
WORLD WATER DAY Mar. 22 highlights the importance of fresh water P.3
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WORLD WATER DAY Mar. 22 highlights the importance of fresh water P.3
The week of March 13, 2026
YOUTH FORGIVENESS Teresa Harris Triggiano expands on this hot topic P.8
ABOUT TOWN Find out what’s going on and where it’s happening P.11







By Jeff McDonalD
Perhaps the initial shock of the tragedy that took place last month in Tumbler Ridge has subsided, but the grief may never. Especially for the students, teachers, support staff and administrators at Tumbler Ridge Senior Secondary. Many were directly involved in the February 10 shooting that left five students and one education assistant dead and 27 others injured at the school.
The terrible event demonstrated that school safety can’t be taken for granted, even for students and staff in School District 23 (SD23), also known as Central Okanagan Public Schools, which includes Peachland’s school. It also includes Mount Boucherie Secondary School (MBSS) in West Kelowna, where local students from grades 8 to 12 go (after attending Peach-
land Elementary and Constable Neil Bruce Middle School).
Speaking to the Peachland Post, SD23 superintendent of schools Jon Rever said schools are safe for students and staff, but safety is an ongoing concern. He outlined policies and emergency procedures to prevent such tragedies from occurring on SD23 grounds, and how to respond if an incident is unfolding.
“We’ve got a whole series of administrative procedures which have been revised and reviewed over time directed at school administrators who would then hold the responsibility for fulfilling that procedure. The lockdown procedure is very specific and it has step-by-step things that happen when that procedure needs

There was good attendance at the recent Peachland Community Arts Council Annual General Meeting at which President Deborah Livingstone announced her resignation after 15 dedicated years.
During those years as president, there were concerns about whether the Art Council would be allowed to exist in the Yellow Schoolhouse.
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• Peachland Community Newspaper Society
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• Managing editor Keith Fielding 250 859 2429 editor@peachlandpost.net
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There have also been tough financial times, which required scraping the barrel and finding solutions through local and government grants. Livingstone saved the day time and again!
A party followed the meeting, during which the board members presented her with a bouquet, a photo, a scrapbook of memories, and a small, beautifully designed award. Vice President Paula McLaughlin will become the new president.
Chris Byrd, workhorse, fine art photographer, and author of PCAC’s bi-weekly newsletter also announced at the AGM that he would be leaving the Board of Directors, and would stop writing the newsletter at the end of May. Board member Vicki Dutton has volunteered to take over that responsibility.
Ted Cave’s workshop was a hive of activity last week as he, Donna Cave and helpers worked overtime to ensure that a Peachland Post pick up receptacle was located at every mail box
location throughout town.
Sixty of these elegant tube containers are now installed at points where previously the Peachland Post was to be found in blue newspaper boxes, no longer available for that use.

I do not support 5-storey buildings on Beach Ave.
Taller buildings belong near the highway.
I have the knowledge and experience to make a difference.


Solastalgia has been called “the homesickness you have when you are still at home.” It’s anxiety or unease from negative environmental change. People across the planet are reacting to this by making a difference where they can, instead of bemoaning circumstances.
World Water Day, March 22 each year, is one opportunity for citizens to band together with events and activities.

The United Nations started this in 1993. The focus is on fresh water. As local drought enters the fourth year, we know how important water is. All living things rely on it. Water is life.
The planning began in January for events to celebrate and inform about water. Check out the website, designed by Peachland’s Alex Morrison, which lists events throughout the valley. bcworldwaterweek.org
Our library has a display of books about water. Our Space is presenting a one woman show, “The Gardener and the Golfer” on March 15. The Okanagan Basin Water Board is collaborating with groups to present a documentary, “Bringing the Salmon Home” at the Okanagan College in Penticton. There’s an ad in this edition of the paper for events happening in Penticton, but similar things are






happening in Kelowna, Salmon Arm, Vernon, and all around us. Local groups have been creative and excited about water events and raising awareness.
On March 18, the Penticton Indian Band is holding two fish hatchery tours at the kł cp̓əlk̓ stim̓ Hatchery En’owkin Trail. I’m registered for that.
In February I had a fascinating tour there by Tyson Marsel, Biologist. The kokanee eggs were just starting to hatch in multiple tanks kept at different temperatures, because that controls when the hatch happens and the rate of their maturity. On March 18 they will be recognizable fish and will vary in size according to their hatch time.
Yes, we share water from our watersheds with fish. The Penticton Indian Band has three wells on their reserve, and the fish hatchery and their occupants are important consumers.
Economically, water fuels B.C.’s economy and food systems, provides power for clean energy, and sustains people’s health and safety.
Watersheds and their water provide precious services but need costly protection. Droughts deplete
water supplies, wildfires contaminate drinking water sources, floods damage homes and businesses. Industrial and urban growth trigger conflicts over water supply.
Raising industrial water use rates can provide an input of revenue to help watershed management. Make the big users pay. In B.C., industrial users pay $2.25 for one million litres of water. In Quebec, they pay $155 for one million litres. What a discrepancy! If our government modernized industrial water rates and charged like Quebec, they would have an extra $75 million annually, according to a report by the BC Watershed Security Coalition.
The revenue could be used to strengthen overall water management, of which there is no end of options. Citizens are writing letters to promote this.
Local people are joining together, united in concern and appreciation for the wonders of nature and finding ways to act to make a difference. Fending off solastalgia.
Judy Wyper is with the Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance and the South Okanagan Chapter of the Council of Canadians.


On Sunday, March 8th
International Women’s Day (IWD) was celebrated in many communities around the world. Intended to help accelerate gender parity, the event also celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
Since 1911, groups worldwide have openly embraced IWD and mark it in a way that is relevant and meaningful to their own context and circumstances.
In Peachland the event has been marked in different ways over the years including by an all-female open mic event at Our Space, by a combined Facebook, Twitter and Instagram awareness campaign, and this year by a benefit oriented fashion show.











Did you hear about the mathematician who’s afraid of negative numbers? He’ll stop at nothing to avoid them.
My father always said, “When one door closes, another one opens.” He was a very wise man, but a terrible cabinet-maker.
We encourage readers to submit letters to the editor on appropriate subjects. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, brevity and legality. Keep your submissions under 250 words and they are more likely to be published. Send your submissions to editor@peachlandpost.net

Last week Peachland Post included a small note about the pieces of identification voters are required to show when they turn up to cast their ballot in the coming by-election: so far so good. Unfortunately, the article showed the date of the by-election incorrectly. The correct date is Saturday March 14th - not, as was reported, one day earlier! Our sincere apologies to anyone inconvenienced by this error. If the number of people attending the All Candidates meeting last week is any indication, there is likely to be a big turnout of voters on election day. About 200 people crowded into the Community Centre to hear from the five candidates
as they each responded to questions posed by Chamber of Commerce President, Jonathan Wahl. It is tough being on stage trying to secure support for your candidacy when you have had 45 seconds to introduce yourself and are given just one minute to provide thoughtful and articulate answers to complex questions. But it is a level playing field, and however stressful it may be for the candidates, it somehow seems to work--the audience ends up with important take away information. And, if anyone needs more, the candidates each have a personal table to which they adjourn after question time and make themselves available for follow up discussion.

Keith Fielding
As we noted in an earlier edition of Peachland Post, there will be only one winner in this contest, but there will be no losers -- there will be just four others who ran because they love Peachland and hoped to offer us their services. And now, back to what we did get right last week. A reminder about voting I.D.
Bring two pieces from this list making sure one is government issued, one has your signature and one has your address:
• Driver’s License
• BC I.D. Card
• BC Care Card
• Social Insurance Card
• Credit Card/Debit Card
• Utility Bill
• Rent Receipt
A driver’s license and credit card will do the trick, but other combinations also work.
Keith Fielding is President of the Peachland Community Newspaper Society and editor of Peachland Post. He is also a former Peachland mayor and councillor.
The 12th annual Captured Images exhibition opened last month, in the Historic School Art Gallery.
The opening event drew a large gathering including many of the 29 fine art photographers from across the valley whose work is on display.
A total of 55 works have been selected for the exhibition which will remain open until April 5th.






to be enacted and what happens during a lockdown,” Rever said.
“It’s practiced twice per year and we feel it’s in good shape, it’s appropriate and it tells administrators exactly what needs to happen during a lockdown procedure.”
SAFETY FROM PAGE 1 at everything that we’re doing in our schools around keeping our schools safe and emergency procedures and that will continue. We will at some point look to what was learned from Tumbler Ridge, when we have got to a place where we’re able to understand better what happened, and if there’s lessons to be learned, we’ll be certainly paying attention to that,” said Rever.
Posted to the MBSS website, the lockdown procedure document doesn’t specify that it’s in place to deal with an active shooter on campus. But it outlines a clear announcement – “Lockout and Lockdown Now” – to be repeated three times over the public address system. Upon hearing that, students are to “gather in an area away from possible site lines, duck your head, and cover it with your arms. If in a washroom, enter a stall, close and fasten the door, stand on top of the toilet so your feet are not visible through the bottom opening.” Then, students are to “remain in the duck and cover position until further instructions are provided or the all-clear announcement is made.” All schools in the district practice the procedure twice each year, said Rever.
But parents and communities have naturally expressed concerns about school safety after Tumbler Ridge, and SD23 is listening and acting, he said. “It will and it has caused us to have a look

Communicating very quickly with classroom teachers and parents was a priority in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, said Rever. He met online early on February 11 with regional superintendents and then SD23 administrators and managers to develop a communications plan and messaging. The Ministry of Education provided support, as did a group called Safer Schools Together, which specializes in supporting school districts in times of crisis, Rever said. The first email went to every parent in the school district at 10 A.M. that morning.
response which helped parents guide conversations with their children. It encouraged those students to avoid some of the stuff on social media because it can be very graphic and disturbing and traumatizing,” he said. “And then, to monitor their child’s behavior over a period of time to see if there’s any signs of distress or changes in baseline behavior. We communicated as quick as we could with parents because we knew that students were being exposed to this. It was effective and helped reduce stress and anxiety with students.”
looking for signs in students that might be more vulnerable, he said.
Rever said the shooting has impacted educators across B.C. “We’re connected as a community of educators in the province of British Columbia, and I can only imagine what the team in Peace River South (school district) was having to face and respond to because of course everyone’s primary focus is taking care of their students and ensuring that they’re safe,” he said.
So, when Peachland parents send their children off to school, and when teachers and support staff come to work at a central Okanagan school, should they feel safe? Absolutely they should, Rever said.
“There were a lot of materials that we shared with parents in




Even with the quick response, Rever said they had “a handful” of situations where students responded to the shooting with behaviour that including mimicking thoughts and ideas. “Those things popped up and we dealt with them right away, alongside parents, and in a couple of cases we had the RCMP support as well.” In the ongoing aftermath of the shooting, the phenomenon of copycat behaviour will mean a cautious approach to the aftermath of this type of event, said Rever. Teachers and support staff go into monitoring mode,
“Schools are safe and I can confidently say that. Every week I’m visiting schools, talking to kids and teachers. We have all sorts of procedures in place and kids feel safe there, they’re happy there, they’re learning. We work very, very hard to create safe schools and as a result, I think if you ask students, they feel safe.”
While the horror of what happened at Tumbler Ridge is real, it doesn’t define what happens at schools every day, which is learning and growth, Rever said. “Schools are a good place to be,” he said.••




Having just returned from facilitating my restorative justice program (focused on taking responsibility for our choices, assertiveness for taking a stand, steps on how to give a meaningful apology, and the often tricky business of forgiveness), I am once again awed by our youth. The willingness of each student for honest reflection on their choices continues to astound me.
Every year, “forgiveness” proves to be an especially hot topic in the workshop. I begin by sharing what forgiveness is not. Forgiveness is not about excusing what was done. Forgiveness does not mean you must now be best friends.
Forgiveness simply means you choose to let go of the upset feelings you stored inside. The relief in the room is tangible when it dawns on students that it is not about a need to think that what

was done to you is ok. It’s about arriving at the realization that what happened is over and the willingness to let go of the resulting feelings because… you want to be ok. After all, refusing apologies and choosing to hold on to upset feelings, hurts us the most. Over the past few years, a new concept has emerged, introducing the difference between being “nice” and being “kind”. It was born out of conversation around the topic of “secrets”. I
Here is Ron Redstone with his “trick” circus dog on the Main Street of town in about 1935.
Behind him is Peachland Mercantile, today’s Sunnyside Market and out front is their Union 76 Gas Pump.
The streets are gravel and a cigarette sign adorns the side of the store.
by RICHARD SMITH

At the North end of the street is the other general store, Clements, with a garage and gasoline for sale too.
Ron’s parents would soon build a modern gas station in 1947 on Beach Ave. known as Redtone’s Garage. Today it is Jac’s cafe.

always share with students that there are healthy secrets, and there are dangerous secrets.
A healthy secret puts no one at risk or in danger and is simply about sharing something personal with a friend that has earned your trust. A dangerous secret has content revealing someone has been hurt, is being hurt, or is at risk of being hurt.
Often students disclose they are nervous about breaking a friend’s confidence -- especially when the friend has asked them to keep something private.
I explain that if someone’s health, safety or emotional wellbeing is at risk -- safety must always trump secrecy. I share that I will always choose having someone unhappy with me for the right reasons over having them pleased with me for the wrong ones. This is the difference between “nice” and “kind”.
“Nice” is pleasing behaviour for the sake of social acceptance -- often motivated by the need to be liked or the desire to avoid conflict -- regardless of
One
student
the cost to others or oneself.
“Kind” is motivated by true caring and occasionally means risking a person being unhappy with you, in order to do what you believe is in the best interests for all involved. Ultimately, it’s about deciding what kind of human being you choose to be in this world.
What also consistently amazes me, is the willingness of our youth to think about an issue differently after being given a new perspective. They show little to no resistance to learning alternate ways of thinking when new ideas are introduced -- unlike us older folk who at times can be a tad set in our ways. Despite all that is happening on our planet, our young people continue to offer good reasons to still hang on to hope for this world.
Teresa Harris Triggiano is a founder of a restorative justice program. She was a columnist in the Vancouver Sun and appeared as a weekly expert on Global’s BC Noon News for fourteen years. Email: theheartofpeachland@gmail.com

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To start the conversation, send your resume to editor@peachlandpost.net



Make sure your tax preparation business has a local presence in Peachland’s only newspaper that is delivered to EVERY HOME EVERY BUSINESS every week! Contact me for details and pricing.
GEOFF TRAFFORD 604-328-5924 or sales@peachlandpost.net



This short road, running off Clements Crescent between Peachland Elementary School and the new Daycare Centre, currently under construction, honours the man who, it is believed, was Peachland’s first settler.
His real name was probably William Jenkins, but he was known, and is remembered, as Wild Goose Bill. Where he came from and when he arrived is unknown, but in the 1880’s he was operating a ranch on this piece of flat land and, with his pack horses, taking supplies to the gold-rush town of Granite City
near present-day Princeton. In 1887, Wild Goose Bill sold his rights to the land to the Lambly brothers and moved on. The land became known as the Lambly Ranch and it was here that the first peach trees were planted that later gave Peachland its name. In 1929, ownership passed to the Clements family.
Lambly Park, on the other side of the highway, and Clements Crescent honour these early families, and this road is named to remember the very first settler to make his home on the land that would later become Peachland.
Extracted from The Road Names of Peachland: The Origins of Their Names 2nd Edition With permission kindly granted by Peachland author, Don Wigfield
Fill the grid so that every column, every row & every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.
One
Tract

We invite you to post your group’s meeting times. Registration may be required for the following activities or events. Please contact the organization for more details.
SATURDAY
50 PLUS CENTRE 250-767-9133
Carpet Bowling 9:30 AM-noon
OUR SPACE
Quail Weaving Workshop Register okfolkschool.ca
Story Slam March 14 6-8 PM
PEACHLAND LEGION 250-767-9404
Kitchen opens Tues. to Sun. at noon Sat. Meat Draw 50/50 3 PM
PEACHLAND LIBRARY
March 14: Learn about racism speaker series 10 AM
PEACHLAND MUSEUM & VISITOR CENTRE 250-767-3441
Open Daily 10 AM-6 PM Train exhibit is operating
SUNDAY
50+ ACTIVITY CENTRE
Bluegrass 2-4 PM
OUR SPACE
Fused Glass Panel Workshop Register
The Gardener and the Golfer Free one-woman show
PEACHLAND ARTS COUNCIL
Vintage Glam Fashion Show/ Tea Party 2-5 PM Tickets $35
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Pickleball 3.0-3.5 9-11 AM
Pilates Fusion 11-noon
Pickleball
2.0-2.5 11:15AM-1:15 PM
Birdhouse Pottery 1:30-3:30 PM
Pickleball 3.75-4.0 1:30-3:30 PM
PEACHLAND WELNESS CENTRE
Jerry Dober Breakfast 8 AM
MONDAY
50 PLUS CENTRE 250-767-9133
50+ Fitness 8-9 AM
Variety Singers 9:30-11:30 AM
We Art Here 12 PM
Bridge 1 PM
Tae Kwon Do 5:30-7:30 PM
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Indoor Walking 8-9 AM
Pickleball 2.5-3.0 9:15-11:15 AM
Spin, Weights, Core & More
9:30-10:45 AM
Events listings are free to non-profit and community groups. Submit by Friday, 3 PM for publication the following Friday at info@peachlandpost.org
Choose to Move 9:30-10:45 AM
Always Active 11 AM-12 PM
Yin yoga 1-3 PM
Pickleball 3.0-3.5 11:30 AM-1:30 PM
Pickleball 1.5-2.0 1:45-3:45 PM
Mini Kickers-Girls 4:30-5:15 PM
Soccer Fundamentals-Girls
5:15-6:15 PM
Zumba 5:30-6:30 PM
Fitness Blast 6:15-7:00 PM
Spin, Core & Stretch 6:30-7:30 PM
Pickleball Basics 6:30-8:15 PM
Pickleball All Play Drop-In
6:30-8:15 PM
PEACHLAND WELLNESS CENTRE
Adult Day Service 9 AM
Chair Yoga 10:30 AM
TUESDAY
50 PLUS CENTRE
Yoga 8:30-9:30 AM
Carpet Bowling 9:30-noon
AA 12-1 PM
Mahjong 1-4 PM
Passion 4 Art 1-4 PM
Line Dancing 4:30-5:30 PM
Cloggers 6-6:45 PM
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Flow Yoga 9-10 AM
Remedy Yoga 10:30-11:45AM
Fitness Blast 12:30-1:15 PM
Pickleball 3.7-4.0 1-3PM
Yoga for your Back 3:45-5:00 PM
Beginner Vinyasa Yoga 5:15-6:30 PM
Cycle Fusion 5:45-6:45 PM
PEACHLAND LEGION
St. Paddy’s Day Catch the King 5 PM
Darts 7 PM
PEACHLAND LIBRARY
Paper Crafting 1 PM
PEACHLAND WELLNESS CENTRE
Tax Program 9 AM
Ladies Cards 10:30 AM
Men’s Coffee 1 PM
Love, Loss, Grieving Group
1:30-3 PM
Register with PWC Meet at United Church Hall 4421 4th Street
PEACHLAND WHEEL NUTS
A&W 4-6 PM
WEDNESDAY
50 PLUS CENTRE
50+ Fitness 9-10 AM
Chair Yoga 11-noon
Bridge 1-3:30 PM
Zumba Gold 1-2 PM
Tae Kwon Do 5:30-7:30 PM
PEACHLAND ART GALLERY
Wed.-Sun. 10 AM-4 PM
Annual Captured Images
OUR SPACE
Drawing with Terry Moore 1-3 PM $5
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Indoor walking 8-9 AM
Pickleball Drop-in 1.5-2.0 9:15-11:15 AM
Functional Fitness 9:30-10:45 AM
Pickleball Drop-In 3.0+ 11:20AM-1:30PM
Pickleball 2.5-3.0 1:45-3:45 PM
Wall Hanging Trinket Shelf
5:00-7:00 PM
Yoga and Beyond 5:15-6:15 PM
Pickleball 4.0+ 6:30-8:30 PM
PEACHLAND LEGION
Karaoke 3-6 PM Sherry
PEACHLAND MODEL TRAIN
GROUP 6:30 PM Museum
PEACHLAND WELLNESS CENTRE
Tai Chi 10 AM
Sunshine Singers 1 PM
THURSDAY
50 PLUS CENTRE
Yoga 8:30-9:30 AM
Art In Peachland 10 AM-2 PM
Iron & Silk 11-12 AM
Ukelele 1-2:30 PM
Bingo Doors 5:30 Starts 6:30 PM
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Pickleball 3.0-3.5 8:15-10:15 AM
Pickleball 3.5-3.75
10:30AM-12:30 PM
Yoga Strength 11 AM-12:15 PM
Fitness Blast 12:30-1:15 PM
Pickleball 3.75-4.0 1-3 PM
Gardeners will be eager to start planning and to get their hands dirty! Whether you’re selling tools, seeds, plants or supplies... an ad in the Peachland Post ensures that your message reaches the doorstep of EVERY HOME and EVERY BUSINESS IN PEACHLAND! Contact me for advertising details GEOFF TRAFFORD 604-328-5924 or sales@peachlandpost.net
Sport ball 4:30-6 PM
Volleyball & Badminton 5-6 PM
Spanish for Adventures 5-6:30 PM
Zumba Toning 5:30-6:30 PM
Pickleball All Play Drop-In
6:15-8:15 PM
PEACHLAND LEGION
Meat Draw 50/50 3 PM
Jersey Day
PEACHLAND WELLNESS CENTRE
Adult Day Service 9 AM
Wellness Circle 1 PM
FRIDAY
50 PLUS CENTRE
50+ Fitness 1-10 AM
Coffee Bean 10:15-noon
Chair Yoga 11-noon
Canasta 1-4 PM
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Indoor Walking 8-9 AM
Flow Yoga 9-10 AM
Creative Play Time 10 AM-noon
Myofascial Yoga 10:30-11:45 AM
Pickleball 2.5-3.0 12:30-2:30 PM
Pickleball Drop-In (All Play) 2:45-4:30 PM
PEACHLAND LEGION
Crib 1-3 PM
Quiz Night 6:30 PM
PEACHLAND LIBRARY
Cozy Stitch Group 1 PM
Adults Drop In
For information on more programs at Peachland Community Centre search on-line at peachland.ca/recguide. For additional information re: Pickleball lessons and games, contact Zoe at 250-767-2133.
Plant a seed in the minds of customers.










































