Capital News Thursday, December 29, 2011
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CAPITAL NEWS
WEST JANUARY
• Mount Boucherie Secondary School principal John Simonson was named one of the top 32 principals in Canada. Simonson was acknowledged for improving opportunities for aboriginal students at his previous school: Const. Neil Bruce Middle School. • Crystal Mountain Resort general manager, Mike Morin, said that business had already been much better on the ski hill than it was the previous season. “Last year, the Olympics really hurt us,” said Morin. • Jamie Naka, a Mount Boucherie Secondary graduate and training opera singer, returned to Kelowna to preform art songs, English pieces and a few Canadian contemporary songs. • Talks moved forward for an additional community garden on the Westside; demand was high with waiting lists for spots in all the other Central Okanagan gardens. • Assessed values climbed for Westside residential and commercial properties but the Westbank town centre core took a hit, according to the B.C. Assessment Authority. •A national cancer study kicked off in West Kelowna. The B.C. Generations Project’s goal was to gather information on cancer and other illnesses from B.C. residents. A West Kelowna clinic gave residents the chance to contribute information and biological samples to the research effort. • Kelowna conservation officer Ed Seitz made use of his days roping cattle to save the life of a young buck trapped in the deep end of an empty swimming pool in West Kelowna. Seitz lassoed the deer so a tranquilizer could be safely administered. • Lavern Panich, a Westside music teacher, was recognized by the Lions Club for his long record of work in the community. Panich beat out close to 200 nominees to earn the Westside Citizen of the Year award. • West Kelowna council asked for a face-to-face meet
2011:
Looking back at a year that is about to become history for the District of West Kelowna
TWO STORIES that left a major impact on West Kelowna this past year were the collapse of the new interchange overpass on Highway 97 and the re-election of district mayor incumbent Doug Findlater in the civic election. CAPITAL NEWS FILES
ing with the Central Okanagan Board of Education to explain the district’s resistance to funding school land purchases through a charge on Westside developers. • District of West Kelowna council granted an appeal for a six month extension on the bylaw amendment required for a beach resort project proposed for West Bay Road. • A bench was installed on the Peachland waterfront in memory of Ashlee Hyatt, the 16-year-old who lost her life in June, 2010. • West Kelowna opted to not enter into the running to have a correctional centre built in the area. • yahoooDistrict council decided not to complete the entire recreational corridor at
Gellatly Bay in 2011. Coun. David Knowles argued that the district should bite the bullet and complete the project. “It has become quite a destination,” said Knowles. •West Kelowna council decided to move forward with a
provisional tax increase of just over four per cent in its 2011 budget. •West Kelowna agreed to provide $5,000 in financial support to the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra in exchange for OSO services and
programs for West Kelowna schools. • Several community groups walked away with less than they asked for in cash gifts as West Kelowna council looked at grants-in-aid during the 2011 budget process. • A West Kelowna man arrested in October, 2010, in connection to an alleged attempt to import cocaine into Canada in a fruit grinding machine, was granted bail. •A small chunk of funding allowed crews to get started removing some of the forest fire fuels on the Westside. The first areas to be treated were: Black Canyon Park, Rock Ridge Park, Casa Palmero Park, Falkner Creek Park, Shannon Highlands Park and Horizon Park. • Getting rid of the divided highway in West Kelowna came in at the top of the list for Westside capital projects that required provincial backing. • West Kelowna council voted to work with the Central Okanagan Garden Society on a new community garden at the northern end of Shannon Woods Park.
FEBRUARY
• Westside-Kelowna MLA Ben Stewart requested input from constituents about the
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issues affecting residents on the Westside. “It’s really getting things prioritized in our area, so when it comes to issues around capital, we know clearly what we want,” said Stewart. • West Kelowna became more welcoming to the world with the addition of a part-time extension of immigrant services through Kelowna Community Resources. The agency rented a room in the West Kelowna Visitor’s Centre with services available every Tuesday morning. • A homeowner’s association in West Kelowna asked the B.C. Assessment Authority to justify what it said seems to be an increasingly random method of property valuation. “We feel they’re failing,” said West Kelowna Residents’ Association director, Carl Zanon. • Copper wiring was stolen from West Kelowna streetlights at a great cost to the district and its taxpayers. According to police, thefts resulted in $20,000 worth of damage to the streetlights. • District of West Kelowna council rejected an invitation to participate in a plan by the regional waste reduction office to keep electronic tabs on residents’ waste disposal patterns and take photos of bin contents. • West Kelowna council nixed a pay raise for itself and remained at the 2010 levels of remuneration. With no increase, West Kelowna council salaries remained at $60,853 for the mayor and $20,501 for councillors. • A counteroffer was made by the District of West Kelowna on the Whitworth land exchange proposal that remained unsettled after more than a year. Council passed a motion to offer an exchange of the Whitworth Road and 4129 Gellatly Rd. properties, with an added contribution of $300,000 and a 12-foot-wide right of way down to the lake. • The former Best Western Wine Country Hotel and See Review A30
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