Fashion enthusiasts are in for a treat this summer as AesthetiKs Lab announces a three-day fashion weekend packed with events and shows, set to take place from July 12 to July 14th.
The event, hosted within the Kelowna Cultural District, will showcase cutting-edge designs from both emerging and established designers.
The fashion weekend will highlight the latest trends while pushing the boundaries of sustainability and style.
Attendees will experience a unique blend of new fashion, upcycled and recycled fabrics, and artistic expression.
The runway shows will start at 3 p.m. each day.
The weekend will also feature daily workshops, designer pop-ups, and nightly concerts, Kelowna’s largest clothing swap, and a sustainability conference on Saturday.
Events will be spread throughout the Kelowna Cultural District, with runway shows scheduled as follows:
Friday: Kelowna Library, 1380 Ellis St, Kelowna, BC
Saturday: The ArtWalk, Rotary Commons ArtWalk
Sunday: Kelowna Art Gallery, 1315 Water Street, Kelowna, BC
Featured Designers: A curated selection of 20 Canadian designers, including 10 local talents, will present their latest collections. Categories include new materials, recycled materials, and youth designs.
AesthetiKs Lab, is a non-profit organization in Kelowna, aims to provide a platform for designers to showcase their work, connect with industry professionals, and engage with fashion enthusiasts.
“We are thrilled to bring this extraordinary fashion event to life,” said Erikka Moojelsky, founder of AesthetiKs Lab.
“This show is a celebration of art, culture, and the vibrant spirit of our community. We can’t wait to see the creativity that our designers will bring to the runway,” Moojelsky added.
Tickets are available for purchase online at Eventbrite.
Stories that animate us highlights a diverse selection of works on paper and animations from a wide variety of collectively shared oral histories, knowledge systems, and cosmologies, as well as personal memories, dreams and imaginings.
What does 18th century painter Francisco de Goya have in common with Haida and Tlingit artist Robert Davidson? Or, contemporary animator and filmmaker Amanda Strong with renowned Canadian conceptual artist Joyce Wieland?
The answer can be found in the visual storytelling that permeates the exhibition. Stories that animate us is organized and curated by the Vancouver Art Gallery opens at the Kelowna Art Gallery this weekend.
According to the Gallery, the stories showcased in this exhibition span from the small to the sweeping, featuring a selection of both Canadian and international voices.
“Visitors can explore the eerie etchings of Goya, the depictions of the charismatic character “Raven” in Robert Davidson’s screenprints, and watch a short film that features three puppet avatars who delve into the deep questions of land, home, and belonging by artists Jérôme Havre, Cauleen Smith and Camille Turner — all in the same gallery space,” said Christine May, curator at the Gallery.
The featured artists, including Joyce Wieland, David Hockney, Robert Davidson, Amanda Strong,
Francisco de Goya, Osvaldo Ramirez Castillo, Marina Roy, Jérôme Havre, Cauleen Smith, Camille Turner, Ed Pien, and the Royal Art Lodge, vividly reflect on such themes as culture, community, memory, death, and identity in order to speak to the past, present, and future.
Stories that animate us runs from June 22 to September 22, 2024.
A free to the public celebration of the art exhibit is scheduled for July 19 starting at 6:00 p.m.
Rob Gibson – Jun 19, 2024 / 6:00 pm | Story: 493243
Photo: Justin Schneider
Students and staff at Canyon Falls Middle School in Kelowna celebrated National Indigenous Peoples Day on Wednesday, honouring the history, culture, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in our region.
“It was a fabulous time. It was a beautiful time,” says Canyon Falls teacher Rubina Waterhouse.
The day featured a speech from Grandma Rose and a pair of dancers, Megan Mounsey and Katie Mounsey, who are also students at the school.
“It was a celebration of the land. It was a celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day, and Grandma Rose kind of brought that home for the students. She spoke about how her family used to hunt and fish on that territory, right on the spot where our school is,” says Waterhouse.
Canyon Falls Middle School spends a significant part of its curriculum learning about Indigenous culture, and Waterhouse says that Grandma Rose has spent time talking with and teaching many of the students, including the Mounseys.
“We feel we truly are working towards reconciliation, and today was a good example of what we are trying to accomplish,” says Waterhouse.
Photo: Justin Schneider
Grandma Rose
Photo: Freedom’s Door
Freedom’s Door, an addictions recovery home in Kelowna that’s provided long-term abstinence based recovery programs for 21 years, is doing what they can to expand their reach.
Tom Smithwick, a director at the society says they have always had a long waitlist for services and that they plan to help reduce homelessness, poverty and addiction issues in Kelowna.
Over the last two-plus decades, Freedom’s Door has worked to help men return to a life of sobriety, return to work, and reunite with family and friends.
With City approval, Freedom’s Door plans to move ahead with the building of four townhomes on Belaire Ave. These new townhomes will be in the backyard of the property (curenntly at that address) and will bring 16 more bedrooms for men who have completed the first 90-day program and are ready for the Next Steps Life Skills program.
“We are in a fundraising effort to pay for this new, affordable housing. The Rotary Club of Kelowna has generously agreed to provide a cheque in the amount of $50,000 to assist us in this effort,” said Freedom’s Door.
The Kelowna Rotary Club held it’s Annual Pro Am Golf Tournament in April and chose Freedom’s Door Belaire Town Homes Project as the major benefactor of this tournament.
Photo: Tourism Kelowna
More flood protection work will get underway this summer at Kelowna’s Mission Creek Regional Park.
In a press release Wednesday afternoon, the City of Kelowna and announced the upcoming flood mitigation work on Mission Creek will involve the installation of four “riffles” – described as “shallow landforms constructed from rocks.”
The riffles will be installed where the diversion from Mill Creek enters into Mission Creek, as part of the Mill Creek Flood Protection project.
Water from Mill Creek is diverted through a culvert near the Rail Trail east of Dilworth Drive, under the city and into Mission Creek at Mission Creek Regional Park, to help reduce flows in Mill Creek and prevent flooding.
The new riffles are scheduled to be installed at the outlet into Mission Creek this summer, to enhance flood protection and improve fish habitat.
“The work that is being done as part of the Mill Creek Flood Protection project is essential to ensure that residents and businesses in Kelowna are protected from future floods,” said Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Sean Fraser in a statement.
“This next phase of work at Mission Creek will not only support flood mitigation efforts for the City, but also protect fish habitats. I’m proud to celebrate the progress that’s been made and look forward to the work to come that will help keep our communities safe.”
The City says these riffles mimic natural creek bed formations to help oxygenate the water, creating ideal conditions for fish to spawn and rest. They also act as natural flood protection by slowing water flow and providing a catchment area during periods of flooding.
“The goal of all City flood mitigation projects is to slow the water down and reduce the energy that damages the environment, property and impacts water quality in Okanagan Lake,” Mayor Tom Dyas said in a statement.
This will be the first of three projects over the next three years to upgrade the Mill Creek diversion outlet into Mission Creek. This project is partially funded through a $22-million grant from the Government of Canada’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaption Fund.
Potential detours and closures in Mission Creek Regional Park will be announced by the city closure to the project’s start this summer.
Madison Reeve
UBCO’s downtown campus construction site remains silent as UBC Land Trust continues to focus on damage to the adjoining Hadgraft-Wilson Place.
Nearly two months ago, UBCO offered to assist with repairs, stating it had requested access to the building to assess possible repairs.
The building, along with two others, was damaged as a result of extensive excavation work being done on the downtown campus site.
During a one-on-one interview, Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas said the university’s focus continues to be on the Hadgraft-Wilson property.
“From the standpoint of the (Hadgraft-Wilson) site itself, there is some shoring of the existing building going on at this point in time. UBC has looked to see if they are able to shore up the building and secure the building,” said Dyas.
“If they are able to do that, what are the next steps moving forward?”
While there have been serious issues with ground shifting around the construction site, Dyas believes the project will still go ahead in time.
“I believe it will advance. Will there be changes, will it look a bit different? None of that I have heard at this point.”
The only change to the project so far is a shift in the depth of the underground parkade from four storeys to two.
“Right now, the effort as much as possible is to secure the site from any further shifting and then move forward from there.
“Part of it runs parallel to each other because securing the site itself from any further shifting does actually assist in the preservation of the Hadgraft-Wilson building.”
While all this takes place, residents of Hadgraft-Wilson are in their third month away from their home after the building was evacuated on April 2.
About 50 remain housed at Okanagan College; however, that tenancy will end on Aug. 15.
“From a city standpoint, we are aware of how it has affected their lives. We are continuing to advocate strongly so they have continuity in their living as much as possible,” says Dyas.
He says a lot of discussions are taking place behind the scenes in terms of the building itself and what is next for the tenants, although many of those he is not able to share at the present time.
He assured residents the city is doing everything possible to move the process forward as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Rob Gibson
UPDATE: 2:40 p.m.
Ten days after a man allegedly attempted to sexually assault a woman in Mission Creek Regional Park, police have released a sketch of the suspect.
Last week, police released some details about a June 9 incident that occurred on the park’s trail, between Leckie and Durnin Roads, at about 8:45 p.m. Police said the man “grabbed her and attempted to sexually assault her,” but the woman was able to run away and call police.
Wednesday afternoon, 10 days after the assault allegedly occurred, Sgt. Laura Pollock held a press conference, seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspect by releasing a sketch of him.
Sgt. Laura Pollock said she doesn’t believe the general public should be concerned about safety, adding that there have been no other reports of attempted assaults from a suspect who matches the description of the June 9th attacker.
“The investigation is ongoing right now so we’re not going to be releasing the specific details into what type of assault it was. It was however, sexual in nature,” Sgt. Pollock said, clarifying that the incident was an “attempt” at an assault.
She said the RCMP has increased their presence in the area over the past 10 years, both on bikes and police cruisers.
Anyone with information about the suspect or the incident can contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-470-6236, or anonymously through CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
ORIGINAL: 1:15 p.m.
Police in Kelowna have released a sketch of a man who’s suspected of trying to sexually assault a woman on the Mission Creek Regional Park earlier this month.
Last week, the Kelowna RCMP said a woman was grabbed on the trail in Mission Creek Regional Park between Leckie Road and Durnin Road on the evening of June 9, at about 8:45 p.m.
“The victim states she was walking alone on the trail between Leckie Rd and Durnin Rd when the unknown male grabbed her and attempted to sexually assault her,” Police said. “The victim was able to free herself, run away, and then phoned the police immediately.”
Wednesday afternoon, the RCMP is releasing more information about the incident, along with a sketch of the suspect.
Photo: Kelowna RCMP
A sketch of the suspect in the June 9 attempted sex assault.
Rob Gibson – Jun 19, 2024 / 9:36 am | Story: 493130
Rob Gibson
Kelowna firefighters had to respond to a house fire on Burtch Road near Springfield Road on Wednesday morning.
Emergency crews responded to a house fire at 2175 Burtch Road just after 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Firefighters knocked down the fire, which appeared to be burning in the roof of the townhome.
This is the second fire at this townhome complex in the past year. Fire crews responded to a similar fire on June 30, 2023. Firefighters were also called out to a hedge fire in the same complex on June 9, 2024.
A Neighbour tells Castanet there were people in the home at the time of the fire, who are all believed to have made it out of the home uninjured.
“We’re in that same complex. It’s getting so bad,” says the neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous.
Firefighters managed to douse the fire and are in the process of mopping up.
“Now they’re investigating. They ripped the roof off. It’s pretty bad. The main bedroom looks like it was on fire,” the resident added.
This is a developing story, more information will be added as it becomes available.
Rob Gibson – Jun 19, 2024 / 9:04 am | Story: 493128
Photo: The Canadian Press
The Edmonton Oilers extended the Stanley Cup playoffs and the GSL Group, which manages Prospera Place is making sure hockey fans can gather to watch game 6 together.
GSL Group, the managing company of Prospera Place, has announced a second 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final viewing party this Friday, June 21, 2024, as the Oilers try to stave off elimination one more time at home in Edmonton.
This is the second viewing at Prospera Place for the 2024 NHL Playoffs, after a very positive response from the community for the Game #1 Viewing Party, which took place on Saturday, June 8.
Tickets for the event are listed at $10 and all net proceeds from ticket sales will go to the YMCA of Southern Interior BC, a non-profit community organization addressing the most urgent needs in our communities.
The game will be played on a massive 32-foot screen set up in the arena. Doors open at 4:00 p.m., with a 5:00 p.m., face-off time for the Oilers home game. Prospera Place will have a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage options for sale, along with concession food options.
For more information or to purchase tickets click here.
Photo: Madison Reeve/file
The City of Kelowna is looking for a partner to fund, design, build and manage middle income housing in the city.
Prospective builders or non-profits have until July 23 to respond to the bid opportunity.
The partnership opportunity comes as part of a number of initiatives the city is exploring to meet housing targets as part of the $31.5 million it received through the Housing Accelerator Fund.
To meet conditions of the bid opportunity, a builder/operator must offer 20 per cent of rental units at 20 per cent below market rate while providing a mix of units from studio to three bedroom.
The remaining 80 per cent can be offered at market rate to ensure long-term viability of the project.
“These criteria are designed to balance the goals of affordability, sustainability, and diversity in the MIHP (middle income housing partnership) program. By following these criteria, the program will create more housing options for middle-income households who are often priced out of the market or unable to find suitable homes,” the bid package states.
“The program is centered on the city’s contribution of land at a nominal fee, vended into a partnership with a non-profit or private market developer.”
As part of the middle income housing project, the city is offering two parcels of land it owns for potential 2024 projects.
These include:
1232-1250 Glenmore Drive – 0.56 acre parcel of MF3 zoned land
155-205 Dougall Road North – 0.78 acre parcel of UC4 zoned land
As part of the Housing Accelerator Fund program, the city is required to meet specific targets in order to receive the full amount at the end of three years.
The city has already received two installments of $7.875 million, with payments expected April 1 2025 and 2026.
In order to receive the final payment in 2026, the city must satisfy a number of predetermined targets.
The city will also be required to to add 2,771 missing-middle housing units including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes or low rise apartments, 4,180 multi-housing units that includes high rise apartments and other multi-unit housing and 479 other units which could include single-family homes without suites.
Of those, at least 416 must be affordable units.
Under the 20 per cent reduction, affordable rents would range from $1,200 per month for a studio unit to $2,280 for a three-bedroom.
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