Top Stories – June 20 – Turtle Island

The Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society’s annual Turtle Island Festival returns tomorrow. It’s on from 10am to 7pm on Leon from Pandosy to Ellis. Everyone is invited to celebrate Indigenous culture at the mini pow-wow, along with live entertainment, food, arts and crafts.

The price of natural gas usually falls in the summer because of less use, so Fortis has announced it is dropping its price effective July 1st. The cost per gigajoule will go down by $1, or about $7.50 per bill. The price will be reviewed by the Utilities Commission in September.

A search is underway off the east coast for a small research submersible reported missing near the wreck of the Titanic which is about 700 kilometres from St. John’s. It is operated by OceanGate Expeditions, can seat up to five people and has a 96 hour oxygen supply. A Canadian Aurora military aircraft and a Coast Guard vessel are assisting the search effort, which is being led by the US Coast Guard.

A new Rec & Ride Summer Youth Pass includes access to both local transit and the Parkinson Recreation Centre through July and August. It’s for those aged 18 and under, and is $20 for children up to age 12 and $50 for those 13-18. Kids under 12 already ride the bus for free and passes can be purchased in-person at Parkinson Rec Centre.

As of yesterday, 420 wildfires were burning across Canada with more than 200 of them classified as out of control. While rain helped to ease the fire situation in parts of Alberta and Quebec over the weekend, the fire risk remains high in most of the country. More than 58-thousand square kilometres have burned so far this year… almost twice the size of Vancouver Island.

Members of Parliament unanimously passed a bill that enshrines the federal government’s long-term commitment to a Canada-wide early learning and child-care system. The Liberals introduced the bill late last year as part of an effort to ensure that future federal governments would continue to provide child-care funding to provinces.

Just 2 weeks until property taxes are due. In most areas they were in the mail to property owners, or emailed by the beginning of June. There could be a 10 percent penalty if it’s not paid by July 4th and don’t forget you must apply for the homeowner’s grant every year that you are eligible.

Seven people died of toxic drug overdoses in this area last month, adding to the 176 total in BC. There have been 36 deaths in Kelowna so far this year.

Experts say WestJet’s plan to shut down Sunwing Airlines and fold it into its main operations will mean less service and higher fares, especially in Western Canada and smaller cities across the country. The Competition Bureau has said WestJet and Sunwing comprise 37 percent of seat capacity on direct flights to sun destinations, but 72 percent of those are from Western Canada.

Sports

Connor Bedard is going to need a bigger trophy case. The projected No. 1 pick in this year’s NHL Draft took home another award yesterday. He was named the inaugural IIHF Male Player of the Year.

The Kelowna Falcons begin a 3 game homestand at 6:35 tonight at Elks Stadium. The Bellingham Bells make the trip north to the Okanagan.

The Toronto Blue Jays have their second of three games in Miami later this afternoon. Yesterday at Loan Depot Park, they had their bats handed to them as the Marlins trounced the Jays 11-0.