‘Do not occupy’ order posted on apartment building in West Kelowna, displacing about 150 tenants – West Kelowna News
Photo: Madison Erhardt
UPDATE 7:05 p.m.
Firefighters have now left the area. It’s not clear at this point if the report of fire was substantiated, or if it was a false alarm.
Castanet will request more information from West Kelowna Fire Rescue.
ORIGINAL 6:45 p.m.
West Kelowna Fire Rescue is investigating a report of multiple grass fires.
Firefighters were called about multiple fire starts on the 3000-block of Glencoe Road at about 6:20 p.m.
Fire crews and RCMP are now on scene investigating. Some roads in the area are blocked. There was no smoke visible from an RCMP roadblock on Glencoe Road as of 7 p.m.
Castanet has a reporter at the scene and will update.
Photo: Colin Dacre
Fire and HazMat crews investigate a noxious smell at a West Kelowna apartment complex Sunday.
UPDATE 4 p.m.
About 150 tenants of a newly-constructed rental apartment building in West Kelowna have been displaced indefinitely.
West Kelowna Fire Rescue and the regional HazMat team spent Sunday searching for the source of the noxious odour to no avail. Crews, however, continue to detect levels of concern through various parts of the building at 3623 Elliott Road.
The building has now been turned over to its owner, declared unsafe with a “do not occupy” order posted.
West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund says no one may occupy the building until it has been made safe by the owner with the help of qualified professionals.
Residents of the building are directed to register with Emergency Social Services at the Royal LePage Arena on Cameron Rd in West Kelowna before 10 p.m. this evening. The reception centre will reopen tomorrow at 9 a.m. Impacted residents will receive 72 hours of support in the form of accommodations, food vouchers and incidental costs.
Property owner Ironclad Developments will be making arrangements for tenants after that time period.
« WKFR fire crews will remain on scene into this evening to assist evacuees by removing essential and critical items from the building (medications, identification, car keys). This can be arranged following registration at the ESS reception centre,” Brolund said.
“We thank the residents and owners of the building for their cooperation in this challenging situation. We are also grateful for the assistance of the ESS volunteers who continue to take care of the evacuees.”
The fire department says further updates will be provided by the building owner.
UPDATE: 1 p.m.
The West Kelowna apartment buildings evacuated Sunday morning due to a noxious odour are brand new, and residents only began moving in a few months ago.
Early Sunday morning, about 150 people were evacuated from the Lakeview Point apartment buildings, at 3623 Elliott Road, after a noxious odour was detected in one of them.
Two of the development’s four buildings are currently occupied, while the other two remain under construction. Fire and HazMat crews have yet to locate the source of the smell.
Ironclad Developments owns and operates the rental apartments.
“Ironclad Developments Inc. fully supports the fire department’s decision to evacuate the building out of an abundance of caution and temporary relocate residents,” said Lauren Clemens, Ironclad’s director of corporate affairs.
“A detailed inspection has already been completed and an additional inspection is taking place currently in an effort to safely and expeditiously reinstate full tenant access.”
Clemens says about 80 units between the two buildings are currently occupied.
An Emergency Support Services warming centre has been opened at Royal Lepage Place for the evacuated residents. Earlier, West Kelowna Fire Rescue chief Jason Brolun said “plans are in place” for residents if the source of the noxious smell is not found before nightfall.
An update on the situation is expected by 3 p.m.
UPDATE: 11 a.m.
Fire and HazMat crews continue to comb through a West Kelowna apartment building looking for the source of a strange odour first identified early Sunday morning, but they’ve yet to find it.
About 150 residents were evacuated from the building on Elliott Road just before 4 a.m. after the odour was first noticed in the building, and they remain unable to return.
“The building was swept and visually inspected all suites on the affected floors. Nothing was found. While some indications were received, none were strong or persistent enough to identify the exact nature or cause,” said West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund.
“The continued patience of the public and residents of the building is appreciated while we work to pinpoint the issue and return them to their homes as soon as it is safe to do so.”
The Emergency Support Services Team has opened up a warming centre at Royal Lepage Place for residents to go. Brolund says there are “plans in place” should residents need to remain evacuated through the evening.
Another update on the situation is expected at 3 p.m.
ORIGINAL: 7:10 a.m.
About 150 residents of a large West Kelowna apartment building were roused from their sleep in the early morning hours of Sunday over a strange odour in the building, prompting a response from Kelowna Fire Rescue’s HazMat team.
At about 3:45 a.m., the odour was noticed at the building on Elliott Road near Gosset Road, and the residents were evacuated from their homes as a result.
While fire crews have been investigating the smell, as of 5:45 a.m., they had not yet found the source of the issue. It’s unclear what’s causing it.
As a result, 150 residents and their pets have been left with nowhere to go. West Kelowna Fire Rescue chief Jason Brolund says the Regional Emergency Support Services Team has been activated, and a warming centre has been set at Royal Lepage Place.
Buses have been transporting those residents who need a ride to the warming centre.
The ESS has asked everyone evacuated from the apartment building to register at Royal Lepage Place.
It’s not clear when residents can expect to return to their homes.
Photo: West Kelowna Fire Rescue
A home on West Kelowna’s Boucherie Road went up in flames overnight, but no one was injured in the large fire.
Fire crews responded to the home on the 2600 block of Boucherie Road at about 11:30 p.m. to find “heavy fire involvement on the upper sundeck.”
The fire quickly moved into the deck’s roof, through the attic and down to the main living area of the home.
The family who lived there was home at the time, but all members of the family, including their pets, made it out safely.
Chad Gartrell, assistant fire chief with West Kelowna Fire Rescue, said they were unable to determine a cause of the blaze due to the extent of the damage to the home, but they don’t believe the fire was suspicious in nature.
Photo: Anastasiia N.
Photo: Dave Ogilvie
Crews are cleaning up a multi-car crash on Highway 97 in West Kelowna.
The crash occurred at about 9:30 p.m. at the Boucherie Road intersection.
As many as four vehicles were involved, according to a witness. It is not known if anyone is hurt.
Traffic is currently getting by on the highway, but is blocked in both directions on Boucherie Road.
Drivers should expect delays while moving through the area while the collision is cleared.
Photo: Contributed
Skatepark concept design
Two companies have shown an interest in constructing the new skateboard park in West Kelowna.
Both unnamed companies responded to requests for qualifications posted recently by the city.
Special projects manager Mark Roberts, in an update on the overall city hall project for council, says both companies have the experience, and expertise, to handle the project.
The current five-year-old skatepark, adjacent to the Johnson Bentley Memorial Aquatic Centre, will be dismantled and moved to make way for the new city hall.
An online public consultation on a preliminary design for the skatepark, concludes Sunday. Results, and feedback will be shared with the design team at the end of next week.
Final design, awarding of the contract and actual construction are expected later this spring.
Roberts says work is also progressing on design of the new city hall.
It is being proposed the building will be about 18 metres wide with entrance on the east and an elevator shaft on the west side.
The Okanagan Regional Library, which will encompass about 15,000 square feet of the approximately 45,000 square foot building, would be located on the ground level.
Council chambers and the lobby would be on the main floor, with administration and day-to-day operations on the upper floors.
City hall could be open to the public by winter of 2022.
Photo: District of Peachland
Two years after construction began, water is flowing through Peachland’s new water treatment plant.
The district says that while some work around the site still needs to be complete, the plant, first envisioned as a priority in 2006, is operational, and supplying filtered, treated water to the Peachland Creek distribution system.
The district ponied up about $11.8 million of the $18.8 million cost of the project.
The federal and provincial governments each kicked in $3.48 million through various grant programs.
« We are very grateful for the participation and support of senior governments on this transformative project for our community, » said Mayor Cindy Fortin.
« Their funding and support on this project helped us achieve our goal of ensuring there is improved, quality drinking water for our residents and that we are no longer affected by seasonal water quality advisories moving forward. »
She adds the project would not have been possible without government grant monies, or the forethought of current, and previous council members.
The new plant currently services about three-quarters of the residents in the area of Ponderosa and those south including properties between the highway and Okanagan Lake.
The district says the remainder of the community will be connected on the Trepanier interconnect project, which is expected to be complete within the next few months.
Photo: City of West Kelowna
Construction on a new roundabout means motorists will have to avoid the intersection of Carrington and Gellatly roads in West Kelowna for the next 10 weeks.
Work is expected to begin on a new roundabout at the intersection beginning this coming Monday, April 19.
This means the intersection will be closed from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. weekdays for the duration of the work.
While detours will be in place for motorists, pedestrian access will be maintained. Cyclists are urged to either follow the same detours as vehicle traffic, or dismount and use sidewalks through the construction zone.
The area will be open to traffic in the evenings, on weekends and statutory holidays.
Area businesses will also remain open.
The $1.32 million intersection project will also include a proposed three-metre-wide, asphalt, multi-use path between Witt and Boucherie Roads, to create a key connection between Westbank Centre and the waterfront, and minor in-stream storm work improvements to Smith Creek.
While the intersection itself is expected to be closed for about 10 weeks, the entire project won’t be finished until September.
Photo: Google Street View
UPDATE: 4:20 p.m.
After a number of volunteers were left with no vaccines to give at a Peachland pop-up vaccine clinic Thursday morning, Interior Health has blamed the mix-up on a « gap » in communication.
The Peachland Wellness Centre had organized its second vaccination clinic at the Peachland Community Centre Thursday morning, but when their volunteers showed up, no Interior Health staff came with vaccines.
Christina MacMaster, executive coordinator of the Peachland Wellness Centre, told Castanet that IH told her the clinic had been « cancelled, » and there was some type of « glitch » in communicating that.
Thursday afternoon, IH told Castanet that no Peachland residents who were looking for a vaccine were left hanging.
« No immunization appointments were booked or cancelled in Peachland today, » an unidentified IH spokesperson said in an email, more than six hours after Castanet requested information on the matter.
« Earlier in our planning, we had held this date for a potential clinic. However, in our scheduling we did not move forward with this date. Unfortunately, there was a gap in our communication with the Community Centre and for that reason volunteers were unaware of the change in plans, and for that we apologize. »
IH said they are still planning on holding a second vaccination clinic in Peachland in the future, but no date has been set yet. Eligible Peachland residents are still able to book vaccine appointments in West Kelowna for the time being.
The first Peachland pop-up clinic was held on April 8, and about 400 residents were vaccinated.
ORIGINAL: noon
A pop-up vaccination clinic in Peachland was cancelled at the last minute Thursday morning, when Interior Health never showed up with the vaccines.
The Peachland Wellness Centre had organized two pop-up clinics in the community with Interior Health. The first saw about 400 residents vaccinated on April 8 at the Peachland Community Centre, but when volunteers arrived again Thursday morning, a key component of the vaccination clinic was missing.
“We were there getting ready for the clinic and nobody from IH was there so we sent them a message and they said, ‘Oh sorry, it’s cancelled.’” said Christina MacMaster, executive coordinator of the Peachland Wellness Centre.
“They have offered their sincerest apologies, it was a glitch in the communication and it didn’t get to us as quick as it was supposed to.”
Castanet has reached out to Interior Health for details on why the clinic was cancelled, but IH has yet to provide a response.
The clinic was meant to serve Peachland residents who were eligible to receive vaccinations based on their age. Everyone who received a vaccination at the April 8 clinic had registered with the province online or by phone.
The pop-up clinics have been organized by Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin, the Peachland Wellness Centre and Interior Health. MacMaster says IH has assured her they will organize another future date to make up for Thursday’s cancellation.
“I do not know what happened, whether it was lack of vaccine, whether it was lack of ability to register,” MacMaster said.
“I only know that I have had people calling me saying ‘I can’t get registered,’ and I’m telling them to keep trying, because I thought today was going to be happening.”
Photo: Wilson Glen
UPDATE: 4:20 p.m.
RCMP say seven vehicles were involved in a chain-reaction collision on the William R. Bennett Bridge that brought traffic to a halt during the Thursday morning commute.
The collision occurred shortly before 7:45 a.m. when a commercial garbage truck rear-ended a Jeep Cherokee.
Five other vehicles were caught up as part of the original collision.
Several paramedics treated occupants of all vehicles involved at the scene. One driver was taken to hospital for further treatment of minor injuries.
Kelowna Fire Department personnel were required to extricate one driver from their vehicle.
Traffic began moving again about 9 a.m.
RCMP are still investigating. No charges have yet been laid.
UPDATE 9:22 a.m.
Traffic coming into Kelowna on the William R. Bennett Bridge is now moving and both lanes are open, however, traffic is not moving very quickly due to the large volume of backed-up vehicles.
UPDATE 9:01 a.m.
Traffic coming into Kelowna on the William R. Bennett Bridge has begun to move after being completely stopped for more than an hour.
Castanet reporter Wayne Moore says, « we just started moving but it is very slow and will take a long time to clear the large volume of traffic that has been backed up. »
The collision appears to have happened just before 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning.
As of 9 a.m. traffic is still backed up on Highway 97 to Daimler Dr.
UPDATE 8:53 a.m.
DriveBC is estimating the Bennett Bridge will be reopened at 9 a.m.
UPDATE 8:42 a.m.
Traffic coming into Kelowna on the William R. Bennett Bridge remains stalled after a multi-vehicle collision Thursday morning just before 8 a.m.
Castanet reporter Wayne Moore says he was attempting to cross the bridge at approximately 7:45 a.m. when traffic stopped moving, « we’ve been sitting for almost an hour now. »
No word on when traffic will begin moving again. For the latest traffic information check DriveBC and Castanet’s traffic cameras.
ORIGINAL 8:09 a.m.
The morning commute into Kelowna has been brought to a standstill following a multi-vehicle collision on the William R. Bennett Bridge.
Traffic into Kelowna from West Kelowna is not moving as emergency crews work to clear the scene. Traffic heading to West Kelowna is unaffected by the collision.
It is unclear if there are any injuries.
Photo: Dale Sitar
Photo: Contributed
A Kamloops man is in custody after allegedly stealing a RCMP bait car in West Kelowna.
Police in West Kelowna were alerted on April 12 just before 2:45 a.m. that one of their bait cars was activated and in motion.
Bait cars are equipped to send live updates of their locations, including speed and direction of travel, so officers planned out the route the car was heading in and strategically positioned themselves for the arrest.
The vehicle and driver were intercepted near the intersection of Apollo Road and Hoskins Road.
« Our dispatchers were integral in providing timely information while coordinating a police response to stop the bait car and arrest the suspect, » said S/Sgt. Duncan Dixon, detachment commander of the West Kelowna RCMP.
The suspect, 30-year-old Raymond Francis Thiffault of Kamloops, was also wanted on an outstanding Canada-wide warrant.
He is being held in police custody and he has since been charged with theft of a motor vehicle over $5,000.
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