Top Stories – Jan 20 – Assessments vs Prop Tax

West Kelowna property owners can breathe a bit easier after many saw their property value increase about 30 percent according to assessments. The city says the 2022 Budget proposes a four per cent tax increase, including 2.4% for police services and a 1% Infrastructure Levy. That’s about $6.80 more per month for the average West Kelowna home.

The union that represents BC’s ambulance staff is sounding alarm bells about rising call numbers. The Ambulance Paramedics of BC says they responded to more than 840-thousand dispatched calls last year. That’s an increase of almost 90-thousand in one year, which comes during their worst staffing crisis in history.

The parliamentary budget officer is questioning whether the federal Liberals need to spend tens of billions in planned stimulus. Yves Giroux also says the government has spent or planned to spend $542 Billion in new measures, almost one-third of which are not related to COVID. He says the rationale for the planned stimulus of up to $100 Billion no longer exists.

The covid-19 crisis in BC saw 2,387 new cases reported yesterday, of which 550 were in Interior Health. Hospitalizations in our area increased to 99, while 17 were in Intensive Care. Provincially, there were 13 more deaths from the virus bringing the total since the beginning of the pandemic to 2,505.

The province is extending the COVID Closure Relief Grant and doubling supports for eligible businesses that have been ordered to remain temporarily closed until February 16. They are now eligible for up to $20,000 in total funding, based on staffing levels at the time of closure and include bars, nightclubs and lounges that do not serve full meals.

A 32 year old man from Surrey and a 34-year-old man from Winnipeg are facing multiple charges in Calgary following a botched home invasion. Police say a family of 6 was targeted on Sunday but the suspects had the wrong house. Four children were forced into a room while the adults were tased, but not seriously injured.

A new ultra low cost airline in Canada will be making Kelowna one of its stops. Lynx Air flies Boeing 737s and will be flying twice weekly to and Vancouver and Calgary starting April 15. It is offering one-way introductory fares on its website starting at 39 dollars.

Over 200 Afghan refugees have arrived in Vancouver, the most to reach the province since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last August. The latest arrivals are among a total of 7,000 that have been airlifted to various parts of Canada. The plane mainly carried people whose work in Afghanistan involved a significant relationship with the government of Canada, as well as their families.

Telus continues to be the fastest mobile operator in Canada, according to recently released statistics from Speedtest.net . As for 5G performance, Bell had the highest median download speed on the network while Telus came in second. Shaw offered the fastest fixed broadband services, while Rogers, which will soon merge with Shaw, came in second.

Sports

In Merritt last night, the West Kelowna Warriors once again thumped the Centennials 7-1. The Warriors host Wenatchee tomorrow night.

The Kelowna Rockets have been put in the covid penalty box so a road trip for this weekend is off. The WHL says team activities have been paused after players and staff were added to the league Protocol List.

The PGA Tour returns to La Quinta Country Club in California for The American Express this week. There are a number of Canadians in the field including Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor and Corey Conners.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is dealing with injuries to his right thumb and shoulder as he prepares for Saturday’s divisional round playoff game at Green Bay. He struggled in the second half against the Cowboys on the weekend.

A young woman who grew up and learned to snowboard at Big White, where her first ever race was, is heading to the Beijing Olympics. Tess Critchlow will represent Canada in Snowboard Cross.

Jalen Hurts did enough in 2021 to remain the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback next season according to the team’s GM. The 23-year-old threw for 3,144 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions, adding 784 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.