If you believe the numbers,  statistics show that bus ridership in Kelowna is growing at a rate of 11% per year.  If fact, according to the Director of Services for the City, Ron Westlake…  Kelowna has one of the fastest growing transit systems in the country, driven in part by an aging population.  Added to the total, a huge number of UBC-O students who use the service in the morning and afternoon to get to and from class.

So, its hard to accept a decision to slash $250-thousand dollars from the transit budget and cut service.  Some runs to UBC-O will be gone.  As well, the #9 – Shopper Shuttle that runs from the Queensway Bus loop, out to Parkinson Rec Center, out to Orchard Park, Central Park and back downtown is gone.  Westlake says the numbers don’t justify the #9  routing, so its got to go.  Calls to my ...

It’s Tuesday afternoon, and I’m packing a swimsuit, towel, swim-goggles and hat into a bag, heading for Parkinson Rec Center.  I’m back into the pool…  and soon will be back on my bike.  As I pack that bag, it’s with the words of a good friend echoing in my ears.  “Phil,…   what are you going to do with the 18 summers you have left, the 18 birthdays, the 18 Christmas eve’s you have left?”.  The question asked, nearly three years ago, as we joined thousands of cyclists in the “Ride to Conquer Cancer..”.

On that fateful ride, Gary Norkum the owner of CyclePATH set out the scenario of life. My “number” was likely 80.  Life insurance actuarial tables, suggesting that given my birth date, my lifestyle, I’ll likely make it to 80.  Maybe I’ll check out early, maybe get a couple more.  But, 80 is the average date of departure.  ...

A massive traffic jam that defied description.   Inching along, spending  hours on Harvey,…  West Kelowna and westbound motorists found themselves in the middle of a nightmare drive that was three to four hours long.  Their slow crawl up and over the bridge and through the detour gave everyone time for contemplation, plenty of hours for anger to build. 

As engineers measure pitch, angle, slope.. take photo’s for analysis, measure soil moisture, levels of compaction…  they should know the demand is coming for answers.  As of this writing, Transportation Minister Blair Leckstrom and West Kelowna MLA Ben Stewart are flying in to eyeball the mess and put a government spin on the story.  Its doubtful they’ll have, or provide answers. 

But they shouldn’t lose sight of the fact, that at its center, is the WFN land swap, an $8-milion dollar bonus paid to the band, and general contractor status that was ...