Top Stories – Aug 25 – New Wildfire Out

A fire that started along Westside Road near Sail View Bay yesterday was short-lived. Right away, residents on Bear Creek Road, north of Parkinson Road, including the Sail View Bay subdivision, were told to evacuate. West Kelowna Fire Rescue and BC Wildfire were tasked with fighting it and in a couple of hours, there was no smoke and the Fire Chief Jason Brolund told us they had a lot of mopping up to do. People were allowed to go home in the evening. It was started by a tree falling on power lines.

BC Wildfire crews have been conducting very small, planned hand ignitions to burn small pockets of fuel between the fire and the guard around all areas of the Mt. Law fire. The evacuation order for 2 properties and the other alerts are still in place. One west bound lane on the Connector is closed to traffic for the safety of crews and motorists. Drive BC for that and cordemergency.ca for the fire.

Kelowna Council upheld its decision for a remedial action order against 424 Gibson Rd, following an appeal by the property owner. It means the home must be torn down within six months and the entire property cleaned up. Council said the home and retaining wall are unsafe and renovations do not comply with the structural requirements of the BC Building Code and were done without permits.

Masks are once again required in all indoor public spaces in BC to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says people 12 and older will need to wear masks regardless of vaccination status. She says about 75 percent of BC residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but that number needs to be higher as the Delta variant drives up case counts.

There were 641new cases of Covid-19 in BC yesterday, including 273 in Interior Health where there are just over 2,000 active cases. So far this month, people not fully vaccinated have accounted for 85 percent of all hospitalizations in the province. There are 43 people in hospital in I-H, with half of them in critical care.

Masks will be required by students in Grade 4 and up at the start of the school year next month. Dr. Bonnie Henry says the order will be reassessed in mid-October when the province fully implements a card showing proof of immunization in order to enter sports and other events. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside says only 57 percent of youth between 12 and 17 are fully immunized.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized Canada’s intent to keep special forces operatives and aircrews at Kabul airport longer than the end of the month. He was part of a virtual summit with his G-7 counterparts. Trudeau says all leaders emphasized how important it is to pass a message to the Taliban that not only should they be letting people have access to the airport in the coming days, but they need to make sure that people are able to leave Afghanistan if they want to.

The swimming pools and aquatic area, including the steam room, hot tub, and gymnasium at Parkinson Rec Centre will be closed for annual maintenance and cleaning from Monday, August 30 to Sunday, September 19. No drop-in basketball or volleyball will be available either and the family changing room will also be closed. Pool-goers looking to swim can still access the YMCA and H2O Centre.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he has no confidence in Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s plans to make it easier to buy a home across the country. He says Trudeau has failed to do anything to make housing more affordable during his entire time in office. Four years ago that the Liberals unveiled a housing strategy designed to boost supply and help drive down costs for families.

Sports

Canada is 3 and 0 at the Women’s World Hockey Championships in Calgary following a 5-0 win against Switzerland. Canada outshot them 63-12. The next game won’t be so easy as Canada takes on the States, who are also undefeated, tomorrow.

Major League Baseball suspended Arizona left-hander Caleb Smith 10 games and handed him an undisclosed fine after umpires found a foreign substance on his glove during a game last week. He’s the second player to be suspended for their use this season.

Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle has been named one of the CFL’s top performers of week three after an impressive debut as the Argonauts starter. Saskatchewan pivot Cody Fajardo (fuh-JAR’-doh) and Edmonton receiver Greg Ellingson were also honoured.

The Edmonton Oilers say fans 12 and over wanting to watch them live this season will have to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. The Oilers announcement follows strengthened health and safety protocols announced recently by the Jets, Leafs, Flames and Canucks.

The St. Louis Cardinals and catcher Yadier Molina have agreed to a one-year, $10-million contract extension. He’s getting 9 million this year.