
STRONG STOMACH Eating seasonally is what your tummy wants P.6
STRONG STOMACH Eating seasonally is what your tummy wants P.6
BEACH EATS Blind Angler owner takes over the rest of the beach P.8
By John McDonalD Staff RepoRteR
So what do the world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris, the largest of its kind in the world, and the not-soworld-famous Peachland Museum have in common?
Let us count the ways.
ABOUT TOWN Find out what’s going on and where it’s happening P.11
Both museums are located in buildings that have played different roles throughout the years, in effect artifacts themselves.
The Louvre was a medieval fortress originally constructed in the 12th century while the Peachland Museum was built as a church in 1910.
Expanded many times in the intervening centuries, the fortress Louvre eventually became a royal palace, home to the various
royal personages’ personal art collections. The Peachland Museum has never housed a king or a queen, so far as is known.
Both museums are located in distinctive buildings with the
Peachland Museum in arguably a more unusual space, an eight-sided former Baptist church. Items contained with the Louvre’s vast exhibit space amount to over half a million while the Peachland Museum houses significantly less, several thousand at best.
Still, the Peachland Museum has one display that visitors to the Louvre will never see: the exten-
…is delivered free of charge to every home, every business, every week.
• Peachland Community Newspaper Society
5878C Beach Avenue,
Peachland, B.C. V0H 1X7
250 859 4295
• Board of Directors
President Keith Fielding
Treasurer Ted Cave
Director Geoff Trafford
Director Donna Cave
Director Ted Black
• Managing Editor
John McDonald
250 859 2429
• Advertising Sales
Alan Monk
250 212 4888
• Website
Alex Morrison
Visit peachlandpost.org
• We respectfully acknowledge our society operates on the traditional territory of the Syilx/Okanagan People.
• Peachland Post gratefully acknowledges office space provided by Brenda Renewables.
West Kelowna Fire Rescue had to join forces with the North Westside Fire Department to pull a couple of hikers out of Fintry Provincial Park last Tuesday.
In a media release, department spokesman Trevor Bredin said crews were dispatched at 7 p.m. to the bottom of the waterfalls in the park where two hikers had run into trouble, with one of them badly injured.
“The injured patient was winched 180 feet from the bottom of the canyon with a Search and Rescue helicopter,” Bredin said. “The second patient was walked out of the canyon without incident.
B.C. Ambulance transported
Roadwork in West Kelowna has resulted in some changes to the start of the Westside Daze parade, according to organizers.
Construction on the intersection of Butt Road, the 2025 parade will started at the intersection of Bering Road and Old Okanagan Highway.
the injured hiker to Kelowna General Hospital for treatment. While he provided no details of how the hikers came to be where they were found, Bredin said the incident should serve as a reminder to hikers to stay on marked trails when trekking through the back country.
Road closures for this year’s parade begin at 8 a.m. for staging at Brendalee Road and running until noon throughout Westbank Centre.
The parade itself begins at 10:30 a.m. and ends at noon.
poSt Staff
By John McDonalD Staff RepoRteR
A Peachland councillor wants to know why the district isn’t making a bigger effort to gauge public opinion on looming changes to the Official Community Plan and the Downtown Revitalization strategy.
“It’s very disappointing, only 135 responses,” said Coun. Terry Condon, during a workshop on the process and public engagement results so far. The 135 responses were received from a public opinion survey run by Urban Systems during the last three weeks of June.
“This whole thing is dependent on quality input from the community,” added Condon, who asked Urban Systems consultant Daniel Sturgeon if there were plans to increase the consultations.
Sturgeon agreed the number of responses was low but defended the strategy. “We’ve billed this project as a minor review so we don’t anticipate large scale engagement,” Sturgeon told councillors. “If this was a complete rewrite of the OCP, we would be tweaking our approach to engagement but given this is a minor review, we will stay the course. There’s not much we can do besides advertise the engagements we have.”
Sturgeon did say the district could consider adding a couple
more community engagement events over the summer.
In June, the District of Peachland sent out a media release stating there would be two so-called “pop-up” consultations as well as an evening open house over the summer to fulfill the requirements of the public engagement process. No dates were given for the events, with the media release prompting residents to “stay tuned” for announcements on time and place.
Condon told Sturgeon the district should consider advertising those events in the Peachland Post.
“It’s a community newspaper that goes to every address in town and we need to put some more effort into getting community input,”
he said. “I don’t know whether you’re considering it as a means of inviting comment, but in my experience, the one thing that will come back to haunt us is the community comment that “nobody asked.”
In a report reviewed by district director of planning Darin Schaal, the community engagement strategy is said to require a lower scope of engagement, focused primarily on whether the community is aware of and understands the project work is underway with a secondary focus on collecting feedback on draft changes.
The OCP review is mandated by the provincial government and is expected to be finished early next year.
Installation of surveillance cameras at two public washrooms will go ahead after council on Tuesday agreed to staff recommendations.
Cameras will be installed at the washrooms outside the Peachland Museum and those near Todd Rd. following recommendations in a report from the corporate services department. A recommendation for a third camera at the Swim Bay pavillion was put on hold after council discussions produced some more possible locations.
Staff were asked to consider a camera near the public works yard, where it might help monitor illegal backwoods dumping.
Underpinning the camera recommendations were incident reports about “activities” near the washrooms, the report said.
Bylaw officers have also reported incidents of vandalism that have at times forced the facilities to close, the report said.
The district currently operates surveillance cameras at the exterior of Peachland Municipal Hall, the public works yard, 50+ Centre and Cousins Park.
poSt Staff
DON WILSON
In my restorative justice workshops, I talk about how every choice we make has a ripple effect. To that end, every contribution to our community, shapes this town. I would argue few living people are contributing more to our hometown, than Don Wilson.
Discovering this however, was not easy. Don Wilson is not one to toot his own horn. In fact, it was only after digging that I learned behind Don’s humble demeanour lies a lifetime of truly impressive service.
Don was born in Peachland in 1938 and has lived here ever since. With grandparents who settled here in 1919, his roots as well as his commitment to this town, run deep.
From the 1960s into the early 1970s, Don was the chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission. From that position, he next served on the Peachland District Council for nearly two decades, spanning 1977 to 1996.
It was while serving on council Don says, that concerns arose over the town’s heritage slipping away with the passing of the older generation. From this awareness, it was decided that Peachland needed a town museum to preserve its history.
As you can imagine, opening
a museum is no small feat which is why Don volunteered his time throughout 1980. To this day, Don is still the volunteer curator - as he has been for the past 44 yearssince the museum opened in 1981.
When asked if he has a favourite artifact in the museum, he smiles and says, “I like them all” though he lights up while mentioning the children love the train sets the most.
I listen as he goes on to share that if he was to choose one piece of Peachland’s history he holds particular reverence for, it would be the fact that in WW1, Peachland lost more soldiers to the war, than any other place in Canada per capita - a truth he makes sure is not forgotten.
It’s at this point in our conversation, that I sit back in my chair in his tiny office crammed full of notebooks and files in the back of the museum, marvelling at his contribution to our town, only to be astonished to learn that Don also became a firefighter in Peachland in 1969 and served as the Fire Chief from 1980-2004. I am certain he would have kept all of this to himself had I not pressed him with further questions.
As I drive home after chatting with Don, I can’t help but wonder how would Peachland be different if Don Wilson did not live here? How many countless ripple effects does his work have in our community? And, how lucky are we to have him in this town?
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 TV BC News for fourteen years. Email her at: theheartofpeachland@gmail.com
Talk about giving back to your community.
In the 1930’s Ray Harrington Jr. bailed out the municipality of Peachland by loaning them $1,000. His father had been mayor and also a councilor for many years.
He was very involved with the Baptist church and was instrumental in founding Maple Springs Camp at the top of Princeton Avenue. His home still survives on Victoria Ave. – now a new vineyard is planted there.
To the editor:
I read with interest the piece by Keith Fielding regarding the consultation process about the downtown revitalization study. But what exactly is being planned to get community input?
The district website refers to pop-up events and a survey.
However, shouldn’t there be a more specific plan explaining where and when people will be able to view renderings and present their opinions? Perhaps a town hall?
We need to be sure that it is public opinion that frames future decisions about our downtown.
Ann Condon, Peachland
Every now and again, council agendas are so light that discussion and decision making is completed within the hour, start to finish. On other occasions the opposite is true and hours-long meetings ensue. This week was an example of the latter.
The day began at 11 a.m. with a workshop, led by consultants from Urban Systems. It was designed to engage council in a discussion regarding the scope of work and timeline for the ’minor official community plan review’ now underway.
Most discussion focused on the need for a robust public consultation process regarding downtown revitalization and clarification of what is meant by maintaining Peachland’ “small town charm” the term implying different things to different people, particularly regarding allowable density.
At 3 p.m. the regular council meeting convened, starting with two presentations: the first from B.C. Transit seeking council support for fare increases in the fall. Then the Okanagan Regional Library staff highlighting the services and programs it offers and the positive increases in participation rates.
Next, a report detailing proposed increases in the fees currently charged for processing
development permits and licensing applications was reviewed and approved with the exception of increases to B&B license fees
Then council gave final approval to the rezoning of 4062 Beach Avenue from multi-unit residential to mixed use‚ - a zone change with site specific conditions to prevent commercial use but allowing for a six-unit residential development.
After a six-year long attempt to make a Pierce St. property owner address retaining wall compliance, council decided to embark on a Remedial Acton Order possibly at the owner’s expense. Not surprisingly the timeline drew as much discussion as the decision.
Next council learned that after a meeting with the mayor, developer Miller Time Inc. had felt encouraged to submit a development application to build a
manufactured home park on the industrially zoned land at McDougald Road, and did so. The planning department raised multiple policy, land use, environmental and infrastructure concerns and requested guidance on whether to process the application. Council asked for a financial viability analysis from the developer.
Next, council approved the installation of video surveillance cameras outside Beach Avenue public washrooms. Further discussion is expected regarding privacy rules and cameras at other sites.
Finally, before moving ‘In camera’ council agreed to apply for a $7-millionprovincial grant which if approved will assist with the financial viability of a new fire hall.
Phew!
Keith Fielding is a former Peachland mayor.
We may take for granted what’s growing in what season and why. Deer can eat bark off of trees in the dead of winter, to get by, but if they ate this bark in summer, they could, and most likely would die. Their gut flora is designed for seasonal eating. And we are too. In a world of imported food we have more digestive upset than ever before. Is the cost of imports making you want to eat locally? Here’s another reason why it should.
An ancient healing modality and philosophy that spans over many thousands of years, is known as Ayurveda.
Originating in India, it’s one of our planets eldest medicinal practices. The name “Ayurveda” is Sanskrit for “Science of Life”. Most who have heard of Ayurveda think that it’s about eating for
your body type. Although this is true for those who are coping with digestive upset or dis-ease, eating seasonally and from foods in your climate is what we all should be doing to maintain overall digestive health. This is also because of the microbiome in the soil that sync’s with our internal gut flora. According to Ayurveda, winter carries the elements of water and earth as well as at-
tribute’s of wet, cold, inert and heavy. Foods consumed in this season like cold dairy, starches, sugars and low fibre foods can bring a heavy, depressive stagnancy to the mind and body.
Early spring carries the same attributes until it warms up, and then we have summer with elements of fire and water as well as attributes of hot, light, sharp and oily.
This season leads to more digestive upset like heartburn and acid indigestion and “hot tempered” or aggressive mental states when we consume too many foods with the above mentioned attributes.
Okanagan summers can morph into fall in mid to late summer, if it’s extremely dry. This takes us into the elements of air and ether, for the season of
autumn and into early winter. These attributes are dry, cold, rough and subtle. Foods like cold raw vegetables, crackers and light foods like popcorn, chips etc., are going create more “wind” in our guts and aggravate the digestive process. This season is important as we are preparing for winter hibernation. When the earth becomes dry we should luxuriate in warm, smooth, root veggies and squashes to ground the light, dry and rough qualities of the season. In order to live harmoniously you could consider eating like the bears. In spring, consume the new sprouts and bioavailable bitter greens, asparagus, Solomon seal, arugula, rhubarb, mustard greens etc. This cleans up the heavy winter hibernating digestive sluggishness. Summer’s heat is cooled by juicy berries and low acid fruits like peaches, cherries, plums and pears. When we move into fall we need to build our constitution for winter with nuts, seeds and wild fish like the bears. We’re fortunate to live in four seasons because our gut floral and food variety changes seasonally. What nature provides locally is what our body needs now.
Dawn Boys is a IAYT Yoga therapist, Ayurvedic counsellor, personal trainer, student counsellor and outdoor enthusiast.
MUSEUM FROM PAGE 1
sive Kettle Valley Railway model train display on the second floor.
And the Louvre Museum is facing years of expensive renovations while the Peachland Museum has recently finished its own much more modest repairs and is once again open for business.
The museum owes this advantage to a $600,000 grant from a provincial heritage preservation grant, according to Barbara Dionne, president of the Peachland Historical Society which is mandated to run the society.
Dionne has been with the society since the 1980s and speaks with authority about the museum’s roots.
“The society was formed around the museum but it was also formed by people interested in making sure we didn’t lose Peachland’s history,” Dionne said.
Two years in the making, the renovations began with an extensive hazardous materials abatement program aimed at removing both asbestos and lead from the 115-year-old building.
Peachlanders were then treated to a sight common to the Louvre and indeed, almost all historic buildings in Europe; scaffolding erected to allow workers to install new exterior lighting and install exterior heating on the roof and eaves.
“We used to get long icicles forming from the roof and they were very dangerous,” Dionne said. “Those were really necessary repairs.”
The building also received reinforcement upgrades to the second floor, as well as electrical and HVAC improvements.
The Peachland Museums lacks the storage capacity of the Louvre, (which is over 650,000 sq. ft. in size) so during the renovations, the local museum’s
collection was primarily stored in a 48-foot sea can which sat for many months across Beach Avenue. “We stored the entire collection in there,” Dionne said.
The one thing the museum did not get out of the renovations was more display space, making continued use of the sea can an imperative.
“We’ve put some of it back but not all of it,” Dionne said.
That’s because the reopening also included a new service, or at least new to the historical society, as the official Visitor’s Info Centre for Peachland.
Mandated by the provincial government to be a certain size, the info centre also cut into some display space, although Dionne says the new service is vital to the museum’s future, despite having to meet provincial prerequisites for staff training and infrastructure.
“It’s a revenue-generator and we needed the revenue for our succession plan,” Dionne added, pointing to her curator Don Wil-
son. “We will have to hire somebody once Don decides to retire.”
Dionne said the addition of the visitor centre won’t have much impact on museum staff or operations. “We are quite used to accommodating visitors,” she added. “People used to come in here all the time and ask for directions and information so it wasn’t a huge step.”
The museum had a soft-launch reopening in February, followed by the official reopening in April, although Dionne said long-time visitors to the museum might not notice much difference.
Artifacts from long lost buildings and black and white photos of grim-faced pioneer families in front of long-destroyed farmhouses and buildings still dominate the space, which can fairly be described as bursting at the seams.
Also back in place is the model train diorama of the Kettle Valley Railway, which any Peachland kid whose been to the museum on a field will tell you, domi-
nates the entire second floor.
Despite the fact that Peachland never did enjoy passenger train service (the closest passenger train station was in Summerland) the diorama is one of the museum’s most popular exhibits, Dionne says.
One renovation item remains on the to-do list, that of a an exterior paint job, but Dionne says that’s unlikely to affect regular operations.
With the disruptions of the renovations now fading into memory, Dionne says the museum is simply looking to get back to the number of visitors it lured through its doors before the pandemic closed the show in 2020.
“We’re sitting at about 6,000 and that’s since February so we’re pretty happy,” she said.
If you’ve never been, the Peachland Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday at 5890 Beach Avenue. Admission is free but donations are welcome. ••
When you grew up playing at your grandparents’ White Rock concession stand, you acquired an appetite to own your own.
Ben McEvoy is living proof. When he learned that Peachland’s concession stand at Swim Bay was available, he could taste the possibilities, and he went through the rigorous process of qualifying and then winning the popular bid.
He now owns the only two lakeside eateries in Peachland!
He accepted the challenge of extending his time and talent from owning the multi-award winning Blind Angler for two years, by adding a different kind of food facility.
Beachside Bites has a new longterm lease, starting June 16, with some earlier soft-opening efforts.
There are some major advantages to his expansion. For exam-
ple, he knows the best suppliers, and he knows how to deliver high quality food. Equally important he knows from his youth the foods that draw customers at popular waterfront concession stands.
Ben is applying all his experience and the happy times of his youth plus many years in the food business, including with high-end restaurants like Earl’s and Cactus Club.
FortisBC is planning to launch a call for power later this year as the next step to its Request for Expressions of Interest issued in 2024.
In 2024, FortisBC issued a request for new power to identify projects from lower carbon and renewable1 sources in British Columbia that could add up to 1,100 gigawatt hours of energy supply for its approximately 190,000 electricity customers by 2030. FortisBC received more than 80 submissions representing about 20,000 GWh of electricity.
The call will focus on wind projects that can directly connect to its electricity system in the Southern Interior and provide energy in winter months when customer demand for power is highest.
The provincial government recently passed new legislation establishes the BC Energy Regulator that as the entity for permitting renewable energy projects in accordance with strict environmental standards.
It has been upgrading and building new substations in Kelowna and other areas.
The British Columbia Utilities Commission recently approved FortisBC’s plan to invest $133 million by 2027 in new power infrastructure projects, including upgrading the Saucier, Glenmore, Duck Lake and DG Bell substations in Kelowna and upgrading the two main transmission lines serving customers in South Okanagan. poSt Staff
He has covered all positions from chef to host and owner and now is ready to offer a very special beach concession. There will be music, to add to the fun and the approachability of Beachside Bites.
The menu is extensive, with all his remembered favourites – three types of burgers, hot dogs, chicken strips, fish bites, fries onion rings, nacho chips, poutine, Tater Tots, trail mix, variety of drinks, packaged ice cream. And every item has been selected to meet his rigorous quality and taste standards, and all at reasonable prices.
Ben is very excited by this opportunity, and he comes by his passion honestly – his whole family, for generations, have been restaurateurs.
He seeks to serve the community and he welcomes suggestions for improvement. He will use some
Blind Angler staff, augmented with students, who in turn will be training to advance later to become experienced Blind Angler staff with a penchant for service excellence. Ben is active in the community. The concession being across the street from Cousins Park, expect support for baseball teams.
Ben may be reached at Beachside Bites by phone (250) 767-9264 and at benmcevoy22@gmail.com
KLIP’S TIP:
“Success is more permanent when you achieve it without destroying your principles” Walter Cronkite
Bruce Klippenstein, CPA, CA is the Okanagan Town Crier and lives in Peachland. Contact klipper1@ shaw.ca. News Items welcome.
Registration may be required for the following activities or events. Please contact the phone number or website provided for more details.
SATURDAY
PEACHLAND MUSEUM & VISITOR CENTRE
250-767-3441
Open Daily10-6 PM
Train exhibit is operating PEACHLAND LIBRARY
250-767-9111
Learn Digital Drawing with a computer 1-3 PM
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
250-767-2133
Front Desk Closed
Fiesta of Flavors – Mexican Cooking Class 11-1 PM
Recycle Depot 10-2 PM OUR SPACE
250-212-0211
Sat. July 12
Storytelling contest cash prize registration 5:30 PM Yellow schoolhouse
OKANAGAN FOLK SCHOOL okfolkschool.ca
PEACHLAND ART GALLERY
250-767-7422
12th annual OASIS
38 Okanagan artists
50 PLUS CENTRE
250-767-9133
Perrias Rental
PEACHLAND LEGION
250-767-9404
Meat Draw & 50-50 Draw 3-5 PM
Everyone Welcome
SUNDAY
PEACHLAND ART GALLERY
250-767-7422
12th annual OASIS art show
38 Okanagan artists
OKANAGAN FOLK SCHOOL okfolkschool.ca
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Front Desk Closed
Learn to Swim & Swim On (Adult) 10-11 AM
Home Alone 9-12 PM
Events listings are free to non-profit and community groups. Submit by Friday, 3 p.m. for publication the following Friday at info@peachlandpost.org
Babysitter Training 9-12 PM
Regarding swim lessons
Call 250-767-2133 ext. 1
MONDAY
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Indoor Walking 8-9 AM
Pickleball All Play Drop In
12:30-2:30 PM
Spin, Core & Stretch 6:30-7:30 PM
Swimming Lessons
Monday to Friday at Swim Bay
Preschool 1-5 yrs, 12-12:30 PM
Swimmer 1 11:30-12 PM
Swimmer 2/3 11-11:30 AM
Swimmer 4 10:30-11 AM
Swimmer 5 10-10:30 AM
Rookie Patrol 10-11 AM
Visit peachland.ca/swim-bay
Or call 250-767-2133 ext. 1
Regarding Swim Lessons
50 PLUS CENTRE
250-767-9133
50 plus fitness 9-10 AM
We Art Here (on hold)
Bridge 1-3:30 PM
TUESDAY
PEACHLAND LIBRARY
250-767-9111
Learn all about Bats 10 AM
And make a Crafty Bat
Registration required
PEACHLAND WELLNESS CENTRE
Bereavement group 1:30-3PM
United Church
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Flow Yoga 9-10 AM
Remedy Yoga (Level 2)
10:30-11:45 AM
Movement & Dance 9-9:45 AM
Intro to Ballet 10-10:45 AM
Beginner Ballet 11-11:55 AM
Pickleball All Play Drop In 11-1 PM
50 PLUS CENTRE
Yoga 8:30-9:30 AM
Fellowship (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 LEGION
Euchre 2 PM
Drop in Darts 7 PM
WEDNESDAY
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Swim Lessons
call 250-767-2133 ext. 1
Indoor Walking 8-9 AM
Pickleball All Play 12:30-2:30 PM
PEACHLAND ART GALLERY
250-767-7422
12th annual OASIS art show
38 Okanagan artists
50 PLUS CENTRE
50+ fitness 9-10 AM
Chair Yoga 10:30-11:30 AM
Bridge 1:00-3:30 PM
THURSDAY
50 PLUS CENTRE
Yoga 8:30-9:30 AM
Art in Peachland 9:30-2:30 PM
Iron & Silk 11 AM
Ukulele 1-2:30 PM
No Bingo
PEACHLAND ART GALLERY
250-767-7422
12th annual OASIS art show
38 Okanagan artists
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Swim Lessons call 250-767-2133 ext. 1
Movement & Dance 9-9:45 AM
Intro to Ballet 10-10:45 AM
Jazz 11-11:55 AM
Pickleball All Play 11 AM-1 PM
Pickleball 3.5+ 1:30-3:30 PM
PEACHLAND LEGION
Meat draw & 50-50 3-5 PM
Everyone Welcome
PEACHLAND WELLNESS CENTRE
Adult day service 9 AM
FRIDAY
PEACHLAND ART GALLERY
250-767-7422
12th annual OASIS art show
38 Okanagan artists
PEACHLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Swim Lessons call 250-767-2133 ext. 1
Indoor Walking 8-9 AM
Flow Yoga 9-10 AM
Creative Playtime 9:30-12:30 PM
Remedy Yoga (Level 1)
10:30-11:45 AM
Pickleball All Play 12:30-2:30 PM
50 PLUS CENTRE
50+ Fitness 9-10 AM
Chair yoga 10:30-11:30 AM
Canasta 1-4 PM
Knitting 1-3 PM
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.