SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
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Transit deal signed NO.
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S U M M E R L A N D,
by John Arendt Summerland is another step closer to having a bus service now that the municipality and B.C. Transit have entered into an agreement. The agreement was approved on Monday. The service will include four return trips each
Camp opens
B.C.
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T H U R S D AY,
weekday and two weekday stops in Trout Creek. The Penticton Regional Hospital will be included as one of the stops. Fares will be $2 for a trip within Summerland and $4 for a one-way trip to or from Penticton. At present, Summerland has a paratransit service between Summer-
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land and Penticton, operating one 20-passenger bus 2,250 hours a year. This service, a door-todoor pickup, requires riders to make arrangements 24 hours in advance. For a fixed-route service, the cost to the municipality is expected to run between $48,000 and $54,000 a year.
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While the agreement has been approved, the details have yet to be determined. At present, there are several options for service, depending on the destinations in Penticton and on the routes in Summerland. All options are for four weekday trips, although
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the times of those trips has yet to be determined. Mayor Janice Perrino said the service must be set up to allow working commuters to get to Penticton early enough to get to workplaces in the city and leaving late enough to allow them time to catch a return bus.
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The Agur Lake Camp Society held the grand opening celebrations for its camp west of Summerland.
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Lawsuit filed
Two people whose vehicle was involved in a 2011 crash have filed a lawsuit against the school district.
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Watching cherries
Rapidly changing weather destroyed cherry crops in some parts of the Okanagan Valley.
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Bursaries
Graduating students at Summerland Secondary School received bursaries and scholarships at the school’s graduation exercises.
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Swimming
Swimmers brought back medals following recent competitions.
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YOUR SMILE Good judgement comes from bad experiences, and many of those come from bad judgement
Bicycle ride
John Arendt Summerland Review
Participants in the Valley First Granfondo Axel Merckx on Sunday morning cycled up Peach Orchard Road in the King of the Mountain challenge. Close to 3,000 participants took place in the third annual cycling event.
Curbside garbage bylaw urged by John Arendt A bylaw restricting when Summerland residents could put out their garbage would help to reduce unwanted encounters with bears, a wildlife advocate says. Zoe Kirk, community coordinator of the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen’s WildSafeBC program, said Summerland does not have a curbside garbage bylaw at present. As a result, some residents will put their gar-
bage out the night before it is to be picked up. The smell of the garbage then attracts bears and other wild animals. So far this year, two problem bears have been destroyed in Summerland and last year, three or four bears were destroyed, Kirk said. “Summerland has traditionally been a bit of a hot spot for bear encounters,” she said. In Naramata, where a garbage bylaw was introduced several years ago,
the number of encounters with bears has dropped dramatically. In the past, bear complaints were common there and conservation officers had to destroy six to seven bears each year. In the last three years, one problem bear had to be destroyed. “We have no less bears there,” Kirk said. The Naramata bylaw forbids residents from setting out their garbage until the morning it is to be picked up.
While a fine is in place for violators, so far it has not been used. Mayor Janice Perrino said a curbside garbage bylaw will likely come to the council table in the near future. “For me, if we can save even one bear, it’s worth it,” she said. Kirk added that the bylaw also helps to reduce the number of encounters with other wildlife, such as deer. The WildSafeBC program recently installed
six remote wildlife cameras in Summerland in order to track the movements of animals in the community. The pictures from these cameras will then be analyzed and the data will be used to provide information about the species and their movements in the area. The results will be provided to the municipality, giving more information for planning, conservation and wildlife management.