Vernon
ISC foots bill to remove dead cows in lake Feds fund cow clean up Photo: Tracey Prediger It appears taxpayers will be footing the bill for the removal of 26 dead cows out of Okanagan Lake. Indigenous Services Canada will be handing over more than $50,000 to the Okanagan Indian Band. A spokesperson with ISC confirmed in an email that “a funding request of $51,428 from the OKIB” was received Jan. 18, 2023. The email continues saying, ISC “approved the request Jan. 25, 2023.” OKIB confirmed the clean up efforts spanned multiple days in a press release issued earlier this month, noting “twenty-six carcasses were successfully removed from Okanagan Lake Jan. 5 and 6.” According to a spokesperson with the OKIB, removal efforts included a dive team and transportation of the cattle to a rendering facility in Alberta. Water quality samples were also taken from the lake before, during, and after the cows were removed from the lake. Details and cost breakdowns of what is included in the Band's financial ask was not provided by ISC. According to Band bylaws, the cows may have been “on the loose…out of season.” When asked if any fines will be forthcoming, the province and Okanagan Indian Band have yet to respond.
Vernon men took to the sky with homemade glider Soaring through the heavens Photo: Museum and Archives of Vernon Fred Little on the open pilot?s seat at the front of the glider he built with Frank Oliver in 1932. Photo courtesy of Warren Little. Eldon Seymour and Jim Duddle were not Vernon’s only dynamic duo of intrepid aviators. Around the same time the two teenagers were building their open-cockpit airplane in the loft of the Kalamalka Lake Store, Fred Little and Frank Oliver were gliding through the sky in their own creation. Thank you to Fred’s son, Warren, for supplying the information and photos for this story. When Fred and Frank were in their early 20s, they began building a glider in the kitchen of Fred’s family home. At the time, Fred was a professional mechanic, and was employed by Watkin Motors in Vernon. He later went on to serve the city as fire chief and was named the 1969 Good Citizen of the Year. Frank, meanwhile, was a businessman, the owner of Specialty Cleaners. Once complete, the glider was flown from Vernon’s first airfield, located in the Mission Hill area. This take-off location was ideal, because updraft winds from Kalamalka Lake allowed for long flights in the glider. Local flying instructor Lowell Dunsmore piloted the first flight of the 32-foot Northrop Standard on June 12, 1932. On the second of three attempts, the Ford Model A towing car reached about 65 km/h. The glider soared into the air and hovered a steady 10 feet above the airstrip before Dunsmore released the tow cord and brought it to a gentle landing. The following Tuesday, Fred and Frank performed another five successful flights in their aircraft. Not to be outdone, Eldon Seymour and Jim Duddle also saw their own homemade glider successfully piloted by Lowell Dunsmore a few weeks later, and launched the City of Vernon airplane the following year. While the latter may have been the first home-built aircraft in Vernon with an engine, Fred and Frank owned and constructed the first glider in the B.C. Interior. The glider went on to have many successful flights but was unfortunately later wrecked by a winter snow storm that collapsed its top. Gwyn Evans is the Head of Archives with the Museum and Archives of Vernon.
Kate Tooke’s solo show at Vernon's Gallery Vertigo will feature farm animals on a large scale Giant chickens at Vertigo Photo: Contributed Giant chickens are invading a Vernon art gallery. Enormous chickens – among other animals – will be featured at local award-winning artist Kate Tooke’s solo show at Gallery Vertigo. While a variety of sizes of oil paintings will be on display, it is definitely Tooke’s preference to work on a large scale. “My paintings are inspired by the animals on our small farm. Not growing up on a farm, I have learned so much about myself through caring for these unique beings. I hope to be able to share the magic and intimate connection that has come through countless hours of painting, study and relationship” says Tooke, who is an emerging artist. This will be her first solo show at Gallery Vertigo. Tooke has won several awards, including “Best-in-Show” for her paintings through juried shows of the Federation of Canadian Artists. “Moving to Vernon 10 years ago and hobby farming, while incredibly rewarding, has not been the idyllic fantasy I had envisioned. There are truths about animals and farming that I was willfully blind to seeing. My ethical and emotional internal conflict in raising chickens for eggs and meat could fill volumes,” says Tooke. “The animals I’ve painted have all lived on our farm. The process of presence and intense study required to paint them has opened a deeper relationship than I thought possible. I have learned so much and received so many gifts from these magical beings that I feel compelled to pay it forward through my paintings.” Tooke's work will be on display at Gallery Vertigo, 102-3105 28 Ave. from Feb. 7 to March 4, with the opening reception taking place on Thursday Feb. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m.
The BC SPCA has lots of information on rabbits Rabbits bring luck in 2023 Photo: BC SPCA In the Chinese calendar, 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit. The Chinese New Year began Jan. 22, but how much do you know about the furry critters? The BC SPCA has a wealth of information on the lagamorphs. The rabbit is the luckiest animal on the Chinese zodiac and symbolizes the character traits of creativity, compassion and sensitivity. “Rabbits are a much more complex and interesting animal than a lot of people think,” says Meghann Cant, BC SPCA’s manager, companion animal welfare science and policy. “They are a prey species so it takes some time to show their personality, but once they trust you, many are quite affectionate. They need attention and playtime outside of a cage to stay healthy and happy.” The average lifespan of a rabbit is seven to 10 years depending on the breed. Some rabbits can live up to 15 years. There are many ways rabbits let you know they trust and care about you: You know your rabbit is bonded to you when they start to groom you by licking your arm or leg while you are petting them.
It could be misunderstood as an attempt to trip you, but when rabbits are excited and feeling the love, they will run around your legs and sometimes between them.
When they want you to pet them, they will nudge your hand or lower their head.
They will lay down beside you with their legs splayed out or even flop on their back. This is a very vulnerable position for them to rest in. They are saying, “I trust you”.
Rabbits purr. Although much quieter than a cat’s purr which comes from the throat, you know when your rabbit is content when they softly grind their teeth, causing their jaw to vibrate and their whiskers to twitch.
Rabbits’ ears can rotate independently and they can hear up into the ultrasonic range, well beyond what humans can hear. Their ears also help keep them cool.
They have nearly 360-degree vision. Rabbits can see from all directions without turning their head.
Rabbits shouldn’t eat carrots. Their high sugar content makes carrots only suitable for treats occasionally. Grass hays like Timothy hay, orchard grass or oat hay should make up 80 per cent of their daily diet and fresh leafy greens like kale, bok choy, parsley and romaine lettuce combined with high quality rabbit pellets should make up the rest.
Zoning changes to allow larger footprint for cannabis cultivation in RDNO Open to pot growers Photo: Pixabay Pot growers are welcome to build in the rural Lumby area. “If someone wants to invest in my community, I wanted to make sure there was a level playing field,” explains Rick Fairbairn, RDNO Area D director, when asked why he recommended a change that would allow for up to 20,000 square feet of agricultural cannabis production in the village. “Licensed (cannabis growing) facilities are going to go somewhere,” Fairbairn says, adding there are “more opportunities to supply legal outlets” after recent changes in federal regulations. Fairbairn says “there have been a number of inquiries by interested parties.” However, previous zoning restricted marijuana cultivation to 5,000 square feet. “It doesn’t really matter if it’s a hog barn, a chicken barn, a dairy barn, or a cannabis barn,” says Fairbairn. He says he he doesn't want anything to restrict future development in the area.
Vernon's Historic O'Keefe Ranch hosting wealth of winter carnival activities Carnival spirit at O'Keefe Photo: File photo The Winter Blues are returning to Historic O'Keefe Ranch as it gets into the carnival spirit with a variety of events. The 63rd Vernon Winter Carnival starts Friday and goes for 10 days. O'Keefe will be hosting a wealth of activities on the opening and closing weekends of carnival. On Feb. 4, 5, 11 and 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the ranch royalty will be in the gazebo and available for photos. Jopo and Jopette will also be wandering the ranch and are available for photos. There will be children’s crafts including making pinecone bird feeders and snowflakes. Tours of the O'Keefe Mansion and wagon rides will also be available. Participants can warm up near a bon fire, roast marshmallows and s’mores and visit the general store to immerse in historic retail of days gone by. If there is snow, bring your own show shoes and follow the Blue Ribbon trail around the ranch or try your hand at snowmen building. Warm up in the Kids Carnival Hall with old-fashioned country fair games such as bean bag toss and ring toss. “Smurfs” short films will also be playing. And on Feb. 11 from 7 to 9 p.m. the Poppa Dawg Blues Band will be performing at the ranch. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit the carnival website.
Vernon has seen a steady increase in drug-related calls since 2019: BCEHS Increase in drug calls Photo: Contributed In 2022, BC Emergency Health Services responded to more than 500 overdose and drug-poisoning calls in Vernon. Crews were called to 513 incidents last year, up from 457 in 2021. The data shows a steady increase in drug-related calls since 2019 which had 247 reported cases. In 2020 there were 316 calls. For 2017 and 2018 there were 322 and 285 calls respectively. BC EHS reports 2016 had the lowest number of drug calls at 170. Crews responded to 213 calls in West Kelowna last year and 661 in Penticton, which was down from the 2021 total of 748. Of the three major Okanagan communities, Kelowna had more calls than Vernon and Penticton combined at 1,824. Kamloops had the second-highest number of calls in the region at 1,285. And it should come as no surprise Vancouver had the highest number of calls at 7,827. Smaller communities like Lumby are not immune to the opioid crisis with BC EHS responding to seven drug calls last year. Crews responded to 13 calls in Armstrong and 21 calls in Enderby.
Hello Okanagan visits MotherLove Kombucha Bar in Kelowna It's kombucha time Vernon's Peter Kaz and David Scarlatescu are back with the latest episode of Hello Okanagan. This week, the Hello Okanagan crew stop by MotherLove Kombucha Bar in Kelowna. Each week, Kaz and Scarlatescu talk with Okanagan business leaders, debate issues facing the region, and promote the Valley as a whole. The videos will be aired each Saturday, and you can see them here on Castanet. If you any questions or suggestions, contact them via the Hello Okanagan Facebook page.
Okanagan Indian Band jiu jitsu phenom wins two gold medals at European championships Double gold for Marchand Photo: Contributed Lillian Marchand, centre, won two gold medals at the European International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation Championships in Paris. Lillian Marchand not only took on some of the best in the world, she beat them. Marchand, a member of the Okanagan Indian Band, won two gold medals in Paris today at the European International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation Championships. The jiu jitsu phenom was competing in the Juvenile 2 blue belt light division. This is the latest in a string of wins for Marchand who trains at North Okanagan Shuswap Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when she is in the Okanagan. But when Marchand is competing, she trains at Atos headquarters in San Diego with world champion grappler Andre Galvao. Marchand, who is a Tolko-sponsored athlete, trains with Galvao up to six months of the year. At just 16 years old, Marchand already has already won numerous prestigious titles and has more events coming up throughout 2023.
Vernon historian has unearthed footage from various BC locations from the 1960s 60-year-old road trip Today's trip down memory lane stops in several areas of BC. Vernon historian and videographer Francois Arseneault as compiled footage from the 1960s into a digital video. But this week, Arseneault is doing things a little differently. These days, videos are shot in a digital format and largely taken with smart phones of some sort, however, 60 years ago everything was recorded on film. Today's episode is a combination of both 8 mm and 16 mm footage from 1964 and 1962 respectively from various locations in the province. Arseneault compares the two formats side by side. The footage begins with a journey between Vancouver Island and Tsawwassen aboard one of BC Ferries’ ships, the crown corporation was only four years old in 1964. “It’s a beautiful warm sunny day with clear blue skies. The waters of the Strait of Georgia are always busy with pleasure craft, fishing boats and other work boats,” Arseneault said. “For the first-time traveler on the ferry, the experience is wonderful, everyone has their own memory of that first ferry passage. The sea air, the breeze, the squawking of seagulls, the blast of the ship’s horn approaching Active Pass. The shuffling down the stairs back to our cars to patiently wait to drive off the ferry.” The traveller then heads underground top the George Massey Tunnel, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1959 to overwhelming support. The 629-metre long tunnel was considered an engineering marvel, and was the first rectangular reinforced concrete immersed traffic tunnel in North America and second of its kind in the world.
The road trip then heads eastbound on the Trans-Canada Highway where it enters the Yale Tunnel, 59 years ago on freshly paved highway. The next reel appears to be in northern BC, possibly at the WAC Bennet Dam construction site near Hudson's Hope. It is then back to Vancouver Island, but Arseneault is not sure exactly where. “It might possibly be Esquimalt given the structures and crane,” he said. At the four-minute and 14-second mark, the footage switches from 8 mm to 16 mm on Quesnel Lake in 1964. “The difference between 8 mm and 16 mm is quite evident. To be fair, 16 mm cameras were offered with much better lenses than the more economical 8 mm cameras. This camera in particular had a wonderfully sharp lens,” said Arseneault. Quesnel Lake is a glacial lake or fjord and is the major tributary of the Fraser River and with a depth of 511 m (1,677 ft), it is claimed to be the deepest fjord lake in the world, the deepest lake in BC, and the third-deepest lake in North America, after Great Slave Lake and Crater Lake. Arseneault is always looking for more information on the vintage footage he digs up, and he encourages people to add their input in the comments section on his Youtube page. Arseneault has an extensive collection of vintage footage, and he is looking for more. Anyone who may have old 16 mm or 8 mm film footage of the Vernon and Okanagan area is invited to email Arseneault at [email protected]

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