Safety

Why Silver Star Mountain won’t have Canadian Ski Patrollers this winter

VERNON - The volunteer agency that has been providing ski patrol service at Silver Star Mountain for the past 16 years will no longer be looking out for people on the hill. The resort is transitioning to a new service model that will replace volunteers from the Canadian Ski Patrol by adding four full-time, paid ski...

Vernon woman feels unsafe and fed up after repeated thefts from her car

“MY SENSE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY, THAT’S PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING THEY’VE TAKEN” VERNON - Pocket change, sunglasses, and credit cards are among the items stolen from Rhian Harrison’s car, but the Vernon resident says the biggest thing she’s lost over a series of thefts is her sense of safety and security. Since February, shortly...

North Okanagan neighbourhood begs for police presence on dangerous road

ARMSTRONG - After seeing police action taken on a stretch of road known for having a problem with speeders, people in other North Okanagan neighbourhoods are lining up for the same treatment. Mounties conducted a road check on Otter Lake Road May 19 after residents expressed concerns about people speeding to police and city council,...

Proposed regulations could see motorized boats disappear from the Shuswap River

SHUSWAP - Proposed regulations could mean the end for motorized boats on much of the Shuswap River.  The reasoning behind the proposal is environmental degradation and the safety of other river users, such as tubers, swimmers and kayakers, says the North Okanagan Regional District’s sustainability coordinator Anna Page.  The proposed regulations would ban motorized boats...

Stickle Road plan back to the drawing board

VERNON - A controversial plan to change the intersection of Stickle Road and Highway 97 has been shelved. Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster says the idea of eliminating lefthand turns from Stickle Road onto the highway has been thrown out, and the Province will come up with a new plan for improving the intersection.  “The Transportation...

Province revealing proposed upgrade for dangerous Vernon intersection

VERNON - Members of the public can get more information about proposed changes to a well-used road off Highway 97 on the Swan Lake auto mile tonight. Full details about the Ministry of Transportation’s plan for Stickle Road where it meets Highway 97 have so far been scarce, but government officials intend to unveil the...

Watch out for rattlesnakes; they’re out early in the Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Sunny weather has gotten many of us out from beneath our rocks looking for some rays, and we’re not the only ones in the animal world. Warm temperatures have brought rattlesnakes out earlier than normal in the Thompson-Okanagan, according to WildSafe B.C. spokesperson Frank Ritcey. “With the warm weather, the snakes will be...

Construction just around the corner for Vernon’s new Tim Hortons

VERNON - Construction on Vernon’s latest Tim Hortons is expected to start soon across from Beairtso Elementary School. Southborough Vernon Investments Ltd. director David Longpré says the company plans to break ground within the next month and complete the drive-through Tim Hortons and CO-OP Gas Bar by the end of the year. “There’s anticipations it...

What Vernon firefighters hope you do differently to prevent another tragedy

VERNON - Conditions at a fire scene this week gave crews flashbacks to conditions that killed an Enderby firefighter several years ago, and the Vernon Fire Department is now issuing a public warning in the hopes of preventing another tragedy. Crews responded to a dumpster fire around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, on 14 Avenue,...

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...

Enderby woman’s story highlights WorkSafe B.C. initiative

ENDERBY - It was supposed to be just a regular day out mending a fence on the family farm, but in a fraction of a moment a 21-year-old Enderby woman became entangled in machinery and her life was in the hands of a medical team at Kelowna General Hospital. In a media release this week,...

Thin ice warning for Vernon’s Swan lake

VERNON - Authorities are warning the public to stay safe around Swan Lake. With warming temperatures over the last week, the ice on the lake has thinned significantly. Police and Vernon Search and Rescue were told three people walking on the ice fell through, and that’s prompting some cautionary words. “This is very concerning as...

COSAR tips for back country travel

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – With the risk of avalanche slowly increasing over the last week in the regions surrounding the Thompson-Okanagan, Central Okanagan Search and Rescue have some tips to help keep you safe in the back country. Avalanche.ca reports the risk of avalanche to be “considerable” in the Kootenay Boundary and South and North Columbia regions....

‘Everything’s up to chance’ with Boonstock: RCMP

PENTICTON - Police continue to have serious concerns about a lack of security at Boonstock but are powerless to intervene. Add Penticton RCMP to the list of organizations kept in the dark about festival plans, now only three weeks away. Staff Sgt. Kurt Lozinski, the officer in charge of RCMP involvement in the festival, says...