Top Stories – Sept 15 – More Job Action

There could be fewer buses on roads around here as the driver’s union escalates job action in it’s dispute with First Transit. The union claims the company ignored a counter proposal for a contract it submitted last week. Drivers will now start to refuse to work overtime in a move that could begin affecting riders.

The ban on campfires has been lifted in most Central Okanagan areas, but remember they are not allowed at any time within the City of Kelowna. The ban had been in place since July 28, but recent showers and cooler, seasonal temperatures have lowered the potential fire danger rating to between low and moderate.

If a drive to Alberta is in your future plans, allow for more time. Starting September 26th through December 1st, with the exception of the Thanksgiving weekend, the Trans Canada Highway will be closed through the Kicking Horse Canyon. It’s to make the 4.8-kilometre section of roadway into a four-lane route. Traffic from Golden to Castle Junction will be routed via Highways 93S and 95 which will add as much as 90 minutes of travel time.

The cities of Kelowna, West Kelowna and the Regional District will follow the federal and provincial government’s lead and observe a National Day of Mourning to honour Queen Elizabeth II on Monday. They will follow statutory holiday closure protocols, similar to Remembrance Day so most facilities will be closed. Flags will continue to be at half-mast until after sunset Monday.

Meantime hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pay their respects to the Queen over the next few days at London’s medieval Westminster Hall. The Queen will lie in state 24 hours a day until Monday, the day of her funeral at Westminster Abbey. Even McDonalds in the UK will close on Monday to allow staff to watch it.

A few more details about the GST Rebate increase announced by the Prime Minister. It will happen over 6 months, so two cheques could be affected. Single Canadians without children could receive up to an extra $234, couples with two children up to an extra $467, and seniors would receive an extra $225 on average. So if it kicks in right away, those who are eligible, should see the increase on their October 5 and January 5 cheques.

RDCO says too much non-recycling material is ending up in recycling bins and that could cost municipalities and residents more. The biggest offenders are household garbage, toys, books, clothing, electronics and styrofoam. Another problem is bagged recycling. Recycling materials should always be placed loose and not inside a plastic bag. rdco.com/recycle for what can and cannot go in the curbside cart.

All evacuation alerts and orders for the Heather Lake fire in Manning Park and the Flood Falls Trail fire west of Hope have been lifted. Rainfall and cooler temperatures have helped to stabilize the situation so residents can breathe a sigh of relief. The fire in Manning Park was actually started in Washington by lightning, while the blaze along the Trans Canada is suspected to be person caused.

TikTok may be the platform of choice for catchy videos, but anyone using it to learn about COVID, climate change or Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is likely to encounter misleading information. Researchers at NewsGuard searched for content about prominent news topics found that nearly 1 in 5 of the videos automatically suggested by the platform contained misinformation. TikTok says its community guidelines prohibit harmful misinformation.

Sports

Two goals within a minute in the second period helped the Vernon Vipers to their 2nd straight win over the West Kelowna Warriors last night. The final score was 3-2 and leaves the Warriors with a 1 & 2 pre season record.

Week 2 of the NFL season begins tonight with Thursday Night Football. The Kansas City Chiefs host the Los Angeles Chargers at 5:15. Both teams won their 1st outing.

Penticton is gearing up for the Vancouver Canucks Young Stars Classic featuring players from the Canucks, Flames, Oilers and Jets. It takes place tomorrow through Monday at the SOEC and ticket packages are sold out.

The Premier League will pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II this weekend by having a minute’s silence before every game followed by the national anthem. The league fans will be invited to applaud at the 70-minute mark, in recognition of the Queen’s 70-year reign.

Another win for the Blue Jays against Tampa last night. This time it was 5 to 1 in Toronto which puts the jays up a game and a half on the Rays in second place in the AL East. They will play their 5th straight game today starting at noon.

The new PGA Tour season begins today in Napa, California. The Fortinet Championship will be defended by Max Homa, with Canadians Corey Conners, Michael Gligic, Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor and Adam Svennson also teeing it up.