from conferences attended over a year earlier,...
Penticton gets to decide how latest provincial grants will be spent
PENTICTON - New funds are rolling into the City’s bank account from a provincial fund and Penticton gets to choose how it will be distributed within the community. More than $423,000 will be given to the City and surrounding area — just a portion of the $74 million of Strategic Community Investment Fund money being...
$45K temporary tax office a ‘failure’
KAMLOOPS — One of the councillors who spoke out against spending $45,000 on a temporary tax office says the pilot project was a 'failed experiment' after only about 2,600 people used the alternative office. About a quarter of city property owners still pay in person instead of online but only seven per cent of property...
City salaries remain steady
KAMLOOPS - With the number of city employees making more than $100,000 remaining steady at 62 and the amount spent on salaries only increasing by two per cent there wasn’t a lot of surprises in the financial statements this year. In total the city paid out nearly $54 million in salaries in 2013, up $1.17...
ARCHER: Hey Boonstock, just tell us what’s going on
Hey kids! Boonstock is only three weeks away! Nothing but fun and sun and music and culture and stuff! It’s all good all the time! Just please don’t look behind the curtain. I know I’ll be accused of being the grumpy old parent shushing the teenagers on their three-day sleepover, but I wish I didn’t...
VIDEO: ‘Our Voice Our Teachers’
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Two independent film makers under the name TNT Creation have joined the political battle in support of teachers this week with a video showcasing why and how Kamloops residents support B.C. teachers. The video, shot over two days, features Timo Sargent in front of the camera and Tim Unaegbu behind it. In a...
Local school board putting pressure on both sides in teachers strike to settle
PENTICTON - The local school board is writing to provincial education officials urging them to come to a settlement agreement. The board held a special meeting this morning to discuss what information trustees want included in the letter to be sent to the Ministry of Education and the B.C. Teachers’ Federation. The idea of a...
ARCHER: Trustees take a stand for students
If you’ve been following the teachers’ strike over the past few weeks, you know negotiations between the provincial government and teachers' federation have not been going… at all, really. We all feel helpless waiting for them to figure it out but think of school board trustees who are used to having some power and control...
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...
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...
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,”...
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...