Penticton making plans for 2016 B.C. Winter Games

PENTICTON – Penticton is preparing for the arrival of 2,000 athletes next February when the city once again hosts the 2016 B.C. Winter Games.

Bill Bidlake, President of the B.C. Winter Games Board of Directors spoke to Penticton council at the Jan.19 meeting, reminding the board of the games beginnings in the Peach City when it hosted the first summer games in 1978.

The city last hosted the winter games in 1990, and has hosted the B.C. Games four times in total.

Bidlake used the occasion to announce the selection of the 2016 Board of Directors, which has been organized into 14 planning areas in order to bring together various committee chairs to lead up to 2,000 volunteers who will be responsible for carrying out the games.

Bidlake told council most of the events would take place in Penticton or Summerland.

“Hockey will not be part of the games but there will be 20 different sports represented,” he said.

The board is also looking for 3,000 – 4,000 square feet of warehouse space in the city.

The games are scheduled to run from Feb. 25-28, 2016.

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To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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