Cannabis firm sues shipper
Check your travel medical
New orca rescue attempt
No bail in Ottawa killings 
Banks must say rebate 
Regulating power prices
Iran fires at attack drones 
World's largest election 
2 detained in Volkov attack 
Apple pulls apps from China
Oil and gas leases restricted
Indigo needs turnaround 
Warriors ready for Round 2
Kalamalka Bowl cancelled
Rockets live to fight on
Hilton teams up with Sia
Swift still 'can't forgive' Kim
Grimes to ‘cap the disarray’
Former Penticton city councillor, school board trustee, and prolific volunteer Rory McIvor has passed away.
McIvor lived in Penticton for more than four decades and was involved in countless community groups, including Rotary.
“In Rotary there is a motto; service above self. I can’t think if a more deserving person who epitomized those values,” Penticton MLA Dan Ashton said, who served on council with McIvor.
In addition to serving 30 years at the city's head librarian, McIvor spent six years on Penticton council and another decade as a school trustee, leaving public office in 2008.
“It's a huge loss for the community,” Ashton added.
“He had his beliefs, and if your thoughts were not the same — it was always good conversation, but he always left it in the room. He never ever carried it out of the room. We agreed to disagree on a few things in our lives, but he never carried it out of the room. I had huge admiration for Rory.
Gregory Litwin with the Penticton Soupateria remembered McIvor as a “wonderful man,” and one of the driving forces behind the construction of the soup kitchen’s current home.
Litwin said they approached city council about 15 years ago looking for a new home, which was growing too large for the basement of the St. Saviour’s Anglican church.
City council declined to provide a home for the operation.
“But lucky for us, there was someone on the council and that fellow was Rory McIvor,” Litwin said. “He called me the next day and said, ‘I hear what you are saying’”
McIvor took the project to the Rotary Club, getting them onboard in a big way.
“We owe him a serious debt of gratitude. Just lucky, by fate or whatever you want to call it, that he was listening, paying attention and he actually cared enough that he actually went back to his club and convinced them that this was a worthwhile project.”
Penticton Rotary President Paul Varga could not be reached for comment Monday, but mourned McIvor in a Facebook post, “I’m going to miss your off-colour jokes and your Rider pride, my friend.”
