Hillary Clinton is surrounded by suggestions of controversy. Terms like "Clinton Foundation," "email server," and "Benghazi" hover around her like a faint smoke that hints at the existence of fire.
But finding the fire -- the lie, the misdeed, the unethical act -- is proving to be rather difficult, as evidenced this week by an inaccurate tweet and arguably misleading story from the Associated Press that were quickly rebutted by the Clinton campaign and dismissed by many media outlets.
Three days later, the Associated Press is still standing by its story and has yet to correct its tweet, despite near unanimous agreement among other journalists that the tweet, at least, was false.
"The AP's social-media take on the story was seriously flawed," David Boardman, the Dean of the School of Media and Communication at Temple University and former editor of the Seattle Times, told CNNMoney. "It's sloppy, click-grabbing shorthand that is a disservice to the reporting to which it refers."
On Tuesday, the AP sent out a breaking news alert: "BREAKING: AP analysis: More than half those who met Clinton as Cabinet secretary gave money to Clinton Foundation."
Not true: As the article stated, what the AP found was that "more than half the people outside the government" who met with Clinton while she was secretary of state "gave money — either personally or through companies or groups — to the Clinton Foundation."
This "extraordinary" finding, as the AP put it, was deemed less extraordinary by other journalists and pundits who noted that Clinton had held thousands of meetings with government employees, foreign representatives, civil leaders, journalists and others while Secretary of State that were not accounted for in the AP's report.
Moreover, the AP only analyzed 154 meetings, based on what has been made available by the State Department, and thus its review only accounts for a fraction of Clinton's meeting schedule during her tenure as secretary of state. (The AP's defenders correctly note that the wire service was only able to examine a limited dataset because of the State Department's intransigence regarding the release of further records, which the AP has been fighting hard to secure.)
Nevertheless, the AP's tweet allowed Donald Trump to stand on stage at a campaign rally and declare that "fifty percent of people who saw [Clinton] had to make a contribution to the Clinton Foundation."
Clinton campaign spokesperson Brian Fallon accused the AP of cherrypicking "a limited subset" of data to give "a distorted portrayal of how often she crossed paths with individuals connected to charitable donations to the Clinton Foundation." On Twitter, he hit the AP for failing to correct its breaking news alert, which he called "100 percent factually inaccurate."
In a statement, AP spokesperson Paul Colford said his organization had been "transparent in how it has reported this story," and that it would continue to examine Clinton's schedules as they became available.
"The Associated Press' reporting relied on publicly available data provided by the State Department about Hillary Clinton's meetings, phone calls and emails, cross-referenced against donor information provided by the Clinton Foundation and its related charities on its websites," Colford wrote.
Meanwhile, other news organizations pilloried the AP's report.
The Washington Post Fact-Checker wrote that there were "many more nuanced and important details in the story that are being misrepresented — by the AP's own promotional tweet, and by Trump."
Vox's Matthew Yglesias was more direct: "The AP's big exposé on Hillary meeting with Clinton Foundation donors is a mess," his headline read.
Boardman argued that the story itself "was not nearly so flawed as Yglesias and others have charged."
"The AP reporters made clear they found no smoking-gun quid pro quo. And Clinton defenders' claim that 'there is no story' is absurd; of course it is worth investigating and explaining the relationship between Secretary Clinton and the Foundation, and how that relationship worked while she was at State," he said.
"If anything," Boardman continued, "the AP story could have used far more exploration of the inherent ethical issues here, and of the notion that whether or not Clinton gave extraordinary help to Foundation donors, the potential for accusations of that was probably reason enough to avoid such meetings altogether."

Associated Press botches Hillary Clinton report and response


The Associated Press is standing by an investigation into Hillary Clinton despite widespread criticism and has yet to correct a tweet about its story despite near unanimous agreement among other journalists that the tweet, at least, was false.


What do you give the Pope if you're a tech CEO?
Mark Zuckerberg handed over a Facebook drone when he, and his wife Priscilla Chan, met Pope Francis on Monday.
"It was a meeting we'll never forget," Zuckerberg said. "You can feel [the Pope's] warmth and kindness, and how deeply he cares about helping people.
Zuckerberg updated his personal page on Facebook (FB, Tech30) with a photo of himself giving the Pope a model of Aquila, a solar-powered aircraft that Facebook hopes will expand Internet access in developing countries.
"Together they spoke about how to use communications technology to alleviate poverty, encourage a culture of encounter, and to communicate a message of hope, especially to the most disadvantaged," the Vatican Press Office said in a statement.
Zuckerberg announced his trip to Italy last week after the country was struck by a devastating earthquake. He has scheduled a live question and answer session for later on Monday, and said he was "looking forward to spending time with our Italian community."
The tech CEO has said Rome is a special city to him. He honeymooned there with Chan, and says he is a student of Latin and Classical history.
Zuckerberg also posted a photo of himself running by the Colosseum.
"It's great to be back in Rome! We started the day with a run past the Circus Maximus and House of Augustus up to the Colosseum. It's pretty amazing to run on roads in the city that helped invent them," he said.
Over the weekend, Zuckerberg posted an update and photo from the wedding of Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek, which was held near Lake Como in northern Italy.
Related: In case of emergency, open Facebook
Usually the act of a politician, visiting a country after a disaster would fit with Zuckerberg's recent push to paint himself as a sort of Silicon Valley statesman. He has been carefully crafting his image through Facebook posts, Q&As and public trips to places like China.
The social network has also taken on an unexpected role in international disasters. After events like earthquakes, hurricanes, or bombings, people let friends and family know they're OK with Facebook's Safety Check feature.
-- Livia Borghese and Heather Kelly contributed reporting.

Mark Zuckerberg gives Pope Francis a Facebook drone


Mark Zuckerberg has added a very special event to his tour of Italy: a meeting with the Pope.


Hastings—Lennox and Addington MP Mike Bossio hosted an electoral reform town hall last week to inform community members about alternatives to Canada’s first past the post (FPTP) voting system.
The Government of Ontario is prioritizing mental health for emergency service workers.
Three local businesses are coming together for a great cause to honour a famous Canadian band.
Bancroft town council has decided to take over the collection and management of its recycling program. It is currently handled by an outside contractor. It made the decision at a closed meeting; last week Greenview Environmental presented the cost figures involved.
The future of the Wollaston and Limerick Union Public Library located in Coe Hill is up in the air after the Limerick municipal council decided to withdraw from its agreement with Wollaston, effective the end of this year.
“For the last few years I’ve always dreamed, and I know the community has dreamed, about having a splash pad at Riverside Park,” Bancroft Councillor Tracy McGibbon said, sitting down to talk about a possible water haven for community members.
Dozens of people turned out last week to share tales of abuse of power – the power supplied by Ontario’s Hydro One. One after another, residents came forward to chronicle their ever-rising hydro bills, which in many cases now exceed housing costs. Speaker after speaker identified how often they were forced to make choices between essentials, skimping on food in order to pay for their electricity.
An Earth Sciences professor with property on Jeffrey Lake is looking out for the Freymond quarry proposal. She wants to see it properly peer reviewed, and to make sure that locals understand the scientific language being used in the studies to come.
Hastings County and Lennox and Addington County will receive close to $2.5 million for infrastructure development.
Bancroft has known for a couple of years that it has a serious problem dealing with its sewer water. The amount it is paying to the Ontario Clear Water Agency (OCWA) to treat its wastewater every year is about half a million dollars — more than it is collecting in fees from those on the sewer system. This is driving the township deeper and deeper into debt. By next year, the debt is expected to soar well over the $2 million mark. It’s a cost level that threatens to erode the town’s future ability to pay its bills.


TORONTO – Few Canadian television events qualify as a momentous occasion for the nation, but Saturday's Tragically Hip concert promises to be special.
It seems like much of the country will be tuned into CBC's live broadcast of "The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration" from Kingston, Ont., when factoring in home screenings and community viewing parties.
Yet how many people will watch is anybody's guess at this point.
"This is an unprecedented event for us," said Jennifer Dettman, CBC's executive director of unscripted content.
The sentiment is true on many levels, she adds.
The last stop on the Hip's "Man Machine Poem" tour is widely expected to be their final performance, as lead singer Gord Downie is facing terminal brain cancer. After tickets to the tour sold out within minutes, fans launched a campaign urging the CBC to carry the band's Kingston show as a live TV event.
Dettman wouldn't speak to the contract negotiations that led to the Hip agreeing to the broadcast.
"CBC made both a competitive and financially responsible offer to acquire the broadcast rights, and we're thrilled to be able to offer this national celebration to as many Canadians as possible," she said.
The concert won't just be on the main CBC network, it will also be broadcast through various other platforms such as CBC Radio One, the CBC website and its YouTube and Facebook channels.
With so many viewing options, that will make it tough to capture how many eyes and ears are focused on the Hip this Saturday.
That's where ratings agency Numeris comes in. The Toronto-based company tracks viewership figures by using meters and viewing diaries prepared by a panel of Canadians representative of the population.
Their data shows that most huge audience draws are typically live programming, led by major sporting events.
The Super Bowl is the biggest TV event nearly every year â€” drawing about six million to eight million viewers in recent years â€” while a handful of other annual celebrations like the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and Grammys are perennial favourites too.
The gold medal game of the men's hockey tournament at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics is considered to be the most-watched broadcast ever in Canada. It drew 16.6 million viewers, according to data from Numeris, about double the number of people who tune into most Super Bowls.
Those kinds of numbers will be hard to beat, even for a rock band with as much Canadian clout as the Hip.
Numeris spokesman Tom Jenks wouldn't guess how many viewers will tune into the CBC broadcast, but acknowledges it'll probably be a pretty big number.
The agency said it will be counting every public screening â€” from restaurants to movie theatres to community viewing parties â€” and each person streaming the concert on their phone. Viewers who playback the show on their DVRs within seven days will also be included in the final numbers.
"Our system captures all viewing," Jenks said.
Potentially driving those numbers higher is the decision make the Hip's concert a one-time broadcast, with no encore presentation and no availability on on-demand platforms.
"Our goal was to bring the experience of this live concert to Canadians in that moment," Dettman said.
"I'm sure the band will figure out what they will want to do with the concert afterwards."
She said the goal is to give all Canadians the same "crescendo" feeling that will ripple through the arena in Kingston.
"Our goal is to bring the experience ... to as many Canadians as we can," she said.
"The idea that we're all together experiencing this moment at the same time is really special."
Follow @dfriend on Twitter.
David Friend, The Canadian Press

Televised Tragically Hip show an 'unprecedented event:' CBC


Whether it's home screenings or community viewing parties, much of Canada will be tuning in for iconic rock band's final bow


To the editor:
It would be very helpful for proponents of a second crossing to explain precisely why they think this mega-project is a good idea.
The project is being sold to us by the provincial government and Kelowna city council as a solution to traffic congestion, when all evidence from all studies indicate very clearly that this is not a solution.
Why are they lying to us?
At a recent public consultation the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (Central Okanagan Planning Study) distributed a feedback form ostensibly welcoming our comments “regarding future traffic congestion in the Central Okanagan.” The feedback form was titled: ‘The Okanagan Lake Second Crossing Project.'
When I asked the attendees why they were in favour of a second crossing, I was told that they were simply asking for feedback about traffic congestion, and were not for or against the second crossing.
I drew their attention to the title of the public consultation. They had no comment.
In a recent article in the Kelowna Capital News it seems we are now at a point where the only question being considered is the location of the second crossing.
We have yet to hear any evidence-based arguments on the effectiveness of a second crossing. This is because there aren’t any. And this is also why the ministry resorts to public consultations rather than consulting experts. No expert in traffic engineering would recommend expanding highways and building more roads and bridges to ease traffic congestion because it doesn’t work. This is not a secret.
It is, however, what Mark Jaccard, a professor of sustainable energy in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University, would call cynical ineffective policy. In other words lies.
The only people who will benefit from a second crossing are the people who will be paid to build and maintain it. The rest of us will pay enormous amounts of tax money for an environmentally regressive project that will require massive maintenance for decades to come and will only increase traffic congestion.
The more room we provide for cars, the more cars will come. If we invested the money a bridge would cost in alternative forms of transportation we could bring more people to the Okanagan without destroying what they come here to enjoy.
The question remains: Why is the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure lying to us?
Neil Cadger, Kelowna

Letter: Second Okanagan Lake crossing a foregone conclusion


It seems we are now at a point where the only question being considered is the location of the second crossing.


City of Kelowna
The Agricultural Land Commission cleared the way for an expansion to Kelowna Airport and approved the agricultural land reserve exclusion application.
YLW applied to the ALC to exclude four properties at the south end of the airport lands to be used for aeronautical-related, airside development. The exclusion of these 22 hectares are needed for future airside development and expansion at YLW, securing long-term sustainability of operations.
“This decision was exceptionally important,” said Sam Samaddar, Airport Director, in a press release. “As we’re unable to move the airport, we need to ensure that we have the available land to support the growth of YLW for future generations.”
As a part of the ALC’s application process, YLW incorporated extensive public feedback. The ALC’s approval is subject to conditions including YLW’s completion of the mitigation measures and agricultural enhancement strategies as outlined in the Agricultural Impact Assessment, submitted as part of the proposal.
“YLW recognizes the importance of agriculture and agri-tourism as an economic driver for both the Okanagan Valley and the airport,” said Shayne Dyrdal, Senior Airport Finance and Corporate Services Manager. “YLW has been active in supporting the local agri-tourism economy by identifying opportunities to highlight the sector to travelers, partnering with local agri-tourism businesses and involving community partners wherever possible.”
The full decision record and approval conditions will be posted by the ALC on its website at www.alc.gov.bc.ca.

Agricultural Land Commission clears the way for Kelowna Airport expansion


“As we’re unable to move the airport, we need to ensure that we have the available land to support the growth of YLW ...


Students return to public school next week, with changes to curriculum and some provincial exams.
Students are returning to class next week in most of B.C.'s public schools, with enrolment expected to be up province-wide for the second year running.
Education Minister Mike Bernier says early forecasts show about 529,000 students, an increase of 2,900 from last year. But that increase is centred on fast-growing school districts, while many rural areas continue to struggle with declining student numbers.
Among changes that parents and students will see this year is a new curriculum in place up to Grade 9, with a test year for changes in the senior grades. Bernier said the new emphasis on collaboration and communication skills does not mean a watering down of the basic skills, and is designed to improve students' ability to work at modern jobs.
Report cards are to continue this school year, but the ministry is reviewing its system with an eye to providing more frequent updates. Parents are being consulted on the changes, Bernier said.
Foundation Skills Assessment tests in grades four and seven are also continuing after years of protests from teacher unions, but that program is also being examined for possible changes. FSA tests will be "enhanced" but not eliminated, Bernier said.
Provincial exams continue for graduates in math and English, but science and social studies will now be assessed at a classroom level rather than school-wide tests, Bernier said.
The ministry provided a series of top-ups to education funding this year, for bus service and to keep selected rural schools from closing. Applications are still being taken for a transportation fund until Sept. 30, requiring districts to drop across-the-board school bus fees to qualify.
Districts may still charge transportation fees for international students or those from outside a school catchment area.
NDP leader John Horgan highlighted the crowding in Surrey school district, where 7,000 students remain in portables despite an expansion program. The NDP says the B.C. government's claim of record per-student funding ignores a reduction of education funding as a share of the provincial economy.
"Since 2001, the B.C. Liberals have dragged public education funding in this province from the second best in Canada to the second worst," Horgan said.

B.C. school enrolment up for second year


Some urban districts struggle with overcrowding, special funds for declining rural schools, bus service to take effect


The personal representative (executor/administrator/trustee) has a stringent duty to keep detailed records of all capital, expense and income transactions with documents, invoices and receipts.

DeDominicis: Role of personal representative in probating estate


An personal representative must be ready at all times to account for a trust property.


Gwen Steele, standing on the edge of the cactus garden at the Summerland Ornamental Gardens Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, leads her guided tour during the experimental farm/garden centennial celebrations.
On the weekend of July 16 and 17, I participated in the enjoyable and varied celebrations marking the centennial of the Summerland Ornamental Gardens.
It was also the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Friends of the Summerland Ornamental Gardens.
The event was modelled on the historic farm picnics which happened annually from the 1920s to the 1950s.
Hundreds of people of all ages participated in the centennial event. It was a delight to hear the music floating through the gardens from musicians on the stage set up on the great lawn.
There were tours of various parts of the gardens led by experts familiar with the gardens. I especially enjoyed the tour of some of the 135 species of mature trees with Douglas Justice, associate director of the UBC Botanical Gardens.
Many old-time Summerland residents enjoyed catching up and sharing stories of olden days at the farm.
The events were punctuated by the whistle of the historic KVR steam train as it passed by across the canyon.
The Canyon Walk at the edge of the property provides an excellent view of the canyon, train and old trestle bridge.
In the early years,the Dominion Experimental Farm researched all aspects of valley agriculture. Most employees lived on the farm so it was a real community.
The gardens were started in 1916 as part of an ornamental research program at the farm (now the Summerland Research and Development Centre) which was established in 1914.
It was the place in the Okanagan to find out what trees, shrubs and flowers would thrive in gardens and parks. Over time the area developed into an English-style garden covering about 15 acres.
When the research station closed the ornamental horticulture program in the 1980s, the gardens languished under minimal maintenance. The Friends of the Gardens was formed to save these beautiful, historic gardens.
Over the years they have worked hard to restore the gardens.
In 1991, then garden manager Brian Stretch introduced the first public xeriscape demonstration/test garden to the Okanagan. It was the first in Canada and is still the largest.
Now the focus is to bring the gardens into the 21st century so they can be the place to go to find out what plants and techniques are appropriate for our dry climate.
Program manager Eva Antonijevic has done a remarkable job of organizing new garden projects, obtaining grants to finance them, and involving many volunteers, including school classes, to implement them.
Friends raise funds through annual plant sales, memberships, and donations from garden visitors to pay two seasonal gardeners and other garden expenses.
Today the gardens are a lovely place for a quiet picnic.
To ensure this treasured resource continues, be sure to make a donation in the collection box beside the new vegetable gardens when you visit or buy an annual membership.

Steele: Summerland research farm/gardens celebrate centennial


The Okanagan celebration was modelled on the historic farm picnics which happened annually from the 1920s to the 1950s.


B.C. Day, on Monday, Aug. 1, is an opportunity to celebrate this spectacular province. See how well you know British Columbia.

B.C. DAY TRIVIA QUIZ: How much do you know about British Columbia?


The B.C. government's plan B for income assistance cheques and other time-sensitive documents could be re-activated as the long-running Canada Post labour dispute reaches another deadline.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is in a legal position to strike as of Monday, but postponed threatened rotating strike action after weekend talks with a federal mediator. Its initial action would be an overtime ban rather than a full-scale walkout that would disrupt mail delivery.
Canada Post served lockout notice in July, with the two sides far apart on issues including pension changes for future employees and pay for rural carriers.
Income assistance, rent subsidy and other B.C. government payments are not affected if they are direct deposit. For mailed cheques and information, updates on possible postal strike effects to the Ministry of Social Development will be available as necessary at this website or at 1-866-866-0800.
Phone and online contacts are set up for questions about affected provincial departments:
• Ministry of Advanced Education and StudentAidBC online here.
• Ministry of Children and Family Development 1-877-387-7027
• Medical Services Plan payments online here or 1-877-405-4909
• ICBC inquiries 1-800-663-3051
• Family Maintenance and Enforcement program 604-660-2528
• Public Guardian and Trustee online here or 604-660-4444
• Vital Statistics 1-888-876-1633
• WorkSafe BC online here or 1-888-967-5377

B.C. prepares for possible postal disruption


Province has alternatives if Canada Post employees begin strike action


An Okanagan College professor will be walking through Kelowna this week as part of an ambitious three-day trek to raise money for Gary Baker, an Okanagan father of four who suffered a massive brain aneurysm early in August.
Tim Walters, an English professor at the Salmon Arm campus and president of the college’s Faculty Association, aims to walk 160 kilometres, making stops at Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon, and Salmon Arm campuses starting Tuesday Aug.30 and arriving at his destination Sept. 1.
“I’ve known Gary for several years, and I was keen to do something to try to help him and his family,” said Walters. Baker was a student at Okanagan College last year, having returned to school to pursue a career in engineering after years of working as a timber framer.
His wife Erica is also an OC student, and commutes a few times a week to Kelowna where she attends classes to get her biochemistry degree.
All their educational efforts were cast aside when Baker suffered a severe brain aneurism Aug. 1 while playing soccer.
He's undergone two surgeries and is currently recovering in Vancouver, which is a process that may take many months or even year Baker is currently out of an induced coma, and responds differently depending on the day, said soccer teammate Ron Krause.
They plan for a two-year recovery period, which is taxing the family.
“They’ve been stretching every dollar. They have the extra burden of student loans” said Erica's sister, Katherine Goertz “Someone offered to pick their veggies. People have been mailing cheques to the house."
Despite all the help, the family has a long road ahead of them and people all across the valley have been chipping in to help.
The Kelowna Cantinas, who were playing the Camels when Baker collapsed, raised $320 earlier this week.
There are also two GoFundMe campaigns.
The first is “Help Support the Bakers” or gofundme.com/2hvh3jg, which has raised $32,000 as of Aug. 30.
The next is for Walters's walk. It's at www.gofundme.com/campustocampus with files from Salmon Arm.

Okanagan College professor to walk through valley to raise money


Valley residents chip in to help Okanagan father of four recover from aneurysm


Cameras were the focus as 70 photographers from across B.C., including Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Kelowna and Nelson, competed in the fourth annual Next Generation BC Amateur Photographer of the Year Contest at the recent Abbotsford International Airshow.
Sponsored by London Drugs and Black Press Media, the contest took place Aug. 12-14, as participants captured their best air, crowd, static, and wildcard shots.
Photographers experienced close-up action at the airshow including Friday's twilight show, and earned the "hot-side" tour at the airshow where they shot exclusive aircraft including the F-35, CF-18, FA-18, Breitling Jet Team, the Snowbirds and more for a chance to win the title of B.C.'s next Amateur Photographer title.
Awarding categories also include The Best in-air photograph ($750 grand prize), The Best ground/static scene photograph ($500 prize),The Best crowd scene photograph ($250 prize ), The Best video submission ($500 prize) all courtesy of London Drugs and honorary acknowledgement for Best Wildcard entry.
For the People's Choice Award Winner, the time has arrived for the public to vote on their favourite photo and be entered for a chance to win BC Lions game tickets.
For voting and contest information, click here.

Voting open for People's Choice Amateur Photography Competition


Photographers from across the province competed in amateur competition


It’s been my experience that the perfect strategy between spouses who own a corporation is to have both as shareholders of the corporation, but only one as the director.
However, I have seen instances where only one spouse holds both the corporation and the personal assets with the other spouse being the chief operating officer or having nothing to do with the corporation at all.
The reason you want to segregate the personal assets from the business assets in a family-owned corporation is in case someone takes legal action against you.
Whatever happens, you want to make sure your family members have a roof over their heads and can feed themselves if the company goes south.
You may not face legal action from a supplier or customer, but you may from the Canada Revenue Agency.
There was a recent court case in May where there were two director shareholders in a corporation where one was basically a silent partner and let the other make all the decisions.
It was very similar to a family held corporation.
Unfortunately, the business started to go sour and was unable to make its monthly payroll.
The silent partner became aware that the remittances were not being made because he or she would receive the notices in the mail.
The silent partner confronted the managing partner and was told things were being looked after and everything was expected to turn around in the future and the remittances would be made.
CRA took legal action against the corporation and the two directors for the payroll liability.
Directors can be held personally liable for non-remittance of payroll deductions.
The silent partner’s defence was that he or she relied on the other partner’s word.
That defence was not accepted in court.
The judgement was that any prudent person would have done their due diligence (monitored the situation themselves) to make sure the payments were being made and what was being promised by the managing partner was actually happening.
You may think the silent partner could have just resigned as a director when the corporation started failing, but again you need to have been resigned for two years prior to any difficulty in order to not to be dragged into any legal proceedings of the corporation.
The best tax strategy for setting up a family owned corporation is to have one spouse as a director/shareholder of the corporation and have the other as a shareholder.
The director/shareholder could then receive a salary or bonuses from the corporation and the other spouse would be free to earn income outside of the corporation and hold title to the family’s personal assets. Each spouse needs to own a different class of shares so when the corporation has retained earnings and is able to pay dividends, the choice can be made as to who would receive the dividends based on their personal financial position.

Banka: Director’s liability in small corporations


Whatever happens, you want to make sure your family members have a roof over their heads and can feed themselves if the company goes south.


Kelowna-Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr wants to hear what young people in his riding have to say.
So he has announced the formation of the Kelowna-Lake Country Youth Council.
According to a posting on Fuhr's Facebook page, he is inviting anyone in the riding aged 16 to 24 to apply to join the council, a move he said is in keeping with the federal Liberal government's commitment to "meaningful" youth engagement.
"I would love to hear from youth in our community," said Fuhr, adding while the government has already received the first wave of applications for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national youth council, the formation of the local group will make it easier for young Canadians here to have their say closer to home.
In addition to his role as prime minister, Trudeau has also taken on responsibility for youth in his cabinet.
Fuhr said applications for the Kelowna-Lake Country Youth Council will be accepted up to Sept. 30 and the council will include young people from different schools, neighbourhoods and local associations throughout the riding.
Once selected, the council members will meet several time throughout the year to discuss issues that matter young people, their community and the country, he said.
To apply to join the Kelowna-Lake Country Youth Council go to https://goo.gl/forms/NDq9PCSFasdCYRhY2.

Kelowna-Lake Country MP forming a youth council


Stephen Fuhr says he wants to hear what local young people have to say.


Photo Contest Deadline July 4th 2016: UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO HERE
With summer-like weather providing great photo opportunities, there's no better time to put your skills to use and submit your best shots to a contest being presented by London Drugs, Black Press Community News Media and one of the top ten air shows in the world - the Abbotsford International Airshow.
Almost 2,000 entries have already been entered for the fourth annual "Your Best Shot" contest for amateur photographers around B.C. It's time for you to enter your best photo!
Photographers are encouraged to send in their favourite photos from the past 12 months, including those taken during major events.
Whether it's an action-packed sports shot, a colourful scenic landscape or an amazing portrait, budding photographers are encouraged to send it in.
Contestants can submit up to five of their favourite photos for a chance to win some spectacular prizes.
The contest is now open and runs until July 4th.
All photos will be judged by a panel of experts on subject, composition, impact and other criteria.
Finalists will receive full VIP access to the Abbotsford International Airshow, which runs August 12th to 14th, with preferred viewing to take photos of all the action.
They will also compete for more than $1,500 in prizes and the chance to be named the Next Generation Amateur Photographer of the Year.
TOP THREE PHOTO TIPS:
Last year, Black Press received more than 2,000 entries for the Your Best Shot contest from
amateur photographers from more than eighty communities including; the Fraser Valley,Kelowna, Vancouver and communities throughout B.C.
More than 60 finalists gathered at the Abbotsford International Airshow, submitting their best photos for the final competition. The winner of last year's Next Generation Amateur Photographer of the Year award was Ken McAllister of Surrey.
The winner of the 2014 Next Generation Amateur Photographer of the Year was Steve Dutt, Surrey, BC and in 2013 Rod Jones of Abbotsford was acclaimed the winner. To submit an entry, click here.
Are you a Youtube or Vimeo enthusiast?
If you have taken video in the last 12 months, you could be eligible to participate in the Amateur Videographer of the Year contest. Simply send us a link to a video taken in the last 12 months. Video to be no longer than 3 minutes in length. Any genre of video may be entered. Maximum of five video links per entry.
A select number of videographers will be invited to join us at the Abbotsford International Airshow to compete for great prizes and the overall title. All photographers attending the show will automatically be entitled to enter the Videographer of the Year contest. Deadline July 4th 2016. Send entries to contests@abbynews.com . Please mark subject line Videographer of the Year Contest.
Make taking better photos a snap: new camera products, features, tips, and techniques from London Drugs PhotoLab experts. Sign up for a newsletter.
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Abbotsford International Airshow : August 12, 13 and 14
This year's airshow will feature all-time favourite static and air displays, as well as the fourth annual twilight show complete with pyrotechnics.
A few of this year's performers include:
USN F/A-18 Super Hornet
CF Hawk and Harvard II
422 Sqn SAR Demo
Canadian Skyhawks
Screamin Sasquatch
HFM A1 Skyraider
HFF Spitfire Mk IVe
HFF F8F Bearcat
Indy Boys Jet Bus
Team Rocket Aerobatics
CF-18 Hornet
Plus another year of amazing AV8FX Pyrotechnics.
The Breitling Jet Team, a seven-plane civilian jet team, has been added to the lineup for a second year running. The team, based in Dijon, France, will provide another incredible flying display.
“Our patrons will get to see two of the world’s finest jet teams in one venue, with both the Canadian Forces Snowbirds and Breitling Jet Teams set to perform in 2016,” said airshow president Jim Reith.
The Breitling Jet Team was created by Breitling, a major Swiss watchmaker, and will be flying fast and powerful L-39C Albatros aircraft.
Organizers say the show will be "a meticulously co-ordinated ballet in which planes sometimes fly within three metres of each other, at speeds of over 700 km/h" and fly "a rapid-fire succession of figures that are perfectly calculated, mastered, synchronized and fine-tuned down to the smallest details."
Gates open August 12th at 3.30pm. Enjoy your afternoon and evening prior to an amazing Fireworks finale. Saturday August 12th/13th gates open at 9am. Don't forget, the Twilight and Daytime Programs are very different. Check online for details. http://www.abbotsfordairshow.com/tickets/
For more information, visit www.abbotsfordairshow.com.


Your BC 'Best Shot' photo contest is now underway. Check out our top 3 photo tips. Entry deadline July 4th 2016


I was inspired to do a sprint distance triathlon last summer.
Jake Van Allen, a triathlete who articled with my firm, was my inspiration.
The name of this miniature triathlon fits for real triathletes like Jake, who are capable of the full distance and are truly able to sprint through the miniature version.
For me, the 750 metre swim, 20 km bicycle ride and 5 km run are together a goal of marathon proportions.
I have been training for a repeat performance this year.
A huge thank you, by the way, to Pushor Mitchell, the incredible number of volunteers and the other supporting organizations who contribute to making the Apple Triathlon, and other local triathlons, a reality year after year.
The goal of completing my first triathlon, however miniature, motivated me to get a whole bunch of exercise I would not otherwise have gotten.
I became healthier, lost some weight, and felt better about myself overall.
This year, my “training” has not been going all that well. I had trouble making regular exercise the priority it should have been this past year.
When I finally kicked into gear, it was “too much too fast,” resulting in the kinds of injuries that might tend to occur when a mid-40s, overweight fellow gets his running shoes on for the first time in months.
For the most part, I was able to conceal the injuries.
Nobody wants to be perceived as a “whiner and complainer.”
They did interrupt my already delayed training, though.
When my achilles tendons were painful, each step I took hurt, but only the most observant ones in my office noticed a slight limp.
The other day, cramming in my training while camping, I suddenly developed an intermittent, though very sharp, lower back pain.
I managed to hide that from my family until I had to explain why I wasn’t joining in on some sort of tag game with the kids.
Each of these set-backs were short term. The injuries resolved and I will be going the distance this coming weekend, however unprepared.
The set-backs gave me a pinhole view of what life is like for my clients.
Instead of being short little set-backs, though, my clients’ injuries have become chronic. They have to face a permanent, not temporary, “interruption” of certain activities.
The motivational and health benefits I have had taking on a brand new activity like a triathlon are not as available to them.
They, like me, carry on with their lives doing their best to keep this or that pain or limitation to themselves. To those around them, they seem perfectly fine.
The chronic, invisible symptoms don’t stop most of them from going to work and carrying on with their day to day lives.
The stiffness and pain are simply constant reminders of their injuries that slow them down a bit and take away some of life’s “extras.”
Here’s the real kicker, though: My own lack of physical fitness and the “training injuries” I developed were my own fault, caused by choices I’ve made and procrastination.
My clients, in contrast, were the innocent victims of inattentive drivers.
Adding insult to injury, they often face cynical skepticism about the very injuries they have been saddled with.
The collisions that cause chronic symptoms often appear to be minor, and the injuries themselves don’t show up on an x-ray and other medical scans.
I plan on participating in another miniature triathlon next year.
I hope to motivate myself to maintain my renewed exercise over the entire year so that I can gear up, symptom-free, and be properly prepared that next time.
Please, if we could all do our part of simply turning up the attentiveness dial of what is going on through the windshield in front of each of us so that this opportunity that I have is not taken away from others.

Hergott: Lessons learned as physical fitness comes and goes


For me, the 750 metre swim, 20 km bicycle ride and 5 km run are together a goal of marathon proportions.


There’s nothing better than the dog days of summer. Life seems brighter when the sun shines. There is more fun to be had under blue skies.
Kids and adults alike splash in pools, float on lakes, camp and explore in what feels like the most carefree days of the year.
But when that temperature soars to the high 20s and into the 30s, it seems, for some, their brain gets fried in the heat, along with their skin if they aren’t using sunscreen and covering up.
And despite hearing horror stories over the years, people continue to leave their pets in hot cars, not only putting the canines in danger but sometimes tying up police resources in the rescue effort.
There still seems to be this misconception out there from seemingly dog-adoring people that our canine friends need to go everywhere with us.
They don’t.
Don’t bring your dog for a car ride to the grocery store.
Don’t just “run in” to grab a few things at the mall.
Don’t go do some banking with Fido waiting in the car.
Even in the shade, with the windows rolled down, the vehicle can heat up to more than 35 C in just minutes.
Dogs don’t have the ability to sweat. Your dog, if it could talk, would ask to be left at home, to loyally await your return with a wag of the tail, a bark and a lick.

Our View: For Fido’s sake, leave your pet at home on hot days


Your dog, if it could talk, would ask to be left at home, to loyally await your return…


I was once told it’s important to recognize that each day, globally, there are roughly 100,000 scheduled flights that take off and land without drawing any media attention.
It is the flights that do not successfully take off and land that become the focus of media stories and often speculation.
The context of that analogy is that in public office it’s often the scandals and failures that tend to receive far more media attention than projects or policy that work effectively as intended.
This week it was particularly rewarding to participate in a media event profiling some of the more positive local initiates for public engagement.
CPAC, which many often believe is a taxpayer-funded Canadian parliamentary access channel, is actually owned and funded by Canada’s private broadcasters. A CPAC crew was in Central Okanagan-Similkameen Nicola earlier this week to profile, among other events, the Summerland pilot project that involves my shared constituency office with local area MLA Dan Ashton.
Aside from cost savings, this shared office better serves locals who are often unaware of what services are provincial and what are federal. They are not bounced between two different offices that may be located in different communities.
As much as it makes sense to share an office between an MLA and an MP, to date it’s the only one in Canada, hence the interest from CPAC.
Hopefully the idea will catch on elsewhere and the added exposure of our beautiful region should also help draw visitors to the area.
On the theme of shared offices, I would also like to publicly thank the mayors and councils in Princeton, Merritt and Keremeos for making space available so residents can meet their MP on a monthly basis. Operating budgets do not allow MPs or MLAs to open offices in every community they represent, so it helps when different levels of government work together. Constituents deserve to be heard and the ability to meet face to face with elected representatives is critical.
I also want to thank the many constituents who have visited the mobile constituency offices, as well as my regular office, to provide input and ask questions.


…it makes sense to share an office between an MLA and an MP, to date it’s the only one in Canada, hence the interest from CPAC.


B.C. has spent $103 million fighting wildfires across the province since the fire season began April 1.
Information officer Claire Allen of the BC Wildfire Service says that is less than half the amount spent in B.C. over the same period last year.
She says $232 million was spent battling 1,772 fires between April and the end of August in 2015, while just 936 blazes have scorched about 990 square kilometres of B.C. woodland this year.
That compares to the nearly 3,000 square kilometres of bush burned across B.C. in 2015.
This year's fire season began early and aggressively with several huge wildfires in northeastern B.C.
But Allen says cooler weather in late June and throughout July dampened the fire danger, and a recent heat wave is also expected to be checked by lower temperatures this weekend.
"That's going to bring showers beginning in the northern portions of B.C. and coming into the southern half by the end of the weekend," she says.
"That's going to bring variable amounts of precipitation, cloudier skies, cooler temperatures, higher levels of humidity and all those things work together to reduce the fire danger rating across the province."
Sixty wildfires are currently burning in B.C., with eight new fires in the last 24 hours, most of those in the Coastal Fire Centre, where the fire danger rating is ranked high to extreme.
(CHNL)
The Canadian Press

B.C. wildfire costs top $100M, but still less than in 2015


Forest fires tore through northeastern B.C., but then cooler weather took over June into July.


I know what you are thinking—you still relate the word and the meaning of “entrepreneur” to be pure business venturing.
But, this week, I want to recognize and embrace the reality that entrepreneurial creation, in its purest form, relates in large measure to the elements of innovation and creativity via inventive development.
Yes, inventors continue to be very relevant in our global world and definitely within the entrepreneurial world.
So, I want to focus on an important aspect of “entrepreneurial invention”, that being the entrepreneurial opportunity.
An all too common question I get from would-be inventors, creators and entrepreneurs is “how do I find real problems to solve?”
There are, I’ve discovered in my six years of living in this region, an incredible number of exceptionally-talented individuals who are on track to seek their entrepreneurial opportunity niche.
By the same token, books have been written, scholars lecture and much discussion and debate conjures up the issue how to find the opportunities that can be converted into genuine realistic and realizable ventures for you.
OK, so let’s begin with another reality check—there is no easy journey to entrepreneurial success . Any potential successful venture for any of us requires hard work, commitment, dedication and, yes, patience.
You should read Peter Drucker’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Drucker is the so-called “father of management” and to some degree, entrepreneurship theory.
His book, around since the 1980s, is a classic exploration presenting the how-to approach for finding opportunities.
It even includes strategies for guiding your path of discovery.
Another critically important milestone on your opportunity discovery journey is to recognize that all ventures begin with the customer.
True entrepreneurship is the ability to find and solve a problem or void in the marketplace that will solve a want or a need.
If you can’t find someone to pay you to do what you want to do for them don’t give up until you’ve researched and analyzed your idea thoroughly and exhausted all possibilities.
Then, perhaps, your next best approach might be find that certain someone with the need—or a very strong interest in— something you develop on your own to address that want or need, and sell it to them.
The key to this approach is qualifying the need to the market.
The better you can qualify the need, the more likely you won’t be wasting your time.
Go talk to potential customers.
Ask them, if I had something that would satisfy your want and need, would you be interested? How interested? At what price?
What you’re looking for is interest. If you get it, then give the solution you have found, some serious attention.
So, let’s tackle some objectives that would-be entrepreneurs cite when pursuing this methodology.
“If I give them my idea, they’ll just go and develop it themselves” Why would they spend their time and resources when they have a motivated and dedicated person champing at the bit to make it happen?
“I don’t have the time to get out and talk to prospects.” If you convince yourself you don’t, then give it up now because you are swimming upstream against the current.
“I don’t feel ethical trying to market something before I’ve got it aced. What if I can’t deliver? “ There is nothing unethical about going out in the world to find a potentially needed and profitable venture to present. It’s not uncommon for entrepreneurial dreamers to take some cash upfront before they actually solve the market problem. Don’t feel guilty about it.
“I like spending time in the lab. I don’t like making cold calls.” Either learn to like it,or find a partner who does because that is the essence of entrepreneurial venturing. Commercially speaking, nothing counts until it sells. And, ignoring that fact is a road to failure. Don’t underestimate the value and need for partnering in your venture. Also, surprisingly effective preparation sometimes turns up other unanticipated genuine opportunities.
The other part of preparing for achieving your entrepreneurial opportunity is adequately preparing yourself.
Force open your eyes, set some goals and importantly, build a productive mindset. You’ll need it.
Erase “should” and “could” from your vocabulary and your thinking. And, don’t get trapped in your own notions.
A good deal of your knowledge may constitute solutions to yesterday’s problems.
It may or may not apply to today.
Some of the best opportunities lie among “truths” that no longer apply.
The final part of preparing for opportunities is to quit preparing and act.
Find out what works and doesn’t work for you.
The more time you spend in entrepreneurial activities and exploration, the better you’ll get at it which will increase the odds of success in your favour.
Don’t be afraid to take risks. And, don’t be afraid to fail.
You will learn more from your mistakes and failures, no matter how big or small.
Go with what works and discard what doesn’t.
The old Gestalt saying, “don’t push the river, it flows by itself” applies well to entrepreneurial invention.
There are no lack of ideas and opportunities today. Arguably, there are more genuine opportunities in our world today than ever in our history.
Entrepreneurial invention and opportunities arise from both social and technological change.
If you’re running around frustrated by what you feel is a lack of ideas and potential opportunities, maybe you’re doing it to yourself.
It’s definitely not being done to you.
The opportunities are there whatever level you’re aiming for.
So, prepare, look, act and prosper.

Young: Finding entrepreneurial inventors in our midst


Opportunities abound—you just have to look for them.


These days, as a result of the rules brought in over the past few years by the regulator of the country’s chartered banks, borrowing money to buy a home has become much more difficult for the 2.75 million Canadians who are self-employed—a group that according to Stats Canada has a higher median net worth than paid employees.
In the past, self-employed individuals with a 680+ credit score and their word they were earning enough from their business, could secure a mortgage with little or no documentation.
Today these same individuals are shocked to find they are no longer ‘approvable,’ even with a perfect repayment record of their existing mortgage.
The guideline B-20, which required federally regulated banks to tighten their approval process, has had a negative impact on self-employed individuals.
If you are self-employed or a business owner, you may be surprised to find that getting a mortgage without the conventional documents is not a simple process. The self-employed typically lower their taxable income by maximizing business expenses and personal deductions resulting in a discrepancy between what shows on their tax return and how much they actually do earn.These individuals have obtained their mortgage through what is referred to as “stated income” applications which require an impeccable credit history and a signed income declaration along with sound proof of the self-employment. Today they can still apply for a stated income mortgage but under B-20 they can only borrow up to 65 per cent of the value without the requirement of default insurance from Genworth, CMHC or Canada Guaranty. The criteria for qualification has increased and each insurers has different criteria.
So, what should you do if you are self-employed and want to buy a home, refinance your existing mortgage or switch lenders? Begin by having copies of your CRA Notice of Assessments for the last two or three years. Good credit is a must. Ensure your tax returns are filed on time and pay the taxes owing to create a positive picture of your finances.
You will be required to provide confirmation of your business. This can be as easy as providing a business license. A mortgage for a self-employed business owner “stating income” may, in some cases, result in a higher mortgage rate and higher mortgage insurance premiums.
If you are able to qualify with your self-employed earnings and there are ways a professional can assist with this, your rate will reflect the best rates offered.
Mortgage professionals assist clients every day with their mortgage requirements. If you are unsure whether you can prove your income - talk to one.

Of Prime Interest: Mortgages for the self-employed


What should you do if you are self-employed and want to buy a home, refinance your existing mortgage or switch lenders?


If doctors today are growing ears in Petri dishes, imagine what the future of health and health care could look like.
Technological innovation and advancements in medicine will change the nature of our health care system and our community needs to be prepared.
During the afternoon Kelowna city council meeting on Monday, Aug. 29, Interior Health board chair Erwin Malzer and Interior Health CEO Chris Mazurkewich will present Health Care in 2040 as part of the Imagine Kelowna Speaker Series.
The talk will focus on the opportunities and challenges the Canadian health care system will face due to a growing and aging population, rising cost burdens related to chronic disease and advances in technology.
Malzer has served on the Interior Health Board of Directors since 2007, and was appointed as board chair in January 2015. He has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Business Administration degree, and is a former business consulting partner with IBM.
Mazurkewich was appointed as president and CEO of Interior Health in October 2015. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce, a Master of Administration in Health, and a Chartered Accountant designation.
A live-stream of the discussion starts at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 29.
This council presentation is part of the Imagine Kelowna Speaker Series, through which topic experts share their knowledge and experience on trends and planning for the future.
To learn more and be part of the city-wide conversation, visit imagine.kelowna.ca.

Future of health care in the Central Okanagan


Health Care in 2040 presented by Imagine Kelowna Speaker Series, 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 29.


To the editor:
Christy Clark is pushing the federal government for approval of a non-existent LNG (liquid natural gas or more appropriately called liquid "fracked" gas) industry.
In 2014 Clark travelled to Malaysia to sign an LNG [agreement] with the company, PETRONAS, alias Pacific North West, alias Trans Canada Corporation.
The price of LNG has plummeted from $15 per unit to around $4 to $5 per unit. B.C. will not break even at this price.
Fortunately, B.C.'s economy is not dependant on oil and gas, such as is the case in Alberta. Approximately 100,000 people have lost their jobs in the Canadian oil patch over the last two years as prices have plunged due to a glut of oil and gas in North America.
In 2014 China and Russia signed a $440-billion LNG deal. Sealing this 30-year deal, China built 4,000 kilometres of pipeline to north eastern Russia. China will not be buying B.C. LNG. The United States, Canada's primary customer, has found vast amount of shale gas and oil, and won't need to rely on Canadian energy as much in the future.
Besides being financially unprofitable, LNG is more harmful to the environment than any other fossil fuel, including coal. In 2011 Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, released a study establishing LNG, methane gas, which leaks into the atmosphere at well sites, compressor valves along pipelines, at storage sites and during transportation.
Hydraulic fracking, which is a process of forcing vast amounts of water through the aquifer to the shale rock, contaminates surrounding ground water. Hydraulic fracking also causes earthquakes.
The BC Liberals and Pacific Northwest (PETRONAS) plan to build an LNG plant on Lelu Island near Prince Rupert and the Khutzeymateen provincial park. Khutzeymateen means "sheltered place of fish and bears." This place of the Great Bear Rain Forest is ecologically sensitive, containing trees that are 800 to 1,000 years old. In this area the water contains eelgrass which nurtures young salmon. One biologist stated this area is like "Grand Central Station" for juvenile salmon.
According to Russian scientist, they built an LNG plant on the ocean and their salmon population has been wiped out.
Our coastline of beautiful B.C. will not be beautiful anymore.
• 2015 BC Oil and Gas [Commission] confirmed hydraulic fracking caused a 4.6 magnitude earthquake near Fort St. John, BC(vicinity of Site-C dam).
• Between July 2010 and March 2013 a dozen earthquakes ranging between 1.6 and 3.4 occurred in this area of northeastern B.C.
• BC Oil and Gas and BC Hydro have been concerned.
• Stanford University, USA, published a study in the journal of Environmental Sciences and technology confirming that fracking impacts underground drinking water.
• Professional, scientific and technical workers in B.C. outnumber oil and gas workers by a ratio of 36 to one.
Judy McKee, Kelowna


China built 4,000 km of pipeline to northeastern Russia…The US has found vast amount of shale gas and oil and won't rely on Canadian energy…


The Emergency Operations Centre advises that effective 12:00 p.m. today, the Evacuation Order and Alert for the Bear Creek fire are rescinded. No areas remain under Evacuation Order or Alert.
Residents who have been out of their homes for the Bear Creek fire are heading home today.
The Emergency Operations Centre advises that effective 12 pm. today, the evacuation order and alert for the Bear Creek fire are rescinded. No areas remain under Evacuation Order or Alert.
Those returning to approximately 105 properties in the Traders Cove subdivision should be aware that active fire suppression continues in the area west of Westside Road. Visible smoke and flames may be seen as B.C. Wildfire Service firefighters remain in the area working over the next few days to completely extinguish the fire. Those returning may encounter various hazards on private properties as a result of the wildfire.
For their safety, members of the public are asked to stay out of the fire-affected area and please obey any warning and hazard signs. This includes not entering any of the local hiking trails including Bear Creek Provincial Park.
Also as of noon today, Westside Road will be open again for two-way traffic. Motorists are asked to use caution driving through the fire area. They may experience temporary delays as fire and utility crews are still working.
While electrical service to the affected area has been restored, as a result of the fire and for the safety of first responders, there was an extended period when there was no electricity throughout the area. Those residents returning may have concerns for food safety. Interior Health advises during an extended power outage, food in a fridge or freezer may not be safe to eat. ‘When in doubt, throw it out’. Specific information about Food, Water Quality, Septic Systems and Fire Retardants is available at:
www.interiorhealth.ca/YourEnvironment/EmergencyPreparedness/Pages/Forest-Fires.aspx
The Emergency Support Services reception centre is now closed.
Bear Creek Main Forest Service Road is closed to all traffic except for local residents. BC Wildfire Service will allow the resumption of traffic when it is safe.
For campers, information regarding the status of Bear Creek Provincial Park can be found at: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/bear_crk/.
The Regional Emergency Program would like to thank all residents for their understanding and patience while supporting first responders on this fire.

Evacuation order/alert rescinded for Bear Creek fire near Kelowna


No orders or alerts remain in place as residents are able to head home


BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) air ambulance flights operated by Helijet resumed Friday at four hospital helipads, as a result of an exemption order issued late Thursday, Aug. 25, by Transport Canada.
The four hospital helipads are:
• Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
• St. Joseph’s Hospital, Comox
• Sechelt Hospital
• Vancouver General Hospital day flights only. Night flights will continue to be diverted to either the Vancouver Harbour Heliport or Vancouver International Airport, with final patient transport by ground ambulance.
In addition, BCEHS anticipated that flights would resume shortly at the helipad shared by BC Children’s and BC Women’s Hospitals, subject to minor site modifications required by Transport Canada, which BCEHS was immediately addressing.

Emergency flights resume to four B.C. hospitals


A Transport Canada order enabled the flights to resume Friday, Aug. 26.


Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have reached tentative agreements, averting the prospect of a labour dispute that has loomed over the talks for months.
In a statement, Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk says the agreements were reached "voluntarily," but provides no other details about the deals themselves.
The issue of differences in paycheques for rural mail carriers — most of whom are women — and urban letter carriers had been at the forefront of protracted contract talks between the two sides.
The negotiations were extended twice since the weekend, when a deadline expired on a 72-hour job action notice issued last Thursday by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
The two sides were in talks nearly around the clock at the request of a special mediator appointed Friday by Mihychuk.
Canada Post described the tentative agreements as short-term. It said they are for two years and that four-year contracts were typically negotiated in the past.
"The agreements will avert a work disruption, bringing much-needed certainty in the postal system for our employees and customers," said Canada Post in a statement. "Canadians can now use the postal system with confidence."
The tentative agreements, however, still must be ratified by the members.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is Canada Post's largest union, representing more than 50,000 postal workers
The Canadian Press

Canada Post, postal union reach tentative deals


Two sides avert job action that has loomed for months


Premier Christy Clark and Environment Minister Mary Polak plug in an electric car at an announcement of the government's latest climate change plan in Richmond Aug. 19.
A B.C. Liberal operative was out with the online spin hours before Premier Christy Clark confirmed the much-leaked news in a Friday afternoon announcement at an obscure location in Richmond.
The, er, freeze is continuing for B.C.’s ground-breaking, world-saving carbon tax, which hasn’t changed since before Clark was elected in 2013.
The spin was Olympic-themed, with a picture labeled to show B.C. as a swimmer far out in the lead in the pool, to symbolize that it’s the other provinces that need to catch up in the race to save the planet.
Clark has been saying that for years, and there is merit to it. Even without a tax on “process emissions” such as from cement kilns, B.C.’s carbon tax encourages imports of non-taxed cement from the U.S. and China.
Alberta business professor Andrew Leach, who advised the Stephen Harper and then Rachel Notley governments on greenhouse gas policies, summed up the problem this way.
“Until the rest of the world has policies that impose similar cost, you’re not actually reducing emissions to the extent you think,” Leach said. “You’re just displacing the emissions and the economic activity to other jurisdictions.”
Alberta is moving to join B.C. with a modest carbon tax, but the NDP government plans to spend the proceeds rather than return them in income tax as B.C. has done. And Washington state and most of the rest of the world have no carbon tax as such, so their businesses benefit from B.C.’s “climate leadership.”
B.C.’s foreign-funded eco-radical community was, needless to say, appalled. The Pembina Institute’s Matt Horne and career protesters Tzeporah Berman and Merran Smith were named to the premier’s advisory committee last year, along with business, academic and aboriginal representatives.
They concluded that increases to B.C.’s broad-based tax on carbon fuels should resume its upward march in 2018.
Other committee members, including the mayors of Surrey, Comox and Burns Lake, were not heard from. Public discussion on this issue is now reduced to a staged conflict between those who demand a holy war on deadly carbon dioxide “pollution,” and those who don’t care if their grandchildren perish in a hell-fire of fossil fuel use.
We’ve just come off another El Nino year, like the hot year of 1998. Regular readers will recall the last time I discussed this topic was this spring, where I questioned the premier’s dire warnings of another horrendous forest fire season.
What followed has been one of the slowest forest fire seasons in the last decade, although dry conditions have finally emerged this month. Climate predictions, like next week’s weather forecast, are less than consistent.
I am regularly sent messages calling me a “climate change denier,” the nonsense term that continues to be used by federal Environment Minister Catharine McKenna among many others. I know of no one who denies that climate is always changing, at times dramatically.
If you wish to believe that paying an extra seven cents a litre for gasoline in B.C. is helping to slow the very gradual increase in temperatures we’re seeing in the northern hemisphere, you are free to do so.
You may even be persuaded to take a government subsidy and buy an expensive, short-range electric car. Me, I’m off to Prince Rupert and Revelstoke pretty soon, so I’ll stick with my little four-cylinder gas sipper for now.
Hydro-powered B.C. represents a small fraction of the less than two per cent Canada contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions. We’re not the problem, and no, the world is not looking to us for guidance.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc


Premier Christy Clark isn't going into next year's election with a promise to jack up Canada's only significant carbon tax


To the editor:
After reading the letter to the editor (Politicians: Get Off Your Bums and Fix Our Gas Prices, Aug. 19 Kelowna Capital News) I felt compelled to reply and provide insight into Mr. Maclean's confusion about where freight costs originate.
Shipping costs are not only the costs of shipping fluid on truck, they include the cost of shipment through pipeline. As British Columbians we're acting environmentally 'progressive' in refusing to support more interprovincial pipelines, or retrofit of existing lines—we've chosen to effectively bottleneck the routes of supply coming into our province and refineries in certain areas.
Not only is this detrimental to our pocketbooks but the larger pipelines currently in operation are a significantly lower flow volume than is ideally competitive in today's market as compared to when they were commissioned decades ago.
I feel I should also mention that 'pipeline spills' is often cited as a risk to the environment along with wanting to "get off" petroleum products. Economics rule #1 is supply and demand; these products will find their way to market as long as it's economically feasible. If oil demand increases (which it undoubtedly will) in this province, alternative means of transmission will be utilized (train, freight). Reflecting on recent tragedies in Quebec, shipment by rail or truck does not appear to be a safe (or insurable) mode of transit that can protect or indemnify the public from oil spills. I find it redundant and hypocritical that safety and the environment are used as arguing points for fewer pipelines when the alternative is less safe for people's environment and more greenhouse gas-intensive.
As a result of factors described above, prices aren't as competitively ideal because competition (and arguably safety) is being stifled by the public's ignorance being masqueraded as environmental concerns by political interests.
I am disappointed that this province (among others) has not chosen to upgrade its aging infrastructure to not only make petroleum products less expensive, but reflect current (safer) pipeline construction codes. I also think the people should get off their couch and research facts relating to this topic—in large part because I don't want what happened in Quebec to occur here.
Scott Juniper, Peachland

Letter: Let's not have a Lac-Mégantic in B.C.


I am disappointed that this province has not chosen to upgrade its aging [oil and gas distribution] infrastructure.


Interior Health Authority has recommended the Central Okanagan Regional District post swim advisory signs at Reiswig Regional Park.
The District of Lake Country has followed suit and posted swim advisory signs on the adjoining Beasley Park on Wood Lake until further notice due to poor water quality.
Beach Water Quality
Lake water is not pristine, and beach water quality can fluctuate due to a number of factors including lake currents, runoff and the outflow of creeks, changing environmental factors and waterfowl and animal waste.
Additionally, Water Quality is typically poorer in the summer when the warm weather escalates bacterial growth and swimmers stir up the lake bottom.
Swimming Advisory
A Swimming Advisory is a notice to swimmers that bacterial levels are currently higher than those allowed in the Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality. The maximum allowable number of E. coli bacteria in recreational water is 200 per 100-millilitre sample. IHA recomends an advisory when the bacterial counts geometric mean is high over a period of multiple samples.
The risk of infection is directly related to bacterial counts in the water. When E. coli reaches 200 units per 100 millilitre sample it’s expected that one per cent of bathers may develop gastrointestinal illness (GI) if these bacteria are ingested. For every one GI illness, two to three other illnesses – skin rashes (swimmer’s itch excluded) and eye, ear and throat symptoms – can be expected. The very young, the very old and people with weakened immunity are the most susceptible.
When a Swimming Advisory is in place signage will be posted at the affected beach.
Once testing shows bacteria levels have returned to acceptable levels the Swimming Advisory will be lifted and the signage removed.
Protect Yourself
• Avoid swallowing lake water
• Avoid swimming with an open cut or wound
• Avoid swimming for 24-hours after a significant rainfall
• Stay away from the water if you are experiencing digestive or intestinal problems
• Wash your hands before handling food
Protect the Beach
• Don’t feed the birds
• Don’t take your pet to most beaches
• Don’t litter or discard food on the beach
• Change diapered children in the bathroom frequently, not at the beach
• Dispose of boat sewage in onshore sanitary facilities
• Wash your hands with soap and water after using the toilet or after changing diapers
• Never bury waste in beach sand
• Call 250-766-5650 if you see something that needs our attention
For more information on beach water quality, contact Interior Health at 250 862-4200.
Water Testing
Each summer, municipal staff collect water samples from a number of our beaches for Interior Health to test and analyze. Beaches that historically have shown higher than acceptable coliform counts at certain periods during the summer months are sampled weekly, with no
fewer than five samples in a 30-day period.
The District of Lake Country is also taking measures to enhance beach water quality including the implementation of a valley-wide Goose Management Plan.
Understanding Beach Water Quality
• Disease-causing microorganisms in water include bacteria, viruses and parasites (e.g. Giardia and Cryptosporidium). These disease-causing organisms can be discharged directly to water bodies or transported with surface runoff. Sources are numerous and include discharge of untreated sewage, runoff from agricultural activities and wastes from waterfowl and wild and domestic animals. Fertilizers, pesticides, and garbage can also contaminate beach water
• Beach water quality is typically poorer in summer due to warmer water temperatures and the number of people swimming. Contamination is also more likely to increase during and after rainstorms.
• Escherichia coli (E. coli) belongs to a group of bacteria called fecal coliforms that originate in the digestive tract of warm-blooded animals. E. coli is a common human bacteria primarily used as indicator bacteria and should not be confused with E. Coli 0157:H7 which causes outbreaks of bloody diarrhea, however, there are categories of E. coli that cause diarrhea.

Swimming advisory for Beasley and Reiswig Parks beach


Bacterial levels are currently higher than those allowed in the Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality.


Penticton triathletes Jeff Symonds and Jen Annett would not be denied on home turf.
Symonds, born and raised in Penticton, and Annett, a Kelowna import, crossed the finish line first Sunday to claim the Challenge Penticton International Triathlon Union Long Course Championship.
"It feels awesome. It's the validation of all my hard work and the belief in myself. Just a great symbol that I'm back on track and I'm only going up from here," said Symonds. "It was absolutely important. It had been a tough year, I wanted a good race. You want to defend home soil, take a national title, qualify for that world championships."
Symonds was first overall in five hours, 32 minutes and 39 seconds, while Annett was 16th overall to win her first Challenge Penticton championship in 6:13:49.
Symonds said it was unbelievable to win at home, his third Challenge Penticton win. Symonds contributed his win to a great swim and seeing where guys were.
"You don't have to be in the lead to control the race," said Symonds, who completed the swim in 42:07, the bike in 3:02:49 and the run in 1:45:00. "I know that I can make up a deficit on the run. That's my strength. It was just knowing that those guys were within striking distance of me. It was good."
Symonds talked about taking a conservative approach on a new course distance and Drew Scott being a better cyclist. Symonds knew had to let Scott go.
"You've got to have that confidence in what you do well," said Symonds, who eagerly looked forward to a cold glass of water. "You got to play to your strengths and be honest about your weaknesses. I think it really helped me out on the course."
Scott, son of six-time Ironman World Champion Dave Scott, finished second overall. The Boulder, Col., resident completed the swim in 42:54, the bike in 1:54:39. In third was Jordan Bryden of Calgary. He clocked in at 5:40:46.
Annett said it was amazing to win in her hometown despite the pain she was feeling.
"I didn't think I had it. Liz (Elizabeth Lyles) had me until the Peach (concession stand) there. I saw a dollar sign on her butt and I kept following it," said Annett. "I just didn't want to lose at that point. She's an amazing runner. I'm just happy to have done what I did."
Annett, who twice finished in third place at Challenge Penticton, wasn't happy with her swim, which she finished in 52:42. She joked about wishing she could blame it on the waves or not wearing a wetsuit due to the warm water temperatures.
"It was just not a good swim. I just took it steady on the bike," said Annett, completing it in 3:13:42. "I think I came in second off the bike. Just stuck to the plan. That felt awesome and I felt amazing going on onto the run. Best I felt yet this year probably for racing. I just stayed in my own race until the last kilometre or so and then decided to kick it up. I'm happy."
And she received a massive welcome with the help of announcer Steve King.
With the victory, Annett has qualified for the Canadian team for 2017. When told that, Annett said, "Fricken amazing."
"It is a big deal. I get to race in my hometown and represent Canada and Penticton. It's awesome."
Lyles, of Reno, Nevada, followed Annett into the finish line 30 seconds later in 6:14:19. In third was Vancouver's Fawn Whiting, an age grouper, 30-34, in 6:20:29.
In the Aquabike, Coquitlam's Scott Dean won in 4:22:07, while the female winner was Vancouver's Tamasin Reno, who was third overall in 4:28:05.
More on this story to come.

Penticton triathletes win 2016 Challenge Penticton long course


Penticton professional triathletes Jen Annett and Jeff Symonds are the female and male winners of the 2016 Challenge Penticton long course.


KINGSTON, Ont. â€” The Tragically Hip mixed fan favourites, newer songs and some politics on Saturday night during the final show of their "Man Machine Poem" tour.
Lead singer Gord Downie, who started the show wearing a metallic silver suit and hat with a "Jaws" T-shirt underneath, hugged and kissed his bandmates before they stepped on stage at the K-Rock Centre in the group's hometown of Kingston, Ont.
Minutes earlier, as the raucous sold-out crowd waited for the band to emerge, an impromptu rendition of O Canada broke out and a banner reading "Thank You Prime Minister Downie!" was passed around the arena.
The band immediately gave fans what they wanted to hear, starting their set with four straight hits from the classic album "Fully Completely:" opener "50 Mission Cap," followed by "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)," "Wheat Kings" and "At the Hundredth Meridian."
The Hip then segued into their latest album "Man Machine Poem," with four tracks including the single "In a World Possessed by the Human Mind."
Before "Machine," Downie launched into one of his trademark onstage rants, calling out to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was in the crowd for the show. Trudeau's official photographer tweeted a photo of the prime minister and Downie embracing before the concert.
"Well, you know, prime minister Trudeau's got me, his work with First Nations. He's got everybody. He's going to take us where we need to go," Downie said from the stage.
"It's going to take us 100 years to figure out what the hell went on up there," he continued, "but it isn't cool and everybody knows that. It's really, really bad, but we're going to figure it out, you're going to figure it out."
Many anticipate this will be the band's final tour, given the recent news that Downie is battling terminal brain cancer.
Before performing the "Road Apples" song "Fiddler's Green," Downie seemed to reference the outpouring of support from fans in the wake of his diagnosis.
"Thank you, people, for keeping me pushing and keeping me pushing," he said, which prompted a "Gordie!" chant from the audience.
After playing 21 songs, Downie and his fellow bandmates â€” guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay â€” embraced and prepared to retire for a pre-encore break. Downie was left alone on stage to take in the roaring ovation.
After returning for a few more songs, Downie again spoke about his fondness for Trudeau.
"Thank you to the prime minister for coming to our show, it really means a lot to all of us," he said.
"We're in good hands, folks, real good hands. He cares about the people way up North, that we were trained our entire lives to ignore, trained our entire lives to hear not a word of what's going on up there. And what's going on up there ain't good. It's maybe worse than it's ever been, so it's not on the improve. (But) we're going to get it fixed and we got the guy to do it, to start, to help.
"Thank you everybody. Thanks for listening to that. Thanks for listening, period. Have a nice life."
David Friend, The Canadian Press

Downie calls out to Trudeau during Tragically Hip's final show of tour


Tragically Hip kick off tour's final show with fan favourites


A routine check-up at the hospital has turned into a nightmare for a Prince Rupert woman.
A month-and-a-half after having an endoscopy to inspect her nose and throat, Joan Dudoward received a letter from Northern Health stating that the endoscope used at the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital was not cleaned properly.
From April until the end of June 2016, the endoscope, which is a flexible tube with a light and a camera used in nonsurgical procedures, was being cleaned with the wrong cleaning solution to disinfect the equipment. There were 104 patients affected and Dudoward was one of them.
“I was majorly stressed out,” she said in an exclusive interview with the Northern View. “I'm a cancer survivor. I try to keep my health up for my mom, I'm a caregiver for a 95-year-old woman.”
Dudoward had gone to the Prince Rupert hospital for an endoscopy on June 29 at 3:30 p.m. after complaining to her physician about reoccurring plugged ears and a sore throat. She received the letter from Northern Health on Aug.24, which stated the error did not impact the diagnostic outcome of the tests and the process error has been corrected.
The letter also states that the BC Centre for Disease Control has been consulted and “the risk of a patient being exposed to a virus as a result of this process error is extremely low.” The contact number for the director of acute care services is offered in case she has any other questions or concerns. Dudoward has many.
She called to find out why the instrument wasn't cleaned, what had happened and how many people had gone through the procedure before and after her. “She said she's not permitted to tell me anything about this,” was the response Dudoward said she received.
The vice-president of medicine for the Northern Health authority, Dr. Ronald Chapman, was quick to respond to media inquiries and stressed the importance of transparency. He said, based on previous experience, once they realized the mistake had occurred they consulted the BC Centre for Disease Control as well as the Northern Health infectious disease specialist in Prince George.
“The risk for the patient is extremely low. We're not concerned that it will at all have any negative impact on their health,” Dr. Chapman said. He added that it's Northern Health's policy to make patients aware even if the risk to them is low. “We believe it's important to be open with those patients and to be fairly transparent so at least they are aware of the mistake. In this case, we don't recommend any particular follow up or tests for the patients.”
This type of process error has happened before, Dr. Chapman confirmed. Not with the same scope, but he said there are many different endoscopes used and each are made by different manufacturers that have various recommendations on how to clean the equipment.
“The health sector is run by human beings and it's fairly complex. If mistakes do happen what we encourage our staff to do is to make management aware so they can learn from that experience,” he said. “I'm happy to say where those mistakes have happened in our environment, a process has been put in place and we haven't had any repetitions after some of those learning experiences.”
For the 104 patients that were affected by this incident, Dr. Chapman said their general practitioners have been notified and if they have any questions they can speak to them and the infectious disease specialist. They can also contact Northern Health's Patient Care Quality Officeto register a complaint.
For Dudoward, who had a bone marrow transplant in 2011 to battle leukemia, she is concerned and has already scheduled a meeting with her physician in early September.
“I'm thinking that my body is not going to be able to fight off infection like I was able to before the cancer because chemo takes a lot out of your body so this is like a bomb exploding in my life,” she said.

VIDEO: Prince Rupert woman treated with unclean medical equipment, Northern Health, B.C. Centre for Disease Control confirms more than a hundred affected


Two months after having an endoscopy Joan Dudoward received a letter telling her that the endoscope used was not cleaned properly.


Two men and a mining company in receivership have been charged with 18 pollution infractions related to their shut-down gold mine on an island near Prince Rupert.
Benjamin Mossman and Dirk Meckert are scheduled to appear in Prince Rupert provincial court Sept. 7. Also charged is Banks Island Gold Ltd., which went into receivership after being shut down last year for provincial permit violations.
The Yellow Giant mine was ordered shut down by the Ministry of Environment in July 2015 after a tailings spill was reported on a tip. There is one charge of failing to report a spill of a polluting substance, and the other 17 charges are for failing to comply with permits.
North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice raised the issue in the legislature this spring, after receiving a letter from the Gitxaala First Nation referring to two separate tailings spills. Rice said the ministry did not inspect the operation for 15 months, until receiving a complaint.
NDP mining critic Norm Macdonald told the legislature a worker at the mine "became fed up, put his job on the line, sent the ministry and me a tip and pictures that documented what was going on there."
Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett said the mine was shut down when the situation was brought to its attention. The mine's 90 employees lost their jobs.
The province has a $420,000 security bond from the mining company, to provide ongoing monitoring. In March the mines ministry and Banks Island Gold removed explosives from the mine site and in May ministry technical staff assessed the hazardous materials on site.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service, which recommended the charges, would not comment on the current condition of the Banks Island site, because it is evidence for the prosecution.

Banks Island miners face 18 pollution charges


Gold mine near Prince Rupert shut down last summer for permit violations, owners charged for failing to report spill


KAMLOOPS, B.C. – British Columbia's Fish and Wildlife Branch says all the fish in two lakes in the Upper Nicola watershed will have to be killed in order to get rid of an unwanted perch.
Biologist Steve Maricle says perch were spotted earlier this year in Windy Lake and Little Windy Lake, both about 50 kilometres northwest of West Kelowna.
Perch are not native to the lakes or the Nicola watershed and biologists say the rapidly breeding species competes for food with native fish and has the potential to wipe them out.
Maricle says barriers will be set up on waterways leading in and out of the lakes to contain the perch this year.
Rotenone, a poison lethal to fish but with limited effect on other animals such as frogs or waterfowl, will then be used to kill all fish in both lakes.
The lakes will be restocked once the perch have been removed, but Maricle says it will be next year at the earliest before any action is taken.
"It's just the logistics of all the permitting that's required to get the product, the rotenone, that we use to treat the lake. To get all the permitting in place to get (the rotenone) in, there's no way we could jump on it this year."
The Fish and Wildlife Branch believes visitors to Windy Lake and Little Windy Lake intentionally introduced the perch into the water. (CHNL)
The Canadian Press

Poison to be used in two B.C. lakes west of Kelowna after non-native fish species spotted


Windy Lake and Little Windy Lake to be poisoned to remove unwanted non-native perch


To the editor:
Re: City Dumps RV Use on Farmland, Aug. 10 Kelowna Capital News
Agri-tourism RV parks as failed experiment. Not likely. From the very start the City of Kelowna and the media have failed to explain the reason why the city says we are not in compliance and why I personally have retained a lawyer to represent our RV park in the city's lawsuit against us.
In 2010 the city brought in new bylaws pertaining to agri-tourism. Throughout the three public hearings we were repeatedly told that the existing RV parks would be grandfathered. Right at the end of the last public hearing Couns Stack and Blanleil made a motion that the existing RV parks should comply with an April 1 to Nov. 1 opening time frame (November through March closure). The city clerk informed Council that they could use the business licence bylaw to enforce the time restrictions in the new bylaw on the existing RV parks.
As I was a city councillor at the time I could not participate in any of the discussions; however during the process and repeatedly since then I have said that proper procedure was not followed.
In 2014 the city issued all the RV parks that were staying open past Nov. 1 a $500 bylaw infraction ticket. They focused on one RV park (not ours) but case law was introduced that proved the city cannot use the business licensing bylaw to enforce a land use bylaw.
Recently the city changed tactics and now maintains that we weren’t in compliance prior to the 2010 bylaw coming into effect. One of the arguments presented against me by the city to prove my non-compliance is that I have used more than five per cent of my property for my RV park. However, city staff has never mentioned that before the new bylaw came into effect the city actually allowed 10 per cent of property to be used. City staff and council have failed to mention that they actually wanted nothing to do with the agri-tourism RV parks prior to the new bylaw.
I recently put a package together and tried to meet with each [currently sitting] councillor to explain my position. Couns Stack and Singh didn’t have the common courtesy to respond to my request and Coun.s Given and Dehart were unwilling to discuss the matter. To their credit, the four newly elected councillors did meet with me, as did the mayor.
Throughout the last five years the focus has been on the existing agri-tourism RV parks shutting down for five months (November through March) in order to comply with the 2010 bylaw. Not once have I said I would not close my RV park but a five month closure is punitive and quite frankly, stupid. There are tourists moving through Kelowna in November and December bound for the U.S. and March is one of our busier months with people returning to Canada from the U.S.
Council and city staff have spent an inordinate amount of time and money trying to enforce a bylaw that does not apply to us.
Agri-tourism RV parks a failed experiment? Council was just recently ecstatic about a proposed RV park on a golf course which is firmly planted on agricultural land. They had no qualms about approving 30 sites on some of the best agricultural land in Kelowna. Coun. Stack was particularly vocal about what a fantastic idea this was despite the fact that he has been one of the main detractors of the current agri-tourism RV parks that are located on land actually engaged in agriculture.
Despite what council thinks about the lack of agriculture in the agri-tourism RV parks, our guests at Scenic View RV park are, at this moment, delighted to walk into our orchard and pick tree-ripened peaches. They sit at their picnic tables and watch our free-range beef roam though our pasture and enjoy the view of the surrounding orchards and fields.
We are not a failed experiment. We are a viable, legitimate agri-tourism business that brings in thousands of dollars annually to the City of Kelowna. We were in business prior to the existing bylaw coming into effect. At the public hearing in 2010 we were told that we were grandfathered and we continue to operate under that assumption.
Graeme James, Scenic View RV Park, Kelowna

Letter: Farm-based RV parks work for the farmer, tourist and city coffers


Kelowna council was just recently ecstatic about a proposed RV park on a golf course which is firmly planted on agricultural land.


My husband and I have been dealing with our beloved dog Jake and his aging body suffering the decline that can come with aging.
A sudden rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee have had us going to the vet, working to deal with the pain of this development and wondering what is the best plan of action.
Selling our house in five days, learning I am expecting my first grandchild and dealing with the loss of a dear client have rounded out the week.
With such a mix of emotions, it is not surprising I have wanted to just take to my bed and let myself absorb it all.
Life’s changing horizons can leave many of us feeling like we want things to just stop for a while so we can catch up, get our breath and figure out what all to do.
As I ponder these happenings that seem so filled with a sense of loss, but also punctuated with an exclamation mark of great joy, I wonder how to allow my heart to embrace the precious moment I have been anticipating amidst the current pain of letting go.
This circle of life that is ever present, the ebb and flow of birth and death seemingly happening on a continuous basis, causes me to want to withdraw when it becomes overwhelming.
Loss can be an initiator of wanting to close your heart to further pain. Anticipatory change can do the same thing. Feeling the need to make a shift, a course adjustment often presents as life unfolds in unexpected ways. The gift of aging is making room for the joys of becoming a grandparent, taking in the beauty of a sunrise, giving the extra love and care to someone you love as they come to the end of their life.
Feeling the need to slow down to smell the roses is something I came face to face with when my Mom became very ill and I brought her into our home to live. Having to face the fact that, of late I seem to have accelerated my life up to warp speed again and it is coming home to roost for some contemplation.
I listened to a wise teacher a couple of weeks ago share that a helpful phrase to repeat in such times of transition is “I consent to God’s plan for me.”
I have been saying that daily of late. Letting go of control is not easy for me.
Resistance for many of us kicks into full force when we are urged to surrender.
However, I usually eventually come to realize that I need to be quiet and listen. I need to open my heart to what is and what will be and look for the open path.
I am reminded of my own teaching about “GRACE” as we age.
The acronym of Generosity, Resilience, Acceptance, Compassion and Engagement keeps bringing me back to what is important as we travel these third chapter years.
•••
I opened my email this week to a request from an old high school friend to support her in the 2016 Parkinson’s SuperWalk.
This is a woman who can only inspire you to be better with her own giving nature.
Having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s nine years ago while still very young, she is a living example of strength and courage.
The “heart center” is the place where sending and receiving happens. This is where the sensations of generosity —or its lack—touch us with a feeling of openness or tightness.
As I read her email and remembered her ability to give to others amidst her own challenges, I was reminded of my own self-absorption of late.
I send her a gift of support for her walk and invite you to do the same.
Please email me at marjorie@caresmart.ca and I will forward you the information for her donation page to support this incredibly brave and wonderful person to reach her goal of $2,000.
I know, together, we can help her achieve that.
•••
Generosity to yourself is equally as important as giving to others. When we are treading on burnout, something I spoke of for caregivers a couple of columns back, taking time for yourself becomes imperative.
I have to look into my own mirror also and know when to take a break.
So booking a week off it is for me.
I begin my movement toward that by breathing into the overwhelm I feel this week and just receiving it, then sending generosity to my friend and to others as I breathe out from my heart.
I have to embrace my own aging and my need to rest more from time to time and send a generosity of white light from my own heart center to this “older me,”
I allow the feelings that surface about growing older and breathe them through. The whole mix of them: regret, sadness, curiosity, excitement, confusion and joy.
Letting all the emotions dissolve into consent fortifies resilience, encourages acceptance, nurtures compassion and when the time is right, returns you to engagement.
And I say softly to myself, “As I age, may I be kind to myself” and I begin again.