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LIQUID LIGHTNING swimmer Kierra Smith has earned her way onto Canada’s national senior swim team for both the Commonwealth Games in Scotland this July and the Pan Pacific Championships slated for Australia in August.
SARAH Williams, owner of Bella Clothing Boutique on Pandosy Street in Kelowna, has opened a second shop around the corner at Tutt Street Square, reports columnist Maxine DeHart.
UBC OKANAGAN’S outdoor campus is festooned with imaginative works of sculptural art, all part of the Spring Festival of Culture and Entertainment, with 14 events taking place throughout the community until April 26.
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THURSDAY, April 10, 2014 The Central Okanagan’s Best-Read Newspaper www.kelownacapnews.com
▼ WEST KELOWNA
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Fire claims a life at mobile home park
Women’s forum participants to share their ideas
Kathy Michaels
Jennifer Smith
STAFF REPORTER
STAFF REPORTER
Residents of Westpoint Mobile Home Park are reeling following a fatal Wednesday morning fire. “We’ve lost a neighbour,” said Carol Curtis, who lives a few doors down from what’s now a charred husk of a home situated in a river of foamy, white fire retardant. “He was a good dog owner, and walked his dogs faithfully.” The man, who is believed to have been in his mid50s, lived in the area for six years, but neighbours said he largely kept to himself. His body was found in the residence early Wednesday morning, near his dog. West Kelowna fire chief Wayne Schnitzler said the home was fully engulfed when crews arrived. The damage was mostly to the middle of the mobile home and it appears flames moved toward the back of the property. Of high concern upon arrival, was containing the spread of flames, as homes in the park are quite close together. Schnitzler said that by using a lot of foam retardant, the department was able to ensure that the flames were isolated to the one trailer. He couldn’t offer any insights into what may have caused the blaze as the investigation had yet to begin. Jim Christiansen lives next door to the home that burnt down, and was just a stone’s throw away from the flames that were licking the perimeter of his neighbour’s roof early Wednesday. “I heard a bang and the window blew out,” he said. “At first we thought it was a car accident because you get them here all the time.” When he went outside, however, it was immediately clear they were facing something quite different. “The air was so black, and you could see flames coming out of the roof.” He called 911 and said firetrucks responded in 15 to 20 minutes. The investigation into the fire is ongoing.
Housing will be the core topic in the upcoming Central Okanagan Women’s Forum, a space reserved for sharing ideas and creating action, organizers say. Three UBC Okanagan master’s degree students have been tapped to present on their research into women, housing and marginalized groups in the Central Okanagan. “What we’re looking to do is have more dialogue with women, like these forums, just to bring us all together and look at issues,” said Micki Smith, with the Central Okanagan Women’s Resource and Education Foundation. The students all worked under Carlos Teixeira, an associate professor in geography at UBCO. Looking at seniors and housing, women and housing, and Latin immigrant women and single mothers and housing, the talks will be used to generate discussion on some of the broader shelter-related concerns the valley faces. “There’s all this really good work done at UBC
CONTRIBUTOR/JEN CARTER
A LOCAL man and his pet dog were found dead Wednesday morning in the Westpoint Mobile Home Park at 1525 Westside Rd. KATHY MICHAELS/CAPITAL NEWS
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and then it doesn’t get shared,” said Smith. “So we thought this would be great to get the information out.” Housing has been a hot political topic for many years owing to the historically high cost of rent, low wages and lack of options for those living at the lower end of the income bar in B.C. While the 2007-08 economic crash brought temporary relief in the Okanagan, the rental availability rate is once again falling, making it difficult for those with a low economic status to secure an affordable home. According to Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation projections released in the fall, the vacancy rate is expected to fall to three per cent this year—still above the 10-year average rate for the area, but a full percentage point below the year before. Focusing on how housing, or community building in general, affects women and children benefits everyone in society, Smith noted, as women tend to spearhead family development, raising the next generation.
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