Top Stories – Dec 8 – Planning For Tolko

Kelowna Council gave the go-ahead for staff and the property owner to develop an Area Redevelopment Plan for the former Tolko sawmill in the north end. The purpose of an ARP is to establish a long-term plan so that it is developed in a manner consistent with established policy and community input. The Tolko lumber mill permanently closed last year, ending nearly 100 years of lumber processing on the site.

Hospitalizations for Covid-19 in BC have reached a 3 month low. However Health Minister Adrian Dix says even though the relative number of cases is in decline, our hospitals are incredibly busy. 150 patients have been transferred out of the Northern Health region. 117 had COVID and the majority were unvaccinated.

There were 88 new cases of covid in Interior Health yesterday as part of 326 in all of BC. Five cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in British Columbia, three of which are in Vancouver Coastal Health and two in Fraser. Dr Bonnie Henry says there are no plans for new restrictions over Christmas.

The federal government has introduced a bill in the House of Commons that would repeal mandatory minimum penalties for drug offences and some gun-related crimes. It would allow for greater use of conditional sentences, including house arrest, counselling or treatment, for those who do not threaten public safety.

The Santa Bus has made a return to Okanagan roads for the 19th year. It collects toys, food and money to help out the Salvation Army’s Christmas programs. It takes about 2 weeks to decorate the bus, which includes a chair for Santa and an electric fireplace. You can find more details and a link to stops and dates in the Kelowna 10 app.

A man died in an ATV accident in Lake Country on Sunday. Police found the overturned vehicle on Oyama Lake Forest Service road. The 27-year-old driver from Kelowna was pronounced dead at the scene, while a 32-year-old female passenger was taken to hospital for treatment of her injuries.

The retreat of glaciers in the Pacific mountains of BC and Alaska could produce thousands of kilometres of potential new salmon habitat. A study led by researchers at Simon Fraser University projects that more than 6,000 kilometres of new streams could be accessible to salmon by 2100, and just under one-third of those could be suitable for spawning.

Once again Christmas Trees will be chipped for free in the Regional District. From December 26 to January 31 they can be dropped off – no decorations please – at one of 5 locations in the region. You can find all the locations and the hours they are accepting trees at rdco.com/recycle .

Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald says an upcoming Indigenous delegation to the Vatican has been postponed. The group planned to travel to Rome the week of Dec.18, but that has been postponed because of the new variant of COVID-19.

Sports

The Kelowna Rockets played the first of 2 games in the Puget Sound area last night and at the ShoWare Center in Kent, the game was tied at 1 after overtime and Seattle won it in the shootout. Tonight, Kelowna plays the Silvertips in Everett.

Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his hip and miss the remainder of the season. He’s been out since week 1 and while Taylor Heinicke had a tough start, he has led the team to 4 straight wins.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Jason Spezza has been suspended for 4 games for a retaliation kneeing of Winnipeg’s Neil Pionk in the head. Pionk has been suspended for 2 games after he hit Leaf defenseman Rasmus Sandin with a knee-on-knee hit in Sunday’s game.

The International Ice Hockey Federation says that China’s men’s hockey team will participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics. Host countries receive automatic berths in each sport, but the status of China’s team was in question due to eligibility and quality concerns.

The Vancouver Canucks will go for their 2nd win under head coach Bruce Boudreau tonight. Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins will take to the ice at Rogers Arena for a 6pm start. Thatcher Demko is expected to be in goal.

Canada’s new border rules remove national interest exemptions for unvaccinated professional athletes starting January 15. So if they haven’t been jabbed, they can’t play here. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said at the start of the season that the league had just four unvaccinated players.