After the long weekend get ready for some traffic congestion.The Bertram Active Transportation Corridor construction starts Monday, April 6 in the downtown, with Bertram Street between Leon Avenue and Bernard Avenue closed for about four weeks.Each block will be completed before work continues to the next section.The p...

A big honour for a local winery.Leaders from Canada's wine industry were celebrated Tuesday night in Penticton at the 2026 Canadian Wine Industry Awards and BC Wine Industry Recognition Awards.The Stewart Family of Quails' Gate Winery in West Kelowna received the Canadian Wine Industry Award of Distinction, the industr...

Local Mounties are being equipped with an application on their mobile devices to better serve those with hearing challenges in the community.Project DECIPHER will be piloted in Kelowna, Nanaimo, Langley, and Prince George over the next six months, offering front-line members easy access to secure American Sign Language...

Residents in the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant service area will see their quarterly water rates drop this month, but a new parcel tax will appear on property tax notices in May.The city says the quarterly water rate will fall from $215 to about $179. The reduction reflects the completion of the $75-million water t...

Okanagan cities may be dreaming big - Olympic big. VernonMatters has learned the City of Kelowna has quietly reached out to municipal leaders in Vernon and Penticton about the possibility of a joint bid for the 2038 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games. Details of the early-stage discussions were revealed in an email c...

It's that time of year when Kelowna residents can buy highly discounted trees to help beautify their neighborhood.The popular NeighbourWoods program returns on April 7, providing residents an opportunity to get up to two new trees for their yard.The City said in a media release that eight varieties are being offered wh...

Kelowna council has directed staff to examine a tiered approach to policing, shifting focus toward assigning different types of calls to different responders.The review follows a city-commissioned report that explored policing options, including staying with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or creating a municipal for...

Thirty-nine finalists have been named for the 51st annual Civic and Community Awards, recognizing achievements across Kelowna in 2025.Selection panels trimmed nominations to three finalists in each of 13 categories spanning athletics, arts, business, environmental leadership and community service.Event development mana...

IKEA is set to open in Kelowna next week.It's not a full warehouse store, but instead will offer personal planning appointments for kitchens, wardrobes and room projects.The plan, order and pick location is set to open Wednesday April 8, at 1500 Banks Road.The IKEA will also offer financial services and home delivery o...

Kelowna City Council is examining alternatives for delivering police services as costs for the RCMP contract continue to rise sharply.A report being presented to council on Monday has compared Kelowna's current RCMP model with a potential municipal police service. Between 2020 and 2026, policing costs jumped from $34.8...

Students in the Central Okanagan are set to benefit from $9.4 million in federal funding awarded to the YMCA of Southern Interior BC to expand programs that support learning and well-being.The funding comes through the Government of Canada's Support for Student Learning program and will strengthen the YMCA's Youth Educ...

Safety advocates are urging Okanagan residents to not pack away their snow tires just yet.Road Safety at Work reminded the public that winter-rated tires are required and most Interior highways through April 30, including Highways 97C, the Coquihalla, and parts of Highway 1.The group said sudden snowfalls, compact snow...

The Kelowna Rockets are heading into the WHL Prospects Draft with a rare piece of franchise history, the first overall pick.At Thursday night's WHL lottery in Calgary, Kelowna officially secured the top selection for draft taking place May 6-7. It's just the second time the organization has picked first overall since r...

Tourism and the local economy in the Okanagan are set for a boost as Touchdown Kelowna brings two BC Lions home games, a 10-day fan festival, and community events to the city this summer. The province is contributing $1 million to support expanded seating at the Apple Bowl, temporary stadium upgrades, and festival acti...

Rock The Lake Music Festival has announced the first two performers for its 2026 edition, set for July 10-12 at Prospera Place in downtown Kelowna.B.C. alternative-folk and country artist Cameron Whitcomb and platinum-selling alt-rock band Default will take the stage, with additional acts to be revealed in the coming w...

The 30000 block of Sexsmith Road was closed for a period of time due to a police inciden. Frontline officers, Police Dog Services and members of the Kelowna Detachment Investigative Services responded to the area shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon. The scene was cleared and the road was fully reopened by 3:30 p.m...

The Coquihalla Highway reopened in both directions late Thursday morning following multiple vehicle incidents that closed the route Wednesday night.The northbound lanes between Hope and Merritt reopened at 11 a.m., while southbound traffic resumed around 10:30 a.m., according to DriveBC. The highway had been closed sin...

A Kelowna resident was among three people arrested after Canadian and Australian authorities seized 115 kilograms of methamphetamine in a major international drug trafficking investigation.The RCMP Federal Policing Pacific Region, working with the Australian Federal Police and Canada Border Services Agency, intercepted...

Construction has begun on a 3.2-kilometre stretch of the missing Okanagan Rail Trail.The City of Kelowna said the connection will go over municipal land and connect the trail between Old Vernon Road near the Kelowna International Area and the Lake Country boundary near Beaver Lake Road.The trail extension was expected ...

Kelowna RCMP's Crime Reduction Unit and Gang Enforcement Team are making what they call significant progress in the fight against illicit drugs, seizing large quantities of narcotics and a firearm in two separate investigations this month.On March 13, officers from the Gang Enforcement Team stopped a suspicious vehicle...

Most homes in West Kelowna had power restored early Wednesday morning following a large outage Tuesday evening. Nearly 4,000 properties lost electricity in the blackout, which began around 5:30 p.m. and affected areas north of Grizzly Road and west of Boucherie Road. BC Hydro said the outage was caused by equipment fai...

The Kelowna Rockets wrapped up their season with a standout night at the team's annual awards ceremony, highlighted by forward Tij Iginla's domination of the accolades. The 19-year-old Utah Mammoths draft pick earned Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row, joining only one other player in team history, Jason...

Stand-up comedian and former Saturday Night Live writer John Mulaney is set to perform in British Columbia this fall with stops in both Victoria and Kelowna.Mulaney will take the stage at Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena in Victoria on Nov. 12 before heading to Prospera Place in Kelowna on Nov. 13 as part of his Mister Wha...

The Kelowna Farmers and Crafters Market is set to open its 2026 season this weekend.The first market of the year is schedule for Saturday, April 4, bringing together local farmers, makers, and the community in the Landmark District. The market will run every Wednesday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. until October 31...

West Kelowna RCMP say all individuals involved in a March 19 incident at the Tallus Reservoir have been identified and are cooperating with investigators. The event caused only minor property damage, but the precautionary "Do Not Consume Water" order for parts of the Rose Valley Water Service Area remains in ...

The Kelowna Rockets are set to open the WHL playoffs against a familiar rival, the Kamloops Blazers.The team announced its first round schedule Monday, with Games 1 and 2 set for Prospera Place on March 27 and 28 before the series shifts to Kamloops.The matchup adds another chapter to a long running playoff rivalry bet...

Search and rescue crews worked quickly Saturday afternoon to get an injured ATV rider off a trail above Peachland.At 2:30 p.m., COSAR, PenSAR and VSAR were called to the Fur Brigade trail. Ground teams moved in right away while Air Rescue 1 flew in an advanced life support paramedic to help.COSAR said on social media t...

Fire crews responded to two separate house fires in West Kelowna Sunday morning, both of which appear to be accidental, according to city officials.The first fire broke out just after 5 a.m. in the Sunnyside neighbourhood, where firefighters found a single-family home fully engulfed in flames. While crews were still ba...