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.

Shuswap

ELECTION 2015: Voting basics in the North Okanagan-Shuswap

VERNON - Before you head to the polls this October, you’re going to want to know who your candidates are, where to vote, and what you need to bring with you. We’ve got you covered. Consider this your North Okanagan-Shuswap voter’s kit. We’ll introduce you to your candidates, fill you in on advance polling, and...

Crash near Salmon Arm sends three to hospital

SALMON ARM - A two vehicle crash west of Salmon Arm Thursday afternoon shut down the highway for several hours and sent three people to hospital. The collision happened on Highway 1 about 14 kilometres west of Salmon Arm near Kault Hill. The driver of a car parked facing west on the shoulder attempted a...

ELECTION 2015: Mel Arnold vows to keep the North Okanagan-Shuswap strongly Conservative

VERNON - A big buzzword in the 2015 federal election is ‘change’ but if you’re looking for a politician who will keep the North Okanagan-Shuswap riding on the Conservative course, candidate Mel Arnold is your ticket. A local businessman, Arnold was born and raised on a dairy farm in Notch Hill, a small community near...

Stolen truck leads Mounties to large Shuswap drug operation

SHUSWAP - Police busted a massive drug trafficking operation in the Shuswap over the weekend, all thanks to a stolen truck that led them straight to it. Salmon Arm RCMP received a report of a stolen F350 with a camper on it Saturday, Aug. 29, and soon got wind of a truck matching the description...

Chase RCMP investigating thefts, mischief

CHASE - A generator, utility trailer and a truck were stolen in three different thefts in the last week of August and Chase RCMP are hoping the public can help. On Aug. 22, a new $3,000 red Honda EU 3000 generator was stolen from a campsite at Silver Beach in Seymour Arm. A few days...

ELECTION 2015: Getting to know Jacqui Gingras, North Okanagan-Shuswap NDP candidate

VERNON - For North Okanagan-Shuswap NDP candidate Jacqui Gingras, running in the 2015 federal election has been four years in the making. The longtime Okanagan resident committed herself to the task shortly after NDP leader Jack Layton died in 2011. Inspired by his call for all Canadians to consider serving their communities, Gingras stepped up....

ELECTION 2015: Why North Okanagan-Shuswap candidate Cindy Derkaz wants to earn your vote

VERNON - You might know her from her days working at Derkaz Shoes, her parent’s shop, or from her involvement in organizations like the Shuswap Community Foundation or Shuswap Trail Alliance. And now, Cindy Derkaz is introducing herself in a new capacity, as the Liberal party candidate for the North-Okanagan Shuswap riding. Derkaz grew up...

VIDEO: A bird’s eye view of the Shuswap

SHUSWAP - If you thought the Shuswap was beautiful from the ground, you won’t believe how it looks from the air. A video by Deep Rooted Media called called Soarin’ Over the Shuswap offers sweeping views of the region’s lakes, mountains and farms, all in gloriously vivid colours. Captured with a drone, the video gives viewers...

Mark your calendars: North Okanagan-Shuswap all candidates forum happening next month

VERNON - North Okanagan and Shuswap residents will get a chance to learn more about their federal election candidates at an upcoming forum. It’s still a month away, leaving ample time to mark the free event on your calendar. Local candidates in the federal election will state their platforms and take questions in written form...

Man dies after jumping off houseboat in the Shuswap

SICAMOUS - The body of a 24-year-old who jumped off a houseboat yesterday and did not resurface has been recovered. Sicamous RCMP say the Saskatchewan man jumped off a houseboat into the water of Mara Lake yesterday, Aug. 4, and did not resurface. The RCMP dive team and Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue team...

Police asking for tips to find Salmon Arm bank robber

SALMON ARM - RCMP are on the lookout for a suspect after a bank robbery in Salmon Arm last week. Last Monday, July 27, a person wearing a black balaclava, a long-sleeved black shirt and dark jeans entered a downtown bank around 4:15 p.m., allegedly with a sawed off shotgun. The suspect demanded cash and...

Fishing suspended along Middle Shuswap River

VERNON - Another body of water has been closed to fishing due to ongoing drought conditions in Southern B.C. Warm water temperatures and a low flow rate are two reasons why the provincial and federal governments decided to suspend angling in Middle Shuswap River from Mabel Lake to Shuswap Falls. The suspension will last from...

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...

UPDATE: Coroner identifies victim in Shuswap house boat accident

SICAMOUS - A young Alberta woman died in a house boat accident last Friday. The accident happened on Shuswap Lake near the Cinnemousun Narrows about 15 km north of Sicamous Friday, July 10. Andrea Mary Jacura, 22, of Edmonton, Alberta died Friday while swimming in Shuswap Lake in B.C.'s Southern Interior. The woman was behind...

Smoky skies advisory issued for entire Thompson-Okanagan region

THOMPSON OKANAGAN – If the visible smoke in the sky wasn't enough to warn you, a smoky skies advisory has now been issued for a large portion of the Southern Interior. The Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Interior Health Authority, has issued a smoky skies advisory for the Thompson, Shuswap, Nicola, Fraser Canyon,...

UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm warnings back in effect for B.C. Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you haven't experienced major rain or thunder and lightning, your turn is likely coming. Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch on and off for most of the region today, June 30. At 5:35 p.m., Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the North Okanagan, including Vernon. The storm has...

Six-year-old Shuswap student’s letter about friendship will melt your heart

SHUSWAP - Here is your dose of adorable for the day. Hillcrest Elementary School student Brody S. wants to create Friendship Day, and he’s looking for support from Salmon Arm City Hall, specifically the mayor herself. In what must have been the best letter the mayor received that day, six-year-old Brody S. outlines his vision...

UPDATE: Southern Interior severe thunderstorm watch expanded

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Environment Canada has expanded its severe thunderstorm watch to include the South Thompson, North Thompson and Nicola regions, including the city of Kamloops. The original watch issued early this morning, May 24, covered the Okanagan, Shuswap and Boundary regions, including Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon and Salmon Arm. Forecasters say conditions are favourable for the...

UPDATE: Power restored for over 2,000 in Shuswap

SHUSWAP – Equipment failure is being blamed for a power outage in the Shuswap which impacted over 2,000 B.C. Hydro customers for two hours this morning. The power was back on at about 10:15 a.m., May 17, according to the B.C. Hydro website. The lights went out at about 8:19 a.m. in an area west...

North Okanagan-Shuswap budget cuts ‘gut-wrenching’

NORTH OKANAGAN - Literacy programs, grief counselling and class sizes are all taking a hit next year in what the North Okanagan-Shuswap school board chair calls some ‘gut-wrenching’ decisions to balance next year’s budget. The school board approved two pages of reductions totalling $1.7 million at its board meeting Tuesday, May 12. "We have tried...

Shuswap school closure decision difficult for school district

SALMON ARM - The closure of a rural Salmon Arm elementary school has been avoided, at least for one more year. Faced with the decision of whether or not to close Silver Creek Elementary a majority of trustees voted to keep the school open for another year while exploring the feasibility of introducing a Montessori...