Corridor News

Families Continue Search For Two Men Near Kimberley

CP — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:37:00 GMT

Grieving families of two missing men have helped locate a vital clue in the search for their missing loved ones.

R-C-M-P Sergeant Laurie Jalbert says the families of Stephen Thomson and Nicholas Hoefnagels paid for a blasting permit to remove some rocks in Findlay Creek -- and the truck was spotted in the water, once the rocks were gone. Rain is hampering the effort to search for the bodies of the 18-year-old Canal Flats resident and his 21-year-old friend from Carstairs, Alberta, and Jalbert says experts believe they are no longer in the truck. The pair vanished June 9th while camping at Whitetail Lake near Kimberley and searchers later pinpointed an area where a truck had veered off a forest service road near the lake and crashed into the rushing waters of Findlay Creek.

Final Submissions For Northern Gateway

CP — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:35:00 GMT

The federal review panel listening to final submissions over the Northern Gateway Pipeline is expected to hear from Alberta's government today.

The 6 billion project would allow Alberta to ship 550-thousand barrels of heavy oil daily to the tanker port in Kitimat and receive diluted heavy bitumen on a twin 12-hundred kilometre pipeline. Alberta says Western Canadian oil producers will be losing eight billion dollars a year by 2017 without marine access, and the increase in revenues will benefit all Canadians.

Okanagan Residents Refuse To Slow Down In Oyama

Astral — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:35:00 GMT

The message doesn't appear to be getting through to drivers on Highway 97 at a construction zone near the North Okanagan community of Oyama.

Officers have set up radar traps at the site for the last three Fridays and each time nailed speeders and excessive speeders who've had their vehicles impounded. Last week's prize went to a driver caught zipping through the 60 kilometre per hour zone doing 110.

Yesterday, police wrote 102 tickets in that same zone and – at 196-dollars a ticket for a run-of-the-mill speeder -- and much more for an over-achieving lead-foot -- that's at least 20-thousand dollars for provincial coffers.

Name released of Lumby teen killed while working at Tolko planer mill

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:16:00 GMT

WorkSafe BC continues to investigate into the death of an 18 year old Lumby teen who died while working at the Tolko Industries planer mill in Lavington.

Bradley Michael Thomas Haslam was found by co-workers early Saturday morning, severely injured after he became entangled in a conveyor belt.

He was rushed to Vernon Jubilee Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Director of Investigation Jeff Dolan says evidence was taken from the scene.

"It was an unwitnessed event, which presents its own challenges. They collected as significant amount of evidence and they're not working to analyze it and determine exactly what happened."

It could take months before investigators determine what happened.

"The investigation I suspect, is several weeks if not months away. That's why we want to ensure anything we do learn and can confirm over the course of the investigation, we make it known, to ensure we prevent another tragedy like this from happening again."

Tolko President and CEO Brad Thorlakson says as a company, they're extremely saddened.

"We extend our sincerest sympathy to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. To know that a family has been forever changed by this tragedy is devastating. No words can convey the pain. The loss is heart wrenching, the impact lasting. Today, and for many days to come, our hearts will be with the family and friends of this young man as they face the unimaginable."

There is no word on when the planer mill will be back up and running but the Employee Family Assistance Program provider will be on site to offer support to workers.

Wendy McLeod - Kelowna

Canadian Cancer Society looking to drop smoking rate even further

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:01:00 GMT

The Canadian Cancer Society BC & Yukon is calling on residents to bring down the current smoking rate even further than it is.

It was 50 years ago on Monday when Canada's then Minister of National Health and Welfare declared in the House of Commons that smoking causes lung cancer.

Team Leader Patti King says BC has the lowest number of tobacco users in the country, but they would like to see the rate drop even further over the next five years.

"We are calling on all British Columbians to bring our current smoking rate down from 14% to 9%, so bring us down to the single digits by 2018. To help bring the provincial smoking rate down, we're calling for an increase in tobacco product taxes."

She says significant changes have been made over the years.

"Since that time 50 years ago in 1963, it's incredible how much progress has been made across Canada and here at home in British Columbia. There are communities taking action. One of the most recent, the city of Salmon Arm honoured one of their local activists by passing an outdoor smoking bylaw."

The Society would also like more communities to pass regulations to ban smoking from beaches, parks and playgrounds. Plus they would like a reduction in the number of places selling tobacco products, including pharmacies

Wendy McLeod - Kelowna

Fraser Institute releases annual secondary school report card rankings

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:56:00 GMT

Selkirk Secondary School in Kimberly was one of the fastest academic improving schools in the province over the past five years.

That is according to the Fraser Institute's annual secondary school ranking report card which came out on Monday.

Elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain School District, Golden Secondary took a major hit, falling to 245 from 184.

A total of 284 public and secondary schools were ranked across the province and according to Paul Cowley of the Fraser Institute, a number of factors are considered to determine the list.

"We base it on the results of province wide testing in grades 10, 11 and 12. And these include tests in Science, Math, Social Studies, and English or French."

Graduation and grade-to-grade transition rates are also taken into effect.

As for the North-Okanagan Shuswap School District, King's Christian leads the pack of five schools ranked.

The secondary school sits in the 83rd spot in the province. There were no major changes at any of the other schools in the district.

Meanwhile, there was no trend change for Revelstoke Secondary School, which is ranked 34th in British Columbia.

The complete list can be found here:

http://britishcolumbia.compareschoolrankings.org/ChooseReport.aspx

Wendy McLeod - Kelowna

Canoe capsizes in Shuswap River; no injuries

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:36:00 GMT

No one was seriously injured after a canoe capsized in the Shuswap River near Enderby over the weekend.

Two people from Vancouver were trapped on the east side of the river Saturday afternoon after high water overturned their canoe.

It took almost two hours for Vernon Search and Rescue to pull the 54 year old and 27 year old from the river.

Both were treated for hypothermia as a precaution.

Wendy McLeod - Kelowna

Salmon Arm man included in ICBC civil claim

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:49:00 GMT

I-C-B-C is taking 46 convicted or suspected Stanley Cup rioters to court over vehicles that were damaged.

According to the civil claim, at least 122 vehicles, including 24 emergency vehicles, were set on fire or destroyed during the riot.

One of the names included in the claim is Andrew Comber of Salmon Arm.

ICBC is seeking damages, interest and costs for specifically 77 of the 122 vehicles destroyed.

Costs have amounted to more than $500,000.

According to spokesman Adam Grossman, as more cases against suspected rioters proceed through the courts, more people could be added to the civil claim.

The riots happened immediately after game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks on June 15th 2011. The Bruins won that series and the Stanley Cup.

Wendy McLeod - Kelowna

Teen killed while working at Lavington mill

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:35:00 GMT

Tolko Industries is deeply saddened by the loss of a young employee over the weekend.

The 18 year old was killed while working in the Lavington planer mill, east of Vernon, at about 2AM on Saturday near a conveyor belt.

On the company's website, General Manager Rob Fraser says they're extremely saddened by the death.

"We extend our sincerest sympathies to the family and loved ones. We are currently assisting WorkSafe BC and the BC Coroner's office with the investigation of the unfortunate accident as well as conducting our own internal review."

Operations at the mill are currently on hold and will remain so until WorkSafe BC givers the go ahead to restart.

Support will be offered to all crew members as they return to work.

The investigation into the teens death continues and no name has been released at this time.

Wendy McLeod - Kelowna

Fire prohibition in place for Salmon Arm Fire Zone

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:23:00 GMT

It's that time of year again.

Over the weekend, the Salmon Arm Fire Zone was put under an open fire prohibition until the Fall.

Fire Information Officer Melissa Welsh says there are a number of activities which fall under the prohibition.

"The open burning ban prohibits burning waste or other materials such as burning stubble or grass, the use of fireworks, sky lanterns or burning barrels. We use these prohibitions as a preventative measure to limit the amount of human caused
wildfires."

Welsh says a number of areas are covered in the ban.

"the ban covers all BC Parks, Crown and private lands. It does not apply within the boundaries of local governments that have forest fire prevention bylaws and are serviced by fire departments."

Anyone found not abiding by the ban will face a $345 and if that fire causes a wildfire, the person could be responsible for paying the costs to battle that blaze.

Campfires are permitted as long as they're within a half-metre by half-metre in size.

The Salmon Arm Fire Zone belongs to the Kamloops Fire Centre which covers all areas North, South and West of Salmon Arm and East of Malakwa.