Elevate your local knowledge
Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!
Shelley Jordan
B.C. raises minimum wage 20 cents to $10.45; future increases tied to inflation
VANCOUVER – British Columbia is increasing its minimum wage by 20 cents to $10.45, three years after its last boost, the province announced Thursday.
Dads in Gear program kicks off in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Becoming a father is a significant transition period in a man’s life. And for many men, it is the ideal time to quit smoking. Prof. Joan Bottorff of UBC’s School of Nursing and her team have received an Innovation Grant from the Canadian Cancer Society for $200,000 to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness...
2 officers shot outside Ferguson PD; chief calls attack ‘an ambush’ that could have been fatal
FERGUSON, Mo. – Two officers were shot in front of the Ferguson Police Department early Thursday while demonstrators were gathered across the street — an attack the county police chief described as "an ambush" that could easily have killed both men.
Man arrested for child sexual assaults, but there may be more victims
KELOWNA - A police investigation into multiple cases of sexual assault involving children has resulted in an arrest, but RCMP fear there may be more victims. Kelowna RCMP received a report Feb. 17 about the sexual assaults along with the identity of a suspect. As a result David James McHale, 61, of Peachland was arrested,...
Edmonton group wants Kevin Bacon to party in Taber in protest of new law
CALGARY – Actor Kevin Bacon is being touted as the hero that the town of Taber, Alta., needs to protest a new law targeting bad behaviour, including spitting, swearing, yelling and too much noise from bars.
Feds lift control zone at B.C. poultry farms after avian flu infection
VANCOUVER – A control zone that restricted the movement of poultry in southern B.C. after an outbreak of avian flu has been lifted by the federal government.
B.C. single parents in line for $24.5-million job-support plan
VICTORIA – B.C. says it plans to invest $24.5 million over the next five years to help single parents receiving government assistance train for new jobs.
Burning Fire Hazard Debris Today
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - With good air quality and venting conditions today (Thursday, March 12, 2015) the Regional District of Central Okanagan advises controlled burning is underway in Rose Valley Regional Park off Pettman and Bowes Roads. This is to dispose of fire hazard debris collected as part of a multi-year BC Wildfire Management Branch fire...
Undercover cop gave B.C. bomb plot suspects chance to abandon alleged plan
VANCOUVER – An undercover officer gave a British Columbia couple a last-minute chance to abandon their alleged plan to detonate pressure-cooker bombs at the provincial legislature on Canada Day, their trial heard Wednesday.
Medical marijuana user says new Health Canada regulations are discriminating
HALIFAX – A medical marijuana user in Nova Scotia says he would rather go to jail than stop growing his own pot after changes to Health Canada regulations preventing cultivation at home.
Help Kelowna crews make a clean sweep
KELOWNA - The City of Kelowna is preparing for its own version of spring cleaning – the annual spring street sweep. A clean sweep needs cooperation and residents are asked to move their vehicles and portable sports equipment such as basketball hoops and hockey nets off the road. This helps crews efficiently clean the street...
Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery spring maintenance
KELOWNA - Starting Monday, March 16, the City of Kelowna’s Memorial Park Cemetery gates will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week until October 31. To allow for grounds maintenance during this time, only fresh cut flowers, wreaths or other natural floral offerings shall be placed on grave sites within...
Executions by firing squad poised to make comeback in Utah
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah, the only state in the past 40 years to carry out a death sentence by firing squad, is poised to bring back the Old West-style executions if the state cannot track down drugs used in lethal injections.
Avalanche near Golden BC claims life of back-country skier
GOLDEN, B.C. – A skier was killed Monday when an avalanche swept down a slope in the Selkirk Mountains about 75 kilometres northwest of Golden, B.C.
Income-assistance families can work, keep more cash: B.C. government
VICTORIA – The B.C. government says it hopes to move more families living on income assistance back into the workforce by increasing the amount of extra cash they're allowed to earn and keep.
B.C. to have mandatory online tribunal to settle small claims, strata disputes
VICTORIA – B.C. attorney general says the government is set to introduce Canada's first mandatory online tribunal system to settle minor disputes involving small claims court and strata councils.
B.C. agency hails experimental treatment that sent cancer to remission in weeks
VANCOUVER - The B.C. Cancer Agency is hailing an experimental treatment that brought a woman with terminal cancer into remission in just five weeks. But one of the researchers involved in the study cautions it could be years before the treatment is widely used and it's still not clear if it will work for all...
Profanity spray painted on North Glenmore Elementary
KELOWNA - Police are looking for possible witnesses after "profanity and vulgarity" was spray painted on a school in North Glenmore last month. The incident was reported Feb. 14, 2015 at 8 a.m. at North Glenmore Elementary school. An investigator on the case doesn't think the graffiti was created by an artist but believes it...
Jihadis hate Canadian values, minister tells MPs studying anti-terrorism bill
OTTAWA – New anti-terrorism measures are needed to protect the public from extremists who hate Canadian values, says Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney.
B.C. local government auditor office under review amid reports of wasted time
VICTORIA – A leaked report says a government office created to ensure B.C.'s local governments use tax dollars wisely is suffering from a lack of confidence in the agency's leadership.
B.C. terrorist suspects made video to inspire others to join holy war: trial
VANCOUVER – A pair of accused terrorists recorded a video calling on Muslims to rise up and join a holy war for Islam — no matter the cost — days before their alleged Canada Day plan to detonate pressure-cooker bombs at the provincial legislature, their trial heard Monday.
Kingston, Ont., girl home after liver transplant, twin sister still waiting for donor
KINGSTON, Ont. – A three-year-old Kingston, Ont., girl is back home after receiving part of her father's liver in a transplant surgery, while her twin sister is still waiting for a donor to be found.
Owner of winning $50M Lotto Max ticket comes forward almost one year later
VANCOUVER – It could be an extreme case of delayed gratification for whoever has won $50 million.
Mission Creek Greenway closures until March 31
KELOWNA - Parts of the Mission Creek Greenway will be closed off and on until the end of March as the city conducts pruning and vegetation maintenance. The Regional District of Central Okanagan is asking the public to obey signs, barricades and flag people and to stay out of any closed areas. There'll be temporary...