Top Stories – June 30 – UBCO Plans

Plans unveiled this week offer a glimpse inside and outside UBCO Downtown at Doyle and St. Paul. The eight-storey academic base will be accompanied by another 36 storeys of residential rental space with more than 500 units designed to meet the needs of UBC Okanagan students, faculty and staff. There will be simulated hospital wards to train nursing students, a public art gallery, a public engagement suite and a variety of other learning areas.

Canada Day events in Kelowna are expected to attract up to 55,000 people tomorrow. Most activities are taking place in Waterfront Park and Stuart Park, as well as on the Meet me on Bernard block. A few roads will be closed and there will be fireworks at Tugboat Bay at 10pm. For complete details, visit festivalskelowna.com.

Emergency grants designed to help communities deal with the economic impact of COVID-19 were delivered in line with most government policies and guidelines, according to an audit by the Auditor General. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs provided $30 million in grants to 63 small-scale infrastructure projects. The recipients included 32 local governments, 25 not-for-profit groups, and six Indigenous governments or organizations.

Meet Me On Bernard begins for another summer tomorrow. Bernard between Abbott and St. Paul becomes an outdoor mall featuring live music, patios, retail, street games, free programs and more. It’s closed to vehicles but open for pedestrians and cyclists until the Labour Day weekend. Info is at meetmeonbernard.com .

Kelowna Fire Department is reminding residents that fireworks are illegal in the city without a permit, which can only be obtained by licensed professionals. People can be fined up to $500 per occurrence for illegal use. If you want fireworks for Canada Day, head to Tugboat Beach on the waterfront for 10pm tomorrow.

The federal government is losing an average of 22 Billion dollars a year in unpaid taxes, according to a report from the Canada Revenue Agency. The gap in corporate tax revenue, was estimated at between 4.6 to 7.3 billion a year, which represented between 10 and 17 percent of the expected revenue. Personal income tax amounted to between 8.4 and 10.6 billion dollars a year, or between five and eight percent.

The State of Local Emergency declared June 14 for the Kelowna area in response to localized flooding along Mission Creek, Scotty Creek and the upper reaches of Mill Creek is over. While creek levels have dropped, extreme rain events could cause them to rise again. Okanagan Lake is at 342.62 metres or 14 cm above full pool. Other lakes such as Ellison and Kalamalka also remain above full pool.

A Penticton RCMP vehicle is riddled with bullet holes after being shot at by unknown people in an SUV, as the police were conducting an impaired driving investigation on another vehicle.
It happened early Tuesday morning near the intersection of Peach Rock Road and Green Mountain Road in the hills just south of town. None of the officers or nearby residents and pedestrians who were outside at the time were injured.

Opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma has agreed to a first of its kind settlement in Canada resulting from BC-led efforts to recover health-care costs related to the sale and marketing of opioid-based pain medicines. It has been agreed to by all federal, provincial and territorial governments and totals $150 million. This is the largest settlement of a governmental health claim in Canadian history.

Sports

The 2 & 0 BC Lions kick off week 4 in the CFL tonight with their first road game of the season. They are in Ottawa to take in the 0 & 2 RedBlacks with the first play at 4:30.

The Kelowna Rockets are set to make a single selection in tomorrow’s 31st annual Canadian Hockey League Import Draft. Kelowna will pick 43rd overall and will only select one player – Czechia forward Gabriel Szturc will return for the 2022-23 WHL season.

The Toronto Blue Jays continue their homestand at Rogers Centre. Today they begin a long weekend series against the AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays. Last night’s game went to extra innings which the Red Sox won 6-5.

It’s a heavy duty PGA event with the John Deere Classic in Illinois. Total prize money is 7.1 Million dollars with almost 1.3 Million going to the winner. The defending champion is Lucas Glover.

Colorado forward Nazem Kadri is set to cash in after enjoying a career year right before entering unrestricted free agency. Kadri’s previous contract was 4.5 million annually, but he’s expected to get a big raise, whether it be from Colorado or another team.

Giancarlo Stanton crushed the Yankee’s 57th homer in June during yesterday’s game against the Oakland Athletics, setting a new MLB record for the month. The previous high of 56 was shared by the 2016 Baltimore Orioles and 2019 Atlanta Braves.