Top Stories – Dec 8 – Basran Charged

A special prosecutor has been appointed to investigate an allegation of sexual assault against former Kelowna mayor Colin Basran. The assault is alleged to have occurred in May, when he was still mayor. The initial investigation was done by Kelowna RCMP Investigative Services Department and reviewed by the Nelson Police Department before being forwarded to the BC Prosecution Service. Prosecutor Brock Martland of Vancouver has approved a single charge of sexual assault with the first court appearance scheduled for January 24.

Fortis BC electrical rates are going up just under 4 percent on January 1. For a residential customer who uses about 1,100 kilowatt hours per month of electricity, would be about $7.62 more per month. A final decision will be made sometime in 2023.

The Royal Canadian Mint is issuing a new black-ringed toonie to honour Queen Elizabeth II. The black outer ring is intended to evoke a “mourning armband” to honour the queen, who died in September after 70 years on the throne. The mint says it will start to circulate nearly five million of the coins this month.

The 18th annual Joe Rich Fire Rescue food drive takes place on Sunday. Between 9 & 2, members will travel throughout the community collecting food, cash and cheque donations. Residents are asked to leave their donation on their doorstep, porch or at the end of their driveway or drop off donations at either Station 51 or 52.

Premier David Eby unveiled his new cabinet, but many of the top positions remain the same. Mike Farnworth is Deputy Premier, Solicitor General and Public Safety Minister, Adrian Dix remains in Health and Rob Fleming holds on to Highways. Nikki Sharma is Attorney General, Katrine Convoy handles Finance and Rachna Singh is Education and Child Care Minister.

Kelowna city council supported a motion from Mayor Tom Dyas to direct City staff to develop a municipal lobbyist registry. It would require developers, residents’ groups, unions or anyone seeking to influence government decision-making, to register online. It would provide the public with information on the frequency and content of meetings with local government officials.

Kelowna Council heard a summary of the key financial impacts in the 2023 preliminary budget, ahead of budget deliberations today. It includes investments in infrastructure, community safety, and social wellness among other things. The preliminary budget proposes a 4.01 percent tax increase that includes a one percent Public Safety Levy. Details at kelowna.ca/budget .

The Bank of Canada hiked its key interest rate by half a percentage point to 4.25 percent – the highest it’s been since January 2008. There’s also hope that may be it for a while. The central bank said there’s growing evidence that higher rates are restraining demand in the economy.

Microsoft agreed to make the hit video game Call of Duty available on Nintendo for 10 years should its $69 Billion purchase of game maker Activision Blizzard go through. It’s an apparent attempt to fend off objections from rival Sony. However, the blockbuster merger is facing close scrutiny from regulators in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere.

Sports

Make that 3 overtime wins in a row. In San José last night once again, just like Monday against Montreal, it was Elias Pettersson getting the winner with just 35 seconds left in the extra frame. This time it gave the Canucks a 6-5 win.

Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin has won the 2022 Northern Star Award, formerly the Lou Marsh Award, making her the first women’s hockey player to claim the honour of Canada’s athlete of the year.

The Kelowna Rockets Family Skate will take place at Prospera on Sunday from 11:30 to 1. Players will be there for pictures and autographs and fans enter at gate one with admission being a donation of a non-perishable food item for the Food Bank.

Thursday Night Football is an NFC/AFC matchup as the Rams host the Raiders at SoFi Stadium at 5:15.