John McDonald
John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.
It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.
But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.
If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca
Construction and new demand in downtown Kelowna creating parking crunch
KELOWNA - Development in downtown Kelowna is surging, putting a premium on parking spaces, and forcing the city to come up with a plan to deal with perceived shortages over the next three years. Kelowna city council will hear from parking manager Dave Duncan today who prepared the interim parking strategy based on a report...
Spring brings out the job fairs at local restaurants and hotels
KELOWNA - A sure sign of spring in the Okanagan is the job fair blitz by local restaurants and hotels. The yet-to-open Cactus Club inside the Kelowna Yacht Club is leading the pack Friday, March 27 and 28. The brand new operation is looking to staff all positions front and back, including management. The franchised...
Techno-geek dream job up for grabs in Central Okanagan
KELOWNA - For some people, mainly techno-geeks, it would be a dream job — driving around the Central Okanagan in a computer-equipped car or truck tricked out with commercial grade still and video cameras plus an array of eye-safe lasers. It doesn’t say Google on it, but the job-hunting website Adecco is advertising for “streetview...
Neighbours fight crime with Block Watch program
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - In a world where social media provides almost instantaneous connections, an anti-crime program that relies on email and the telephone for neighbours to stay connected seems almost anachronistic. But that’s the model the Block Watch program still uses in British Columbia and local crime prevention coordinator Duane MacTavish says it is doing...
Province pledges $7.2M for CN Rail corridor purchase
KELOWNA - There are some strings attached, but the provincial government is pledging $7.2 million to help make the purchase of the CN Rail corridor a reality. The money is conditional on a successful referendum in Lake Country later this month, according to a press release from the province Tuesday, April 7. “We believe in the...
Lake Country referendum could prove pivotal in closing CN Rail corridor deal
KELOWNA - The provincial government recently pledged more than $7 million for the CN Rail corridor purchase but it does nothing to solve Lake Country’s shortfall of $2.6 million. It may also have created a new problem — voter apathy in Lake Country where a yes vote for the purchase is still critical to the deal...
Plan your route around local road closures this weekend
KELOWNA - Locals drivers should take note of some short-term road closings that could affect travel plans. Sexsmith Road will closed at 5 p.m. today to make way for crews installing sewer upgrades for a new commercial development. The closing affects the segment of Sexsmith between Cambro and Campion Roads. A detour is available via...
And the survey says… life is good in Kelowna
KELOWNA - If you consider yourself pretty much an average Kelownian, then you’re also pretty much satisfied with your life in the city. That’s the conclusion of the most recent citizens survey, released Friday, April 10. “We are generally encourage by the survey results,” city communications supervisor Jodie Foster Sexsmith says. She believes the key...
Open access media policy pays off for city
KELOWNA - The 2015 citizens survey is due out in a couple of weeks and the city is expecting to do as good or better in most categories. But city officials might be surprised to find they’re doing great in a category they don’t even measure — communications with the media. While journalists love to...
Faulty landing gear light causes anxious moments at Kelowna Airport
KELOWNA - A faulty landing gear indicator light on a light plane landing at Kelowna Airport this morning had emergency crews on standby. “We had a Piper Cherokee, which is a small aircraft, coming in. It only had one person onboard,” Kelowna International Airport spokesperson Jenelle Hynes. “They had contacted the tower because there was...
Wildfire fuel reduction critical as risk on the rise in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - If you see smoke coming from up Bear Creek in the next few weeks, it’s likely not a raging wildfire. What you’re seeing is actually a fuel mitigation program designed to stop a raging wildfire from starting in the first place. “What you see behind me is what keeps firefighters awake at...
Criminals should worry about Facebook in West Kelowna’s Shannon Lake
WEST KELOWNA - You almost have to pity the drug dealer, con man or break-in artist who tries to do business in Shannon Lake. The walls have eyes and they are all connected to each other. A suspicious thin, white male, late teens, maybe early 20s, driving an old silver or grey Buick, made that...
Double days off at Easter? You either got it or you don’t
KELOWNA - Other than politics and religion, is there anything that divides us more than who gets two days off at Easter and who doesn’t? Is there anything more confusing? Who gets time off around Easter pretty much comes down to the haves and the have-nots. If you’re just a regular working stiff, working 9...
Police seek information on suspected arson in Rutland
KELOWNA - An early-morning fire that significantly damaged a townhouse on Kneller Road on the weekend may have been arson. The occupants of the townhouse were home when the fire started just after midnight, March 29, but managed to escape unharmed. A Kelowna Fire Department crew extinguished the fire shortly after arriving, but not before...
Early spring means Knox Mountain Park now fully open
KELOWNA - Continued good weather means the road to the top of Knox Mountain Park, Kelowna's signature greenspace, is opening a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. The City of Kelowna says it was opening Knox Mountain Drive because night time temperatures have consistently been above zero. Vehicle access is restricted in winter months as...