Kelowna

Kelowna RCMP have homicide suspect

2009-10-22T04:49:00.000-07:00

Kelowna RCMP have homicide suspect

Thu, 2009-10-22 00:09.

Local News

RCMP now have a suspect in custody in relation to a murder in Kelowna this week.

Constable Steve Holmes says a 21 year old woman has been taken into police custody in connection with the murder of Joseph Gregory Pek early Tuesday morning.

Holmes says the woman is associated to the home where Pek's body was found in the 400 block of Birch Avenue, but no further details have been released.

38 year old Pek was known to police for drug and other criminal offences.

The female suspect has not yet been named. She will remain in police custody at least until a court appearance on November 5th, pending charge approval by the Crown.

Denise Wong - Kelowna

St. Denis powers Rockets past Bruins 6-4 with first WHL hat trick

2009-10-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

St. Denis powers Rockets past Bruins 6-4 with first WHL hat trick

(CP) – 9 hours ago

KELOWNA, B.C. — Kyle St. Denis had a hat trick for Kelowna, his first three goals of the season, as the Rockets beat the Chilliwack Bruins 6-4 in Western Hockey League action Friday night.

Lucas Bloodoff, Mitchell Callahan and Shane McColgan also scored for Kelowna (2-2-1-0) in the back-and-forth contest, which featured five goals in the first period.

Dylen McKinlay, with two goals, Ryan Howse, with his fifth goal of the season, and Zach Habscheid, with his first WHL goal, replied for Chilliwack (1-4-0-0). Habscheid is the son of Bruins general manager and head coach Marc Habscheid.

Adam Brown made 21 saves for the Rockets, who, after opening the game's scoring just 22 seconds into the first period, trailed 3-2 after 20 minutes but led 4-3 after 40. Mark Friesen stopped 28 shots for the Bruins.

Ponzi scheme suspect arrested at Calgary airport

2009-10-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

Ponzi scheme suspect arrested at Calgary airport

In puzzling move, Sorenson abandons multimillion-dollar mansion in Honduras to face fraud charges in Canada

CALGARY — From Wednesday's Globe and Mail Last updated on Friday, Oct. 02, 2009 02:45AM EDT NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE AND DAWN WALTON

Gary Sorenson left behind a sweeping, multimillion-dollar mansion in the hills of Honduras and boarded a private plane.

When it landed yesterday morning at the section of the Calgary airport where the city's oil elite meet their sleek jets and skirt security lines, he was greeted by four RCMP members. The alleged mastermind of Canada's largest Ponzi scheme, accused of defrauding $400-million from 4,000 investors, was handcuffed and whisked away to face the charges.

It was a brazen step, even for a man police believe oversaw a scheme that worked to curry investments from professional football players and once advertised on a chuckwagon at the Calgary Stampede.

Why Mr. Sorenson left Honduras - a country that has not signed an extradition treaty with Canada - is a question that even those tasked with bringing the man to justice can't quite answer.

"I was surprised he came back," said Photini Papadatou, an economic crime prosecutor with Calgary's special prosecutions unit.

She was tipped off to his return by his lawyer, who did not return calls for comment yesterday. But defence lawyer Don Macleod told CTV News that his client returned voluntarily and plans to mount a "vigorous defence."

Sixteen days after the arrest of his co-accused, Albertan Milowe Brost, Mr. Sorenson found himself before a justice of the peace in Airdrie, a bedroom community north of Calgary. Both men are charged with fraud over $5,000 and theft over $5,000. In a brief court hearing, Mr. Sorenson was ordered to post a $150,000 cash bail or $300,000 surety and given strict conditions for his life back in Canada.

Like Mr. Brost, he was forced to turn in his passport and other travel documents. He must report to the RCMP every Thursday. He must live at a police-approved address, and he cannot leave Alberta without permission from the courts. He must have no contact with 82 people, including his co-accused and others who could be witnesses at trial.

Both men are scheduled to appear in court Oct. 19 to enter pleas.

"They both will be dealt with under the Canadian judicial system," Ms. Papadatou said.

There is much speculation about why Mr. Sorenson returned to Canada. But Ms. Papadatou said no legal manoeuvres were under way to bring him back to Canada via the United States, which does have a treaty with Honduras.

She speculated political turmoil resulting from this summer's coup in Honduras might have something to do with his sudden return.

"The government that was in power at the time he was living there is no longer in power," she said.

Adriano Iovinelli, a criminal lawyer in Calgary, said that aside from rushing back to beat an extradition order, there's one main reason someone returns to face criminal charges.

"That is to clear their name. You would assume that if someone was absolutely guilty of what's being alleged that there would be more of a reluctance for that person to come back willingly," he said.

Either way, coming forward voluntarily is looked on favourably by judges when making decisions about bail, he said.

Ms. Papadatou said she didn't release Mr. Sorenson's address to the public after watching the fallout of the financial fraud cases of Vincent Lacroix, who pleaded guilty last week to robbing 9,200 investors of $115-million over a five-year period, and Earl Jones, who faces eight charges of theft and fraud related to the activities of his financial adviser's firm.

"This particular guy has a bad heart and I frankly don't want to be responsible for someone's safety," Ms. Papadatou said. "... People are mad."

Mr. Sorenson's return will see him fight charges that have made him and Mr. Brost two of Alberta's most notorious sons. Their alleged fraud has dominated headlines in Calgary, and spurred a flurry of tax and other investigations aimed at untangling the web of business arrangements the two men were involved in.

Mr. Sorenson's arrest came as welcome news to Graham McMillan, who has maintained a website dedicated to exposing the scheme.

"It does concern me that I suspect he must think he's got some kind of a rational basis for a defence, or he can lock it up in court," he said.

"But at this point it's in the hands of the police and I sure would like to think that after three years, they've gathered enough evidence to make a case stand in court. It would astound me if they don't, in the biggest alleged Ponzi scam, as they're now calling it, in Canadian history.

2009-10-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Simon Houpt

From Friday's Globe and Mail Last updated on Friday, Oct. 02, 2009 07:45AM EDT

Noted: Food Fight

Cleanup in aisle six: There's some mudslinging by the fruit snacks! Sun-Rype, the Kelowna, B.C.-based snack and juice producer that prides itself on using all-natural ingredients, is picking a fight with the manufacturers of fruity treats like Fruit Roll-Ups and Fruit Gushers that are laden with all sorts of unpronounceable ingredients.

The website findoutnow.ca shows an eerie laboratory table loaded with chemical vials containing ingredients alleged to be used in kids' snacks, like methyl paraben and the white liquid silicone known as dimethylpolysiloxane. In a handful of videos on the site, moms – or, at least, actors pretending to be moms – are filmed rolling their eyes and recoiling as they read aloud the ingredients. (“Sugar … sugar … sugar … carrageenan … hydrogenated cottonseed oil … carnuba wax – don't they use that on surfboards?”) The campaign comes at the same time the U.S. corn syrup lobby is launching a multimillion-dollar effort to counter the smears to its own reputation suffered at the hands of Big Sugar. There's only one sure thing: this whole sweets spat is going to get a lot stickier before it's over.

Coyotes Sign Long to Entry-Level Contract

2009-10-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have signed center Colin Long to an entry level contract.

Long, 20, recorded 33-58-91 last season while leading Kelowna of the Western Hockey League (WHL) to the WHL Championship and an appearance in the Memorial Cup finals. Long finished the 2008-09 season ranked 6th in the WHL in scoring and led Kelowna in points and assists and ranked T-2 in goals.

In 2007-08, Long was one of only two players in the WHL to reach the 100-point mark, recording 31-69-100 in 72 games. In 229 career WHL games with Kelowna, Long registered 76-147-223 and 113 PIM. A native of Santa Ana, California, Long was twice named the runner-up for the WHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Award (2007-08 and 2008-09).

The 5-foot-11, 187-pound Long was Phoenix’s 6th choice (4th round, 99th overall) in the 2008 Entry Draft.

Six-foot-eight rookie Tyler Myers makes Sabres roster

2009-09-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

Six-foot-eight rookie Tyler Myers makes Sabres roster

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (CP) – 2 hours ago

BUFFALO, N.Y. — He's not only tall, he's a top prospect. And now rookie Tyler Myers is on the team.

After a stellar 2008-09 season in Kelowna, where he led the Rockets to the WHL championship and was named the league's playoff MVP, Myers, Buffalo's top pick in the 2008 draft (12th overall), is on the Sabres' 23-man roster that was announced on Wednesday afternoon.

"I came into camp telling myself that I'm going to compete as hard as I can for a spot on the team," Myers said.

Myers, 19, signed a three-year entry level contract in May, and under NHL rules, the first year won't kick in until he plays his 10th NHL game this season.

At six-foot-eight, Myers is an inch shorter than Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, who is the NHL's tallest player.

Out of work: Kelowna bucks national trend with more on unemployment lines

2009-09-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

Out of work: Kelowna bucks national trend with more on unemployment lines

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 | 7:00 am

By Kathy Michaels

The number of Kelowna residents in need of Employment Insurance benefits continues to climb despite the fact things are looking up in other parts of the country.

Statistics Canada reported that 787,700 Canadians received regular Employment Insurance benefits this July. That number marks a drop of 31,500, or 3.8 per cent, beneficiaries from a month earlier.

While that figure has been lauded as the first decrease in 11 months, it’s largely due to a bounce back in eastern provinces. Kelowna, on the other hand, experienced a surge in claims, both in monthly and yearly reports.

This July there were 4,010 locals receiving the subsidy, compared to 1,630 in July, 2008. Year-over-year, that’s an increase of 146 per cent. Month over month, the number rose 7.2 per cent from 3,740.

That news didn’t come as a big surprise to Dan Tellier, owner and operator of Okanagan Educational Centre, a business that offers a work search strategies program for unemployed and underemployed locals.

“I have a good pulse on what’s happening in the various sectors and I am not seeing a (bounce-back) yet,” he said.

Tellier explained that when the manufacturing sector started to stagnate, there were reverberations all the way down the supply chain and that’s impacting every aspect of the local job market.

Reflecting back on boom times, Tellier pointed out that employers were offering more and more money to lure prospective employees through their doors. Those days are no more.

“What’s somewhat unique about the Kelowna marketplace, is that wages have gone down and businesses are taking advantage of that,” he said. “The reality is that basically from two years ago, until September, 2008 wages were on the increase and employers were having difficulty retaining people. Now employers are back to the status quo.”

Of note, he said, is the retail and food service industries have again started offering lower wages.

Gloom and doom aside, Tellier said there is still work for those who know how to market themselves. On his side of things, they’ve worked to ensure that 75 per cent of the people who come through their doors find work on their way out, and that’s a mandate that they’ve continued to meet.

“There are opportunities out there and our students are finding jobs,” he said. “The key is to continue to believe in oneself… people will find work if they are competitive in their job search. Sitting at the computer, looking at help-wanted ads and never contacting the employer won’t help.”

kathy@kelowna.com

2009-09-25T05:42:00.000-07:00

Kelowna welcomes largest aircraft

by Contributed -

Kelowna International Airport (YLW) will welcome one of the world’s largest aircraft, the Antonov AN-124, when it arrives on Saturday September 26 at approximately 7 a.m.

The Antonov AN-124, arriving non-stop from Kazan, Russia, will deliver helicopters to Kelowna Flightcraft for maintenance and modification services.

Accommodating the Antonov at Kelowna airport was made possible because of the runway extension from 7,300 feet to 8,900 feet in November 2008. “The arrival of the Antonov is a great opportunity for YLW to attract other long haul flights for commercial passenger and cargo flights and for very specialized aviation maintenance work by companies such as Kelowna Flightcraft and AVM Solutions Inc.,” says Sam Samaddar, Airport Director.

Avionics Modification Solutions (AVM) Bob Monaghan, President and CEO states, “YLW may see one or two AN-124 operations a year for similar helicopter deliveries.”

The Antonov AN-124 will be the largest aircraft to land at Kelowna International and may be one of the noisiest aircrafts residents within the airport’s flight path are expected to hear. The aircraft is expected to depart Saturday at 10 p.m. The Airport, Kelowna Flightcraft and AVM Solutions apologize in advance for any noise disturbance experienced.

Aviation enthusiasts hoping to watch the aircraft land and take off are reminded there is no parking or stopping along Highway 97 or the north section of the airport on Old Vernon Road. Sections of Airport Way will be cordoned off, but still accessible from the North and South entrances of Highway 97.

Recommended vantage points to view the aircraft’s arrival include the Ellison baseball field and the far east extension of the long-term parking lot (airport parking rates will apply).

Dukes of Hazzard type of accident in West Kelowna

2009-09-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

Dukes of Hazzard type of accident in West Kelowna

Thu, 2009-09-24 10:45.

Local News

It looked like a scene from Dukes of Hazzard after a spectacular single vehicle accident this morning in West Kelowna.

The driver of a one ton Ford pickup truck lost control along Highway 97 and Grizzley Road, sending his vehicle across the highway striking a median and landing in a back yard of a mobile home park.

Barry Scheid lives next door and was enjoying a morning cup of coffee when he heard a big bang.

"Two weeks ago a car came through the barricade into our back yard two weeks ago. I was s**tting. I thought that thing was coming through our yard again."

Scheid says something need to be done at that intersection.

"This corner is bad anyway. Something needs to be done..maybe a set of lights put in here to slow traffic down. I think this is 1,2,3,4,5, I believe six accidents since March."

Surprisingly no one was hurt in the accident.

Regan Bartel - Kelowna

Suspect nabbed after assault on elderly woman

2009-09-15T14:47:00.001-07:00

Suspect nabbed after assault on elderly woman

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 | 12:47 pm

A man wanted in connection with a violent attack on a 67-year-old woman in Lake Country was arrested here on Monday with the assistance of licence plate recognition technology.

Just before the lunch hour Monday, a City of Kelowna bylaw officer using an advanced licence plate recognition camera, which can spot licence plates associated with stolen vehicles, had his attention drawn to a Dodge Dakota pickup that had been stolen on Sunday in Lake Country.

Police were notified and the vehicle was located near the Bennett Bridge. The chase was called off when the driver began driving erratically on his way to West Kelowna. The chase was called off. Later in the day, however, the truck was spotted by a cop waiting where the Bear Creek Main forestry road exits onto Westside Road.

The driver of the Dakota saw a police cruiser and approached the officers on foot. He was arrested without incident.

Richard Benjamin, 32, is charged with theft over $5,000, dangerous driving and flight from police. As well, he’s charged with aggravated assault in connection with the incident Sunday. Police say he was picking fruit in a Lake Country orchard when he became involved in an argument with the 67-year-old woman. Benjamin, of no fixed address, is alleged to have knocked her down and then kicked her in the head, before taking the keys to her vehicle.

The victim, who is from the Midway area, needed emergency surgery and remains in hospital in serious condition.

Tough Day For Kelowna Council

2009-09-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

by Rob Turner
Sep 15, 2009 / 10:30 am

Long meetings, crabby constituents and bad press notwithstanding, being a Kelowna councillor does have its occasional perks.

Council starts its work day Tuesday with a buffet lunch at 12 noon at the Kelowna Art Gallery and concludes with a wine tasting at 4 p.m. at the B.C. Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop.

It's all part of a half-day session of briefings and tours on the Kelowna Cultural District, according to the agenda for the "special meeting."

Sandwiched in between the nourishment and the refreshments, council will be given presentations and/or tours by:

Sandra Kochan, Cultural Services Manager, City of Kelowna
Dona Moore, Executive Director, Kelowna Art Gallery
Tracie Ward, Executive Director, Rotary Centre for the Arts and
Wayne Wilson, Executive Director, B.C. Orchard Industry Museum and the B.C. Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop.

Kelowna is also scheduled to hold another special meeting at the Central Okanagan school district (SD23) office on Thursday morning.

2009-09-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

Murray Tekano, transportation district manager for the Okanagan-Shuswap District, explains how easy the HOV lanes will work in Kelowna along Highway 97 between Highway 33 and the bridge.

Sean Connor

by Alastair Waters Kelowna Cap News

It’s taken eight months and cost $16.1 million but the first high- occupancy vehicle lanes outside of the Lower Mainland will open Sept. 20 along Kelowna’s Harvey Avenue.

The HOV lanes, using the eastbound and westbound curb lanes between Water and Pandosy Streets and Highway 33, will be open to cars and light trucks with at least two occupants.

Buses, motorcycles, taxis and Handi-Dart vehicles will also be allowed to use the new lanes.

Drivers of single-occupancy vehicles risk $109 fines if they are caught driving in the lanes, unless they are within one block of turning right, said B.C. Ministry of Transportation district manager Murray Tekano.

The lanes, introduced here to “efficiently and effectively move more people in fewer vehicles to help reduce congestion and improve mobility in the existing urban corridor,” are viewed by the ministry as part of a larger plan to ease traffic congestion on the highway through Kelowna.

According to the ministry, on any given day there 47,000 vehicles using Harvey Avenue and while 25 per cent of them are now believed to already carrying more than two occupants, the ministry wants that number to grow.

Unlike freeway HOV lanes, such as the ones on Highway 1 through the eastern suburbs of Vancouver, urban corridor HOV lanes use the curb lane not the fast lane.

They are aimed at moving more people in few vehicles, not increasing speed. There are several examples of urban corridor HOV lanes in the Lower Mainland, including on Hastings Street in Burnaby, Granville Street in Vancouver, Georgia Street in Vancouver the Barnet Highway in Burnaby and St. Johns Street and Clarke Street in Port Moody. There is also one on Centre Street in Calgary.

Tekano said one reason reason for using the curb lanes as HOV lanes here is because the project is aimed at improving transit use.

As part of the project, six new bus pullout bays have been installed along the route and the HOV lanes will play a bigger role when rapid transit buses are introduced in the coming years to ferry people between Kelowna and West Kelowna.

Another part of the project, is “prioritization” which will allow GPS units on buses and in traffic signal standards along the route to work together to coordinate traffic lights to provide better traffic flow for buses, said Tekano.

“What we want is to get more people into each vehicle and onto buses,” he said.

As part of a public education system for drivers, the ministry will set up a kiosk at Orchard Park Mall, open a website, www.HOVkelowna.com and set up an information phone line, 250-712-3628.

Tekano said enforcement of the HOV lane rules will be left up to the RCMP and while no “grace” period would be implemented for drivers to get used to the new lanes, he expected there would be an education component to police enforcement.

The new lanes will be identified with a diamond-shape sign on the roadway and overhead signs with that shape, the letters HOV and a picture of a car with two passengers inside

2009-09-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

Cawston Avenue Multi-use Corridor Open House

Cawston Avenue Multi-use Corridor
The public is invited to attend an open house:

Wednesday, September 16, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Kelowna Curling Club (Foyer), 551 Recreation Ave

The proposed multi-use corridor will provide a safe and convenient pedestrian/cycling connection along Cawston Avenue and connect the Rails with Trails pathway to the downtown waterfront.

Learn more about the project and provide input to City staff and Consultants, Urban Systems Ltd.

INFO: 250 469-8485 kelowna.ca/cityprojects

2009-09-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

by Castanet Staff - Story: 49466
Sep 11, 2009 / 1:30 pm

A 31-year-old Kelowna woman faces numerous charges after biting and scratching a police officer who was trying to arrest her.

According to police, the woman was spotted at the corner of Pandosy and Leon shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday by a member of the Downtown Enforcement Unit.

She was the subject of an outstanding warrant.

Cst Steve Holmes says the officer advised the woman she was under arrest for breach of probation.

"As the officer attempted to place handcuffs on her, she became suddenly resistant," says Holmes.

"The officer continually directed her to place her hands behind her back, but she became violent and a struggle ensued."

Holmes says the officer was bitten and scratched on both of his arms.

"Other officers attended so that she could be controlled without further injury to the arresting officer."

The woman faces charges of breach of probation, resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.