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HOCKEY UPDATE: Kelowna Rockets lose Rigby (left) and Wheaton for the season; Warriors and Chiefs prepare for playoffs.
WHAT PARENTS can do to help control what their kids are seeing and doing on social media Internet websites.
THE DRAWN out battle over Diesel the dog between the canine’s owner and the regional district has come to an end causing mixed feelings.
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ALISTAIR WATERS says political posturing appears to be behind accusations of alleged ‘fire sale’ of public land assets.
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83 serving our community 1930 to 2013
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TUESDAY February 19, 2013 The Central Okanagan’s Best-Read Newspaper www.kelownacapnews.com
▼ MAYOR SPEAKS OUT
Ballet Kelowna folding would be a ‘tragedy’
Alistair Waters
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Kelowna’s mayor has weighed in on the plight of Ballet Kelowna. Walter Gray, who said he and his wife have been very supportive of the dance company over the years, lamented plans to fold it at the end of this season. On Monday, in an impassioned plea, he told city council he considers the loss of Balley Kelowna to be a “tragedy” for the arts in his city. “Ballet Kelowna has been an ambassador for the arts in Kelowna,” he said, noting its success in attracting crowds in other, smaller communities where it has performed. “It’s tragic that the time has come for such a fine professional organization to close because, in its own town, it can’t get enough bums into the seats.” Gray said in a potential market of 180,000 people (the Central Okanagan), it is disappointing that a professional ballet company can only sell 480 tickets for two shows, as it did recently. “They attract more people in places like Revelstoke and Williams Lake than they do it Kelowna,” said Gray,noting both communities are much smaller than Kelowna. Despite the difficult decision to pull the plug on the ballet, the mayor had nothing but praise for the “business-like” board of the organization for the way it is acting, attempting to pay off all its debts before closing its doors. He said unlike some Kelowna organizations that have shut down in the past here, Ballet Kelowna is not looking to the city to bail it out. “That’s something we at this (council) table would have a hard job doing,” he admitted. But he implored the community to show its support for Ballet Kelowna over the next month, noting a similar fate appeared set for Ballet British Columbia in Vancouver and renewed public support there saved that dance company a few years ago. Two weeks ago, the board of the society that runs Ballet Kelowna announced it was shutting down the ballet company immediately because it was not financially sustainable. Financial support, however, was forthcoming to allow it to at least finish its season. Gray said he hopes the public will rally to Ballet Kelowna’s side. “Maybe it can be saved,” said Gray.
Children’s Villages, last Saturday, an event that is part of Global Citizen Kelowna Week, left an impact on local residents. See story on A3.
▼ KELOWNA
Embracing the spirit of global citizenry Entertainment, education and inspiration for change are what Global Citizen Kelowna Week 2013 hopes to provide. The ninth annual initiative features a series of activities organized by a group of volunteers, including individuals from local businesses, non-profit groups, civic organizations, representatives from School District 23, seniors and college/university students. Global Citizen Kelowna has
two overarching goals, according to Joyce Brinkerhoff, executive director of the initiative. “One of those is to bring awareness to the Millennium Development Goals, which were established by the United Nations (in 2000),” said Brinkerhoff. The eight goals include: • eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, • achieving universal primary education • promoting gender equality and
empowerment for women • reducing child mortality • improving maternal health • combating HIV/aids, malaria and other diseases, • ensuring environmental sustainability, and • developing a global partnership for development. “They were targets to be reached by 2015—we’ve got a long ways to go, and we need more awareness to come, but they are striving toward it in many
places,” said Brinkerhoff, a Central Okanagan school board trustee. The second purpose is to promote what Kelowna people are doing internationally, she added. Kelowna Lake-Country MP Ron Cannan announced the federal government has contributed over $38,000 to Global Citizen Kelowna Week to help make the event “an even greater success.”
See Global A3
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REALITY CHECK…Walking through a simulated slum, a display set up at the New Life Church auditorium in Kelowna by Global