Oil, gas leaders want action
A pair of oil and natural gas leaders from Alberta painted a bleak picture of Canada’s energy sector during a Kelowna Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Friday. The recent downturn in the oil and gas business has hammered its economy and caused substantial job losses, including many who live in the Okanagan. Darren Gee, who […]
MLA blasts NDP over lumber
Kelowna-Mission MLA Steve Thomson is taking aim at the governing NDP as Kelowna’s Tolko sawmill is the latest to be hit by a crisis sweeping B.C.’s lumber industry. Vernon-based Tolko Industries announced the indefinite closure of its Kelowna operations on Thursday. This following a temporary closure that was already underway. The announcement affects more than […]
RBC closes shop in Vernon
It is the end of an era in downtown Vernon. Moving crews are clearing out the Royal Bank that has been at the intersection of 30th Avenue and 32nd Street since 1905. The closure was announced in May with a notice placed on the window. When the shutdown was announced, management said the operation would […]
Grape harvest has arrived
The harvest season has begun in earnest on Penticton’s Naramata Bench, just the first step in a long road that turns grapes on the vine into bottles of wine. “I think everyone is just really excited and ready to go, ready to see the grapes come off and get them in the cellars,” Earlco Vineyards […]
Accelerate lands leader funding
Accelerate Okanagan has received a major funding boost to train its leaders. The Western Economic Diversification Canada invested more than $5.6 million in five organizations across B.C., and Kelowna’s tech organization is going to share nearly $2.9 million of that pie with the Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council. The money will support enhanced […]
Thefts frustrate biz owner
Instead of dealing with customers, Chad Edwards has to spend his time fighting crime. The owner of Vernon’s Innerspace Watersports has been the victim of crime several times in the last week alone. In fact, the business has been the target of thieves more in the last few months than in the past 25 years. Recently, […]
Market strengthening in south
The South Okanagan real estate market continued its rebound in August, according to new stats from the South Okanagan Real Estate Board. In the first eight months of 2019, a total of 1,232 were sold—down 18 per cent from the same time last year. Things have, however, picked up through the last half of summer, with last month […]
Spec tax killing jobs: CHBA
As B.C.’s finance minister touted a $115 million windfall from the real estate speculation tax on Thursday, the local home builders association is singing a different tune. The Canadian Home Builders’ Association of the Central Okanagan says there have been significant job losses in the Central Okanagan, which is one of the areas targeted by the tax. […]
Kelowna mill closed indefinitely
B.C.’s troubled forest industry has delivered another blow to the Okanagan. Tolko’s Kelowna mill, which had been in the midst of a temporary shutdown, announced this afternoon that it is closing its doors indefinitely. “This decision was not easy for us to make,” Tolko solid wood vice-president Troy Connolly said in a press release. “We […]
Lawyer leads Vernon chamber
Krystin Kempton is the new president of the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce. The Nixon Wenger Lawyers partner was confirmed as the new boss during Wednesday night’s sold-out President’s Dinner. Kempton had previously served as the chamber’s vice-president. “It is an honour to be selected as president of the chamber board,” Kempton said. “I believe […]
