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Westside Road

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...

Big fires down but not out in Kamloops Fire Centre

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The only two wildfires of note in the Kamloops Fire Centre have been downgraded to patrol status. Shelter Cove fire off Westside Road near Kelowna and Bolean Lake fire near Falkland were downgraded August 5 and will now be monitored by crews of five firefighters. “Patrol status means they are done active fire...

Water back to normal following Westside Road fire

OKANAGAN - A water advisory for two community water systems on Westside Road has been lifted. Central Okanagan Regional District officials say the Killiney Beach and Westshore water systems are back to normal after consultations with the Interior Health Authority. The advisory covered more than 530 properties off Westside Road and was issued after power...

Behind the line at the Shelter Cove wildfire

KELOWNA – The Shelter Cove wildfire along Westside Road continues to grow, however Wildfire B.C. says homes and other structures are not threatened and they are confident they will have it under control soon. The fire, which was first reported Monday afternoon, is not yet contained and continues to burn roughly 430 hectares of dry,...

Crews battling wildfire in Bear Creek Park

WEST KELOWNA – Firefighters are responding to a grass fire in Bear Creek Provincial Park on Westside Road. The fire was first reported as small in size but has grown to 50-by-50 metres in size and is burning Rank 2 or 3 uphill, according to unconfirmed reports. The trail has the blaze guarded on three...

UPDATE: Crews hit brush fire in West Kelowna hard

WEST KELOWNA – Firefighters have knocked down a brush fire in West Kelowna off Westside Road this afternoon. Calls came into 911 at around 3:45 p.m. about several trees burning in a ravine at the edge of Bear Creek Road near Scott Crescent. West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund says his crews were taking no...

Westside Road shooter could get dangerous offender status

KELOWNA – The man who shot at police as he and two accomplices fled from police along Westside Road in 2012 will be evaluated by a psychiatrist to determine if he is a dangerous offender. In late February, Michael Ellis, 41, was found guilty of unlawful discharge of a prohibited weapon, armed robbery, attempted robbery,...

Two of three Westside Road shooters sentenced

KELOWNA - Two of the three people involved in the infamous Westside Road shooting that took police on a 60-kilometre chase from West Kelowna to Vernon in 2012 were sentenced in Kelowna Supreme Court Friday. Shawn Wysynski, 34, pleaded guilty and will serve nine years in federal prison for using a loaded gun to carjack...

Millions announced for upgrades to Westside Road

WEST KELOWNA – Premier Christy Clark announced Friday that the province would invest $45 million over five years to upgrade one of the worst roads in B.C. The first step involves widening an 800 metre section from Waterfront Farm to Blue Grouse as well as installation of roadside barriers and rock protection.   Construction on...

Westside shooter threatened man and his young son

KELOWNA – The encounter lasted only a few minutes but left a strong impression on Mark Langmead and his 11-year-old son. “It was very disturbing,” he told Justic Ian Josephson in the B.C. Supreme Court trial of accused Westside shooter Michael Ellis Tuesday. “(My son) was very upset. He was extremely quiet and refused to...

Local man finds pilot of crashed float plane

VERNON - First, Ed Rougeau heard a plane engine thrumming in the sky over his home on the rural, west side of Okanagan Lake. Then the engine cut, and over his shoulder Rougeau saw the Cessna 180 float plane crash into the forest. It was loud as the plane knocked its way through the trees,...

Engine failure possible cause of plane crash

VERNON - A mechanical failure may have sent a float plane crashing into the woods off Westside Road. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says early information is the plane’s engine failed.  Residents in the area heard the plane go down near Six Mile Creek road off the west side of Okanagan Lake around 6:45 p.m. Monday....

Pilot of downed plane walks from crash site

VERNON - The pilot of a plane that crashed somewhere in the woods off Westside Road has been taken to hospital with undetermined injuries. Reports of a downed aircraft in the Six Mile Creek area on the west side of Okanagan Lake came in around 6:45 p.m. Monday. Emergency officials, and several nearby residents who...

Tubing teenager hit by tow boat on Okanagan Lake

VERNON – A 14-year-old local boy was critically injured in a tubing accident on Okanagan Lake near Vernon Saturday evening. RCMP Sgt. Derrick Donovan says the boy was riding a tube behind a power boat and fell off. He was struck by the boat that had been pulling the tube. It happened just after 6...

Cougar discovered inside a home, chewing on a dog toy

VERNON - It wasn’t a 911 call anyone would ever expect to make. “There’s a cougar in my house chewing on a squeaky toy,” says a Westside Road resident who asked to be referred to only by her first name, Verena. “The police initially thought I might be hallucinating.” Verena, 53, just returned home from...

Okanagan routes hit top spots in worst roads survey

OKANAGAN - The Okanagan has some of the worst roads in the province. That’s the message voters in BCAA’s Worst Roads survey are sending this year. Silver Star Road in Vernon hit first, Westside Road near Attenborough Road second, and Cosens Bay Road in Coldstream third. Two other portions of Westside Road in West Kelowna...

Crews respond to lightning-caused fire near Fintry

VERNON - Efforts are underway to extinguish a fire sparked by lightning in the Fintry area Friday afternoon. Fire information officer Kayla Pepper says a three person attack crew and an air tanker were deployed to the area around 2:30 p.m. The Wildfire Management branch is standing by in case further resources are required. The...