Top Stories – September 20

The District of Peachland except for the downtown beach area, continues under an evacuation alert due to the Glen Lake wildfire being about 6 km away. Yesterday, helicopters bucketed the northeast side of the fire and structural protection units were deployed in Peachland neighbourhoods. An evacuation order and closure of Eneas Lakes & Darke Lake Provincial Parks was issued late yesterday.

West Kelowna Fire Rescue is looking for people to join their team of paid on-call firefighters. Online applications are being accepted until Oct. 15 and training for successful candidates will begin in January. There is an information session next Wednesday at 6pm at the Glenrosa fire hall #34 on Gates Road. Qualifications and more info is at www.ourwk.ca/firerescue

There’s word that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Canada this week after making stops at the United Nations and the White House. It would be his first trip to Canada since Russia started its large-scale invasion. Reports say Zelenskyy will address Parliament and also visit Toronto.

The McDougall Creek wildfire continues to burn, but it is mostly in grass and on the ground. While still classified as out of control it has not grown outside its boundaries for a few days and continues at just under 14,000 hectares. Like Glen Lake, the weather is a big factor and fire crews are welcoming below normal temperatures and higher humidity, especially overnight.

Taking a page from the book of a certain case south of the border, former Ontario MPP Randy Hillier, who is facing charges in connection with last year’s “Freedom Convoy,” is asking for a second time to move his jury trial away from Ottawa. His lawyer argues that widespread opposition against the protest in the capital could lead to an unfair trial if his case is heard in the city. Crown prosecutors say there are legal safeguards to ensure an impartial jury.

Amazon says it will hire 250,000 full- and part-time workers, 6,000 of them in Canada, for the holiday season. It will also invest $1.3 Billion this year toward pay hikes for warehouse and transportation employees.

The Prime Minister’s announcement of “credible” intelligence linking India’s government to the shooting death of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar (NIH’-jar) has shaken the community in BC. Attorney General Niki Sharma says the province will be taking every step it can to protect people from violence if they’re under threat.

Bank of Canada deputy governor Sharon Kozicki says swings in the inflation rate are to be expected. The latest consumer price index report showed inflation climbed to 4% in August. Economists say the data spells bad news for the central bank, though many expect it to continue holding rates steady as the economy slows.

SPORTS

The Vancouver Canucks traded forward Tanner Pearson and a third-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for goaltender Casey DeSmith. DeSmith appeared in 38 games last season and owned a .905 save percentage. He should slot in behind Thatcher Demko on Vancouver’s depth chart this season.

At Yankee Stadium yesterday, the Blue Jays opened a three-game series with the hometown squad and walked off with a big 7-1 win. Game 2 begins at 4:05 this afternoon.

Jamal Murray’s plan to take the NBA Championship trophy to his hometown of Kitchener, Ontario has been dashed. The Denver Nuggets owners have kept it under lock and key since the team won and say it’s not going anywhere. Previous winners have been allowed to take the trophy on the road.