Kelowna General Hospital Foundation has a new chairwoman. Janine Karlsen assumed the helm from Kyle Recsky during the organization’s annual general meeting in June. Karlsen had been a director since 2021 and brings plenty of health-care experience to the role. She is a registered nurse and current owner of Home Instead Senior Care. “I am […]

The Vernon Winter Carnival has a new executive director. Lisa Fenyedi will be taking the helm of the popular event, which will celebrate its 65th year when it is held Feb. 7-16, 2025. Fenyedi is no stranger to carnivals. She has three years experience working as either the event and administrative assistant or on the […]

Glenmore Optometry has added plenty of experience to its roster of opticians. Industry veteran Rich Woodhouse has joined the fold at Kelowna’s Glenmore Optometry after previously working at iSight Optometry. He has 43 years of experience in the business, starting out in the Lower Mainland before moving to the Okanagan in the early 1990s. “My […]

A successful Kelowna businessmen and philanthropist has been named to the Order of Canada. Barry Lapointe received the prestigious honour on Thursday when Gov. Gen. Mary Simon announced the 83 appointments. Lapointe is the founder and chairman of KF Aerospace, which started out as Kelowna Flightcraft in 1970 and has grown into a major Canadian […]

Westbank First Nation’s Angie Derrickson has been hired as the first registrar of the First Nation Land Governance Registry. The registry will be an independently governed, reliable and sustainable land registry for First Nations with operational land codes or self-government agreements. The new FNLGR will offer a modern, user-friendly and secure technology platform that will […]

Okanagan College is recognizing Kelowna’s former mental health leader with its highest honour. The college has given its 2024 Honour Fellow award to Shelagh Turner, the former Canadian Mental Health Association Kelowna chief executive officer. Turner will be honoured during the institution’s graduation ceremony on Saturday afternoon. The college has been presenting its Honorary Fellow […]

Four Central Okanagan residents are headed to the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame. British Columbia Restaurant and Foodservices Association on Thursday announced its 2024 inductees, who will be inducted on Oct. 21, at the Italian Culture Centre in Richmond. Mark Filatow of Waterfront Wines (active restaurateur), Gospel Mission food service manager Jeremy Luypen (leading back […]

Kelowna’s SaaS Academy has a new chief executive officer. The company, which helps software as a service founders to grow their businesses and develop an exit strategy, has hired Johnny Page as its new boss. Page formerly served as CEO of Silvertrac, where he significantly reduced customer churn and led the company to an acquisition, […]

Three Vernon Realtors have been named some of the best in the Okanagan. At the annual Association of Interior Realtors Awards, three Re/Max Vernon agents won three of the four categories. “Managing broker-owners of Re/Max Vernon, Krista Blankley and Michelle Girard, proudly announce that Re/Max Vernon agents cleaned up at the annual Association of Interior […]

A Kamloops pharmacist has been recognized for his collaboration in team-based health care. Graeme Hill is the recipient of the 2024 Collaborative Care Award. He was recognized at an awards gala on May 31, held as part of the BC Pharmacy Association Annual Conference at Vancouver’s Hyatt Regency Hotel. The award recognizes Hill’s collaboration with […]