Top Stories – September 26

The October 1 start of open burning in the Central Okanagan is being delayed. Local fire chiefs for Kelowna, Lake Country, Peachland, Regional District and West Kelowna have agreed to hold off issuing any outdoor burning permits due to the ongoing fire danger. A campfire ban also remains in place for the region until further notice.

There has been a total of 67 suspected toxic drug deaths in Kelowna so far this year. There were eight local deaths reportedly linked to toxic drugs in August, down from 11 in July.

Premier David Eby and six cabinet ministers are in Ottawa to meet with federal policymakers on issues including housing, wildfires, and floods. The visit comes as BC nears the end of a record-breaking wildfire season where more than 2,200 fires have burned nearly 2.5 Million hectares. Eby is scheduled to speak to reporters about the trip today.

Some changes to the alerts and orders associated with the Glen Lake Wildfire west of Peachland. All alerts have been rescinded and all orders have been downgraded to alerts. The fire is still classified as Out of Control and BC Wildfire Service continues to fight it with ground and air crews.

The TransCanada Highway is now closed until October 6th between Field and Golden. That means using the alternate route of Highways 93S and 95. Drive BC says to allow an additional 90 minutes of travel time.

The narrow 54 per cent vote of support by union members for a new contract with Ford in Canada could make reaching deals with GM and Stellantis more challenging. The last contract between Unifor and Ford was approved by an 81 per cent margin. York University labour expert Steven Tufts says the wild card is whether those workers will want more, given that their companies are bigger and more profitable.

Sunday evening Kelowna RCMP and fire department responded to a suspicious fire at a home in the 2600 block of Springfield Road. Investigators are requesting any information or video from the area. If you witnessed anything unusual or have dashcam footage in the area between 10:30 to 11:45pm Sunday, contact the police.

Experts say knowing where your money is going is crucial to supporting Indigenous businesses for Truth and Reconciliation Day. That means looking for an explanation or label about the product’s origin and looking for Indigenous vendors that promise to send proceeds to groups that raise awareness about residential school survivors. The Support Orange Shirt Society has a list of official retailers on its site.

Some Lahaina residents returned to their devastated properties yesterday for the first time since the Hawaii town was nearly destroyed by wildfire about seven weeks ago. The fire killed at least 97 people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, most of them homes. Officials urged residents not to sift through the ashes for fear of raising toxic dust.

SPORTS

The Toronto Blue Jays begin their final home stand of the regular season today. First up is 3 games against the Yankees with the first pitch just after 4 as the Jays remain in a wildcard berth.

The Vancouver Canucks sent five players, who did not play in Sunday night’s blowout loss in Calgary, back to their junior teams yesterday. Canucks still have 31 forwards, 17 defencemen, and seven goaltenders in camp and need to trim that to 23 before the first game of the regular season October 11.

Some referees with Ontario’s soccer association started wearing body cameras this week. It’s part of a new pilot project meant to deter parental abuse, which is a main reason officials are quitting the job.

The Wenatchee Wild are the new team in the WHL this season and they are going to be visiting Kelowna this weekend. However they will be making the trip without their head coach as Kevin Constantine has been suspended pending an independent investigation into alleged violations of league Regulations and Policies.