Here’s a look at the top stories of the week.
The air quality bulletin for Okanagan is still available
The Okanagan – or Smokanagan, if you will – and other areas in the province are affected or are likely to be hit by devastating smoke in the next 24 to 72 hours.
Environment Canada said a special air quality bulletin was expanded on Sunday, September 13th to include additional regions over the weekend. A link to a map of BC with the affected regions can be found here.
In some areas of Vancouver Island, the lower mainland and parts of the interior, the effects of smoke have been observed from the long-distance transport of forest fires in the western United States. Predictive smoke models indicate the potential for a significant smoke spike in BC to occur throughout the weekend.
Potential COVID-19 exposure at a private party at the downtown Kelowna hotel
A private party at Hotel Zed on September 7th may have exposed several people to COVID-19, Interior Health announced on Friday, September 11th.
The health authority said a number of people have gathered in a common area and / or balcony of the hotel at 1627 Abbott Street and may have been exposed to COVID-19. Interior Health is working closely with Hotel Zed, but people who attended this party may not have been registered guests. The party is said to have taken place between midnight and 3:30 a.m.
Health officials are urging participants to monitor themselves for symptoms of the virus and get tested to see if they show symptoms.
A public health trace is ongoing, according to Interior Health, and the agency will be addressing those exposed directly.
“This potential exposure is a reminder of the importance of keeping gatherings small and for people you know as we near fall,” Interior Health said in a press release.
Kelowna Mountie at the center of UBCO’s wellness checkup is facing a third lawsuit
A third person has filed a civil lawsuit against Kelowna Mountie Lacey Browning, accusing the officer of assaulting and threatening him in front of his five-year-old son.
Browning is currently the subject of a high-level criminal investigation into a wellness check at UBC Okanagan in January that saw her dragging nursing student Mona Wang down a hallway in her apartment and stepping on her head. Wang is currently suing Browning, the Attorney General of Canada, and the Minister of Public Safety and Attorney in connection with the incident.
Interior Health registers three more COVID-19 cases
Interior Health reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, September 11, bringing the total number of cases in the region since the pandemic started to 465.
This comes after the health department didn’t report any new cases on Thursday.
There are currently 15 active cases and hospital admissions remain at zero.
The outbreak at the Okanagan Correctional Center in Oliver (declared Aug. 12) continues to consist of seven cases – all among staff. All seven cases have recovered.
There are no cases of internal health associated with the outbreak of the Elk Valley Water Treatment Plant Project (declared Aug. 27).
Kelowna RCMP suspect caught after knife-wielding robbery attempt
A 21-year-old Kelowna woman is in RCMP custody after allegedly attempting to rob a Kelowna store while brandishing a knife on Wednesday morning (September 9).
RCMP received reports that a woman walked into a shop on the 1900 block of Pandosy Street in Kelowna, made a knife and asked for money. The perpetrator threatened the staff, grabbed goods and fled the area on foot.
Officials then flooded the area and arrested the suspect.
The West Kelowna teacher who sexually exploited students permanently loses his teaching license
A BC teacher was permanently banned from the classroom after committing criminal misconduct in which a vulnerable student was sexually exploited.
A consent form released Tuesday, September 8th by the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation stated that the teacher had a “pattern of border violations” in addition to the most serious violations that led to criminal convictions.
On May 2, 2018, the school district reported that a teacher had had a sexual relationship with a student at the school. The teacher was subsequently charged with the sexual exploitation of a young person by someone in a position of trust or authority and resigned the following month. The commissioner opened an investigation on July 6, 2018 after learning that the teacher had been charged with bail violation.
Teacher pleaded guilty to multiple charges in February 2019 and was convicted in February 2020. After his conviction, the teacher completed a consent form in which he agreed that his actions constituted professional misconduct and inappropriate behavior.
Mental health concerns loomed if BC occurs during COVID-19
World Suicide Prevention Day is a day when people can take part together to promote understanding about suicide.
Every September 10th, people in more than 50 countries come together to support those who have attempted or lost suicide.
Aaaryn Secker, manager of learning and development at the Canadian Mental Health Association in Kelowna (CMHA), said she had seen an increase in people with mental health in Kelowna due to the COVID-19 pandemic and found that the CMHA was in high demand according to its virtual advisory services.
The Kelowna Chiefs want to keep winning in an unusual season
The Kelowna Chiefs Jr. B. Hockey Club will be looking to pick up where it left off when the puck falls to kick off the 2020-21 KIJHL season in November.
Before COVID-19 concerns forced the KIJHL to cancel the rest of the playoffs in March, the Chiefs stood 1-1 in a second-round series against the Princeton Posse that they were favored by many to win. The Chiefs, led by top scorers Kayson Gallant and Porter Dawson, played just a single game against Princeton in the playoffs, having set a 33-12-3-2 record in the regular season and first place in Bill Hausen occupied division.
“Our chances were really good,” said Ken Law, Kelowna Chiefs head coach.
“We really started to gel and just got our feet under us. We had our injured players back and the carpet was pulled out from under us on the way to Princeton for game three. “
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