Top Stories – Sept 7 – Update: Arrested!

After several days of intense investigation and searching, a tragic incident that left 10 people dead and 18 others wounded has come to an end. Saskatchewan RCMP confirmed suspect Myles Sanderson was arrested today near Rosthern, between Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

If it has been 6 months since your last covid booster or shot, Dr. Bonnie Henry would like you to get another one. The health ministry anticipates the next covid surge to come in November. The updated bivalent Moderna vaccine will start arriving in the province this week and invitations will go out over the coming days and weeks. It has a greater effect against the Omicron variant.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet are in Vancouver as they prepare for a fall sitting of Parliament. The Liberals have just a few months left to deliver on what they promised to the NDP as part of the confidence and supply agreement. National dental care and an expanding housing benefit are both expected by Christmas.

Bus drivers in Kelowna won’t make a big deal of it if you don’t pay starting tomorrow. It’s the latest escalation in their contract dispute with First Transit and BC Transit. The union is also suggesting riders don’t buy any passes until the job action is over. It says it’s taking any action it can outside of a full shut down.

HEATHER LAKE 6/730
The Heather Lake wildfire which straddles the BC/US border in Manning Park was last estimated at 38-hundred hectares… almost doubling in size in one day. BC Wildfire says it was started by lightning and doesn’t threaten any structures. There were 6 helicopters and 22 firefighters working it yesterday. Plans are underway to prepare for the possibility of it impacting Highway 3, just 2 kilometres away.

We owe even more money these days. Equifax Canada says total consumer debt rose to 2.32 Trillion dollars in the second quarter, up 8.2 percent compared with the same quarter last year. Credit card balances rose to the highest level since the fourth quarter of 2019. Equifax says loans for first-time homebuyers were put at over 430-thousand dollars.

More than 23 Million dollars will be spent on a much-needed addition to Dr. Knox Middle School in Glenmore. The 2-storey expansion will have 12 classrooms… enough for 300 more students. Work is expected to begin early next year and be completed by the fall of 2024.

Kelowna and West Kelowna RCMP will be represented at the Canadian Police Dog Trials today through Saturday in Camrose, Alberta by Constable Kent Wagner and his partner, Mysen. The dogs will be displaying their skills and abilities in tracking, narcotic/explosive detection, search, obedience and criminal apprehension scenarios. Wagner says Mysen has trained hard and is looking forward to the competition.

Quebec’s anti-corruption unit says a former vaccination centre employee has been charged with fabricating information used to generate fake QR codes for the vaccination passport. Because of the false info, people were able to get codes attesting that they were vaccinated against COVID. The woman is facing charges of breach of trust, producing false documents and fraudulent use of a computer.

Sports

The Kelowna Rockets have reduced their training camp roster to 39 players, including five goalies, 12 defensemen and 22 forwards. Tickets for the Rockets three preseason games and the regular season home opener are on sale through Select Your Tickets.

After winning two against the Orioles on Monday at Camden Yards, the Blue Jays lost 9-6 to Baltimore last night. They’ll play the final of their 4 game series later this afternoon.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will start Mitch Trubisky at quarterback in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals. He signed with the Steelers as a free agent this offseason after spending a year as Josh Allen’s backup with the Buffalo Bills.

Hockey Canada announced the schedule for the 2023 World Junior Championship to be co-hosted in December by Halifax and Moncton. Defending champion Canada see their first action on Boxing Day at 3:30pm Pacific, in Halifax against Czechia.

10 Million bucks for one season. The Red Sox signed outfielder Enrique Hernandez to a contract extension. He was scheduled to hit free agency this summer.

The Major League Baseball Players Association asked management Tuesday to voluntarily accept the union as the bargaining agent for minor leaguers. Players with minor league contracts, who earn as little as $400 weekly during the six-month season, would become their own bargaining unit within the Association.