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DONALD FEHR and the NHLPA members he represents remain hopeful the NHL owners won’t impose a lockout on Sept.15.
YMCA swim team puts best stroke forward in preparation for swim of English Channel as a fundraiser for the Strong Kids Campaign.
ROB MASON-BROWN and his brother are putting it all on the line with their new musical theatre production, Love On The Line, at the Black Box Theatre in Kelowna.
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THURSDAY August 23, 2012 The Central Okanagan’s Best-Read Newspaper www.kelownacapnews.com
▼ POLITICAL VISIT
Minister for seniors listens to public input Alistair Waters ASSISTANT EDITOR
required a coordinated air attack to try and douse the flames.
▼ LAKE COUNTRY
Forest firefighters contain Oyama blaze Wade Paterson STAFF REPORTER
A fire burning seven kilometres east of Oyama grew from 3.5 to nine hectares in a couple of hours Wednesday morning, but was 100 per cent contained by late afternoon. Kamloops fire information officer Michaela Swan said crews managed
to get guards and hose laid all the way around the perimeter of the fire by 4 p.m. yesterday. Thirty-seven personnel, four pieces of equipment and two helicopters were battling the blaze as of 4:30 p.m. and Swan said those crews were expected to stick around until about 8 p.m. Overnight Wednesday
a five-person team of contract crews were expected to continue snuffing out the area. Swan said mopup work will likely take place Thursday morning. At its peak, the fire was a rank four, meaning it was a highly vigorous surface fire, spreading three to six metres per minute. By late afternoon it
was considered a low vigour surface fire. Swan said initially the fire burned “quite aggressively” due to the terrain and logging slash. The blaze was first reported to the Kamloops Fire Centre at 5 a.m. Wednesday. “We suspect it is a lightning fire, but a firecause investigation will
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have to be completed to confirm that,” said Swan. Chicky Drouillard, owner of Oyama Lake Fishing Resort, was watching the bombers attack the fire from his porch Wednesday morning. “These guys are good…when we get a fire up here, they’re right on it,” said Drouillard. wpaterson@kelownacapnews.com
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DOUG FARROW/CONTRIBUTOR
A HELICOPTER circles over the forest fire that broke out Wednesday morning in a forested area near Oyama Lake, east of Lake Country, that
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Canada’s minister of state for seniors was in Kelowna Wednesday talking to both seniors and those who provide programs for seniors about how to encourage active living, community engagement and labour force participation among those 65 and older. Alice Wong hosted a roundtable event with local MP Ron Cannan as part of a series of crossCanada meetings she is holding to discuss key issues that matter to Canadian seniors. “The government of Canada is committed to supporting the well-being of seniors,” said Wong. “We believe the wellbeing of seniors depends Alice Wong on them staying active, staying engaged and staying informed.” To that end, she said it is important that all levels of government, as well as the private sector and social agencies, work together to keep seniors informed about local programs and services. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Wong said she heard a great deal, especially about the potential use of technology to help seniors stay informed. “Some may feel more comfortable using something like a tablet than a full-sized computer,” said Wong. “But others like the more old-fashioned ways of paper, ink and the telephone.” Either way, Wong said she felt it was important to get out and hear what seniors have to say, and to bring back some of those ideas to the Conservative government cabinet table in Ottawa. Wong said, according to Statistics Canada, the Kelowna area has the third-largest proportion of seniors in the country.
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