News Influencing Thompson Okanagan Business
KELOWNA
Dr. Lincoln Smith
Dr. Lincoln Smith has been appointed as a Provincial Appointee to the Board of Directors of Economic Trust of the Southern Interior BC.
Mark Burley, the executive director of the Downtown Kelowna Association, is set to retire in June.
Toby Tannas, co-host of Beach Mornings with Ara and Toby on Okanagan radio, plans to run for the Conservative Party of Canada in the next federal election.
Janet Parker, former owner of Parker’s Chrysler and longtime supporter of Discovery House, received a King Charles III Coronation Medal at the Discovery House Winnipeg Street facility Tuesday afternoon.
Andy Oakes, the president of Okanagan Hockey Group Inc. (OHG), has been appointed as the interim CEO of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.
Kelowna International Airport (YLW) has reached a significant milestone, having welcomed more than two million passengers in 2024.
Maureen Grainger
Maureen Grainger of Kelowna has been appointed as the Director of Project Development at Maskwa Environmental Consulting Ltd. in British Columbia.
WestJet has begun their new year-round service connecting YLW to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), WestJet will operate five weekly flights between Kelowna and Seattle, increasing to daily service from February 17, 2025.
The Michaelbrook Golf Course, located at 1085 Lexington Drive, has been acquired by the City of Kelowna for $8.37 million.
Taryn and Murissa Shalapata, sisters who launched the Okanagan Hot Chocolate Festival, are returning for its fourth year. The event will be held until Sunday, February 16.
The application for a development permit for 305 Drysdale Boulevard was approved by Kelowna city council members.
Big White Ski Resort announced record-breaking results for the 2024/2025 Holiday Season, driven by excellent early-season snow conditions and customer confidence. The resort saw an extraordinary 50.4% year-to-date increase in skier visits, with the traditional holiday season attendance from December 21 to January 5 rising by an impressive 31% over last year. A favourable exchange rate contributed to a surge in United States visits, where guest numbers soared 52%. 62.4% of visitors came from central Okanagan, while visits from Australia and New Zealand rose by 5.2%.
The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and City of Kelowna are proposing bylaw revisions to simplify secondary suite short-term rental restrictions for spring implementation.
Kojo Westside owner Tatsuo Kan has announced the permanent closure of the Japanese restaurant at 3466 Carrington Rd.
The Miss Kelowna Lady of the Lake Society recently received a substantial $10,000 grant from the Kiwanis Club of the Central Okanagan, demonstrating their continued support for neighbourhood youth and community initiatives.
Parkinson Recreation Centre will host the 11th annual Beem Credit Union’s Unplug & Play and Family Literacy Week from January 26 to February 2.
KAMLOOPS
The Llenlleney’ten, also known as the High Bar First Nation, has shown its desire to strengthen ties in the area by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Thompson Nicola Regional District.
Stella-Jones, a supplier of treated lumber products based in Quebec, is set to open a wood processing facility in Kamloops.
Longtime Artistic Director James MacDonald departs from Kamloops-based theatre organization, the Western Canada Theatre.
The Activation Team program has ended as a result of an improvement in nursing staff vacancy rates at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.
The Sun Peaks Community Daycare, which has been run by the Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality, will be taken over by the Early Learning Society of Kamloops.
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) branch in Kamloops has extended its Envision shuttle service by four hours per day, effective Monday, January 20.
Motion, mobility and accessibility solutions provider, is celebrating 40 years in business.
The Kamloops Chamber is accepting nominations for the 2025-2027 Board of Directors until January 26th.
The City of Kamloops is updating its Building Bylaw to modernize and enhance construction protocols to align with provincial and municipal standards. The primary purpose of Building Regulation Bylaw No. 11-84, 2025, is to regulate and administer standards concerning the design, construction, and/or occupancy of new buildings and alteration, demolition, and relocation of existing structures.
PENTICTON
Janet Parker has been honoured with King Charles III’s Coronation Medal for her ongoing dedication to community service.
Luke Walsh put Loki’s Garage on Front Street, a popular destination for downtown Penticton’s breakfast and sandwiches, up for sale.
The Penticton Community Centre and McLaren Arena ATMs has been removed from the premises starting Friday, Jan. 17, due to low usage.
The South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation is $1-million short of the $10-million needed for the upgraded Oncology Unit that will double the size of the current facility. The facility is set to open in the summer of 2025.
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Okanagan Centre Penticton group said on January 30 that it would host a telescope workshop at Okanagan College in Penticton. Colleen O’Hare, director of society outreach, will also lead a special session called New Observers to Visual Astronomy.
The Penticton Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Board Governance Training and Workshop Series on May 1, 15 and 29, presented by Deb McClelland.
SALMON ARM
Dean Strachan
Dean Strachan has been appointed as the next chief administrative officer of the District of Sicamous.
Eldorado Mobile Home Park located at 469 Main St. in Sicamous has sold for $1.7 million.
The board of directors of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District decided to back an application for an Agricultural Land Reserve exclusion in the hopes that it would enable Lee Creek locals to rebuild their homes that were destroyed in the Bush Creek East Wildfire in 2023.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District has opened the outdoor ice rink at Parson Park for skating, while Farrell’s Field in Celista and Silver Creek Park are still being prepared.
WorkBC hosts the Salmon Arm & District Chamber of Commerce‘s Business After Business of 2025 on February 11 at 101 310 Hudson Ave NE.
The newly opened Shuswap Cardiac Society is excited to announce its first-ever Red Dress Gala, set to take place on March 1, 2025, at Chances, located at 300 10th Street Southwest, Salmon Arm.
VERNON
Alicia Ponich
Alicia Ponich has been appointed Executive Director of the North Okanagan Neurological Association (NONA) Child Development Centre (CDC).
The new Armstrong Pleasant Valley Secondary School gym, constructed by Sawchuk Developments, has finally been granted occupancy.
By the end of 2025, a third McDonald‘s restaurant is expected to open in the City of Vernon at the Silver Star Gateway Business Park, which is located at 5000 Silver Star Road.
Vernon’s Star Country Squares dance club is welcoming all to experience square dancing on January 30, February 6, and 13 at the Halina Activity Centre located in the Vernon Recreation Complex, 3310 37th Ave.
This year’s Giving Tuesday set a record for the Light A Bulb campaign at the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation, raising over $1 million for Vernon Jubilee Hospital.
Southward Medical Supplies is moving to its new location at 3204 29 Street, Vernon.
SUMMERLAND
The Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen has received a gift of $630,000 from the Summerland Charity Shop Society.
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