Top Stories – October 16

Kelowna set up an Alternative Approval Process for borrowing money to construct and redevelop recreation facilities. The time to object ended on Friday and the number of votes against the process fell short by about 8,000. With Council given the green light to borrow the funds, it will now discuss the next steps.

Water ran out at U.N. shelters across Gaza as thousands packed into the courtyard of the besieged territory’s largest hospital as a refuge of last resort. Shortly after that, came word that Israel was going to turn the water back on after also cutting off the flow of food, electricity and medicine. About half a million Gaza residents have taken refuge in U.N. shelters across the territory.

Global Affairs Canada is confirming the death of a fifth Canadian in Israel after a series of attacks by Hamas militants near the border with the Gaza Strip. Three others who were in Israel when the attacks happened last Saturday are still missing. Ottawa says its working to get up to 300 Canadians and their relatives out of the Gaza Strip while another 250 Canadians may be able to leave the West Bank territory by bus this week.

Small and medium sized businesses will be getting some federal support. The federal government will be announcing funding to help workers in BC access skills training today. Details of the funding amount have not been disclosed.

Jagmeet Singh’s support is declining among his party. At the NDP convention, he got an 81 percent confidence vote, down from 87 percent in 2021. Some delegates want Singh to be tougher with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

An RCMP internal review is underway, and the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is investigating after an Alberta man died after being shot with a stun gun. The Mounties say it happened in Slave Lake on Thursday afternoon when officers tried to arrest a man who had reportedly been acting erratically and damaging property in the area. They say officers noticed the man was unresponsive after handcuffs had been put on him.

Plans are underway to bring school life back to normal as quickly as possible for students and teachers at a Port Coquitlam elementary school. It was destroyed in a suspicious weekend fire. The RCMP urged the public to avoid the area around the school due to potentially hazardous air quality caused by the fire, and road closures should be expected for several days as the investigation continues.

Canada legalized recreational cannabis use almost five years ago, but a patchwork of laws and regulations has created inconsistencies within the industry. They include shops being able to open in some regions or cities but not others, and wildly varying display restrictions. The executive director of the Retail Cannabis Council of BC says that situation has produced two tiers of pot shops.

A Russian governor was accused by critics of discrediting Russia’s armed forces after telling residents in her region that the country had ‘no need’ for its war in Ukraine. A video of the event showed the politician being confronted by the wife of a Russian soldier who said that mobilized men had been poorly equipped for the front line. The governor told residents that Russia hadn’t been prepared for the invasion.

SPORTS

At Prospera Place on the weekend the Kelowna Rockets started off with 5-4 win against Prince George. Unfortunately, the second game brought a 9-2 loss to Medicine Hat. Next up is a visit from Swift Current on Wednesday.

The Okanagan Sun beat the Valley Huskers 46-7 on the weekend and that gives them second place in the BCFC. Both teams will play again Saturday in a semi-final at the Apple Bowl.

Columbus, Winnipeg and Nashville are among the teams interested in Canucks winger Conor Garland. Vancouver is hoping to free up 1 to 2 million dollars in cap space with a trade and would prefer a defenseman in return.

It’s an AFC versus NFC match up in Monday Night Football. The Dallas Cowboys travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers at Sofi Stadium at 5:15