Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

Recreation

MAP: Best spots for winter activities in Vernon

TOP PLACES FOR TOBOGGANING, SKATING, SKIING, SNOWSHOEING AND ICE FISHING LAID OUT ON A MAP VERNON - The winter playground of the North Okanagan awaits. The region might be known for its beaches, hiking trails and parks in the summertime, but it has just as much outdoor fun to offer in the colder months. Icy...

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...

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...

Things to do in the Okanagan before they close for the season

VERNON - So much to do, so little time. Mere weeks remain before a number of Okanagan attractions close down for the season — and that means you’ve got to get moving, or wait until next year. The Kalavida Surf Shop in Vernon closes its doors for the season on Oct. 4, although special arrangements...

Marina proposal on Sugar Lake has locals asking questions

CHERRYVILLE - Concerns are brewing around a marina proposal and what it will mean for Sugar Lake. Sugar Lake Developments Ltd. has applied to the province for permission to replace an existing wooden dock with a new 30-slip marina on Sugar Lake, just north of Cherryville. The proposal has some locals fearing impacts on the...

New Vernon sports track opens this Friday

VERNON - Locals will get their first chance to check out the new sports track by Okanagan College this week. A soft opening is set for this Friday, Aug. 28, for the Greater Vernon Athletics Park. Regional district staff and volunteers will be at the park from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. to welcome visitors...

Maintenance work to shut down Vernon pool

VERNON - Only a few more days are left to visit the Vernon pool before it shuts down for a month of maintenance work. The annual aquatic centre shutdown will start Monday, Aug. 24 and last until Sept. 21. This year’s closure will be an extra week long so recreation services can replace the flooring...

If floating the river in Enderby is on your summer bucket list, do it sooner than later

ENDERBY - Extremely low water levels could cut the summer tubing season short on the Shuswap River in Enderby. Madison Giesbrecht, program manager for the Shuswap River Ambassadors program, which monitors river conditions and provides information to user groups, says river levels are about a month ahead of schedule, and particularly low at that. “We...

Unusual bike cruises down Vernon train tracks

VERNON - At first glance, it looks like an ordinary bike. But there’s something different about this particular two-wheeler, that much is clear from three pole attachments jutting out horizontally from the bike. The odd contraption, spotted on the railroad by Kal Beach in Coldstream, is made to run along train tracks. What is it,...

Mixed views on proposed Shuswap River boating restrictions

VERNON - There’s been plenty of interest in proposed boating regulations on the Shuswap River, though it's still to early to tell which side of the debate the majority lands on. The North Okanagan Regional District has so far received 1,065 electronic surveys, plus 118 paper copies submitted in response to the proposed changes, which...

Vernon recreation fees going up

VERNON - Residents will notice new prices when they pay for recreation services, but a Vernon councillor insists the fee increase is a reasonable one. The cost for rentals, programs and recreation services is going up 2.6 per cent this year. Coun. Catherine Lord says the increase is needed to cover rising operational costs. “It’s...

Vernon man leaves legacy atop his beloved Middleton Mountain

VERNON - Many associate Middleton Mountain with the large housing subdivision that encircles it, but if you climb to the very top, you’ll find 90 acres of protected reserve land and one of the most spectacular panoramic views of Vernon. While developers were picking up land around Middleton Mountain around the 1980s, Roy Farnsworth, who...

Gymnastics society stretching for more room in Vernon

VERNON - A local gymnastics society is hoping a partnership with the city will lead to a bigger, better centre for Vernon youth in the next few years. The North Valley Gymnastics Society was founded in 1993 and for a long time ran its programs out of the Beairsto Elementary School gym. In 2004, issues...

Proposed Shuswap River boating restrictions meet stiff opposition from locals

“I CAN TELL YOU, BUSINESS OWNERS AND PROPERTY OWNERS ARE GOING TO GO OUT SCREAMING LIKE A LION” ENDERBY - Proposed boating restrictions on the Shuswap River face fierce opposition, says a local Grindrod resident and waterfront property owner. Sherri DeCorby has lived on the river for the last 10 years and uses it for...

New Okanagan disc golf course lands in Vernon

VERNON - You’ve got your putting and your driving Frisbees, your heavy ones and your sleek, thin ones, and now fans of the popular sport of disc golf — and curious newcomers — will have a scenic, and best of all, free, course in Vernon to fling them on. It’s all happening on a city-owned...

Distress call leads police, Vernon Search and Rescue to mountains outside Lumby

LUMBY - A pair of injured men were lucky to have a well-prepared outdoorsman come along after they crashed their ATV in a remote area outside Lumby. The men were riding a two-person, side-by-side ATV on a forest service road near Squaw Valley Road outside Lumby on Sunday, May 17, when they hit a rut...

Next steps for an Okanagan Rail Trail; public consultation, planning, and waiting

OKANAGAN - Money is no longer an issue for a group of Okanagan municipalities preparing to purchase an abandoned rail corridor, but it could still be some time — years even — before residents set foot on a community pathway.  With Saturday’s referendum resulting in a resounding yes vote to borrow $2.6-million for the District of...

Spring snow at Okanagan resorts leaves ski bums less bummed

OKANAGAN - It may have been a rainy week in the valley, but it was dumping snow at local ski hills. Silver Star Mountain in Vernon got close to 60 cm of new snow in the last week, blanketing alpine runs with a 209 centimetre base. As of Friday morning, all chair lifts except the...

Surprise construction costs blow new Vernon sports track budget

VERNON - Unexpected costs mean Vernon’s new sports track is more than three quarters of a million dollars over budget. But taxpayers shouldn’t worry about the $790,000 overrun, says Greater Vernon director Mike Macnabb. The extra funding is expected to be recovered through reserves and donations. “We have a very aggressive plan to get some...

More to Three Blind Mice than biking, but that’s important, too

PENTICTON - The city and region have 20/20 vision when it comes to seeing recreation opportunities in the Three Blind Mice area. City of Penticton Communications Officer Simone Blais said the city has identified the area, located at 1400 Riddle Road, as an area of potential for sport and recreational use. The Penticton and Area...