Top Stories – Nov 3 – Power Going Off

Residents and businesses on the west side will be without power for about 6 hours on Sunday night. BC Hydro says it’s for required maintenance on the main transmission line from Merritt and will affect 26,000 customers in West Kelowna, Westbank, Peachland, and the Regional District. The lights will go off at 10:30 Sunday night and are scheduled to come back on about 4:30 Monday morning. Hydro suggests turning off major appliances and unplugging sensitive electronics to protect them from damage, before the power goes off.

It’s time to get back that hour of sleep we lost in the spring when we switched to Daylight Saving time. Before going to bed tomorrow night, or when you get up on Sunday, put your clocks back one hour as we revert to Standard Time. That means it will be brighter earlier in the morning and darker earlier in the afternoon.

DesRosiers Automotive Consultants says new vehicle sales defied affordability headwinds to rise an estimated 20 percent in October compared with last year. It marks 12 straight months of gains, including similar sales the previous two months, as inventory levels improve.

The NDP continues to outperform BC United when it comes to fundraising. The New Democrats took in 868-thousand dollars in the third quarter, more than double the 399-thousand of BC United. The Green Party reported almost $162,000, while the BC Conservatives banked 52-1/2 grand.

The commissioner of the public inquiry into foreign election interference says she will do her best to strike the balance between transparency and the need to protect Canada’s national security. Work is underway and public hearings could start early next year. The inquiry plans to first focus on allegations of interference by China, Russia and other foreign actors, that might have impacted the last two federal elections.

The parliamentary budget officer has pegged the lifetime cost of Canada’s new fleet of F-35 fighter jets at $74 Billion over 45 years after an initial 20 Billion outlay. The new aircraft are to replace the Air Force’s aging CF-18s, with the first four planes expected to be delivered in 2026.

Kelowna RCMP are looking for the person who stole an urn with the ashes of a family’s mother in it, from a vehicle at 140 Asher Street late last month. The urn is described as porcelain with flowers on it and slightly burned from being in a fire. If you have information and wish to remain anonymous, contact Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or leave a tip online at crimestoppers.net .

Growth in Canada’s health-care spending increased slightly this year, but remains below pre-pandemic levels. The Canadian Institute for Health Information projects spending will reach 344-Billion dollars, or about 87-hundred per person. That’s a 2.8% increase over last year.

The federal prison watchdog says there are still too many Indigenous people behind bars in Canada. Ivan Zinger’s annual report says 32 percent of all federal inmates in Canada, and 50 percent of the women, are Indigenous. That compares to 25 percent ten years ago.

SPORTS

A couple of home games this weekend for the Kelowna Rockets. Victoria is in town tonight while Red Deer makes a visit tomorrow. Both games start at 7:05 which means the pregame show on 104.7 The Lizard begins at 6:35.

The most goals the Canucks have scored in a game is 11 and they have done that three times in their history. Last night in San Diego they came within one of that as they dumped the Sharks 10 to one.

It is semi-final weekend in the CFL with both games tomorrow. In the east Montreal hosts Hamilton at noon while in the west, Calgary visits the BC Lions at 3:30.