The Daily Courier
Kelowna voters favour former MPs for mayor - poll
Tracy Gray, a former Kelowna city councillor and Conservative MP, says she’s being encouraged to run for the leadership of the BC Conservative party. And a poll suggests she’d have a good shot at becoming Kelowna mayor if she decides to run in this...
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More like Bluebird Monday
Blue Monday was definitely not a downer day up high in the Okanagan. The third Monday in January has that unhappy moniker thanks to pretty reliable bad weather, a financial hangover from Christmas spending, and failed New Year’s resolutions. Some say...
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Putin partly to blame for Kelowna’s pricey pedestrian bridge
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was an “external factor” in the construction of a pricey pedestrian overpass in Kelowna, city officials will hear Monday.. Other events that influenced the Bertram Street project, which cost far more than originally...
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Floods, landslides ‘high risk’ in wake of Peachland wildfire
Visits to a popular waterfall in the Central Okanagan should be discouraged during heavy rain, according to a report on the aftermath of a wildfire. And some elements of the town of Peachland’s water treatment plant are at “high risk” as a result of...
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Kelowna high-rises eyed again for short-term rentals
Hundreds of Kelowna homes could be made available to tourists again this summer if the city convinces the NDP government to modify its rules on short-term rentals. Suites in high-rise towers such as Ella, Aqua, Brooklyn, and Ellis Parc will be needed...
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World Juniors’ MVP set to join Kelowna Rockets
Team Czechia? Team WHL. Eleven players on the silver medal winning team at the World Juniors hockey championship play on Western Hockey League teams. And the best of the best at the tournament, MVP Vojtech Cihar, was recently acquired by the Kelowna...
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Newsmaker of the Year
Being named ‘Newsmaker of the Year’ by The Kelowna Courier is old news for Stephen Fuhr. The Kelowna Liberal MP first claimed the title in 2015 and he has again received the designation for 2025. Then, as now, he defeated a popular Conservative...
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The killing of Bailey McCourt
A proposed law named for a Kelowna woman allegedly killed by her estranged husband received unanimous preliminary approval in the House of Commons this month. Bailey McCourt was beaten to death with a hammer on a city street on July 4 hours after...
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RAMA claiming ‘exploitation’
Kelowna’s designation as a ‘City of Gastronomy’ by the United Nations rests on exploited farm workers, a lobby group says. Many of the thousands of seasonal labourers from Mexico and other Caribbean countries who come to the Okanagan each year are...
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Summer shutdown of KGH kids’ unit shocks Kelowna
The sudden shutdown of the paediatric unit at Kelowna General Hospital this summer was unprecedented and dramatically underscored the many problems plaguing health care in B.C. It also accelerated the departure of Interior Health’s top bureaucrat and...
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Ice cream truck shuts down bridge for 11 hours
The wonder, if we can dare to say this, is that it doesn’t happen more often. For the first time since it opened in 2008, the only bridge across Okanagan Lake was shut for almost an entire workday because someone threatened to blow it up. The 11-hour...
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Feucht denied permission to perform in West Kelowna
He came. He saw. He gave a concert. A stop in Kelowna by a popular singer on a cross-country tour would normally be a pleasant though hardly remarkable event. But Sean Feucht isn’t just a singer. He’s also a preacher, a fervent supporter of U.S....
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When does winter begin?
Snow, a smidge of it anyway, will arrive in Kelowna just in time for Christmas. That’s according to the longrange forecast from The Weather Network, which says the next two weeks will be mild with most daily highs well above freezing. Only for the...
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Second Bennett took power 50 years ago this week
The past came roaring back to life 50 years ago tomorrow. Kelowna politician Bill Bennett led the Social Credit party to a resounding victory, defeating an NDP government that had been elected just three years earlier. “The enthusiasm and the optimism...
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Gavin Dew mulling leadership bid
What will Gavin do? That’s what BC Conservatives are wondering, whether the BC Conservative MLA for Kelowna Mission, will run for the suddenly-vacant leadership of the party. For now, he’s not saying yes. But he’s not saying no, either. “My phone...
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Fancy footwork in Kelowna’s city financing
Part of the cost for proposed 2026 improvements in Kelowna policing and transit will be shunted farther into the future to mitigate next year’s tax hike. Reserve funds and a city account associated with the years-ago sale of the municipal electrical...
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Waterfront Park eyed for new $260M performing arts centre
Waterfront Park has been identified by Kelowna city staff as the preferred site for a possible 1,600-seat performing arts centre, estimated to cost $260 million in 2030 dollars. The location is adjacent to the main walkway into the park off Water...
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Fighting over a $13.5M church
A legal squabble over control of a Kelowna church that sold for $13.5 million has been resolved in favour of the existing directors. Two different groups had asserted they were the leaders of the Apostolic Resource Centre Society, which oversaw the...
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Fear of crime rises with rate of crime in decline
Crime is increasingly touching the life of Kelowna residents despite a downward trend in some criminal offences, city councillors will hear Monday. Only 50 per cent of the respondents to a recent poll said crime never or rarely affected them, down...
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Absence of WWII vets felt
The passing of one of Kelowna’s last living links to the Second World War was remarked upon Tuesday at the annual Remembrance Day service in City Park. Dick Fletcher, the local Legion’s longtime padre, died earlier this year at age 99. He had enlisted...
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Mom can’t wait much longer
B.C.’s transplant system has forgotten about the people it’s supposed to serve, a Kelowna MLA says. Kelowna Centre Conservative Kristina Loewen made that case in a news release Wednesday, telling the story of Lyndsay Richholt, a Kelowna mother, who...
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We almost had it
Blue Jays fans were left in stunned silence Saturday as Toronto’s early lead in the clinching World Series game slipped away and the Los Angeles Dodgers won 5-4 in extra innings. Rogers Centre had been raucous for most of Game 7 after Bo Bichette’s...
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Children rejoice over new Mill Creek park
A new park opened in Kelowna this week. Burne Avenue Neighbourhood Park, between Richter and Ethel streets, will one day be part of linear park along Mill Creek, if city plans are realized. “In addition, Burne Park offers improved frontage with...
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Ward system rejected by councillors
Kelowna voters will cast ballots next year the same way they have for more than 50 years. A proposal from Coun. Ron Cannan to have municipal staff examine the possibility of switching from at-large voting to a ward system found little support among...
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Fire department pumped up to attract high-rises
Taxpayers in West Kelowna will fund an expansion of the fire department so the municipality can woo high-rise builders. Council agreed this week to provisionally budget $1.6 million in 2027, boosting taxes by three per cent, to add 10 more...
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Hockey player in more trouble
A former BCHL player and junior hockey coach is awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of having sex with a 14-yearold girl he met online in 2021. Liam Noble, now 24 and living in Kelowna, was convicted of sexual interference on Nov. 1, 2024,...
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City spends $27.8M on failed hotel site
The City of Kelowna has spent $27.8 million to buy a failed development site, an office building, and a pier in the downtown core. It’s the largest property acquisition in the city’s history. Municipal officials hope they can now flip the properties...
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Petition aims to keep mass killer behind bars
An online petition has been started to try to ensure a murderer and pedophile who killed six people from West Kelowna remains in prison. David Ennis has a parole hearing next August but already more than 5,000 people have signed the petition, started...
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Fancy dog park what residents expect, mayor says
Kelowna’s new off-leash dog park includes features not typically found in such facilities, municipal officials say. Lights for nighttime use, obstacles specially designed to enhance dog play, and accessible parking are amenities at the new dog park in...
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$1 million bark park will open Thursday
Kelowna’s $1 million-plus off-leash dog park officially opens tomorrow but Jeff De Jesus and his dog Ollie are already repeat visitors. “This is the second time I’ve been here and I think it’s great,” De Jesus said Monday of the new facility, built in...
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‘It’s all about Kelowna’, retiring radio talk show host says
Today, we flip the mic on Phil Johnson. The popular host of the AM 1150 radio morning show in Kelowna signed off his 55-year full-time career in broadcasting on Friday. Johnson, 77, has interviewed thousands of people over the decades. But to mark...
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Costs for super-sizing Kelowna’s football stadium still unknown
It isn’t yet known how much it will cost to expand Kelowna’s Apple Bowl so it can host two BC Lions’ regular season football games next season. Nor is the City of Kelowna yet disclosing what, if any, municipal contribution will be made to stage the...
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Kelowna has Canada’s top country station
The entire country was tuned into Kelowna when New Country 100.7 FM was named Radio Station of the Year. The Canadian Country Music Association brought Country Music Week to Kelowna last weekend. It was the smallest city to ever host the...
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Tram-train pitch derails during transit talk
A Kelowna city councillor’s ongoing advocacy for mass transit in the Valley got a bumpy ride this week from his counterparts on the other side of Okanagan Lake. Several West Kelowna councillors asked Gord Lovegrove why they should back his idea for a...
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Extra borrowing strategy backed by City council
Kelowna city councillors are almost fully on board with the municipality borrowing $60 million more than originally planned. Eight of the nine councillors described the borrowing strategy as fiscally sound given what they heard was the overall...
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Even Ogopogo fixin’ to go country
Cowboys may usually be a relatively rare sight in Kelowna but stetson-wearing brigades will be everywhere next week. In addition to the many real-life ones that’ll descend on the city for the annual Canadian Country Music Awards, some unique...
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Trees and shrubs for Rail Trail
Not all sections of the Okanagan Rail Trail are as beautiful as the part that winds along the aquamarine waters of Kalamalka Lake. Or through the vineyards of Lake Country. Or along the base of Dilworth Mountain in Kelowna But beautification efforts,...
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Night-vision goggles helped stop Peachland fire
Helicopter pilots equipped with night-vision goggles helped stop a wildfire from reaching dozens of Okanagan homes this week. They were able to bucket water for several hours overnight precisely onto a blaze sparked by a burning motorhome that had...
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How Feucht turned a permit denial into a Holy rebellion
Editor’s Note: The following column is an opinion piece. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or values of this newspaper. Sean Feucht is punk for Christians. Their message is the same: the evil empire...
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MAGA man eyes Joe Rich
American singer and MAGA idol Sean Feucht will today hold a rock concert and religious revival meeting in the Joe Rich area east of Kelowna. The rural venue in the unincorporated area was chosen Friday after the City of West Kelowna on Wednesday...
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Witnessing war-torn Ukraine
On the 34th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, Kelowna will host an unusual museum — one with haunting streets and stories you can step inside. You can stand in the safety of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church parish hall at 1933 Barlee Road on...
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Action needed on Highway 97
An Okanagan Conservative MP says the federal government has a moral responsibility to share the cost of stabilization work on Highway 97, which would allow the provincial government to allocate money to improvements on a forest service road used by the...
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Rental compromised ‘peace, comfort and enjoyment’
A homeowner who says complaints against him are part of a neighbour’s harassment campaign failed to convince city council to let him start renting out his luxury house again. Peter Drummond had used his home at 381 Viewcrest Court in the Upper Mission...
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KELOWNADAILYCOURIER.CA SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2025 $3.33+GST Quick action saves homes from fast-moving wildfire
Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes in Peachland after a fast-moving wildfire erupted on the hottest day of the year. Residents of about 400 properties were ordered Wednesday afternoon to leave their homes as the fire moved quickly...
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Put ice cubes to work today, Interior Health advises public
People without air conditioning don’t have to swelter without relief in the Okanagan’s current heatwave, Interior Health says. Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-30s today across the Valley, which has prompted a Heat Warning from Environment...
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Hockey players NOT guilty
LONDON, Ont.— An Ontario judge acquitted five former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team on Thursday in their sexual assault case, saying the complainant’s allegations lacked the credibility needed to justify the charges. Superior Court...
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City of West Kelowna dreaming again of a proper downtown
The rebuilding of Main Street in West Kelowna, a key but somewhat forlorn road flanked by older buildings and a dismal pedestrian environment, is a priority of the city’s new transportation plan. The upgrade includes the rebuilding of four kilometre...
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Parking lot packed for all-Canadian lineup
Kids were more numerous than ever before at the annual Rock the Lake music festival in downtown Kelowna, organizers say. The eighth version of the popular event drew more than 8,500 fans to the outdoor venue at Prospera Place. “This year’s...
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Memorial for crane workers
Each of the five men killed in a crane collapse four years ago has a space in a memorial garden that opened Saturday. Some 400 people, including many family and union members, turned out for the opening of the Rise Memorial Garden at Knowles Heritage...
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Kelowna mother’s murder exposes justice failures
The man accused of murdering his estranged wife Bailey McCourt in a Kelowna parking lot last week had been convicted of choking someone and uttering threats just hours before the attack that also left a second woman seriously hurt. The BC Prosecution...
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THE RETURN OF RIBFEST
Riley McLean works his magic on some ribs at Boss Hog’s Sunday afternoon at RibFest at Kelowna’s City Park. Boss Hog’s saw a spike in people lined up to buy their ribs after they were named first overall, after winning the People’s Choice and coming...
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Students sculpt the seasons
Passersby strolling down Beach Avenue in Peachland this summer will be able to take in the Four Seasons of Peachland, a new multimedia sculpture created by Mount Boucherie Secondary School art students. The idea to get students involved in creating...
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Multiculturism rocks
From a K-Pop dance team to Scottish Highland dancing, West Kelowna’s Memorial Park was alive with music, colour and tantalizing aromas Saturday as part of the Fourth Annual Westside Multiculturalism Day, presented by the Westbank Museum. More than...
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‘Aquatic will ‘rise from the ashes’ 56 years later’
A purpose-built swimming venue is planned for the northwest corner of City Park in Kelowna. The structure, many details of which are yet to be devised, is designed to mimic the old Aquatic centre, which burned down in 1969. “It will rise from the...
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Rebuild ‘scares’ away contractors
The rebuilding of a long section of Kelowna’s downtown waterfront is a daunting project for construction companies, city councillors heard this week. Only two bids were received for the project, which involves the lakeshore to the north and south of...
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The cost and hassle of getting skunked by airline
Another B.C. couple says they were listed as no-shows by an airline after being denied the ability to board their flight, in a trend that an airline passenger rights advocate calls “very troubling.” Vernon retirees Les and Sharon Noble reached out...
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Armstrong bails on Conservatives
The interim leader of B.C.’s newest political party says it will raise issues other parties won’t dare to touch. Dallas Brodie said these included the effects of the “reconciliation industry,” electoral reform, and ending mass immigration, and she...
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City rezones farmland for new Sikh temple
A new house of worship has been approved for an agricultural property over the objection of some Kelowna city councillors. Council voted 6-2 this week to rezone farmland at 2809 Benvoulin Rd. to support plans by the Gurdwara Guru Amardas Darbar Sikh...
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New doors opening for latest batch of grads at OK College
A series of convocation and commencement ceremonies concludes today in Penticton where Okanagan College students will celebrate their graduation. Approximately 650 grads will have been turned out into the workforce from OC campuses in Kelowna, Vernon,...
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City urged to scrap food pickup
A curbside pick-up program for food waste should not be launched in Kelowna, city officials will tell councillors on Monday. There are currently too many uncertainties about how such a collection scheme would work, how much it would cost, and whether...
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Pub pays hefty price for serving undercover minor
The owner of a Rutland pub where an undercover 18-year-old liquor inspector was sold a can of beer has been fined $7,000. David Low acknowledged a waitress at the Post Haus had improperly served the alcohol but he noted the establishment had no...
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Pricey overpass opens Friday
Citizens are invited to take a walk on a $12.1-million pedestrian overpass above Harvey Avenue when it opens next Friday. The structure connects the Central Green neighbourhood with downtown Kelowna at Bertram Street. A grand opening ceremony is set...
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Councillors bemoan loss of $23K regional gig
Two Kelowna city councillors argued without success Monday that they deserved to serve on the regional district board. Gord Lovegrove said he should get a spot because he won a lot of votes in the 2022 civic election. Mohini Singh said her appointment...
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LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
After more than three years, the Adra Tunnel is finally open to cyclists and walkers. It’s located between the former Kettle Valley Railway’s second and third track. It’s 16 km from Chute Lake and roughly 12 km to the Little Tunnel in Naramata, 8 km...
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Time for a new sheriff in Kelowna?
The City of Kelowna will review whether it makes sense to switch from the RCMP to a municipal police force. A consultant is being sought to compare the two options in terms of their cost, value for service, decision-making structures, and...
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15 years for UBCO killing ‘not a fair sentence,’ cousin says
A university janitor with a history of psychosis assured mental health workers he wasn’t having murderous thoughts the day before he savagely beat and killed a campus security guard. Dante Ognibene-Hebbourn’s parents had spoken to Interior Health and...
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“Being in The Beatles was a short, incredible period of my life. I had 22 years leading up to it, and it was all over eight years later.” --Ringo Starr
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Kelowna’s city hall site marks 80th anniversary
Kelowna’s city hall site turns 80 today. On May 10, 1945, Kelowna voters overwhelmingly endorsed a municipal plan to buy a sawmill site bounded by Ellis Street and Water Street, and Doyle Avenue and Mill Street. “Nine out of every ten Kelowna...
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Tariff threat could be a boon to Okanagan’s filmmaking
A threat by U.S. President Donald Trump to impose a 100 per cent tariff on movies made outside America might provide a boost for Okanagan productions, the valley’s film commissioner says. Jon Summerland says the threat, if enacted, could lead to an...
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No ‘X’ factor this time for Kelowna’s two MPs
It’s 2015 all over again as Kelowna’s political landscape is cut in half with a Liberal representing the north side of the city while a Conservative holds sway in the south. Stephen Fuhr and Dan Albas meet again. Their relationship a decade ago started...
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Fuhr versus Gray going to overtime
The outcome of the federal race in Kelowna hung in the balance Tuesday with an estimated 5,000 votes still to be counted. Liberal candidate Stephen Fuhr was ahead of Conservative incumbent Tracy Gray by 170 votes based on the results from 202 of the...
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Waving goodbye to artist who sculpted ‘Spirit of Sail’
An artist whose most celebrated work, ‘Spirit of Sail’, became synonymous with the City of Kelowna, died Wednesday. Robert Dow Reid was 91. Dow Reid’s iconic sculpture, its billowing forms taken to suggest the interplay of wind, water, and canvas, was...
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Fuhr-Gray square off at forum
A federal housing-related grant of $31.5 million to the City of Kelowna was both praised as a wise investment and denounced as a waste of money at an election forum. Liberal candidate Stephen Fuhr said the funds are helping the city to streamline its...
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Gentrification of Kelowna is at full steam
Four more highrises, of between 28 and 36 storeys in height, are planned for downtown Kelowna. A development permit for the multi-tower project has been filed with the City of Kelowna by developer Ledingham-McCallister for a 3.5 acre site at 1070...
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