A lightning strike can be over in a split second, but the fire it starts can shape a valley for weeks. In the North Okanagan, that risk is not abstract. Dry summers, steep slopes, grasslands, mixed forests, farms, rural roads, and scattered homes all combine to make lightning-caused wildfire a serious concern. Unlike human-caused fires, lightning fires often start in remote terrain. They may smoulder in duff, roots, or under heavy timber before smoke becomes visible. If wind

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

This is a documentary by the Okanagan Forest Task Force. This is the group that cleans up the illegal dump sites and vehicles that show up in the forested areas of the Electoral Areas in RDCO. They were the ones that removed the burnt out vehicles left in the bush and destroyed by the White Rock Lake Fire in 2021. Continue Reading