OSOYOOS TIMES-August 19, 2009 To say the Liberals have kicked up a bit of a stink with the announcement that B.C.’s GST and PST will be harmonized next July would be the understatement of the year. But to get mad at a government for introducing a new tax (or in this case, a new system of taxation) [...] [...more]
To his friends, Jordan Jacob Klotz was the person who would always find some way to bring everyone together. In a written message, the 17-year-old’s closest friends said “Jordan was simply an angel that everyone loved and wanted to spend their time and life with.” “Jordan was the kid that everyone loved. No one had a reason not to; he always made you smile even when you thought it was impossible.” [...more]
By Christmas, the former Sagebrush Lodge residential care facility will be back in use – but this time it will be providing a home base for a number of Interior Health initiatives. “The plans are to relocate the staff and programs that are currently at the Health Centre office,” said Mark Watt, Interior Health’s director of health services for Osoyoos and Oliver. [...more]
Land owners within the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) who wish to subdivide for a relative and avoid the RDOS rezoning process must now have a property 50 hectares in size or more. On Aug. 6, the rural directors on the RDOS board voted unanimously in favour of approving a bylaw establishing the 50-hectare limit. [...more]
I say “tomato,” you say “tomatto,” but if Mayor Stu Wells is within earshot, you better watch your mouth when you say “Osoyoos.” “I want to get t-shirts that state, ‘There is no SOY in O-soo-yuss,’” Wells said, explaining that the pronunciation of the town’s name seems to have taken on a few new varieties over the years. “The name of the town is ‘O-soo-yuss,’” Wells said. [...more]
Editor: As I write this letter (Aug. 10), I have just returned from a trip to the USA. I sat for nearly 45 minutes in a lineup that was just as long when I got to the head of it as it was when I was the last vehicle in the lineup. I couldn’t believe that only one [...] [...more]
If you are paying attention to the news about upcoming tax changes for B.C. residents, you might consider buying a house now, but – if you are a business owner – waiting until next year to buy a car. The term “HST” is causing some pretty hot debate in B.C. right now. “It certainly is generating a lot of interest,” said Terry Craig, a certified general accountant from Osoyoos’s Kemp Harvey Kemp Inc. [...more]
FortisBC is looking into possible changes to the way it charges people for electricity and the utility is asking for public feedback. At an open house at the Sonora Community Centre on July 30, representatives of the utility explained why changes are being considered and how new electricity rates could be applied. [...more]
A “perfect storm” of bumper cherry crops south of the border and low cherry prices has left a sour taste in the mouth of the man representing local cherry farmers. Greg Norton, the Oliver-based chairman of the Okanagan Kootenay Cherry Growers’ Association, said local cherry producers are facing lost revenues this year because the world market is flooded with cheap cherries, mainly from Washington state. [...more]
FortisBC set a record last week for summer peak electricity demand in the Okanagan region, reaching a high of 406 megawatts between 5 and 6 p.m. on July 27. “It’s a flag for us, to realize we need to conserve energy at all times, even through the summer,” said Jodie Foster Sexsmith, communications and media relations advisor from FortisBC. [...more]
