The City of Vernon, said Coun. Dalvir Nahal to the overflow crowd of more than 70 people who crammed into Vernon council chambers Monday, has a responsibility to taxpayers, business owners and children to make sure what the city is doing in regards to marijuana dispensaries is being done. The city held a public hearing Monday on a zoning text amendment bylaw that is not intended to close down dispensaries that were in operation before Nov. 14, 2017. The bylaw is to bridge the process that will allow dispensaries to continue to operate provided certain conditions are met. [continues 718 words]
When it becomes legal later this year, the City of Armstrong hopes to be ready for the production and selling of marijuana within its boundaries. The city asked for, and received, direction from staff on the legalization of marijuana in Canada - which is slated to come into law July 1 - and potential municipal regulatory rules. "We have to realize that come July, there will be changes," said Mayor Chris Pieper. "We have to look forward to handling the direction of our federal government. We haven't been involved in this but it's evolving in front of us everyday. [continues 336 words]
Over the summer, Tanniel St. John, 13, was suffering from non-epileptic seizures. Like 170 seizures a day suffering. When she started taking medical marijuana oil three times a day in September, the number of seizures dropped to 20 small ones per day. St. John and her mom, Elizabeth Baker, both from Vernon, were among the close to 50 people taking part in a peaceful awareness walk at noon Friday at Vernon City Hall, organized by a coalition of Vernon medical cannabis dispensaries and compassion shops. [continues 736 words]
They're members of the chamber of commerce and Downtown Vernon Association. They say they have complied with all aspects of business licensing and they have helped police try and solve crime in the downtown core. Yet the owners of MMJ Total Health Care are feeling angry after a visit last week from Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP officers, warning them that their medical marijuana dispensary and compassion business may be in danger of being closed permanently. "We received a verbal warning that we were in danger of being shut down," said Jeff Gaudette, one of three co-owners of MMJ Total Health Care. "The officers would not leave a copy of the letter with us. [continues 670 words]
For two veteran Armstrong councillors, there was little substance to this year's annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Victoria. Shirley Fowler and Ryan Nitchie felt the week-long meeting in the provincial capital featured a lot of talk with no significant outcomes. "It reminded me of the one in about 2000, when the Glen Clark/Ujjal Dosanjh government was on its way out," said Nitchie. "Every minister's speech I heard in Victoria this year was basically empty. We weren't getting any real answers, no real announcements." [continues 392 words]
David Kennedy does not advocate alcohol and drug use. What the retired Vernon doctor does advocate is learning how to better manage the use of psychoactive drugs. Many, many, many people are choosing to use them and that's what we need to look at, and learn how to manage that," said Kennedy, who gave an hour-long talk titled The Failed Drug War: A Dragon In our Living Rooms Thursday morning at the Halina Centre in front of a crowd of 40. [continues 506 words]
Four crack pipes and 28 needles found on their first week of the job. It could be a busy season for the Summer Safety Patrol. The all-girl quartet was introduced to the local media this week, the ninth straight year the summer safety patrol, under the wings of the Vernon RCMP Safe Communities Unit, will be rolling throughout the streets of Vernon. "The safety patrol has been active since June 1 and they were all in training the week before that," said Rachael Neuhaus, office co-ordinator for the community policing office, of the patrol team, which includes one patrol member from last year - Stephanie Stewart - and first-timers Kit Marsden, Alysha Hardy and Lauren Lamb. [continues 347 words]
RCMP in the Shuswap community of Chase have issued a warning about a deadly batch of ecstasy following the deaths of two men, and the hospitalization of two women as a result of taking the drug. Police and paramedics responded to a home on the Little Shuswap Lake Reserve at 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 5 for a report of a drug overdose. A 19-year-old male was taken to hospital and put on life support. He died two days later. Police state the male had been taking ecstasy and marijuana. [continues 173 words]
He won't mention a name, or if it's a boy or girl, but Mark McLaughlin will tell you that his child is doing better now than before. McLaughlin will say his child is sleeping at home, holding a job and doing better than other kids addicted to crystal meth who are "dead and buried in the ground at age 13, 14 or 15." The executive director of the Crystal Meth Society of B.C., McLaughlin was in Vernon recently, delivering his powerful message on the "most addictive drug out there" to high school students and interested members of the public. [continues 680 words]
Six North Okanagan properties worth $3 million have had forfeiture proceedings commenced against them because they were used in a network of marijuana grow operations. Criminal forfeiture proceedings for two of the houses have been launched under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. If the homes are ordered forfeited, they will be turned over to the federal government, and any money from the sale of the properties would go to the federal coffers. Civil forfeiture proceedings for the other four homes have been undertaken by the provincial Civil Forfeiture Officer under the Civil Forfeiture Act. [continues 198 words]
Meeting: Residents Alarmed By Drug Dealing. Tired of drugs, drug dealers and sex trade workers taking over the streets of their community, Enderby residents vow to take their city back. An overflow crowd of more than 250 people packed into the Enderby Evangelical Chapel last week in a town hall meeting to voice their concerns to Mayor Sue Phillips, council and new Enderby RCMP detachment commander-in-charge, Cpl. Kim Moore. "We won't come up with any solid solutions tonight, and we're not here to lay blame, point fingers or call people names," said moderator Maureen Walker. "We are a civilized community. Let's not act like what we're trying to cure." [continues 421 words]
Tired of drugs, drug dealers and sex trade workers taking over the streets of their community, Enderby residents vow to take their city back. An overflow crowd of more than 250 people packed into the Enderby Evangelical Chapel Wednesday night in a town hall meeting to voice their concerns to Mayor Sue Phillips, council and new Enderby RCMP detachment commander-in-charge, Cpl. Kim Moore. "We won't come up with any solid solutions tonight, and we're not here to lay blame, point fingers or call people names," said moderator Maureen Walker. "We are a civilized community. Let's not act like what we're trying to cure." [continues 643 words]
Residents of the 1800 block of 43rd Avenue had another reason to celebrate on the Canada Day long weekend. Vernon RCMP enacted the city's controlled substance property remediation bylaw on a problem house in that block over the weekend. "The neighbours were very happy," said Cpl. Henry Proce. Police executed a search warrant at the home, and found a snub-nose revolver and drug paraphernalia. No charges were laid, but Proce reported the occupant of the home "was very familiar to us." [continues 72 words]
Coming under intense scrutiny and criticism over the last week, the Upper Room Mission is taking action. The mission's board of directors has established a risk management committee, whose role is to talk to various groups in the City of Vernon to discuss the mission. "Our job is to ask each party involved what they would like to see from the Upper Room Mission," said Mike Buffie, a local adjustor who is part of the three-member committee. He's joined by attorney Ed Wooley, and Terri Jones, assistant to Okanagan Shuswap Conservative Colin Mayes. [continues 236 words]
Over 20,000 marijuana plants worth millions. Twelve-gauge shotguns, assault rifles, pistols. A generator that could easily power an eight-story building. Those are just some of the items removed from the Seymour Arm area following a major drug bust on Oct. 5. The RCMP's Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit left the area on Friday after seizing evidence following the large-scale multiple marijuana grow operations associated with non-traditional organized crime. "We used to think of traditional crime as the mafia, and groups like the Hell's Angels as non-traditional. Well, we know the Hell's Angels are now a traditional group," said Sgt. John Ward of the RCMP's E-Division Strategic Communications. "Groups like this one in Seymour Arm, which is a tightly-knit group, are not likely known to police. They fly under our radar and continue with this criminal enterprise." [continues 313 words]
Parents have to be aware that their children are facing more than just math or science problems every day at school. That was the message delivered by three keynote speakers at the recent District Parent Advisory Council's (DPAC) monthly meeting in Salmon Arm. "The speakers provided some information on what our kids faced with every day and how they can get through each and every day safely," said DPAC president Teri Sinclair. Armstrong's Pleasant Valley Secondary School principal Greg Kitchen talked about the use of drugs and alcohol by school students. [continues 502 words]
It was a busy weekend for Shuswap RCMP in the ongoing battle against drugs. Charges are being recommended against a 25-year-old Grandview Bench Road resident after Salmon Arm RCMP conducted a search of a home Thursday. Officers executed a search warrant and, after checking the property and buildings, seized over 1,800 marijuana plants at various stages of growth, marijuana growing equipment and a quantity of dried marijuana bud. Charges of production of a scheduled substance and possession of a scheduled substance for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act are being recommended on the 25-year-old male occupant of the home. [continues 197 words]
