Top Stories – July 13 – Fatal Peachland MVA

The accident on Highway 97 in Peachland yesterday morning resulted in the death of a driver. RCMP say a small car collided with a semi just south of Princeton Avenue. The driver’s name has not been released and West Kelowna RCMP asks anyone who may have witnessed the crash, or was in the area and has dashcam footage of the collision, and has not yet spoken to police, to please contact them.

Kelowna Council supported an Idling Control Bylaw to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and align with the goals of Imagine Kelowna. With a few exceptions, the bylaw states that a motor vehicle cannot idle for more than one minute. Staff will enforce complaints and focus on an educational approach to change people’s behaviour around idling.

It has been a year since a construction crane collapsed in downtown Kelowna, killing 5 people. A crane that was attached to a Bernard Block highrise gave way while being dismantled and part of it fell into a neighbouring building. RCMP say the investigation into what happened is ongoing and Worksafe BC is conducting its own investigation.

An application for a rezoning for the proposed downtown UBCO campus was given first reading by Kelowna Council. The property at 550 Doyle was the previous location of the Kelowna Daily Courier. If approved, the building would be Kelowna’s tallest at 46 storeys. The application was forwarded to the July 26 public hearing.

Wilson’s Landing has a new fire chief. Paul Zydowicz (zid-eh-VICH) is now wearing the department’s white chiefs’ helmet. He joined the department as a firefighter recruit in 2016, rising through the ranks and was appointed deputy chief in 2019.

Rogers says it will give customers affected by last week’s outage 5 days credit on their bill. The company says it’s been hearing from customers from across the country who said how significant the impacts of the outage were for them. It adds it will continue to work around the clock to restore Canadians’ confidence in them.

As the weather heats up and the province dries out, a Category 2 Open Burn ban will come into place on Friday. That means an end to fireworks, sky lanterns and burn barrels. Campfires are still allowed on Crown land for the time being, but they must be contained. They are never permitted in the city of Kelowna.

Good news for some westside residents. The water quality advisory for Westbank First Nation Reserve 9 has been lifted. However, advisories remain in place for Sunnyside/Pritchard and Rose Valley/Lakeview water systems in West Kelowna. There are no boil water advisories in place.

There were a number of Central Okanagan recipients of the Lieutenant Governor’s Arts and Music Awards. They include: Melany Nugent-Noble, Ballet Kelowna and Creative Okanagan. It recognizes individuals, groups and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional leadership, creativity, community engagement, passion or commitment to fostering and mentoring others in the fields of visual arts, music or performance.

Sports

It’s less than 2 months until the first hockey game for the West Kelowna Warriors. The BCHL squad will have exhibition games in Chilliwack, Vernon and on home ice on September 10 against the Vipers.

Duncan Keith played his first 16 NHL seasons with the Blackhawks, winning the Stanley Cup three times before he was traded to the Oilers one year ago. Now, he has called it a career. The defenseman will turn 39 on Saturday and says being able to help his brother coach their boys is an exciting thought.

The Toronto Blue Jays who are about 16 games back of the Yankees following that disastrous west coast roadtrip are back at home this week. Last night, they started things off with a 4-3 win over the Phillies. They will play again today at 4.

Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defensive lineman Garrett Marino has been suspended for four games by the CFL following an investigation into his ejection from Saturday’s game against the Redblacks. He nailed quarterback Jeremiah Masoli with a low hit which will have the pivot out of commission for a few months.

The Minnesota Wild traded goaltender Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for netminder Filip Gustavsson. Gustavsson went 5-12-1 with the struggling Senators this past season, while Talbot’s future in Minnesota was called into question once the Wild signed Marc-Andre Fleury to a two-year extension last week.

Ahead of The Open Championship this week, Tiger Woods let his feelings be known about golfers who have left the PGA Tour for a more lucrative, Saudi-backed series. In Scotland, Woods said the players have simply turned their backs on what made them successful.