By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle To share this story click here to generate a link.   The BC Wildfire Service will be using night vision technology to carry out night air operations for the first time this wildfire season following the conclusion of trials this spring. The operations will not immediately involve water drops, however. “We’re looking at nighttime aircraft, and we are beyond the trial phase, we will be adopting overnight aircraft capacity to a certain degree this wildfire season,” Beau Michaud, Penticton Fire Zone BC Wildfire Technician told the Times Chronicle on ..read more

By Roy Wood, Special to the Times Chronicle  To share this story click here to generate a link.   It’s been anything but business as usual at Osoyoos town hall over the past several months as staff has struggled with the long and angry budget process and many of council’s priorities have been delayed or shelved. In a report to council regarding its strategic priorities, chief administrative officer Rod Risling said: “Administration has progressed on some of the priorities, but for the most part, significant delays to most projects have occurred due to the extended budget proces ..read more

By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle To share this story click here to generate a link.   Appointments are underway for the new committee supporting the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in Oliver.  Councillor Aimee Grice has been appointed to serve on the committee, with Mayor Martin Johansen being appointed to the alternate position.  Johansen noted he would like to sit on the committee as an alternate member as he already has his plate quite full with being involved in the Regional Hospital District, the Primary Care Networks (PNC) Committee among o ..read more

By Times Chronicle Staff To share this story click here to generate a link.   SOAP Theatre’s spring 2024 production of Halfway There by Norm Foster opened with a bang on Friday, May 3 quickly transporting theatre goers to the small town of Stewiacke, Nova Scotia, whose claim to fame is being located exactly halfway between the North pole and the Equator. We soon learn that, perhaps like Oliver or Osoyoos, there’s no such thing as a secret in Stewiacke; not when the gossips meet for coffee every day at Junior’s Restaurant. Vi, Rita, Mary Ellen, and Janine are a tight crew, as close a ..read more

Contributed Content  To share this story click here to generate a link.   Oliver’s art community opens its doors wide to welcome the public to its annual open house celebration. The bay doors roll up at Oliver’s Quail’s Nest Arts Centre for their spring open house on Sunday May 19 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.  Visitors will find art exhibits, demonstrations, and sales of handicraft. Adding to the festive atmosphere will be live music, Law of Attraction Food Trailer, children’s art activities, and door prizes. Admission is free and cash donations are gratefully accepted. &nbs ..read more

By Times Chronicle Staff Photos: Sherani Theophilus and Don Urquhart To share this story click here to generate a link.   Two days of all things wine and pork were celebrated over the weekend with the annual 2024 Pig Out Festival which returned to its original spring dates and single location format for the first time since 2019. The weekend festivities kicked off on Friday evening with a Wine Makers Dinner at The Bear, the Fish, the Root, and the Berry, located at Spirit Ridge Resort.  Firmly centred around pork, the dinner featured modern vineyard cuisine inspired by th ..read more

By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle Featuring music from his acclaimed 2021 album Hourglass, iconic Canadian folk singer Murray McLauchlan is coming to Oliver’s Venables Theatre as part of his eight city BC tour. Although it seems unlikely anyone would not be familiar with McLauchlan, he is one of Canada’s leading folk music artists and one of the early artists to carve out a sustainable career in Canada. His success over a 50 year career is underscored by no less than 11 Juno Awards from 24 nominations to date, alongside an impressive 20 album catalog. While McLauchlan’s work has included eleme ..read more

By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle To share this story click here to generate a link.   The once-a-year annual open house at the South Okanagan Rehabilitation Centre for Owls (Sorco) drew over 2,500 visitors over a five hour period on Saturday with a Golden Eagle the star of the event, along with the ever crowd pleasing baby owls (owlets).  The annual event, the largest fundraiser for the volunteer-driven Raptor rehabilitation centre, is a precious peak into the facility which is closed to the public 364 days a year. As the group receives no government funding it relies entirely ..read more

By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle To share this story click here to generate a link.   Stage one water restrictions are now in place in Oliver, but not all councillors agreed they should be declared. The decision to enact these restrictions was not unanimous as Councillor David Mattes and both Water Councillors Rick Machial and Bhupinder Dhaliwal voting against the action. Mattes explained, “I don’t think we have ever had watering restrictions this early in the year, we might be jumping the gun a little bit. I recognize that the snowpack is certainly a factor, but we also don’t ..read more

By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle To share this story click here to generate a link.   Following the months-long drama of Osoyoos’ tax brouhaha, Oliver has finalized its 2024 property tax rate with an overall increase of 5.7 per cent with barely a whisper of discontent. This 5.7 per cent increase is a total from all property taxation including all the assessment classes which include residential, business, light industry, utility and farm and recreation. The final number of 5.7 per cent is an incremental increase from the previously discussed 5.5 per cent increase back in Februa ..read more