(L to R): Trevor Jones, Stephanie Oliver, Julie Pringle, Dr. Lauren Tomkins, Rod Aubichon, Roberta Fidalgo, Amber Hall, Tina Bisson, Bryan Fitzpatrick and James McCormick.
Bryan Fitzpatrick will continue as Greater Westside Board of Trade president.
The chamber, which represents West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation, held its annual general meeting last week, and elected its board of directors for the next year.
Fitzpatrick, who is a partner at Pushor Mitchell LLP, will lead the group for a second straight year.
“I am truly honoured to continue on in the role of president at the Greater Westside Board of Trade,” Fitzpatrick said in a press release. “With a focus on collaboration, innovation and community development, I look forward to working alongside our dedicated board of directors to build upon the strong foundation already in place.
“Together we will advocate for the interests of our diverse business community, driving prosperity and resilience across the Greater Westside.”
The rest of the executive remains the same for a second straight year. It features Snap Commercial Photography’s Julie Pringle as vice-president, Beaton Rettich Water Advisory’s Scott Beaton as treasurer, and Manchester Signs & Printing’s Tina Bisson as secretary. Amber Hall is past president, Heather Robinson is the executive director, and Rod Aubichon is a board appointee from Kelowna Metis Association and Terracom Systems.
The rest of the board consists of Roberta Fidalgo (YET Human Resources & Coaching), Trevor Jones (Il Mercato Social Kitchen & The Landing Kitchen + Bar), James McCormick (SH Financial), Rebecca Myers (COBS Bread), Stephanie Oliver (Porrelli Law), Dr. Lauren Tomkins (West Kelowna Integrative Health Centre) and John Whitehead (John K. Whitehead and Associates).
Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press - Nov 29, 2024 / 9:40 am | Story: 520097
Photo: The Canadian Press
The McDougall Creek wildfire burns on the mountainside above lakefront homes in West Kelowna, B.C., on Aug. 18, 2023.
A study into the devastating wildfires that struck British Columbia's Okanagan region in 2023 has recommended that government and industry limit development in high-fire-risk areas.
The study, conducted by non-profit FP Innovations on the request of the BC FireSmart Committee and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, looked into the 2023 Grouse Complex of wildfires that included the McDougall Creek blaze.
The fires set more than 300 buildings ablaze, forced more than 30,000 people to flee and caused about $480 million in insured losses.
The case study found that embers and not direct contact with advancing flames were "almost exclusively" responsible for helping wildfires move into neighbourhoods.
The report also found that the presence of flammable materials within 10 metres of structures played a crucial role in whether it survived the wildfires.
Photo: FP Innovations
The study's recommendations included limiting development, increasing zoning bylaw setbacks for structures in heavily forested areas, and improving landscaping and fencing regulations to "establish non-combustible zones around structures."
"Directing new urban development, be it residential, commercial, or industrial, towards existing urban centres and community hubs can reduce urban sprawl and minimize the creation of isolated, vulnerable developments in rural areas," the report says.
"By considering and adopting these pathways, jurisdictions can significantly enhance their community’s resilience to wildfires."
Other recommendations include looking into fire-resistant material, enhancing regulation enforcement in Wildfire Development Permit Areas, and for residents to better manage combustible items and vegetation on property.
A West Kelowna gym is suing their former landlords after they were kicked out of their location this past summer.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Iron Energy Fitness Centre, which is now run as Aesthetic Nation, claims their former landlord, National Storage and Warehousing Inc., wrongfully terminated their lease this past July, and then made defamatory statements to the gym's clients.
The gym, then named Gravity Fitness Centre, entered into a lease agreement with National Storage's owner Daniel Faye in January 2021, leasing 13,235 square feet of space at 104-2476 Westlake Road.
The lease was set to run through to January 2026, with monthly rent starting at $14,337 for the first year, rising over the term of the lease.
On July 20, 2024, Iron Energy received a letter from their landlord, demanding a payment of $72,904.46 for alleged “rental arrears and additional rent payments.”
But in the recently filed lawsuit, the gym says the money owed related to "structural damage to the premises" and not to missed rental payments. While the gym doesn't dispute the damage, or disclose what the damage was, they say their lease stipulates the landlord was required to provide them with a notice of termination of the lease within 30 days of the damage occurring, but failed to do so.
They also claim they should have been given 15 days to pay any outstanding debt, but National Storage only gave them two days to pay up, before they changed the locks and kicked Iron Energy out of the space.
As a result, Iron Energy were forced to move their equipment from the space, pay for storage for the equipment and negotiate a new lease at a new location. They say they were also forced to delay their rebranding to Aesthetic Nation due to hardships in moving customers and revenue from Iron Energy to Aesthetic Nation after the termination of their lease.
The gym claims in their suit that they've been “unable to re-open for business to date.”
But the gym told Castanet back in August that they planned to open at their new location, the former Urban Distillery location, on Sept. 1 and there's no indication on their website or social media that they are currently closed.
According to a Nov. 18 social media post, Aesthetic Nation reopened about a week prior.
In addition to the claim that their lease was wrongfully terminated, the gym says the owner of National Storage, Daniel Faye and his wife Tina-Marie attended the gym on July 25 and for several days afterwards and “made numerous false and defamatory statements about Iron Energy to Iron Energy’s customers.”
These alleged defamatory statements included that the gym had failed to pay its rent, saying “[Iron Energy] does not know how to pay their bills.”
The suit claims the Fayes' defamatory comments continued until the gym's lawyer sent them a cease-and-desist letter.
None of the lawsuit's claims have been proven in court. The defendants in the suit have yet to file a formal response.
Before rebranding to Aesthetic Nation, Iron Energy gym defied public health orders in early 2022, refusing to close during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rob Gibson - Nov 28, 2024 / 7:00 pm | Story: 520004
Photo: Wilson's Landing Fire Department
Firefighters from Wilson's Landing will be collecting donations for their 2024 Santa Run next week.
Wilson’s Landing firefighters, along with Santa will be coming to your neighbourhood on Westside Road, Tuesday, Dec. 3 after 6:30 p.m.
Firefighters will collect donations from the community on Westside Road from Trader’s Cove to Shelter Bay for the Central Okanagan Food Bank in West Kelowna next Tuesday.
Anyone who can't meet in person but still wants to contribute can leave donations on their porch, just leave the light on.
Most needed items include:
Canned goods
Pasta and rice
Cereal
Baby food and formula
Diapers
A mix of non-perishable items is always welcome and cash donations go a long way, tripling the value for the food bank.
Last year Wilson’s Landing Fire Department collected over 800 kilograms of food and $2,200 in cash.
"We thank the community for their generosity and wish everyone a wonderful holiday season," says an email from RDCO.
Cindy White - Nov 28, 2024 / 10:54 am | Story: 519783
Photo: Carolily
One of the stars of Our Holiday Story holds up a heart pendant designed by West Kelowna jewelry brand Carolily.
From Paris Fashion Week to a Hallmark holiday movie. It’s been an exciting few years for West Kelowna jewelry brand Carolily.
The mother-daughter duo of Donna and Danielle Scheven is celebrating another first after some of their designs were featured in the new romantic flick Our Holiday Story.
The two pieces used in the film include the brand’s namesake statement pearl Carolily Necklace and a heart design necklace worn by the lead female character in a scene where she talks about the notion of love. Designer Donna Scheven even makes a background cameo appearance.
“This is a dream come true for our small business,” says Danielle Scheven, co-owner of Carolily. “Seeing our jewelry on-screen in a Hallmark movie is such a proud moment, and we’re excited to celebrate this milestone with our clients and friends.”
Our Holiday Story was filmed in Kelowna and Summerland. The movie is scheduled to debut on the Hallmark Channel on Nov. 28, 2024.
“You can support our small business simply by watching Our Holiday Story,” shares Donna Scheven. “We would love to see the film reach the #1 spot on Hallmark!”
Photo: Carolily
Danielle Scheven wearing the Carolily necklace featured in the movie.
Wayne Moore - Nov 27, 2024 / 11:59 am | Story: 519763
Photo: City of West Kelowna
The City of West Kelowna admits mistakes were made during the summer in identifying issues related to water quality.
Standing before council Tuesday evening, engineering manager Rob Hillis walked council through a detailed timeline of issues related to odour and discolouration of water coming from the Rose Valley Reservoir and through the new Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant.
Those issues affected some, but not all water users on the Rose Valley system.
Hillis admitted staff initially misdiagnosed the problem as being due to increased flows in the distribution system.
“On July 23 we received the first test results that indicated manganese had exceeded the maximum level,” Hillis told council.
“At that point it became clear the treatment plant was not removing dissolved manganese. The manganese would stay dissolved, run through our treatment facility where chlorine is required to be added to the water to maintain a chlorine residual through the system.
“That was interacting with the manganese, it was oxidizing and turning the water a brownish colour.”
Obviously, Hillis said, the city’s initial messaging was not correct.
“It was manganese that was the culprit, not flushing.”
He says the city updated its messaging at the end of July and through early August on its website.
An interim solution was put in place Aug. 2 to remove manganese by using chlorine as an oxidizing agent.
By the middle of October, he says manganese levels fell below Health Canada limits allowing the interim solution to be shut off.
In an effort to find a longer term solution, council unanimously approved the spending of $2.5 million from the Rose Valley water reserve fund.
The project planned for the reservoir includes aeration to help reduce levels of dissolved manganese and the addition of potassium permanganate to the water which allows the manganese to oxidize while the water travels to the treatment plant.
Council unanimously approved the expenditure.
However, a second proposal to give each of the 8,500 water users on the Rose Valley system a $50 credit was voted down.
“I’m struggling with this. This is a user pay system and the people that utilize the Rose Valley system are the ones that pay for it,” said Coun. Rick de Jong.
“My concern is we are giving people back their $50 credit now but we are going to need it back at some point because we accounted for it in the reserves in the first place.
“What I would rather do is have staff dig in to find more federal or provincial funding to give a true credit that doesn’t come out of our residents pockets.
Colin Dacre - Nov 27, 2024 / 11:48 am | Story: 519761
Photo: Contributed
The Big Box Outlet Store opened Wednesday in West Kelowna.
The shop at 110-1135 Stevens Road is in the former Fabricland location.
The retailers sells manufacturer direct, seasonal close, refurbished, and open box products and was previously at the same location under its previous brand MTF Price Matters.
“We are so grateful to be back in West Kelowna, the community has been incredibly supportive,” said Brock Watkins, regional manager
“We had over 150 folks waiting for us to open this morning. It’s like coming home as we were in this exact same space several years ago.”
Madison Reeve - Nov 27, 2024 / 4:00 am | Story: 519622
Madison Reeve
The Salvation Army’s annual Christmas Kettle campaign is facing a shortfall in donations this holiday season in the Central Okanagan, as several challenges impact the fundraiser.
The campaign officially kicked off on Nov. 12 across Canada, but Captain Jennifer Henson of the region's Salvation Army says the ongoing Canada Post strike has had a significant impact on the flow of donations.
"We are really dependent on folks making use of the kettles to drop off donations they may have mailed in," Henson explained.
Typically, about 50 percent of the funds raised during the Christmas campaign come in through the mail, but with delays from the postal service, those contributions have been noticeably reduced this year.
The Salvation Army’s goal for the Central Okanagan, which includes both Kelowna and West Kelowna, is to raise $1 million to support local families in need.
The funds will help the organization assist approximately 1,000 families with food, shelter, and other essential services this holiday season.
"We will be able to meet people in their times of crisis as well as help them overcome the challenges that keep them in a place of vulnerability," said Henson.
In addition to the impact of the postal strike, the Salvation Army is also facing a shortage of volunteers this year.
There are 19 kettle locations across the Central Okanagan, but more help is needed to man the stations and collect donations.
While volunteers are still needed, donations can also be made online and supporters can find local kettle locations to drop off their contributions in person.
Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press - Nov 26, 2024 / 1:23 pm | Story: 519573
Photo: The Canadian Press
Ravi Kahlon, then-B.C. minister of jobs, economic recovery and innovation, has his provincial COVID-19 vaccine card scanned before a meal at a restaurant in Delta, B.C., Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A Federal Court judge has dismissed an appeal by a "deeply religious" British Columbia health executive who said he was wrongfully denied employment insurance after being fired three years ago for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Darold Sturgeon, a West Kelowna resident, was fired as executive director of medical affairs for Interior Health in November 2021 after refusing to get the vaccine based on his Christian beliefs.
He applied for employment insurance benefits but was denied due to being fired for "misconduct," with appeals to two levels of the Social Security Tribunal also failing, leading him to seek a judicial review in Federal Court in August 2023.
The ruling says Sturgeon believed the tribunal should have examined his assertion under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that the term "misconduct" did not apply to his case "because he was exercising his freedom of religion."
Justice William Pentney says "recent, abundant and unanimous case law" defined a specific and narrow role for the tribunal's appeal divisions, focusing on an employee's conduct, and not justification for and employer’s policies or compliance with the Charter.
The ruling says Sturgeon's appeal fell "outside the mandate" of the tribunal and he could have challenged Interior Health's mandatory vaccine police "through other avenues."
It said these included advancing a Charter claim, lodging a wrongful dismissal suit or labour grievance, or complaining to the British Columbia Human Rights Commission. The office of the British Columbia Human Rights Commissioner separately clarified that such a complaint would have to be lodged with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal.
"The point is, there were other avenues available to pursue the Charter question; this decision does not cut off the only avenue of relief," the court's ruling says.
It added of Sturgeon, who represented himself, that "no one has doubted that he acted based on his understanding of his religious obligations," and that he had "ably advanced his arguments."
"However, despite his sincere and thoughtful arguments, the binding jurisprudence requires that I find against him," the ruling says.
Cindy White - Nov 26, 2024 / 11:12 am | Story: 519385
Photo: Martin Goodyear
Residents of Sage Creek donated 297 pounds of food to the Central Okanagan Food Bank along with $520 in cash.
Residents of a West Kelowna community have come together to help feed their neighbours.
About 100 people who live at Sage Creek gathered over the weekend for a pancake and sausage breakfast. In the spirit of the giving season, they also donated nearly 300 pounds of food and over $500 in cash for the Central Okanagan Food Bank.
Martin Goodyear with the Sage Creek Clubhouse Committee says over 200 sausages and 300 pancakes were served up along with copious amounts of coffee during the breakfast fundraiser.
“We wanted to help those less fortunate than ourselves and we had heard that food banks in general were helping far more people than in previous years,” he said.
Organizers stopped by the West Kelowna branch of the food bank to hand over $520 in cash and 297 pounds of non-perishable food items.
Photo: Contributed
They served up over 200 sausages and 300 pancakes during the breakfast.
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West Kelowna Nov 30 - 7,517 views
