Image Credit: SUBMITTED December 18, 2020 - 7:30 AM When Sharon Shepherd was elected as Kelowna’s mayor in 2005, she was not only the first woman elected to the position, but it was a sign the notorious, fabled ‘old boys club’ in the Okanagan’s largest city could be breached. She defeated popular long-time incumbent Walter Gray in a stunning upset few saw coming. The City has come a long way since then. “Women feel more confident that, when they do have an opportunity to be put in a leadership role, they will do a really good job,” Shepherd said. Fifteen years later, Gail Given is chair of the Central Okanagan of Regional District, Renee Merrifield was just elected as MLA and the federal seat is held by Tracy Gray. All three are speaking at a Kelowna Chamber of Commerce Zoom event today, Dec. 18, called Women in Leadership: Politics.
(ROB MUNRO / iNFOnews.ca) December 13, 2020 - 7:00 AM Since much of the news in 2020 has been about COVID-19, the plight of Kelowna’s hundreds of homeless residents has slipped below the radar. That doesn’t mean they’ve gone away or been forgotten by people who work every day trying to get them housed. For the most part, those efforts have succeeded this winter. “We still have a couple of dozen folk sleeping outside at the moment,” Stephanie Ball, the executive director of the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society, told iNFOnews.ca. “We’re working with B.C. Housing and the city to make sure everyone has somewhere to shelter this winter.”