Top Stories – June 17 – Clinics For Kids

Interior Health is adding new evening and weekend vaccine clinics so parents can get their kids vaccinated against COVID-19. In Kelowna, there will be one tomorrow from 8:30 – 3:30 at the Community Health and Services Centre at 505 Doyle. Parents or guardians can book an appointment for kids aged 5-11 by registering online at getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca .

Keep your eyes open for runners if you are driving around Kelowna tomorrow morning. The Wine Country Half Marathon will start at Vibrant Vine on Pooley about 6 and wind its way through south Kelowna and end at the Delta Grand. Flaggers will be stationed at intersections along the route to temporarily hold traffic while runners pass.

The work to return the Coquihalla to full, four-lane capacity will begin this summer. It will take place at three sites: Bottletop Bridges, 50 kilometres south of Merritt; Juliet Bridges, three kilometres south of Bottletop; and Jessica Bridges, 48 kilometres south of Juliet. Work is expected to be mostly complete this winter.

Weather and water conditions forced Central Okanagan Search and Rescue to suspend the search for Chelsea Cardno. The 31 year old and her dog did not return from a planned hike near the Mission Creek Greenway on Tuesday. Kelowna RCMP says its search was to continue yesterday.

The rain and creek outflow over the past few days has brought Okanagan Lake to full pool. The lake measured 342.49 metres, 1 centimetre above the level considered to be full. That’s still well off the record high that was set June 9, 2017, at 343.251 metres.

Just 22 percent of BC residents are expressing support for the new provincial museum recently announced by Premier Horgan. An Angus Reid survey found 61 percent of respondents said the cost of living was their top priority, while the Covid-19 response only garnered 6 percent support. Still, the NDP has an 11-point lead over the BC Liberals in terms of voter intention.

Whoever is on West Kelowna city council next January 1st will be in for a raise. Research from a task force determined that Mayor and Council have been under compensated for several years. If approved, the Mayor’s annual salary would increase from 76-thousand dollars to 88-thousand, and Councillors’ salaries would go from about 25-thousand to 31-thousand dollars.

FIFA has confirmed that Vancouver and Toronto have been chosen as official host cities in Canada for the FIFA World Cup 2026. They will join other cities in the U-S and Mexico for the soccer event that is watched by Billions around the world. The United States will host 60 matches, with Canada and Mexico hosting 10 each.

The parliamentary budget officer says the cost of a new dental program for low and middle-income uninsured Canadians could be nearly double what the federal government originally estimated. The government’s 2022 budget suggested the plan would cost 5.3 Billion dollars over the next five years, but the PBO says the cost could be closer to 9 Billion.

Sports

The Stanley Cup final resumes tomorrow night in Denver after a couple of days off. The Avalanche lead the best of seven, 1-0 thanks to a 4-3 overtime win on Wednesday.

Heading into round 2 of the U-S Open, the leader is a Canadian. Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin was the only golfer on the Brookline, Massachusetts course to shoot 4-under par. Five golfers are just one shot back including Canadian Open winner Rory McIlroy.

The Blue Jays are 9-1/2 games behind the Yankees in the AL East as they head into a trio of weekend games at Rogers Centre. First pitch is today with the pinstripes is just after 4.

Kelowna Rockets forward Andrew Cristall and defenceman Caden Price have been named to the Men’s Under-18 Team Selection Camp. Assistant captain Colton Dach has been invited to attend the National Junior Team summer camp.

In the CFL last night in Toronto, the Alouettes missed a field goal with 14 seconds left in the game and lost 20-19 to the Argos. Just one game tonight has Winnipeg in Ottawa. The Lions are off this weekend.

The Formula 1 teams are in Montreal for this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday. The defending champion is Lewis Hamilton, but that was in 2019 as Covid gave a red flag to races in 2020 and 2021.