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
Kelowna man to jump into Okanagan Lake in support of refugees
KELOWNA - “What’s a little bit of icy water compared to some of the things they’ve been through,” Alan Monk says. On Saturday morning, Monk will join at least 80 other Canadians in the Polar Swim for Refugees, an ad hoc fundraiser that started in Victoria and has caught on with swimmers in other parts of...
Vacancy rate eases as Kelowna pushes rental housing construction
KELOWNA - The city has done a lot to encourge development of rental housing and there’s not too much more that can be done, except to let the incentives do their work and keep on pushing for more. That’s the opinion of Luke Stack, a city councillor and also executive director of the Society of...
East Kelowna farm earns council support for distillery and weddings
KELOWNA - An agri-tourism operation on a small plot of farm land in East Kelowna got a rare endorsement from city council this week, despite plans to include weddings and a distillery. Kristi and James Caldwell requested council support for their application to the Agriculatural Land Commision to allow a portion of their land to...
Information services seeks budget increase from city
KELOWNA - Information technology is no longer a support service but a full-fledged business unit at City Hall and needs a budget increase to accommodate both current demand and future needs. That’s the message information services manager Rob Entwistle brought to Kelowna city council during an overview of the city’s digital strategy. “We are known as...
IT department prepares for digital future at City Hall
KELOWNA - The City of Kelowna is moving to bolster information technology and lessen the risk of future redundancy, data breaches and possible failure of key systems, says a new report. Information services manager Rob Entwistle, in a report to council, says the department is moving ahead in four of 19 areas identified in its...
Over-heating pumps threaten water service in the Mission
KELOWNA - A faulty pump motor is forcing the City of Kelowna to spend $300,000 on an additional pump for the Cedar Creek lake intake. Failure to do so, could leave parts of the Mission and the South Slopes without drinking water and fire protection service, utility planning manager Andrew Reeder says, in a report...
Popular rink to open next week in Stuart Park
KELOWNA - Crews have begun making ice at the popular Stuart Park outdoor rink in Kelowna with opening planned for next week. City crews will be working afternoon shifts from 4 p.m. to midnite at Stuart Park over the next few days readying the rink for an opening Tuesday, Dec. 1, according to arenas supervisor...
Work begins on new dike for Mission Creek restoration in Kelowna
KELOWNA - City crews have taken the first step in reversing decades of misguided management of Mission Creek in Kelowna. The first phase of the Mission Creek Restoration Initiative began this week with the closing of the creek’s south dike between Casorso Road and Gordon Drive, according to a city media release. With creek waters...
Kokanee numbers keep rising in Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Kokanee numbers are up from last year in all of the big valley lakes, the provincial government says. Wood Lake’s kokanee population continues to recover from a disastrous 2011 when poor in-lake conditions lead to a huge increase in fish mortality of all ages, according to a media release. Over 20,000 returned to spawn...
Kelowna church prepares to welcome and support Syrian refugee family
KELOWNA - Four generations of a Syrian family will soon be enjoying the relative safety of life in Kelowna with the support of a local church congregation. Kelowna Gospel Fellowshop Pastor Mike Penninga says he’s not yet sure when the Tounousian family, originally from Allepo, will arrive in Canada but when they do, they can...
Animation diploma in the works at Okanagan College
KELOWNA - Responding to the demands of industry, Okanagan College could soon be offering a diploma in 2D animation. Artistic skills are in high demand in the Okanagan and around the world, and the two-year diploma will prepare would-be animators for careers as character designers, storyboard artists, background painters and animators, according to a proposal...
Water main break disrupts service in East Kelowna
KELOWNA - A broken water main in East Kelowna has cut off water service to a number of homes. Service will be affected for several hours and crews are on site making repairs, South East Kelowna Irrigation District spokesman Toby Pike says in a press release. The areas and address affected include the 3300, 3400...
One year in, new Kelowna councillors are finding their groove
KELOWNA - It’s been a year since three brand new members joined Kelowna city council and while they don’t agree on everything, they do agree on one thing — it’s been a fast ride. “It went by in a blink of an eye,” Coun. Brad Sieben says. “It seems like just yesterday we were planting...
Downtown Kelowna alley an ‘untapped resource’
KELOWNA - Currently home to illegally parked cars and overflowing garbage cans, a stretch of downtown alleyway could soon be delighting locals and visitors alike if plans to beautify it get council approval. Councillors gushed over a staff proposal aiming to beautify a chunk of the lane off Bernard Avenue across from The Sails with...
First year a lesson in time management for Kelowna mayor
KELOWNA - It’s been just over a year now since Colin Basran grabbed the mayor’s chair in a convincing election win. While Basran had already completed a term as city councillor, he says it barely prepared him for the complexities of working as a full-time civic leader. “The sheer volume of invitations to events is...