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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
Downtown Kelowna to get cleaner, safer
KELOWNA - Visitors to downtown should soon notice the place is a fair bit tidier and safer with a significant boost to the Downtown Kelowna Association’s cleaning and security budgets. Kelowna city council approved this week an increase in the association’s annual levy to $804,000 from $781,000 last year. The levy is applied to all...
Pole athletes blur the line between strength and sensuality
KELOWNA - If you have any illusions or misconceptions about what exactly pole dancing is or isn't, Erin Smith is gonna calmly bust 'em up for ya and right away. Number one on the list is that pole dancing is not particularly athletic, more akin to erotic dancing than, say, Crossfit or TRX. “Ninety-nine per...
City ups the bounty for graffiti vandals
KELOWNA - Taggers beware! The City of Kelowna and Crimestoppers have just upped the bounty on spray-paint vandalism. Previously, a would-be whistle-blower could only count on a reward of up to $500. The new initiative promises the full $500 as soon as an arrest is made. “Cleaning up graffiti comes with a price tag and...
School suspension rates dropping like a stone
KELOWNA - Suspension rates at Central Okanagan schools have been dropping steadily in the last five years, mirroring in part the decline in crime rates in communities across Canada. But the superintendent of schools for the Central Okanagan says the district can claim part of the credit for helping push down the suspension rates with...
Breast-feeding supporters plan West Kelowna ‘feed-in’
WEST KELOWNA - A group of breast-feeding supporters are planning a mass 'feed-in' at the next West Kelowna council meeting, dissatisfied with the reception given by councillors to a delegation promoting breast-feeding at the last council meeting. Last week, as part of a class project, a delegation of UBC Okanagan nursing students and a public...
Continuous pour means dust, noise and traffic tie-ups for downtown
KELOWNA - A big, loud mess: There’s no other way to describe the choked traffic and construction noise locals will experience downtown around Ellis Street and Doyle Avenue starting Tuesday morning and lasting all this week and into the next. City council has waived its own noise bylaw at the request of developer Graham Construction...
Future of iconic downtown buildings in question as city considers civic area’s future
KELOWNA - It’s time to focus on the 10,000-foot view of Kelowna’s civic area and how residents see it developing over time - that’s the thrust of a report city councillors will consider Monday. “The city owns a large majority of the land within the study area,” said Ross Soward, a planning specialist with the...
Watch out! Cars back on Knox Mountain road
KELOWNA - Another sign that spring is coming early — the road to the top of Knox Mountain Park has reopened to vehicles, a week ahead of last year. “We’re definitely a bit early this year,” says Blair Stewart, urban forestry supervisor with the City of Kelowna. While the upper portion remains closed to vehicles...
What goes down, must come up — city crews begin annual street-sweeping program
KELOWNA - With such a mild winter, city crews put down less sand and salt this winter, but what they put down they still have to pick up. “We’ve been holding back until this week because we’ve still had some temperatures below freezing,” said roadways supervisor Stephen Bryan. “You can’t sweep and do a good...
So what are you supposed to do with 100 tonnes of sewage sludge? The regional district just found out
KELOWNA - If the Central Okanagan Regional District has temporarily solved its sewage sludge disposal problem by trucking it to a site near Clinton, it’s partially because they can’t look to their nearest neighbours for help - they’re full. “We just don’t have the capacity, so we can’t help,” said Kevin Van Vliet, manager of...
Central Okanagan school district to find out its share of provincial budget pain
KELOWNA - Central Okanagan school board officials are meeting tomorrow with the Ministry of Education to learn what its share of $29 million provincial budget cuts will be and where they might hit. Secretary treasurer Larry Paul is expecting a budget cut of aproximately $1.1 million, based on similar reductions in the last few years,...
West Kelowna declines request to support breast-feeding initiative
WEST KELOWNA - A delegation from UBC Okanagan seeking support for a breast-feeding initiative got a rough ride from West Kelowna council, despite its support from other local governments. The group was seeking council’s endorsement for the Baby Friendly initiative, plus a pledge to make district facilities breast-feeding friendly and educate employees and local businesses...
Social housing starting to rise on Central Green site
KELOWNA - Ground-breaking on one of the first phases of the long-awaited Central Green development should take place within a few months after city council approved a long-term lease with the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society to develop affordable housing on the site. In a report to council, Graham Hood, strategic land development manager for the city,...
West Kelowna takes aim at medical marijuana dispensaries
WEST KELOWNA - Enquiries about setting up a medical marijuana dispensary on the Westside have prompted the district to close what they describe as a loophole in their business licensing bylaw. “We are adding a sentence into the bylaw that essentially says a business must be in compliance with both the Criminal Code and the...
Watching the watchers – Interior Health Authority measures journalist’s opinions with media survey
KELOWNA - Is the Interior Health authority a transparent and open government organization, readily accessible to the media, or an impenetrable bureaucracy with a tightly controlled and scripted media message? It depends which side of the divide you’re on. On Tuesday, Darshan Lindsay, manager of public affairs for the Interior Health Authority, took board members...
Transit fare increases fall hardest on those with the thinnest wallets
KELOWNA - Council has agreed to raise transit fares in most categories in a bid to increase the amount of money recovered from riders. Some councillors expressed reservations about the move, saying fare increases tend to reduce ridership but in the end all voted to approve the increase. The yes vote doesn't automatically mean the...
Fintry Queen owner lowers the flag on relocation plan, lists dinner cruise ship for sale
KELOWNA - The owner of the Fintry Queen has given up on the plan to move the iconic dinner cruise ship to Pentiction, and has instead listed the boat for sale. Andy Schwab, president of the Okanagan Lake Boat Company, had been trying to raise money to resurrect the Fintry Queen with plans for a...
Lake Country vows to heavily promote rail corridor purchase, counter opponent’s misinformation ahead of referendum
LAKE COUNTRY - Stung by a defeat they didn’t see coming, Lake Country government will be pushing hard to win the April referendum on the purchase of the CN Rail corridor. Mayor James Baker said the referendum format prescribed by Elections B.C. will allow the municipality to promote the $2.6-million purchase in a way they...
Exemption for micro suites from development charges could mean millions in lost revenue
KELOWNA - Micro suites may be a trend that gains no traction in Kelowna, but if it does the city is looking at ways to replace the revenue lost to their exemption by the province from development cost charges. “If we see 400 suites next year and 400 the year after that, then we might...
Exactly which lands are being swapped with Westbank First Nation? Don’t ask the province
KELOWNA - The province announced a potential land transfer plus a cash payment to Westbank First Nation but refuses to say exactly where the land is. The transfer is intended to satisfy the requirements of the 2009 deal that allowed the completion of the Bennett Bridge and its western approaches. While it has gone public...
Lake Country council will decide tonight on referendum recommendation by district staff
LAKE COUNTRY - Mayor and council will tonight decide whether Lake Country voters will have their say on the CN Rail corridor purchase through a district-wide referendum. Staff are recommending the referendum be held April 25 and will ask the simple question of whether qualified voters agree that the district should borrow $2,615,000 to buy...
Micro suite exemptions from development charges prompts policy review by city staff
KELOWNA - It’s the third micro suite project to come before Kelowna city council in the last month and there’s already concerns about the latest housing trend. Councillor Luke Stack says micro suites are exempt from development cost charges under a provincial policy. It means the city can't collect money from the developers to help...
Money isn’t everything as West Kelowna councillor Rosalind Neis found out during 2014 election
WEST KELOWNA - It seems candidates in elections everywhere are spending ever more to get elected, which makes West Kelowna councillor Rosalind Neis’ 2014 campaign war chest that much more impressive. There was nothing in it. Neis’ campaign contribution disclosure form, released Monday by Elections B.C., is full of zeroes — no corporate or developer...
Here’s what the City of Kelowna is doing about climate change
KELOWNA - The city is turning climate change into revenue, some $235,000, according to a report Kelowna councillors will receive on Monday. Sustainability coordinator Tracy Guidi will update councillors on the city’s efforts to meet the goals of the Climate Action Revenue Incentive program. It helps fund local initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in...