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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
West Kelowna moves closer to becoming a city
WEST KELOWNA - A bid by the District of West Kelowna to apply for an updgrade to city status is moving to the next level after only 166 counter petitions were submitted during the alternative approval process. “There is no significant concern from the public and I think we made the right call using the...
New name and price approved for Memorial Parkade
KELOWNA - Despite a jump in final price to more than $19 million for the Memorial Parkade, Kelowna city councillors had little say about the increase. Instead, what little debate councillors had was centred around the aesthetics of the 6.5-storey structure, slated to begin construction this summer in time for completion next summer. Coun. Luke...
Breastfeeding moms could prevail in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - Breastfeeding is a right protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom and according to a report from staff, District of West Kelowna staff should be trained in to recognize this — to do anything else is sex discrimination. The staff report recommends West Kelowna get behind a request originally made...
Power outage planned for part of Kelowna
KELOWNA - Fortis customers in the central city area of Kelowna can expect a planned power outage tomorrow morning. Fortis B.C. is advising customers they will be shutting off power from 4 to 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 13, for emergency repairs. The affected area is primarily between Richter Street and Ethel Street from Sutherland Avenue...
Pot protesters call for mass phone-in to Kelowna mayor
KELOWNA - With the tang of marijuana smoke in the air, anti-cannabis prohibition activist Dana Larsen lead a protest outside City Hall this afternoon against what he says are Kelowna’s outdated bylaws regulating medical marijuana dispensaries. “Let’s help show Kelowna council they do have an option, they have the option to follow the Vancouver model...
City of Kelowna chooses contractor for new cop shop
KELOWNA - The city has chosen Bird Design-Build Construction as the primary contractor for the new RCMP police services building to be built at Clement Avenue and Richter Street in Kelowna. The contract is valued at $39 million and calls for the Calgary-based construction company to shepherd the specialized police services building through the planning...
Cost of new downtown Kelowna parkade on the rise
KELOWNA - The number of parking stalls planned for the city’s latest downtown parkade has jumped but so has the price tag. In a report to council, director of infrastructure Allan Newcombe says capacity of the new parkade will jump from 438 stalls under the original proposal to 566 stalls. The original budget of $15.83...
Intersecting trends making mead a sales phenom
KELOWNA - So is it the current Viking craze, Game of Thrones mania or just plain old hipsters that have thrust the ancient beverage mead back into the modern world? Judie Barta isn’t exactly sure but what she does know is that she can barely keep up with demand for the honey wine she makes...
Okanagan Basin Water Board demands more action on invasive mussels
OKANAGAN - The Okanagan Basin Water Board is calling on the provincial government to step up the fight against invasive quagga and zebra mussels by establishing permanent inspection stations at the five main highway entrances from Alberta. As well, in a seven-point position paper, the water board is calling on the federal government to immediately...
Lots and plots predicted to be hot commodity at Kelowna Cemetery
KELOWNA - A consultant has identified one particular housing market segment in Kelowna where demand is only going to go up and where the city can eventually make some serious money — cremation lots and burial plots. Current inventory at the city-owned Kelowna Memorial Park cemetery is predicted to run out within eight years. The...
Summer watering restrictions likely as province records average lowest snowpack levels in 31 years
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The lastest snowpack measurements from the provincial government’s river forecast centre are showing record low levels in some areas including the Okanagan and Similkameen regions. Without substantial rain in the next couple of months, reservoirs across the region will also be lower than normal, likely leading to water use restrictions in many communities...
Young hockey player’s sad story may have a happy ending
KELOWNA - It appears the story of the nine-year-old boy who quit his hockey team in tears after being repeatedly benched, may have a happy ending after all. Our story about Sam Lescarbeau has gone truly viral with people from all over Canada writing to encourage him, share similar stories from all manner of sports teams...
New pet registry promotes microchip implants
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The SPCA is promoting a new province-wide pet identification registry where animals with microchip implants can have their information stored in a centralized database. "We’ve created a first for British Columbia — a centralized database for pets who receive permanent identification at any B.C. SPCA shelter, veterinarian or microchip clinic across the province,”...
Valley mayors push for early start to water conservation
OKANAGAN - Mindful of the dry winter the Okanagan has just experienced, valley mayors and councillors joined the Okanagan Basin Water Board for an early launch of the Make Water Work conservation campaign today. Mayor Doug Findlater, who chairs the water board, used his own community of West Kelowna as an example of why the...
Fintry Queen still waiting for forever home
KELOWNA - She looks a little lonely out there, anchored in Sutherland Bay, waiting for something to happen but the man tasked with selling the iconic Fintry Queen says interest has been steady since it was put up for sale two months ago. “We’re still marketing it, still waiting for the right buyer but we’ve...
Union takes fight for hospital laundry services to the street
KELOWNA - Hospital Employees Union members took to the streets outside Kelowna General Hospital today to push for the Interior Health Authority to reconsider a plan to privatize laundry services. “These are workers that perform a very important health care service, they ensure that operating rooms are stocked with clean linens. Here at KGH 17,000...
Central Okanagan school trustees turn down pay raise
KELOWNA - Central Okanagan school trustees, perhaps mindful of how it could be perceived during a budget deficit year, turned down the chance last week of giving themselves a raise. “I think trustees thought, in a time of budget constraints, that it was a bad idea,” school board chair Moyra Baxter says. Baxter still believes...
West Kelowna pushing city status bid under the radar
WEST KELOWNA - Opponents of the district’s push to seek city status say mayor and council have tried to slide the issue under the radar when it deserves a full and open public debate. Gordon Ficke, President of the Historic Westbank Association, says council ignored a request from the group to hold a townhall meeting...
Hard lessons from California drought to be learned in the Okanagan
KELOWNA - With snowpack levels on the west side of Okanagan Lake at extremely low levels coupled with the dry winter the valley has just experienced, a comparison with drought-stricken California and the measures they must now take to avoid catastrophe is perhaps inevitable. “People say jokingly the best planning is done in advance… what...
Gas prices jump in the Central Okanagan
KELOWNA - If you’re running low on gas and can find a gas station that has yet to get the memo, you might want to fill up. Gasbuddy.com users are reporting an 11 cent jump in the price of regular gas, from $1.11.9 to $1.22.9 at stations across the Central Okanagan. And you might have...
The heart-breaking reason this nine-year-old boy quit hockey
"TO WIN AS A TEAM AND LOSE AS A TEAM IS A PRICELESS CONCEPT THAT SHOULD BE CHERISHED AND VALUED MORE THAN WINNING AT ALL COST" KELOWNA - A young hockey player made a heart-breaking decision to quit his hockey team with only two games left in the season and his father’s written reasons for...
Kelowna property tax increase comes in lower than originally planned
KELOWNA - It’s not much, but homeowners in Kelowna will be happy to hear the property tax increase for 2015 will be a bit less than originally planned. Adjustments to the final budget will see an official tax increase of 3.2 per cent, down from the 3.46 per cent established in the provisional budget submitted in...
South East Kelowna residents facing big rate hikes
KELOWNA - Water managers from the South East Kelowna Irrigation District heard loud and clear from residents concerned with the $23.7-million price tag for a water system upgrade. Irrigation district chair Brian Wright described the discussion around the proposed system as “robust” but claimed most residents understand it has little choice but to upgrade water...
Kelowna Fire Department calls up two per cent
KELOWNA - The release of the 2014 annual report by the Kelowna Fire Department provides a glimpse of what the largest fire department in the B.C. Interior goes through in a year. “Kelowna Fire Department responded to just over 9,500 calls for service which was a two per cent increase from 2013,” says fire chief...