Thoughts on BC Politics and More

The condition of an Okanagan forest service road has been thrust into the spotlight after the Drought Hill wildfire closed Hwy 97 and Hwy 97C earlier this week, cutting off the South Okanagan from Kelowna. “The Drought Hill wildfire and the closure of Highway 97 has once again exposed the vulnerability of our region’s transportation network. This isn’t a one-off – it’s a pattern,” said Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield in a statement on Thursday. “We need a reliable, safe alternative route between Penticton and Kelowna, and the 201 Forest Service Road (FSR) is part of that solution" ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The mayor of Penticton and Penticton-Summerland’s MLA had a bone to pick with each other last week over a controversial homeless encampment in the city, now a town hall meeting is planned where local residents can have their say. BC Conservative MLA Amelia Boultbee is having a town hall to discuss the encampment at Fairview Road and Highway 97 next to Ellis Creek as well as the broader issue of how to handle homeless camps. The event is at the Seniors Centre on Main Street at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 5. Boultbee said a big part of the issue is a lack of clarity on what specifically is being done to address the camp and support the people living there ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian This morning the Ministry for Mental Health and Addictions Ministry, announced a number of BC communities would be receiving a share of nearly a million dollars ($900,000) in grants for local community wellness, safety and harm-reduction projects. The announcement stated there were a total of twenty-four municipalities, along with community partners, who would be receiving up to $50,000 in funding for ... initiatives that build on community wellness, safety and harm-reduction efforts related to the overdose crisis and saving lives . Projects being funded include: a business engagement and ambassador project in Abbotsford; a needle recovery program in Vancouver; youth harm reduction and wellness efforts in Port Alberni; a drop-in harm reduction and meal program in Houston ... and ... an employment program in Penticton and Kelowna. Additional projects aim to reduce stigma, while engaging and empowering people...

Although this is a constituency week with the House of Commons recessed, much attention remains on Parliament Hill for a few important reasons. Public safety was a primary concern, as Transport Minister  made the decision to ground the use of the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in Canada. This decision is following the recent tragic crash of a similar 737 Max 8 aircraft flown by Ethiopian Airlines that resulted in the devastating loss of all passengers and crew on board, including 18 Canadians, with several from B.C. At the present time there is no schedule on when this order will be lifted. Air Canada, WestJet and Sun Wing Vacations are all working, in support of this decision, to resolve the many impacts on Canadian travelers who will be affected by this order. While on the topic of airlines, recently I met with Air Canada over the potential loss of flights at the Penticton airport.   Although Penticton is no longer in my riding, many citizens in communiti...

UPDATE ~~ 3:03pm March 12th : After posting this story today, I received a response form IHA Media in which they apologized for perhaps not clearly explaining the use of the production kitchen properly.   Please note the following: The production kitchens provide options to all the IH local hospital kitchens. The local kitchens can basically make anything on site, such as baked chicken or spaghetti, and regularly do. The two production kitchens provide options and support (texture-modified food items) to the local kitchens. Some kitchens might only use one entrée from the production kitchen in a four-week period . I had also asked IHA if these production kitchens be preparing the 'entree choices for all hospitals in the Interior Health Authority (including Kelowna), up to and including up to Williams Lake?  Again, the 3:03pm response from IHA indicated they do provide entrée items for all the hospitals but they don’t provide all the entrees. The local ki...