Rob Munro
Rob Munro has a long history in journalism after starting an underground newspaper in Whitehorse called the Yukon Howl in 1980. He spent five years at the 100 Mile Free Press, starting in the darkroom, moving on to sports and news reporting before becoming the advertising manager. He came to Kelowna in 1989 as a reporter for the Kelowna Daily Courier, and spent the 1990s mostly covering city hall. For most of the past 20 years he worked full time for the union representing newspaper workers throughout B.C. He’s returned to his true love of being a reporter with a special focus on civic politics
Consultant to oversee Kelowna pot shop licencing
KELOWNA – The City of Kelowna plans to hire an independent outside consultant to make sure its licencing of cannabis shops is “fair and transparent,” planner Ryan Smith told iNFOnews.ca today. Smith, who is the city’s Community Planning Department Manager,…
People smoking pot in West Kelowna face tough fines, confusion
WEST KELOWNA – If you’re caught lighting up a cigarette in a West Kelowna park or public place, you can be hit with a $100 fine. But, if that happens to be a cannabis joint anywhere but on private property,…
Dozens of applications filed for pot shops in Kelowna
KELOWNA – Forty-one applications have been made to the City of Kelowna in the first round of submissions for cannabis retail outlets. While cannabis was legalized in Canada on Oct. 17, there are no outlets licenced to sell the product…
Cost of opening a cannabis store in Kelowna is about to double
KELOWNA – A proposed business licence fee of $9,465 will mean the City of Kelowna could get about $20,000 from any retail cannabis store that opens in the city. It has already cost the 41 businesses that filed applications for…
Kelowna cannabis extraction equipment manufacturer set to expand
KELOWNA – The largest manufacturer of cannabis extraction equipment in North America is hoping to open a new facility in Kelowna within 18 months. City council agreed today, Dec. 10, to grant a development permit to Pier Mac Petroleum/Birchwood Heights…
Two pot shop applications not allowed for same Kelowna location
KELOWNA – Not all of the 41 applications for cannabis retail shops that were filed with the City of Kelowna before Christmas will make it to public hearing. “We’re up to between 36 and 38 that will get a final…
Pot shop applications go to Kelowna city council Monday
KELOWNA – Five companies wanting to open seven different cannabis retail shops will have their applications reviewed by Kelowna city council on Monday. Few details about the size or types of shops were released today, March 21, in the council…
West Kelowna allowing four pot shop rezoning applications to go ahead
WEST KELOWNA – Out of an initial list of 10 applications for cannabis retail outlets in West Kelowna, city council will be asked tomorrow to agree to send four of them to rezoning hearings. Three of the 10 applicants withdrew…
Pot killed the local Kelowna bowling alley, owner says
KELOWNA – After more than 30 years in business, Lake City Bowling and Billiards closed its doors for good earlier this month. “It was surrounded by grow-ops,” co-owner Ken Moonen told iNFOnews.ca. “It wasn’t a real good fit for family…
Cannabis lighting up growth in Kelowna’s industrial sector
KELOWNA – There’s a smoking hot industrial land market being fired up in Kelowna these days due, in large part, to the cannabis industry. The City of Kelowna only allows pot to be grown in land zoned Industrial, so there…
Province wants to turn dollar store into pot store in one Okanagan city
WEST KELOWNA – The provincial government wants to sell cannabis out of the old Urban Dollar Store building in Westbank Town Centre Mall. City staff are supporting the Liquor Distribution Branch’s application to rezone the site in order to create…
Nine months after legalization, Salmon Arm tops list of licenced pot shops in B.C.
KELOWNA – When cannabis was legalized in Canada on Oct. 17, 2018, the first legal sales outlet was opened – by the government – in Kamloops. Since then, there have been another 60 licences issued to private and Liquor Distribution…
Kelowna’s legal pot smokers should mark Thursday on their calendars
KELOWNA – If all goes well – and their order arrives in time – Hobo Recreational Cannabis will open Kelowna’s first legal cannabis store at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 25. “We just need a little bit of time to unpack…
B.C. Liquor branch calls for edible cannabis supplier
With the next stage of cannabis legalization slated for Oct. 17, the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch is looking for edibles, drinks and extracts that can go on shelves by the end of the year. The branch has issued a product…
As forestry jobs plummet in B.C., cannabis is just ramping up
KELOWNA – While Tolko’s lumber mill has been indefinitely closed in Kelowna and cutbacks are being made in numerous communities throughout the province, another industry is looking to fill that gap. Employment in the Canadian cannabis industry has more than…