Top Stories – Dec 10 – Coke Opening Earlier?

Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says the Coquihalla Highway could reopen to commercial traffic in early January. Previous estimates were the end of that month. He says crews have been making great progress in repairing the road and infrastructure and if the weather cooperates the earlier opening could be possible. Hundreds of workers and about 100 pieces of heavy equipment are working round-the-clock to fix the route.

It’s not the news travel destinations like Big White wanted to hear leading up to the Christmas holidays. With Highway 3 being the only route from the coast to the Interior, Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says it’s unlikely that recreational traffic will be allowed on it anytime soon. Right now it is designated for essential traffic only so the flow of goods can continue, however intercity buses, like E-Bus are operating.

Get ready to pay more for veggies from BC. At least 500 acres of fields have been wiped out by flooding which contaminated crops. Fraser Valley farmers say about 38-hundred tons of produce like broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts are rotting because they can’t be harvested or sold.

We might get a few flurries or showers here, but other parts of BC are being told to be ready for a big weather event for the next couple of days. One area includes the Hope-Princeton highway which currently is the only road route to the interior from the coast. The province is warning of significant snowfall and reduced visibility, as well as potential avalanche activity and increased water flow in areas already affected by recent flooding.

An increasingly toxic and volatile illicit drug supply claimed a record 201 lives in October in BC, and 1,782 in the first 10 months of 2021. There have been 45 deaths per 100-thousand people in Interior Health. To the end of October, there were 60 deaths from illicit drugs in Kelowna compared to 61 in all of 2020.

More than half of small businesses in Canada cannot get all the staff they need for current operations or to meet new demand. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says the problem is especially acute in BC where 59 percent of small businesses report experiencing labour shortages. Those that are finding workers say they are having to pay more.

New cases of covid-19 in BC remained steady yesterday with 341 reported including 70 for Interior Health. There were nine additional deaths from the virus, bringing the total to 2,378. The number of people in hospital in our region has dropped to 39, but 24 of them are in intensive care.

Covid cases were up in the Central Okanagan last week to 156 compared to 141 the week before. Kamloops also saw an increase to 114 from 75. Vernon saw 29 new cases… down from 43, while they also dropped in Penticton from 18 to 15.

The auditor general says Canada failed to adequately enforce border measures designed to keep international travelers from bringing COVID into the country. For example, the Public Health Agency of Canada only had records to verify 25 percent of mandatory quarantine hotel stays. The report comes just as the government reintroduces several stringent rules in response to the latest variant.

Sports

The Vancouver Canucks have hired Jim Rutherford as president of hockey operations and interim general manager. The 72 year old has won Stanley Cups with Carolina and Pittsburgh, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2019. The Canucks will be going for their 3rd straight win when they host Winnipeg tonight.

Locally, the Kelowna Rockets take on the visiting Prince George Cougars tonight and Seattle Thunderbirds tomorrow at Prospera Place. Both WHL games start at 7.

It’s a busy weekend for the West Kelowna Warriors. Three BCHL games include at home tonight at 7 against Merritt, tomorrow in Vernon, and back home at Royal LePage Place Sunday at 2:30 hosting Wenatchee.

And the BC Hockey League is joining the 21st century technical revolution. The Board of Governors voted in favour of approving the use of a video review system for all teams that wish to adopt it, starting immediately.

The 108th Grey Cup game goes Sunday at Tim Horton’s Field in Hamilton. The Tiger Cats will definitely have home field advantage against the defending champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Kickoff is about 3pm and the forecast calls for a decent day and a high of 4.

The Kelowna Chiefs are on the road for 2 KIJHL games. They take on the North Okanagan Knights in Armstrong tonight and move on to Sicamous tomorrow.