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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
Water drilling rush in B.C. Interior to get jump on new water regulations
IMPACT UNKNOWN THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Companies drilling water wells in the B.C. Southern Interior appear to be busier than usual and the reason may be the introduction next spring of the provincial Water Sustainability Act and its new well licensing requirements. While hard numbers of how many wells are being drilled are hard to come by...
Westbank First Nation ponies up for public beach extension
WEST KELOWNA - Local residents can now enjoy an extended beach in Gellatly Bay courtesy of the Westbank First Nation. The band dedicated a portion of band land along the lakeshore of Indian Reserve #9 adjacent to the public beach at Gellatly Bay today, Sept. 14. Chief Robert Louie says the band recognizes the importance...
Kelowna airport still flying high
KELOWNA - The city-owned Kelowna International Airport continues to do well, with most indicators on the rise. Airport manager Sam Samadar, in a report to city councillors, will show traffic continues to grow and will so for some time. Some 1.6 million passengers got on or off a plane in Kelowna in 2014, right in...
Kelowna nightclub owners want to keep booze flowing longer
KELOWNA - City staff are recommending against a request for a half hour extention of hours at downtown bars and nightclubs in Kelowna but would support doubling the number of special event nights with closing times as late as 4 a.m. According to a report by community planning manager Ryan Smith, a downtown industry group...
ELECTION 2015: What does voting got to do with dancing?
KELOWNA - A young voter from Kelowna is determined to put the party back in politics by holding a free youth voter registration dance party. “They’ve been talking for 40 years about how the youth vote is declining and young people are not getting out to vote any more. I’m active in my culture and...
Bear sighting on Knox Mountain prompts warning from city
KELOWNA - A bear sighting in Knox Mountain Park has prompted a warning from the City of Kelowna. Bears are not unusual in the park at this time of year, the city says in a media release, and signs are in place to warn park users. Park services manager Ian Wilson says people should respect...
More than 30,000 Kelowna students find their seats this week
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Thousands of students found their way to new classrooms this week as school resumed at all levels. UBC Okanagan says some 8,400 students began classes this week, while several thousand more started at Okanagan College and another 22,000 started grade school in the Central Okanagan School District. In a press release, UBCO says...
Kamloops and Kelowna among top places in Canada for job seekers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Kamloops and Kelowna have managed to crack the top-20 in a survey noting 50 of the hottest local job markets in Canada. Express Employment Professionals, a staffing agency with operations in Canada, the U.S. and South Africa, released its second annual Top 50 Hot Job Markets survey this week. The survey looks at the number...
ELECTION 2015: Liberal Fuhr says air force experience will help in political dogfight
KELOWNA - It was logic honed by 20 years in the air force that brought Stephen Fuhr to where he is today; federal Liberal candidate in Kelowna-Lake Country. “It was the F-35 program that got me involved in big P politics,” Fuhr says, noting he voted Conservative before then. “When I heard two cabinet ministers...
Health authority moves on residential care bed promise
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Construction of 100 new residential care beds will begin this fall in Kelowna and another 85 are soon expected in Vernon as well. The Interior Health Authority announced in a press release it has awarded the contract to Baltic Properties, an existing contractor who is already providing residential care services in Kamloops, Lake...
Bus fares rise in the Central Okanagan
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - A broad-based bus fare increase for Kelowna Transit riders kicked in this week. The increase began Sept. 1 and was approved by Kelowna city council last March as an attempt to streamline fares and increase to 30 per cent what the city recovers from the subsidized bus service. Base fares for adults,...
Crush of students puts the pressure on Kelowna Transit
KELOWNA - They’re not yellow but considering how many students they carry, regular transit buses could almost be considered school buses. Jerry Dombowsky, the City of Kelowna’s regional programs manager with responsiblity for transit, says moving students is a big part of what Kelowna Regional Transit does. "Students of all ages make up a significant...
Superintendent school awaits new top teacher
KELOWNA - There’s a change in command coming at the Central Okanagan school district but outgoing superintendent Hugh Gloster says his successor will be well supported during the transition. “The plan is for me to continue to manage operational issues of the district until close to the end of the year," he says. "There’s a...
School bus fees double but service still heavily subsidized
KELOWNA - Those big yellow school buses will be back on the road next week, ferrying some 5,500 students to classes in the Central Okanagan school district. Each one of those kids will be paying $200 to get to and from school, double what it cost last year, as the school board found ways to...
Whooping cough still a concern as school approaches
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With the first day of school approaching, parents should remember a recent spike in potentially fatal whooping cough has only just began to drop. “We have been in communciations with schools informing parents about communicable diseases in general and the fact we have been observing increased cases of whooping cough,” Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi...
Night construction could cause traffic delays in Kelowna next week
KELOWNA - A pair of roadwork projects on the city’s major highways will cause some delays next week. On both Highway 97 and Highway 33 road construction will reduce traffic to single-lane alternating traffic, according to information posted to the province’s Drive B.C. website. Work will take place east of Hollywood Road on Highway 33...
Forget fire, we’ve got snow on local ski hills
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The weather has flip-flopped in the last week, so much so local ski hills are reporting their first snowfalls instead of watching for wildfires. Silver Star Mountain operations director Brad Baker sent out pictures showing a fair dusting of snow at the resort near Vernon, and a reminder of the mountain’s early bird...
Roll out of new school curriculum underfunded, say Okanagan teachers’ association
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Teachers in the Central Okanagan School District are welcoming the new provincial education curriculum but say the province isn’t providing enough money to give it a proper introduction. “It is a huge reform, complete overhaul from stem to stern and teachers have been very involved in the development of this curriculum. Like...
‘Too soon’ say critics of decision to lift campfire ban
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Some fire-shocked B.C. residents are questioning the decision by the Ministry of Forests to lift the campfire ban that has been in place since early July. The ministry announced Monday afternoon the ban would be lifted on Crown lands and campsites in the South East and Kamloops fire centres and many communities and regional districts...
New pile technology tested at site of future Kelowna hotel
KELOWNA – Reports that construction is beginning on the 24-storey Westcorp hotel on Kelowna’s waterfront…
ELECTION 2015: NDP candidate says life’s lessons prepared her well for political challenges
KELOWNA - While the NDP is riding a strong wave of support across much of Canada, some candidates are still finding themselves in tough in their own ridings. Kelowna-Lake Country is one of them. Norah Bowman, a rookie candidate for the NDP, is going after Conservative incumbent Ron Cannan, a three-term Member of Parliament who last election...
Scotch and fine spirits society takes off in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Born of shared interest and gap in the market, the Kelowna Scotch and Fine Spirits Society held its inaugural meeting this week at a local restaurant. “They have a group on the Westside but there’s nothing over here,” Claude Hurtubise says. “The club format is the perfect venue. People may be reluctant to...
Naked yoga now an option in Kelowna
KELOWNA - It might never become a thing, but naked yoga has made its debut in Kelowna. Instructor Chandra Lokah says she recently held the inaugural naked yoga class in a rented space with just four participants, but now that she's held the first one, Lokar believes more people will soon follow. “There were more...
Laundry worker seriously injured at Kelowna General Hospital
KELOWNA - WorkSafe BC is investigating a serious workplace accident where a laundry worker was caught up in machinery at Kelowna General Hospital. In an emailed statement, Alan Davies, director of support services for the Interior Health Authority, confirmed the accident happened last Friday, Aug. 21. "Our thoughts are with our employee and their family...