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Safety

Vernon city council endorses controversial marina on Okanagan Lake

VERNON - Vernon city council has done a 180-degree-turn when it comes to a controversial marina on Okanagan Lake. Outback Resort’s proposed marina in South Bay, near Ellison Provincial Park, got support from Vernon council today, Dec. 14 — with a few conditions. The support hinges upon the removal of all the resort’s existing buoys...

Employers in Kelowna, Sorrento fined for exposing workers to asbestos

OKANAGAN - WorkSafe B.C. has slapped two local employers with heavy fines for exposing workers to asbestos. The first, Kelowna’s Kone Inc., was handed a $15,000 penalty for potentially exposing its workers to harmful levels of asbestos. According to WorkSafe B.C., the company, which installs, maintains and repairs elevators and escalators, was first told to...

Keeping safe on Halloween night

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The first thing that comes to mind on Halloween is safety, at least for parents. Kids are only thinking about the candy and costumes, but there are ways to help keep them safe on Halloween night, even if it’s the last thing on their minds. Always make sure young children are accompanied by...

HELSTON: What you can learn from a near tragedy on Okanagan Lake

Warnings to stay safe on the water have become to summer what drunk driving campaigns are to Christmas and telephone scam alerts are to grandparents. They’re good and important messages, but ones that tend to lose their kick over time like an old wind-up toy. Organizations work hard to find new ways of connecting these...

Why Silver Star Mountain won’t have Canadian Ski Patrollers this winter

VERNON - The volunteer agency that has been providing ski patrol service at Silver Star Mountain for the past 16 years will no longer be looking out for people on the hill. The resort is transitioning to a new service model that will replace volunteers from the Canadian Ski Patrol by adding four full-time, paid ski...

Vernon woman feels unsafe and fed up after repeated thefts from her car

“MY SENSE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY, THAT’S PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING THEY’VE TAKEN” VERNON - Pocket change, sunglasses, and credit cards are among the items stolen from Rhian Harrison’s car, but the Vernon resident says the biggest thing she’s lost over a series of thefts is her sense of safety and security. Since February, shortly...

Proposed regulations could see motorized boats disappear from the Shuswap River

SHUSWAP - Proposed regulations could mean the end for motorized boats on much of the Shuswap River.  The reasoning behind the proposal is environmental degradation and the safety of other river users, such as tubers, swimmers and kayakers, says the North Okanagan Regional District’s sustainability coordinator Anna Page.  The proposed regulations would ban motorized boats...

Watch out for rattlesnakes; they’re out early in the Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Sunny weather has gotten many of us out from beneath our rocks looking for some rays, and we’re not the only ones in the animal world. Warm temperatures have brought rattlesnakes out earlier than normal in the Thompson-Okanagan, according to WildSafe B.C. spokesperson Frank Ritcey. “With the warm weather, the snakes will be...

COSAR tips for back country travel

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – With the risk of avalanche slowly increasing over the last week in the regions surrounding the Thompson-Okanagan, Central Okanagan Search and Rescue have some tips to help keep you safe in the back country. Avalanche.ca reports the risk of avalanche to be “considerable” in the Kootenay Boundary and South and North Columbia regions....

Stay vigilant in dark, wet weather

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - B.C. drivers and pedestrians are reminded to remain vigilant during the wet, dark weather as statistics show an average of 269 pedestrians are injured and seven pedestrians are killed every year in December. 75 per cent of crashes involving pedestrians happen at intersections. Drivers are reminded to keep eyes on the road and...

Machinery running on graveyard shift the night teen worker died was an anomaly

VERNON - A Tolko employee knew two days in advance machines would be running during the ordinarily quiet graveyard clean-up shift to accommodate extra production, a coroner’s inquiry into the death of a Lumby teen heard Thursday. Bradley Haslam, 18, became entangled in a conveyer belt at Tolko’s Lavington mill in June 2013 and died....

Government paves over safety feature because of ‘noise complaints’

OYAMA - The Ministry of Transportation is removing a safety feature on the new highway in Lake Country to spare nearby residents an associated rumbling sound. Rumble strips, the grooved edges found on most highways, were installed on the new $78-million section of Highway 97 through Oyama but it seems the feature had an unpleasant...

Boil water notice issued for Trout Creek

TROUT CREEK - A boil water notice was issued on Wednesday for Trout Creek residents and businesses.  It's possible contamination entered the water system on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014, according to Interior Health.  Residents should boil water for at least a minute before using it for drinking water, cleaning, or cooking.  To contact the reporter...

A Penticton proposal getting support from unexpected places

PENTICTON - Penticton council has an unexpected supporter for its push to put oversight for large-scale events under the provincial umbrella—the Boonstock Music and Arts festival. All but one member of Penticton's councillors and mayor used the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention this week to lobby provincial government ministers hard to take on the regulatory...

UPDATE: Wildfire burning north of Princeton 90 per cent contained

PRINCETON - A wildfire north of Princeton is 90 per cent contained, as of Tuesday morning. The wildfire has grown to 182 hectares from the 110 ha estimated Monday morning. It is believed to be human caused, said Kayla Pepper, fire information officer with B.C. Wildfire. The fire was first reported Sunday at around 5...

Two hikers injured near Ellis Creek Canyon in last 24 hours

PENTICTON - Search and Rescue is conducting a medical evacuation for a woman who fractured her leg while hiking on the Ellis Canyon Trail.  Fifteen Ground and Rope team members along with two Rescue trucks were dispatched to the area. PENSAR First Responders conducted emergency First Aid to stabilize and prepare the female patient for evacuation,...

Smoky skies across Okanagan and Similkameen valleys

OKANAGAN - A smokey skies advisory is in effect for the Okanagan and Similkameen areas, due to high levels of wildfire smoke spreading throughout the valley. The concentration of smoke will vary as wind, fire behaviour and temperatures change. The advisory was announced Thursday morning by the B.C. Ministry of Environment. The Ministry is advising...

‘Everything’s up to chance’ with Boonstock: RCMP

PENTICTON - Police continue to have serious concerns about a lack of security at Boonstock but are powerless to intervene. Add Penticton RCMP to the list of organizations kept in the dark about festival plans, now only three weeks away. Staff Sgt. Kurt Lozinski, the officer in charge of RCMP involvement in the festival, says...

Wondering where the wildlife is? WildSafeBC has you covered

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It’s spring and that means there are lots of wild baby animals roaming around, but hopefully not in backyards and towns. In the Thompson-Okanagan, black bears are the most common wildlife spotted. There have been a total of 42 black bear sightings in the last two weeks; three in Kamloops, eight in Naramata,...