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Kelowna  

Lime launches new parking wardens to reward responsible parking

New Lime parking patrol

As the warm temperatures continue across the Okanagan, you're likely to see more Lime scooters on the streets in the coming weeks.

On Monday, Lime launched a new initiative to help improve Lime scooter parking around Kelowna, especially downtown.

New "Lime Wardens" will be offering incentives to those who park their e-scooters and e-bikes properly as they work to improve the shared micromobility experience.

“Lime promised Kelowna we would build on the success we’ve had in previous years with real, tangible differences and we’re working hard to deliver right out of the gate in 2024," says Sonia Kandola, Lime director of government relations.

The Lime Wardens have been tasked with trying to improve rider behaviour by offering free rides and gift cards. The program comes on the heels of several changes for the 2024 season.

"Our mandatory parking zones and early morning maintenance and rebalancing hours are already marking a difference and now we’re getting creative to try and incentivize riders as well. Our Parking Wardens program has been successful in global cities like London and Melbourne and we’re excited to bring it here to Kelowna," said Kandola.

"We look forward to handing out these awards and to continued results from our efforts to promote safe riding, proper parking, and keeping the Kelowna streets we know and love clutter free."

Participating riders who qualify by parking properly will receive a free 5-minute ride, and two lucky winners will receive $75 gift cards to partner restaurants.

Lime has also included mandatory parking zones in downtown Kelowna which now require riders to leave their vehicles near digital parking pins visible in the Lime app. The changes are designed to reduce clutter and keep streets safer.

Kandola says Lime will also spend time on the maintenance and rebalancing of vehicles in the early mornings which she says has already helped reduce clutter from the beginning of the day onwards.



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Large power outage in Rutland restored

Power outage restored

UPDATE 5:15 p.m.

FortisBC says power has been fully restored to the Rutland neighbourhood.


UPDATE 4:25 p.m.

Power has now been restored to another 2,500 homes and businesses in Rutland.

Electricity remains out to another 2,500 properties with not estimated time of restoration.


UPDATE 3:55 p.m.

A large power outage in the Rutland area has been partially restored.

FortisBC says electricity was restored to 2,000 homes at 3:35 p.m.

Another 5,000 homes and businesses remain in the dark. 2,500 properties in southwest Rutland should have power restored by shortly after 5 p.m., said the utility.

There is no estimated time of restoration for the third block of 2,500 homes without power.


ORIGINAL 2:55 p.m.

More than 7,000 homes and businesses are in the dark amid a large power outage in Rutland.

FortisBC is reporting the outage started at 2:48 p.m., impacting most of Rutland roughly south of Hartman Road. The outage area stretches as far west as the Walmart on Banks Road and south into Belgo.

The cause of the outage is not known at this time. There is no estimated time of power restoration.



Former Kelowna city councillor Marion Bremner loses battle to ALS

Bremner loses ALS battle

The City of Kelowna has lost one of the true pillars of the community.

Marion Bremner, former Chamber of Commerce business leader of the year and city councillor who spent nearly half a century championing various charitable causes, has passed away.

Bremner died recently after a two-year battle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

She was diagnosed with the disease in 2022, the day after receiving the business leader of the year honour.

"Marion dedicated her life to serving others and gave generously of her time and abilities to the community," her obituary stated.

Bremner moved to Kelowna in 1974 and almost immediately began serving the community.

She became the first female director of the Chamber of Commerce and, in 1985, its first female president.

Bremner helped establish the Kelowna chapter of Habitat for Humanity and ran and managed Kelowna Meals on Wheels from 2000 until 2022.

She ran for mayor in 1984, losing by just 232 votes but was successful in a run for city council four years later where she served for 11 years.

Bremner also worked in real estate, focusing on helping first-time homeowners achieve their dreams.

For all her charitable work, Bremner was named a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Award for community service in 2012.

In one last act of service before she passed, she volunteered to donate her brain and spinal cord to further ALS research.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Kelowna Meals on Wheels or the ALS Society of BC.

A celebration of life will be held Saturday, March 23 at Willow Park Church beginning at 1 p.m.





Kelowna RCMP say incident at Queensway bus stop was a stabbing

Police confirm stabbing

Kelowna RCMP say Saturday night's incident by the Queensway bus loop was a stabbing.

The incident happened just before 10 p.m. on March 16.

Releasing a few more details Monday, police say the victim was a man.

"RCMP responded to the Queensway bus loop area, where a male was allegedly assaulted with a knife, sustaining a minor injury as a result," said Cpl. Michael Gauthier.

Officers are still looking at CCTV footage and speaking with witnesses to determine what happened.

Police say no arrests have been made, and the matter is still under investigation.



Uncorroborated weapons call sparked police response Sunday in Kelowna

Report of gun drew police

A large police response near Enterprise Way and Highway 33 in Kelowna on Sunday was due to a firearms call that police have been unable to substantiate.

A statement from the Kelowna RCMP says they were called on March 17 at 12:49 p.m. to the 1500 block of Highway 33 for a report of a possible altercation involving a firearm.

“Several units attended and followed up with the caller who couldn’t corroborate what transpired, not having actually witnessed an altercation nor a firearm,” said Cpl. Michael Gauthier.

“It’s unclear at this time why this information was reported to the police.”

RCMP say a person in the area at the time of police arrival, who matched the description provided by the caller, ran away across Highway 97 and was never located.

“At this time, it is uncertain of their involvement, if any,” Gauthier said.

The incident resulted in the closure of Enterprise Way Sunday afternoon.

No other details were released.



Kelowna Fan Experience back with cosplay and fun for all

KFX back for 11th year

If you're looking for something to help keep you busy during spring break you're encouraged to check out the KFX Pop Culture Festival in Kelowna.

KFX celebrates its 11th festival from March 22-24 at Kelowna's Cultural District and the Innovation Centre.

“We can’t wait to celebrate Kelowna’s first and oldest pop culture event, this year returning to our favourite locations at the Black Box Theatre. Okanagan Regional Library with our new location at Kelowna Innovation Centre," says artistic director Bonnie Gratz.

The Kelowna Fan Experience features a mix of performance, film, cosplay, animation, art, gaming, comics, and horror.

Local and international celebrity guests like young Hollywood Marvel movie star Jett Klyne, will be at the event to share their experiences. The event also features movie/anime screenings, live D&D and magic shows featuring Leif David.

The event kicks off Friday with a video game trivia contest and screening of Super Mario Bros. at the Kelowna Innovation Centre. Snow White and Captain America are expected to make appearances at the weekend-long event.

The Saturday cosplay contest encourages kids, families and even professionals to get dressed up as their favourite characters and is always one of the highlights of the weekend.

For more information or to purchase tickets click here.



Preparations underway for prescribed burn east of Kelowna

Ready for prescribed burn

Preparations are underway for a prescribed burn in the McCulloch area, east of Kelowna.

The burn is being managed by the BC Wildfire Service and Westbank First Nation as a multi-year project.

“This phase of the burn is part of a larger ongoing project that covers 86 hectares. The target area for this year’s burn will be approximately 40 hectares. The project is expected to continue through next week, as site conditions permit,” BCWS said on Facebook.

“Westbank First Nation and the BC Wildfire Service will carefully control and continuously monitor the burn throughout the project. Smoke may be visible from Kelowna, West Kelowna and possibly Lake Country,” BCWS continued.



Ellison residents launch petition, call community meeting over effluent from packing plant

Rallying against fruit plant

People who live near a fruit packing plant on the outskirts of Kelowna have launched a petition to get more done to stop effluent being released from the property.

A community meeting has also been called for Tuesday night to discuss how Ellison residents can intervene in an application by Sandher Fruit Packers that is currently before the Ministry of Environment. It would allow the company to continue to discharge waste from the fruit washing and packing process.

“The citizens of Ellison are appalled at this application, especially given Sandher’s long history of failing to obtain proper permitting or comply with Ministry of Environment (MOE) regulations, and the fact that the water being discharged smells distinctly of sewage – presumably someone at the MOE is in the process of independently verifying the composition of the water being discharged,” wrote Alexandra Wright in an email announcing the upcoming meeting. She owns Sweet Cherry Stables on Old Vernon Road, just down the road from Sandher’s.

She is disappointed the Regional District of Central Okanagan hasn’t done more to advocate on behalf of residents.

“They’re a stakeholder in this too, obviously, and according to the MOE guidance it says the municipality will be consulted along with residents, and whatever else. But nobody seems to have been consulted and RDCO basically washed their hands and said it wasn’t their problem,” said Wright.

The petition that was launched on Change.org on March 13, 2024 has more than 400 signatures. It calls on the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy to reject Sandher’s application, claiming the effluent flows onto arable farmland. The petition also claims the discharge seeps over land that contains “pristine aquifers” that provide drinking water.

Last month, a resident shared a video with Castanet showing water bubbling out of a drain on the packing plant and then flowing into a nearby ditch.

The packing plant has had several non-compliance orders and was fined in 2022 for discharging wastewater from an unauthorized septic system and disposal field. The plant was again inspected in early January 2024 following a complaint. At that time, an environmental protection officer recommended another fine be levied.

A Sandher’s employee said in February that the effluent is water used to wash and float apples in the packing process. He said work is currently underway to fix the problem with the plant's septic field.

Wright has invited her neighbours to Tuesday night’s meeting, along with representatives from the RDCO, City of Kelowna, MLA Norm Letnick and MP Tracy Gray.

“I encourage each of you to attend tomorrow night so that you can hear the concerns of local citizens. I also point you to this petition, which shows that the residents of Ellison are extremely upset over this situation, and refuse to have their lands treated like a sewer," she wrote in her open letter to local politicians.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on March 19, at 2570 Old Vernon Road.

Contributed


More temperature records fall across Thompson-Okanagan

More records smashed

Madison Reeve

UPDATE 10:10 a.m.

Dozens of temperature records were set across B.C. on Sunday.

According to Environment Canada, daily heat records were broken in 38 communities across the province.

Kelowna hit a record of 18.9°C on Sunday, smashing the old record of 16.1°C set back in 1914.

Merritt hit a new record of 23.2°C, beating its old record of 19.4°C set in 1972.

Osoyoos climbed to 22.2°C, beating the old record set in 1972 by two degrees.

Summerland's old record of 16.1°C set back in 1907 was smashed on Sunday, hitting a high of 17.5°C.

Vernon reached a new record of 19.3°C, beating its old record by one degree set in 1914.

Penticton and Kamloops did not set new records on Sunday.


ORIGINAL: 4 a.m.

It's going to be another warm few days this week across the Thompson Okanagan.

Environment Canada meteorologist Nan Lu says more temperature records are likely to fall on Monday across the region.

"Through Monday and Tuesday, we are still in this dry and warm air mass, and temperatures could potentially break more daily records. Starting Wednesday, we have a colder air mass coming down from the north and a lower-pressure system moving into the Interior."

"The temperature will return to the seasonal norms," Lu added.

Monday is expected to see a high of 20°C with sunshine all day.

More sun is expected on Tuesday with a high of 20°C.

Wednesday will cool off to 14°C with a 30 per cent chance of showers.

Thursday will be the coolest day of the week with a high of 7°C and a chance of rain.

Friday and Saturday are both expected to be wet with a 40 per cent chance of showers and a high of 9°C.

A reminder to send us your photos to [email protected] to be featured in our gallery.



Teens stranded while hiking Black Mountain rescued by COSAR

COSAR rescues teens

They did the right thing and stayed put.

Central Okanagan Search and Rescue is commending a pair of teenagers for making the right decision after they got lost in Black Mountain Regional Park over the weekend.

The Kelowna RCMP called in COSAR to help find the two. The teens had set out for a hike in the late afternoon on Saturday, but became disoriented as they attempted to return home in the dark.

“When they realized they were in trouble they did the correct thing to call for help and stop moving,” wrote COSAR in a social media post.

Staying put helped make the rescue a “text book operation”. The RCMP pinged their phones and gave searchers the approximate location. The E-bike team was able to find the pair where they had gotten stuck on a steep slope.

The teens were helped down and returned to the command post, where they were reunited with family. Both were unhurt but a little cold.




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