Top Stories – May 18 – Smoke Rolls In

The smoke you have seen in the valley that generated a Smoky Skies Bulletin, is coming down from the north. The Kamloops Fire Centre tells us most of it is originating in northern BC and Alberta where many wildfires are burning. You can get up-to-date smoke coverage information at firesmoke.ca . The air quality around here jumped to the moderate to high risk range.

Some fire restrictions are coming into effect ahead of the May Long Weekend. Starting at noon today, Category 2 and 3 open burnings, as well as the use of items like fireworks and burn barrels, are not allowed in the Kamloops Fire Centre. Campfires will still be permitted, except in the city of Kelowna and smoking, vaping and open flames are not allowed any time in regional or RDCO community parks. Propane stoves and barbecues are okay.

Canadians as young as 13 will soon be able to hitch a ride with Uber as accounts for youth up to age 17 will roll out first in Western Canada and Quebec. Teen accounts will send parents and guardians notifications when teens request a ride. Adults will also be able to track the trip and contact the driver or their child through Uber’s app.

Rentals.ca ranked Kelowna as having the 13th highest rent in Canada in April, up a spot from March. The average rental rate for a one bedroom unit was $1,952, while the average for a two-bedroom was just under $2,600. Year over year, a one bedroom rose 14.3 percent, while a two-bedroom was up 2.6 percent.

FortisBC received approval from the BC Utilities Commission for its proposed Advanced Gas Meters project. It will upgrade more than one million meters. Fortis says customers will be able to access daily data on their gas use, and there will be reduced inconvenience by no longer needing to shut-off gas service during meter exchanges or regularly entering customers’ properties to read meters.

The owner of Facebook and Instagram has begun rolling out a paid verification service in the United Kingdom. Meta’s subscription service can be compared to “Twitter Blue” which gives users of the social media platform a blue tick for a fee. Those who use the service will get a verified badge which the tech giant says will give them more protection from impersonation.

The City of West Kelowna and Interior Health, has upgraded the Water Quality Advisory for the Rose Valley/Sunnyside/Pritchard Service Area to a Boil Water Notice, due to increasing turbidity at the Okanagan Lake intake. Everyone in that area must use water brought to a rolling boil for one minute or more, or use an alternative safe source.

Kelowna Council gave first readings to two proposals for rental apartments. One at the corner of High Road and Glenmore Drive is for 47 rental units and another for a six-storey, 124-unit building is at the corner of Leathead and Dougall. It also OK’d a development permit for four, five-storey apartment buildings and a single-storey amenity building as part of The Ponds Village Centre.

A change in wind direction helped firefighters working in northeast BC. Crews managed to prevent two out-of-control fires from advancing closer to Fort St. John. BC Wildfire says the Stoddart Creek blaze that is threatening the city is now estimated at 21,500 hectares in size and is suspected to be person caused.

Sports

The Eastern Conference Final gets underway tonight in the NHL. The Carolina Hurricanes host the Florida Panthers with the face off at 5.

A three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th by Danny Jansen gave the Blue Jays a 3-0 win over the Yankees last night. They will play the last in their four-game series in Toronto today at 4.

This weekend’s Formula 1 race in northern Italy (Imola) was cancelled because of deadly flooding in the region. The decision was made for safety reasons and to avoid any extra burden on emergency services.