FORT MCMURRAY PART
THREE OF THREE
SERIES
BUSINESS
THE THIRD story of a threepart series about locals living in the Okanagan and commuting 1,300 kilometres for work in northern Alberta and the impact it has on our community.
A NEW grocery market is attempting to bring ‘a little taste of Italy’ to the Central Okanagan, reports business columnist Maxine DeHart.
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THURSDAY Feb. 13, 2014 The Central Okanagan’s Best-Read Newspaper www.kelownacapnews.com
▼ RAPIDBUS
Westbank Centre detours expected for five months Wade Paterson STAFF REPORTER
Motorists will no longer be able to access the piece of Elliott Road, which connects Main Street and Dobbin Road, in a couple of weeks. The closure is due to the construction of the Westbank Centre RapidBus exchange, prior to the service coming to West Kelowna in September. “I can’t sugarcoat this, it’s going to be disruptive,” said Rory Kulmala, manager of fixed asset construction with BC Transit. “That’s the nature of this type of project.” The construction, which beings Feb. 24 and is expected to last until mid July, will detour motorists onto either Hebert Road or Brown Road to cross the couplet. West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater said he’s particularly concerned about how the construction will affect traffic on nearby roads. “At certain times of the day, Brown Road, going south, coming from Main to basically go to the shopping centre, is already backed up from light to light,” said Findlater. “I’m just anticipating (we) might actually see traffic back up on the highway, waiting to turn left, to go to Brown.” Coun. Rick de Jong noted the construction will likely have a “major impact” on parents of children who attend École George Pringle Elementary, as well. Emil Anderson Construction Inc.’s traffic management plan also shows one lane of Main Street expected to be blocked off during nighttime hours. Times for that specific closure will be determined by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Kulmala said BC Transit is “making every effort” to try to identify what the challenges might be. Another road closure will take place on Westgate Road, from Ross Road to the entrance of Super 8. That closure is being done to accommodate construction of the Boucherie Mountain exchange. Substantial completion on that construction is expected to be completed by July 9. See Westbank A5
WADE PATERSON/CAPITAL NEWS
WESTSIDE WINE TRAIL…Tina Slamka, wine shop manager at Little Straw Vineyards, pours a few samples at the 2014 Sip with your Sweetheart event held over the weekend by the eight West Kelowna wineries.
▼ KELOWNA
Cedar Ave. charrette drawing a crowd Alistair Waters ASSISTANT EDITOR
It’s been nearly three years since it became a flashpoint in Kelowna, pitting a large number of residents against Kelowna City
Hall and eventually forcing council to dump its original plan for city-owned waterfront land near the foot of Cedar Avenue in South Pandosy. But the issue appears to have lost none of its ability to raise in-
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terest. With the city set to hold a charrette, an urban design planning workshop, Feb. 25 and 26 on the future of the seven properties, as well as on the larger surrounding area including four additional
city-owned properties, it appears that plenty of people want to participate in that planning process. Interest is running so high, on
See Crowd A10
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