Kelowna Capital News

Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR) ends its winter 2025-26 run this weekend, wrapping up a season where it had a major service disruption at a crucial time due to a chairlift outage and few alternative lifts. RMR runs relatively fewer chairlifts than other major resorts in Western Canada. But management at another big ski hill, Banff Sunshine Village, has stated the costs to add lifts, Revelstoke’s rural location, and its young age as a world-class resort all mean that whether RMR needs more

Power has now been cut off at a Vernon trailer park whose owner was unable to pay for repairs to its dangerous electrical system, leaving the remaining residents in the dark — both literally and regarding the future of their home investments. The Crown Villa manufactured home park on Okanagan Avenue was warned by Technical Safety BC (TSBC) multiple times since 2021 that its power would be shut off April 10 if essential repairs weren’t made to the electrical system, which was creating

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs says the NDP has a “colossal” leadership problem, and if it doesn’t move on from Premier David Eby, the party could be doomed for decades. “I think the problem is Premier Eby,” he said at a Friday morning news conference in Vancouver held by Indigenous leaders opposed to a proposed suspension of parts of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). And Phillip says his wife, Joan, an

Songhees Nation has responded to a civil claim filed by Esquimalt Nation with the B.C. Supreme Court, disputing the future ownership of Hatley Park in Colwood. Esquimalt Nation has called for a stop to negotiations between Songhees Nation and Canada to designate Hatley Park, which is home to Royal Roads University, as Songhees treaty lands. As well as a permanent injunction against the designation, Esquimalt Nation’s civil claim, filed March 27, is asking the federal government to declare

Premier David Eby told the annual gathering of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries (COFI) on Friday said that the government plans to ease industrial carbon prices for pulp mills as the province’s forestry sector continues to struggle to remain competitive. “We have been working with COFI to address costs faced by the sector,” he said. “Whether it is in relation to water permits or carbon pricing.” B.C. axed its consumer carbon tax last year, but kept industrial c

The Greater Vancouver Zoo announced the death of its 18-year-old African lion, Boomer, on Wednesday, April 8. The zoo said Boomer experienced a “rapid decline in his quality of life” in the days leading up to a euthanization decision due to end-stage renal disease. He had been receiving treatment for the condition since last year. Boomer was found as a young cub near a highway in Quebec and was first placed at the Granby Zoo before arriving to Aldergrove’s Greater Vancouver Zoo

A B.C. Supreme Court Judge has released a scolding review of the Okanagan Indian Band’s conduct in its dispute with Parker Cove Properties Limited Partnership (PCPLP), while blocking the band’s attempt to cut off fire protection and emergency services to the development community on the west side of Okanagan Lake. Justice Neena Sharma’s Feb. 12 decision, released online earlier this week, followed the OKIB’s threat to cancel all 911 and fire protection services for the co

More maternity care services are being wrapped in coddling blankets for Vernon. Interior Health (IH) is partnering with Vernon health organizations to offer greater access to maternity care service with the formation of the Orchard Maternity Vernon (OMV) Clinic. The facility will be located at the Vernon Health Unit (1440-14th Avenue), and will provide prenatal care to low-risk pregnancies through the first six-to-eight weeks after the baby’s birth. “Strong maternity care is vital in

At least eight people have been transported to hospital as a result of chlorine gas at Crystal Pool, according to Victoria Fire Chief Dan Atkinson at a press conference on Friday (April 10) afternoon. There was a shelter in place order for residents in the area, asking them to close their doors, shut their windows, turn off the AC, though the order was cancelled as of 3 p.m. A portion of Quadra Street was also closed, but since reopened. “Chlorine gas is absolutely a dangerous gas,”

WARNING: This piece contains strong and potentially offensive language, including the words “faggot” and “retard.” These terms appear in the context of lived experiences and are used to illustrate the realities of discrimination, harm, and resilience within the queer community. Reader discretion is advised. Yesterday I posted a simple question on Facebook: Pierre Poilievre’s next pivot will be out the door. Agree? Disagree? It was an invitation to debate ideas. What

B.C.’s unemployment rate ticked up 0.6 percentage points in March, reaching 6.7 per cent — the highest level since 2016, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic. “Really brutal numbers,” said Gavin Dew, the B.C. Conservative jobs critic, in an interview. Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s jobs minister, blamed global uncertainty from tariffs and the war in Iran. “We’ve got tariffs on one side, and now we’ve got a war that’s creating uncertainty,” he told Blac

A Kelowna resident played the odds of 508,333-to-1, and won. Clifford F. won the grand prize from a Set for Life scratch off ticket, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) announced on Friday, April 10. After scratching his ticket, Clifford went to check if he won on the BCLC app and had to do a double take when the word “annuity” appeared. “My first thought when I saw annuity was, ‘what does that mean?’” said Clifford. “I knew what the word mea

A Salmon Arm woman is out $11,900 after falling victim to a scam accusing her of identity theft by people actually committing identity theft to perpetrate the ruse. Police are warning the public of a new con circulating where the fraudster claims to be with the Government of Canada and uses crypto currency to scam victims. In an incident from April 8, a local woman received a call from someone claiming to be the “deputy in Ottawa” with evidence she had committed identity theft, which

The Kelowna RCMP are asking for the public’s assistance in finding a missing woman who hasn’t been seen since late March. Aleisha Pinch was reported missing on Sunday, April 5. She was last seen in late March in downtown Kelowna. The 41-year-old is currently unhoused and hasn’t been seen by outreach services staff recently. The RCMP are concerned for her health and well-being. Pinch is described as: Caucasian female; 5’3” tall; Medium build; Shoulder length blonde

The Vernon RCMP is making it known that electric dirt bikes and similar high-powered motorcycles are not street legal, and their misuse on roads, sidewalks and in other public spaces is creating “serious” safety concerns. Police have seen a notable increase in the number of electric dirt bikes being driven throughout Vernon, which has led to a growing number of public complaints, particularly regarding these bikes being ridden dangerously at high speeds and in busy areas. “Thes

Run to help those who have to travel long distances for medical care this Sunday, April 12 in Kelowna. Starting at 9:30 a.m. at Pandosy Waterfront Park, the annual Run for Rural will take place to support Hope Air. The national charity raises money to help those travel to access essential medical care that they can’t receive close to home. “Each year, thousands of patients rely on Hope Air to reach treatment that isn’t available in their home communities,” stated a Hope A

Two driving forces of the Kelowna Rockets offence are up for awards. The team’s leading scorer Tij Iginla is a western conference finalist for the WHL player of the year, also known as the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy. The Lake Country product lead the WHL in points per game (1.88) after registering 90 points (41G-49A) in 48 games with Kelowna this season. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound centre established new career highs in both assists and points, besting his previous marks from 2023-24 when he

UPDATE 10:05 a.m. The pedestrian that was struck late Thursday night was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition, EHS paramedic public information officer Brian Twaites told Black Press Media. Two ambulances attended the scene, one with primary care paramedics and one with advanced care paramedics and provided medical care to the pedestrian. Both primary and advanced paramedics also attended the crash early Friday morning at the intersection of Richter Street and Cadder Avenue. In tota

Ahead of Asian Heritage Month, the Asian Heritage Okanagan (AHM) Committee’s latest exhibit is on display at Kelowna City Hall and will be for the next two months. The theme of this year’s display is called Intercultural Collaboration and Social Innovation, which celebrates the diverse history and contributions of Asian communities across the Okanagan. “Through traditional crafts and personal stories, the exhibit highlights themes of migration, resilience, and cultural pride, o

A former Langley developer has been accused of defrauding a U.S. development company of $800,000, while he was still in prison for another, unrelated fraud. Mark John Chandler is best known in B.C. for his involvement in the development of Murrayville House, a condo complex near Langley Memorial Hospital. In 2019, after the Murrayville House project had collapsed into receivership amid creditor lawsuits, construction delays, and accusations that he had promised some condo units to two, three, or