Ministry Of Environment
Air quality monitoring station on the way for Aberdeen
KAMLOOPS – Kamloops will again have a second air quality monitoring station, this time in the upper Aberdeen area. The mobile air quality monitoring station, a joint project between the Ministry of Environment, KGHM Ajax Mining and School District 73, will continuously measure air quality and weather patterns including coarse particulate matter, fine particulate matter,...
Smoky skies advisory ends for Southern Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A system that broke a nearly three-week heat wave and dropped rain in the Interior also helped clear the smoke. The smoky skies advisory that had been in place since June 7 was lifted this morning, July 13, by the Ministry of Environment and the Interior Healthy Authority. While many large fires are...
Smoky skies advisory issued for entire Thompson-Okanagan region
THOMPSON OKANAGAN – If the visible smoke in the sky wasn't enough to warn you, a smoky skies advisory has now been issued for a large portion of the Southern Interior. The Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Interior Health Authority, has issued a smoky skies advisory for the Thompson, Shuswap, Nicola, Fraser Canyon,...
Ministry building vandalized with anti-mine message
KAMLOOPS - Employees at the Ministry of Environment offices in Kamloops arrived at work to discover their building targeted by someone with a message for Imperial Metals. On Wednesday, April 29, the message 'shut down Imperial Metals' was found scrawled across four different parts of the building. Cpl. Cheryl Bush, a spokesperson for the Kamloops...
Appeal to be heard over Lavington pellet plant’s operating permit
LAVINGTON - Construction may have started on a pellet plant in Lavington, but in six months time, an appeal will be heard over the company’s operating permit. Three local residents and members of Lavington Is For Everyone (LIFE) filed an appeal with the Environmental Appeal Board, calling for a review of the Ministry of Environment’s...
Dust advisory issued for Vernon
VERNON - Concern over the amount of dust in the air because of road sand being kicked up by traffic has led to a special advisory for Vernon. The Ministry of Environment has issued a dust advisory because of the high concentration of particulates in the air that will hang around under a change in...
Air quality advisory remains in place
WAITING ON THE WEATHER TO CHANGE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It is mid-November and yes, that is smoke in the air. Unlike the summer when large wildfires in northern B.C. caused air quality advisories the smoke visible throughout the region is due to open burning. “There are hundreds of burn registrations issued,” Kayla Pepper of B.C. Wildfire...
Ministry of Environment won’t research proposed Lavington pellet plant
VERNON - The only public consultation and technical information the Ministry of Environment will review as part of its approval process for a pellet plant in Lavington will come from the proponent of the project itself. According to the Ministry, it conducts no further research or discussion with stakeholders in cases such as this, but...
Vernon school board won’t support Lavington pellet plant
VERNON - A proposed pellet plant in Lavington doesn’t have the support of the Vernon school district. In a letter to the Ministry of Environment, board chair Bill Turanski said the board received conflicting information about the project. “The board’s primary concern must, in every case, be the health and welfare of the students and...
School board contemplates decision on Lavington pellet plant
VERNON - The Vernon school board will soon let the Ministry of Environment know how it feels about a proposed pellet plant. Trustees received input from those in favour of the project and those against, and are now preparing to send their recommendations to the Ministry. Pinnacle Renewable Energy president Leroy Reitsma presented to the...
Nudists fight for their community, heritage site
PENTICTON - Nudists who use Three Mile Beach say they'll respect a private land owner's decision to fence off his property but they don't want to lose complete acess to the beach, a historical nudist location since the 1930s. The small beach in Naramata is jointly owned by the City of Penticton, the provincial government...
Police believe Trinity Valley suspects were cooking up crystal meth
VERNON - A six day investigation and clean-up at a North Okanagan property wrapped up over the weekend, leaving authorities strongly suspecting crystal meth was being produced there. A significant quantity of hazardous materials believed to be used in the manufacturing of crystal meth were removed from the Trinity Valley Road rental home and secured...
Sheep-eating cougar killed in East Kelowna
KELOWNA – A male cougar was destroyed by Conservation officers after an East Kelowna resident complained it killed three of his sheep. Officers attending the June Springs property decided the cat could not be relocated and were forced to shoot the animal in the interest of public safety. It is the policy of the Ministry...
Found amongst the damage; beaver poached at Headwaters bush party
"WE USUALLY FIND SOME GARBAGE BUT THIS SITE WAS PRETTY DISTURBING." SUMMERLAND – A weekend party at Headwaters in Summerland caused thousands of dollars in damage and may result in poaching charges if the culprits are caught. South Okanagan Conservation officer Sgt. Jim Beck says he received several complaints of gunfire and damage over the...