Elevate your local knowledge
Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!
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
UPDATE: Crew mopping up after wildfire near Brenda Mines
WEST KELOWNA - B.C. Wildfire is moping up a wildfire about five kilometres south of the Brenda Mines, near Peachland Creek. Fire information officer Kelsey Winter says an air tanker used fire retardant to box in the 0.5 hectare fire northwest of Peachland, named the Boliver Forestry Service Road fire. Once that was in place,...
Ghost bike placed on Bernard Avenue in cyclist’s memory
KELOWNA - A cycling advocacy group is marking the spot where a Kelowna cyclist died with a memorial ghost bike. Patricia Keenan, 38, died in hospital a few days after colliding with a car door opened in front of her on Bernard Avenue. Keenan sustained a head injury even though she was wearing a helmet. Now...
Head office confirms closing of West Kelowna Sears
WEST KELOWNA - Sears Canada has confirmed the closing of its West Kelowna store and says its not sure if it will continue to operate a store on that side of the lake. Sears director of communications Alicia Richler says in an email statement all customer purchases will be honoured. “While we have not yet...
Water managers preparing for longer-term Okanagan drought
KELOWNA - While they are still in the midst of dealing with this year’s widespread drought in the southern B.C. the province’s top water managers are already looking ahead to next year. “Current weather patterns is for a strong El Nino blob off the coast. It is setting up the scenario for a drier than...
West Kelowna Sears store struggling to stay open
WEST KELOWNA - Sears Canada’s West Kelowna location could be shutting down. Landlord Noll Derriksan says he locked out Sears from its Estates Square location on Old Okanagan Highway Thursday morning, Aug. 13, because of non-payment and frequent late payment of rent. The voice message for the Sears West Kelowna number says only that the...
Housing starts make double-digit jump in Kelowna
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - New house construction is climbing in the Central Okanagan, underscoring the strength in the local resale market. "Demand for new homes has matched supply, keeping inventories of completed and unabsorbed homes in check," Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation regional economist Carol Frketich says in a press release. In its preliminary housing starts...
Police looking for senior who may have broken up attempted abduction in Peachland
PEACHLAND - Police are looking to speak to an older woman who they say broke up an odd occurrence in Peachland Saturday. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Joe Duncan said earlier this week police were called to a report of two men who tried to grab a 15-year-old girl and push her into the pedestrian tunnel connecting...
Band members choose to borrow money to keep hospital lands
FEWER THAN 80 VOTES CAST FOR $8 MILLION DEBT WESTBANK FIRST NATION – Band members…
Rail trail group itching to get going on CN corridor
HOPE TO BE OPEN BY JULY 2017 OKANAGAN – They’ve got a construction plan, some…
West Kelowna water abusers face fines before cutoff
WEST KELOWNA – Water wasters in West Kelowna will soon face a range of fines…
Kelowna councillor seeks change to council meeting schedule
KELOWNA - City councillor Charlie Hodge needs more homework time and wants to move council meetings to another day. “This is what I get Friday morning in my agenda package,” Hodge says, brandishing a three-inch thick stack of reports. “I’m supposed to know all this by Monday morning or at least have an understanding of...
City cuts off tax incentives for part of downtown Kelowna
KELOWNA - A property tax break meant to encourage new development in part of downtown Kelowna has done what it was designed to do and there’s no need to extend the program. However, results in two other revitalization areas downtown and one in Rutland have not generated the hoped-for increase in residential development and may...
Double dipping developers get go-ahead from city council
KELOWNA - A pair of micro suite developers have managed to “double dip” taking advantage of two different rental housing incentive programs for the same development. And while some Kelowna city councillors grumbled about the property tax and development cost charge revenue lost to the city, they were reminded staff are already working to close...
Westbank band members vote on future of hospital lands
WESTBANK FIRST NATION – Band members will meet tomorrow night to vote on what to…
Parkinson Rec Centre replacement moves a step closer
KELOWNA - A plan which could one day see a replacement for the Parkinson Recreation Centre in Kelowna is moving to the next step. Parks and building manager Terry Barton says in a report to city council a replacement for the aging multi-use facility is the most pressing recreation need in the city. Built in...
Big fires down but not out in Kamloops Fire Centre
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The only two wildfires of note in the Kamloops Fire Centre have been downgraded to patrol status. Shelter Cove fire off Westside Road near Kelowna and Bolean Lake fire near Falkland were downgraded August 5 and will now be monitored by crews of five firefighters. “Patrol status means they are done active fire...
Kelowna seeks to fix flawed heritage conservation model
KELOWNA - In a bid to coordinate its heritage conservation efforts, Kelowna is looking to Edmonton for direction. The first phase of the heritiage review identified the governance model the city now uses, involving a loose collaboration of heritage groups, to be the source of overlapping mandates and confusion, according to a report from city planner...
Water meters help keep lid on consumption in Kelowna
KELOWNA - As the province deals with the one of the most widespread droughts on record, municipalities and other water providers are increasingly looking for ways to alter consumption patterns amongst their users. While staged watering restrictions can force short term changes in use, the gold standard for long term change is the water meter,...
Whooping cough on the rise across Interior Health region
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An increase in cases of whooping cough across the Interior Health Authority, but primarily in the Central Okanagan, has prompted a warning from public health officials. Medical health officer Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi says in 2015 there has already been 58 confirmed cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, with 36 of them...
Block Party turns Bernard Avenue into backyard festival
KELOWNA - Thousands of people are expected to take part in what has become a tradition in downtown Kelowna over the last 26 years. “Well the name has changed a couple of times but it’s been around for 26 years. Downtown Kelowna Association is the oldest business improvement area and we are 25 years old,...
Province treads lightly enforcing drought rules
OKANAGAN – The province has added to the regions under a level four drought advisory,…
Cougar put down after stalking Black Mountain neighbourhood
KELOWNA - A cougar spotted in a residential neighbourhood near Black Mountain Elementary was tranquilized and then euthanized yesterday afternoon. Conservation officer Ken Owens says the animal was captured near Lynrick Road Tuesday, Aug. 4, after reports of it going from backyard to backyard, behavior he describes as opportunistic. “First our officers tranquilized the cougar...
Drought levels worsen in Okanagan and North Thompson
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Drought conditions are worsening in the region, enough according to the government to increase the drought rating for both the Okanagan and North Thompson regions by one level. The Okanagan Region is now enduring level four drought conditions while the North Thompson is facing level three, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources....
Lots on the table for Central Okanagan school trustees this fall
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - It may be the middle of summer but a new school year is fast approaching for the Central Okanagan School District. School board chair Moyra Baxter says school trustees face a number of pressing issues for the 2015-16 school year, including another probable budget deficit, the transition to a new superintendent of...