This week’s column is dedicated to my brother-in-law Rod Warnock who passed away January 11th of cancer. Rod and his wife Diana were instrumental in me coming to Kelowna at the age of 19 from Calgary, where they also originally relocated from. I will miss him dearly. Personal condolences to his wife and my sister-in-law Di, son Ken (Bonnie) daughter Sherry Huva (Allen) and Rod’s entire family and friends.
Thai Terrace Restaurant has opened in downtown Kelowna at 210 Lawrence Avenue across from City Park (former Ric’s Grill). Formerly, the Thai Fusion Restaurant in West Kelowna, the partners of Thai Terrace are Atsawin (Luke) Sumpantarat (general manager), Atchara (Ess) Sumpantarat (Luke’s wife and chef), Kannika (May) Kamlapit and Choncharee (Tik) Phangthunad. The restaurant has been beautifully renovated with 100 seats and a 14 seat patio for summer. Ess, who is the chef along with May and Tik source all the food products locally along with using fresh local spices and import spices that are not available in the area. They also serve local bar products and have a large selection of gluten free and vegan dishes. The menu is extensive with soups, stir-fry, signature dishes, noodles, curry, share plates and platters. We sampled the spring rolls, coconut hot and sour soup, spicy ginger, pad Thai noodles and green curry. All dishes were absolutely delicious, beautifully presented with more than ample servings. You will definitely want to try Thai Terrace. Open Tuesday to Friday for lunch and dinner and Saturday and Sunday for dinner starting at 3:00 p.m. Call 250-763-8424 for reservations. www.thaiterrace.ca
Paul Larsen is the new news and station manager for Global Okanagan. Paul is no stranger to the media business having started on-air at CKNL Radio in Fort St. John, B.C. at the age of 16. He has held many management positions in various markets in Alberta and B.C. Paul eventually set out to start his own company, Clear Sky Radio, which he grew to five stations in Alberta and B.C. over the past 12 years. In December, Clear Sky was sold to Vista Radio. Paul has worked and resided in Kelowna for the past six years, cultivating strong contacts within the local media and Kelowna community.
One of my most favorite people, Helen Hut is retiring from Kelowna Hostesses. Helen has been a volunteer in this community with the hostesses for an amazing 33 years and also volunteered at the Maxine DeHart-United Way, Ramada Hotel Drive-Thru Breakfast for 20 of those 33 years. Many event coordinators will miss Helen as she volunteered tirelessly for hundreds of local events with a huge smile on her face. Helen’s husband Walter, who has since passed, was also a tireless volunteer in the community. Brenda Scruton is the president of the Kelowna Hostesses at [email protected].
RBC has some new leadership faces with Ray Warren, Vice President of Commercial Banking and Courtney Hesse, Community Manager both entering their second year here in Kelowna. RBC is proud to be supporting Kelowna’s youth through RBC’s future Launch program with numerous community donations, including a recent $11,800 donation to the United Way for their CODEanagan program. RBC has a new location on campus at UBCO which just opened this past fall with the key focus to help students. Whether it’s navigating a bus route, finding the closest grocery store, helping students with their study habits or teaching them how to make a budget, the RBC On Campus Advisors help students with advice beyond banking. This enables RBC clients to thrive and our community to prosper.
Pushor Mitchell Lawyers LLP has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers for 2018 for a second year in a row. They received the award for their collaborative spirit, teamwork approach, mutual support, wellness initiatives and work/life balance which are all hallmarks of the firm.
I am delighted to be the city representative on the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce appointed by Mayor Basran. The Chamber nomination period for new directors is now open. Directors are volunteers from diverse professional backgrounds who are elected to either one or two year terms to manage the affairs of the board in accordance with the by-laws. Prospective directors are required to be associated with a chamber member company in good standing as of January 3/2019 with nominations closing Monday, February 4th at 4:00 p.m. www.kelownachamber.org/connect
The Board of Governors has announced that Kelowna lawyer Geoff White has been elected as chair of the Law Foundation for a two-year term. Geoff’s practice is focused on estate and charity law with offices in Kelowna and Vancouver (Clark Wilson LLP) and has been a Governor of the Law Foundation since 2015.
Kelowna teen Priyaali Kanti is a finalist at the Miss Teen Canada Pageant in Quebec. She is a performing arts enthusiast and aspires to be an actress. Priyaali is an active community member, dedicated student and a passionate performer, performing at charity events and fundraisers. Priyaali was crowned Miss Teen BC, Interior in July, 2018 and is now the finalist for the Canada pageant. Vote for her on-line at www.misscanada.org/priyaali-k.
Interesting statistics from U-Haul. Kelowna is now the No.12 Canadian Growth City in Canada for 2018 according to their data analyzing Canadian migration trends for 2018. Growth cities are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a city versus leaving that city during a calendar year. The data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck sharing transactions that occur annually in the U.S. and Canada. Kelowna arrivals of one-way U-Haul trucks were down 5 per cent while departures were down 11 percent from the city’s 2017 numbers. Arrivals accounted for 51.3 percent of all one-way U-Haul traffic in Kelowna to make it the No. 12 city for netting do-it-yourself movers. Kelowna had not made an appearance on the top 25 growth list in recent years. Visit www.myuhaulstory.com or www.uhaul.com/locations.
The Kelowna Downtown Library Branch has some new exciting things planned for 2019. They are getting set to open a Maker Space, which is a project room for making and doing for all ages with a focus on technology and the arts. The library has been actively fundraising for several revitalization projects. They have been gaining momentum so hope to have the new space open sometime in March. On Saturday, February 2nd at 3:00 p.m. author Dorje Dolma is touring and presenting her book “Yak Girl” at the library and will be speaking about her life and growing up in a remote area of Nepal. All ages welcome. Christopher Stephenson is the head librarian. www.orl.bc.ca
The Train Station Pub has officially come on board as the title sponsor for The Great Okanagan Beer Festival (GOBF). This has been the perfect match since 2015 for elevated drink, people and environment. David Lindsay, Conductor of the Train Station Pub says “we simply had to be the title sponsor this year and provide a forward thinking beer festival in the Okanagan”. The Train Station Pub will be onsite at GOBF and will also be hosting the GOBF2019 Official After Party. The Festival takes place May 9th to 11, 2019 with the main event happening on May 11th at Waterfront Park from noon to 5:00 p.m. Along with a vast selection of craft beer and ciders, the event hosts live music, food trucks, interactive games and exhibitor booths. Tickets are on sale now online at gobf.ca and are at an advanced rate for a limited time.
The Home Décor Great Closet Cleanout is January 27th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Laurel Packinghouse at 1304 Ellis Street. Shop for gently used home décor items straight from their owner’s cupboards and closets. There will be door prizes, limited swag bags and great deals along with supporting Habitat for Humanity. Admission $5.00 and kids free. www.greatclosetcleanout.com
The Legion is in need of three dedicated bartenders to volunteer one shift per week. Openings available are Tuesday evening, Thursday evening, Sunday afternoon and Friday evening dinner/dance nights. Don’t worry about Serving It Right Certificate as it can be done online and training will be offered to open and close the bar. If you can help this veteran club contact Greg at 250-717-3711 or Betty at 250-861-1961.
The City of Kelowna Parade Float is on the road again for 2019 with Clarence Johnson as the Float Ambassador along with our very own Lady and Princess of the Lake. They will be attending their first parade in Vernon at the Winter Carnival on February 2nd.
Birthdays of the week – Happy 50th Paul McIntyre (Jan. 19); Jason Agostino (Jan. 23); Ed Kaskiw (Jan. 24); Colin Elliott (Jan. 24); Robert Taylor (Jan. 25); Former Mayor Sharon Shepherd (Jan. 25); Les Thompson (Jan. 25); Bill Sinclair (Jan. 26); Lillian Colpron (Jan. 27); Brock Raddatz (Jan. 28); David Trifunov (Jan. 28); Peter Nicolson (Jan. 28); Dennis Macleod (Jan. 29); John Christie (Jan. 29) Happy 80th Carol Palmer (Jan.21);.
Maxine DeHart is a Kelowna City Councillor and local hotelier. Phone her at 250-979-4546 or 250-862-7662; fax 250-860-3173, E-mail [email protected].
