Top Stories – May 5 – Rivers Run Fast

As we head into the weekend with some rain in the forecast, the Flood Watch remains in place for the Okanagan. The BC River Forecast Centre says hikers and people living near creeks including Mission and their tributaries should be on alert for rapid flow and level increases. And avoid recreational activities such as fishing, swimming, boating, kayaking or hiking near high streamflow rivers or streams. Don’t forget cordemergency.ca is a great resource.

A reminder that the Kelowna Fire Department will host its annual open house on Sunday from 930 – noon in the former Costco parking lot on Highway 97. The Salvation Army will be serving coffee and a pancake breakfast by donation. Other agencies there will include RCMP, paramedics, COSAR and YLW Aircraft Rescue Firefighting.

Pilots are speaking out against an aviation industry push toward having a sole crew member in the cockpit. Airbus and Dassault Aviation are pushing for some aircraft to be crewed by just one pilot for part of the flight, though not during takeoff and landing, by 2027. The unions representing more than 150,000 workers said the proposal aims to boost airline profits at the expense of safety.

The Kelowna Pipe Band’s Spring Fling and 100th anniversary celebration will be held in Kelowna tomorrow with a parade downtown and events at Waterfront Park. To accommodate the parade, Bernard Avenue will be closed from The Sails to St. Paul Street from about 9-11:30 while Abbott will be closed from Leon to The Sails. Flaggers will be at all intersections to help direct traffic.

Canada Revenue Agency employees are back at work after reaching a tentative deal with the federal government. It ends a strike of 35,000 workers just after the tax season wrapped up. P-SAC says it includes wage increases totalling 12.6 percent from 2021-2024, as well as an additional fourth year that protects workers from inflation.

TD Bank Group has called off its $13.4-billion deal to acquire U.S. bank First Horizon because of the uncertainty as to when, and if, it would be able to get regulatory approval. The cancellation to take over the Tennessee-based bank comes amid upheaval in the U.S. banking sector. Three banks have either collapsed or been taken over this year.

It continues to be a very slow market for anyone wanting to sell real estate in the Central Okanagan. In April, compared to a year ago, sales of single family homes, condos and townhomes fell 23, 21 and 25 percent respectively, while the number of days to sell was up 151, 85 and 279 percent. The benchmark price fell between 4.5 and 10.5 percent.

As Husky gas stations get rebranded to Canco, the same is about to happen with another brand. Canadian Tire and PetroCan have reached a deal where 200 Canadian Tire gas stations will be rebranded to Petro Canada but retain CT ownership. Drivers will be able to collect Canadian Tire Triangle rewards at all PetroCan stations starting this fall.

If you are listening to this, you are probably not one of them, but roughly 2,000 guests from around the world have been invited to London to witness the coronation of King Charles III tomorrow. If you want to watch it, you’ll have to get up really early or record it. The procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey will begin at 2:20am our time and the Coronation ceremony starts at 3.

Sports

At Scotiabank Arena last night, two quick goals at the beginning of the second period lifted the Florida Panthers to a 3-2 win over Toronto. Game 3 is Sunday in Florida. Game 2 between the Oilers and Vegas goes tomorrow.

The Blue Jays will be happy to be out of Boston after losing four straight to the Red Sox. Today they start a weekend series against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.

And the Formula One roadshow has made its way to North America for the Miami Grand Prix this weekend. Qualifying is tomorrow with the race on Sunday.