Water is the limit that every other plan runs into. Housing, agriculture, fire protection, parks, tourism, and daily life all depend on a supply that can survive dry years. For Vernon and the surrounding region, that supply is under real pressure. The hard part is that there is no simple villain and no easy fix. Replaying every past decision will not add a litre to the system. The real question is what Vernon council, the RDNO Board, provincial agencies, and the public are pr

A smoky summer day in Vernon can make the whole North Okanagan feel smaller. The hills fade. Kalamalka Lake loses its blue edge. The sun turns dull orange. What looks like “just haze” is actually a mix of gases and particles moving through the valley, and some of it is small enough to reach deep into the lungs. For Vernon, Armstrong, Lumby, Enderby, Coldstream, Lake Country, and rural parts of the North Okanagan, wildfire smoke is no longer a rare event. The region has lived

A single match, flare, or lighter can turn a dry slope into a major emergency in minutes. In the Okanagan Valley and across British Columbia, that risk is not abstract. Hot summers, dry grasses, steep terrain, and communities built close to forests create the conditions for fast-moving wildfires. Arson adds a disturbing layer to that risk. It is intentional, criminal, and hard to predict. While not every human-caused fire is arson, deliberate fire-setting can start blazes in

City councils rarely get judged on one dramatic decision. They get judged on the daily work of roads, taxes, housing, safety, parks, water, and whether residents feel heard. Vernon’s last council term deserves that kind of balanced review, not a victory lap and not a pile-on. The fairest read is this: council made progress on core municipal files, especially planning, infrastructure, and regional co-operation. It also struggled with problems that residents could see and feel,

Wildfire is no longer a distant backcountry problem. In Vernon, it is a neighbourhood issue, a road access issue, a water supply issue, and a local government issue. The North Okanagan has a lot of what makes life here special: forested slopes, dry grasslands, lakeside communities, and trails close to home. Those same features also mean we have to take wildfire preparedness seriously. The good news is that much of the work is practical, local, and within reach. With a backgro

Vernon is about to gain more than a new recreation building. A modern aquatic centre, connected to a broader active living vision that includes ice rinks, pool space, and room to grow, can become one of the most practical public investments our city makes. Pools and rinks matter because they serve people at every stage of life. A child learns confidence in the water. A senior keeps moving through low-impact exercise. A teenager finds a healthy place to train. A family has som