By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle Osoyoos’ second annual writing contest concluded recently with three top prizes and a handful of honourable mentions that seem to speak of an untapped treasure trove of writing talent in Osoyoos. This year’s “It’s Winter Again in Osoyoos” writing contest saw 30 pieces of writing, up significantly from last year’s 18. “We had 24 businesses support those entries through downtown. And I think that’s just amazing,” expressed Lindsay Bayford of the Happy Paper Parlor who along with Dan Williams of Wayside Select Books & Art co-organized the contest. This year ..read more

By Times Chronicle Staff The Osoyoos Oyster Festival returned after a four year hiatus with bang last weekend as two events captivated wine and oyster lovers for what proved to be a date to mark on the calendar for next year. The oyster festivities kicked off on Friday with Sip & Shuck which saw a seemingly endless supply of fresh oysters provided by CodFathers, shucked on the spot and complemented by sampling of award-winning wines from local wineries, Kismet, Nostalgia, Nk’Mip Cellars, Gold Hill and Road 13.  Guests enjoy oysters and wine in the casual setting of the Osoyoos Golf ..read more

By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle Almost four million dollars in rehabilitation work has been approved for the Oliver & District Arena by the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS).  The RDOS awarded the contract for up to $3,844,257, plus applicable taxes to Wildstone Construction Ltd. at their April 18 meeting.  The money will go towards the following rehabilitation work:  Replacement of the arena ice slab and the rink dasher board system; Installation of an energy recovery system and upgrades to the arena refrigeration system controls; Completion of co ..read more

By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle The first local wildfire of the season in the South Okanagan occurred over the weekend with a 4.37 hectare wildfire at Dutton Creek, about 1.5 km east of the southern end of Vaseux Lake. BC Wildfire Service has listed the fire as “Being Held,” meaning it’s not likely to spread beyond predetermined boundaries.  The wildfire is classified as being started by humans or human activity – one of seven human caused fires reported in the Interior on Saturday. The majority of human-caused wildfires in BC happen in the spring and fall with BC Wildfire saying that s ..read more

By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle If you think the absence so far of typical spring flooding is going to mean less annoying mosquitos, you’re likely letting optimism get the best of you.  The regional district’s Mosquito Control Program is up and running again this year and early indications are showing less flooded areas but higher concentrations of mosquito larvae in smaller pockets of water.  This year there is less water as a result of the smaller snowpack in the mountains and there hasn’t been the typical freshet of recent years notes Shelley Fiorito, Projects Coordinator with t ..read more

By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle A new water treatment facility in Osoyoos based on lake water would be nearly $10 million cheaper than upgrading the current groundwater system according to a report from the largest water-only consultancy firm in the US. In its “Source Water and Treatment Feasibility Study” Carollo Engineers has estimated that the design, construction and ongoing operation and maintenance of a surface water treatment facility would have a capital cost of approximately $51.74 million. This compares to $61.5 million for groundwater treatment. Both options would carry an annual ..read more

By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle Thieves have struck the Osoyoos Indian Band’s (OIB) youth archery program on Wednesday night making off with 20 youth bows and six dozen feathered arrows in carrying cases from a locked trailer near Senpaq’cin School. “Our community is pretty upset,” says Sonya Jensen OIB youth coordinator and coach of the Twisted Arrows archery program when speaking with the Times Chronicle.  She says they’ve estimated the value of the archery equipment at about $3,000. To make matters worse Jensen said they had only recently acquired the equipment about two weeks ago af ..read more

By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle Water levels in Osoyoos Lake and further upstream at Okanagan Lake are being kept at higher than normal levels for this time of the year due to low snowpack levels which may contribute to drought conditions this summer.  The International Osoyoos Lake Board of Control (IOLBC) which oversees the operation of Zosel Dam in Washington State to manage water levels in the shared Osoyoos Lake basin said that it is maintaining a historical maximum water level – at 277.92 metres (911.81 feet) – in anticipation of lower spring run off due to the lower snow pack. Fo ..read more

The plan to establish a life jacket and boating safety station on Osoyoos Lake has been given a nudge with donations from first responders who opted to use the money awarded to them by the Rotary Club of Osoyoos. Both the Osoyoos Fire Rescue and the Osoyoos RCMP have each donated their $1,100 cheques from Rotary to Osoyoos’ first water safety station – the brainchild of Osoyoos RCMP Commander Sgt. Jason Bayda – with a target of being operational by July 1. Cheque presentation – (left to right) Elliott Friedrich, President Rotary Club of Osoyoos, Deputy Chief Rob Huttema, Firefighter Gurvir G ..read more

By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle Oliver has approved overarching plans to reduce the town’s energy and emissions, and will now create a work plan to be more green.  Two separate plans were presented to council on April 2: the Corporate Energy and Emissions Plan and the Community Energy and Emissions Plan.  The Town began developing these plans in 2022 with the help of the Community Energy Association (CEA). The plans provide background information to develop strategic priorities for the next five years when it comes to carving a path toward a low carbon future.  The Corpor ..read more