Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government can drop the name of the Kelowna accord, but still must come up with the billions of dollars to fund its promises, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said Tuesday.

The $5.1 billion accord reached last November in Kelowna in the final days of former prime minister Paul Martin’s Liberal government has been dismissed by Harper’s Conservatives as an 11th-hour deal by a government on its last legs.

“I don’t...

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O.K. Radio Group Ltd. and The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group announced that O.K. Radio agreed in principle to sell two radio stations (and related assets) to the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.

The stations involved in the transaction include:
100.3 The Q! The Island’s Rock (CKKQ-FM); and
The Zone @ 91.3 (CJZN-FM).

The acquisition marks the Pattison Broadcast Group’s strategic vision to create a pre-eminent British Columbia-owned and operated broadcasting entity.

Once...

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Janine Sentes is the Youth Park committee team leader. She talked with Penticton Western News reporter Wolf Depner about the official opening of the park yesterday.
PWN: The Youth Park opened this weekend. What is your reaction?

Sentes: I’m so excited. It is great to see the completion of this project.

PWN: What inspired you to get behind this project?

Sentes: The kids, for sure, seeing more youth-based facilities that kids in our community have much needed.
PWN:...

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Critics of the provincial government have yet another reason to doubt its commitment to agriculture.

The provincial government announced last week that the B.C. Agriculture Planning Committee will tour the province to develop a “made-in-B.C.” agriculture plan.

“We must ensure our agriculture sector has the tools to remain competitive, grow and prosper,” said Val Roddick, Delta-South MLA and parliamentary secretary for agriculture planning. Sounds good, right? Well, no. A...

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There is no doubt about which voters the Conservative government is out to attract with its first budget.

They have taken dead aim at working families, the people they need to form a majority government whenever the next election arrives.

Larded with tax credits for soccer moms, transit users and university students, this budget targets voters in ways they can understand.

Aside from the GST cut and tax breaks for small business, there is a tax credit for everyone who has a...

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The first Conservative budget promises plenty of tax cuts, more support for local agriculture, but no specific funding for the South Okanagan Event Centre.

Highlights include a one point drop in the General Services Tax to six per cent effective July 1 that is expected to cost the government $3.52 billion this year and $5.17 billion in 2007. The Conservatives also dropped the lowest tax bracket to 15.5 per cent from 16 per cent and planning to offer a whole host of tax credits on a host...

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The Kelowna deal is dead.

Last year’s Liberal-brokered, $5.1-billion plan to lift bleak native health, education and housing standards over 10 years would have allocated more than $600 million this year for those needs. Instead, the Conservatives are promising just $150 million this year and $300 million next year for vaguely defined efforts to improve education programs, provide clean water, repair crumbling housing stocks and close “the socio-economic gap.”

Almost...

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Hundreds packed the Best Western Vernon Lodge Friday night to honour some of the best in the business.
Progressive Solutions was named business of the year at the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce 2006 Business Excellence Awards Banquet.

Progressive Solutions, a developer of software for the forest industry, employs a staff of 53 in Vernon, with offices in Great Britain, Australia, California, Michigan and Vancouver. The company was named one of the top 100 employers by Maclean’s...

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper notched his first cross-border triumph Thursday, announcing a tentative agreement to end the long-standing lumber trade war with the United States.

Harper apparently intervened personally with U.S. President George W. Bush when the deal showed signs of foundering this week on opposition from the Canadian lumber industry.

“There were discussions at the highest levels with the United States,” International Trade Minister David Emerson said...

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Students and Okanagan College board members were jubilant Tuesday with the unanimous approval of a $71-million budget for 2006-07 with no tuition increase.

“I’m absolutely elated,” crowed Patrick Therrien, chairman of the Okanagan College Students’ Union.

“This will set a precedent across British Columbia, since as far as I’m aware, this is the only tuition freeze at a B.C. college. All the rest are raising tuition by two to 2 1/2 per cent for inflation.”

He...

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