Help Wanted in the Okanagan

The issue was that we couldn’t afford to just come back and hope one of us would get a good job.

Brandie Gariepy

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Welcome to Shangri-flawed

With help wanted signs sprouting like roadside weeds, it’s not surprising that Okanagan employers are struggling to cope. But just when you’d expect job seekers to be sitting in the driver’s seat, many wannabe workers are getting a bumpy ride. High housing costs and stagnant wages are obvious culprits, but the following three case studies, along with our salary comparisons, reveal there’s more to this picture.

Illustration by Will Enns

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Read more of the original stories celebrated in our 30th-anniversary issue.

What was your property worth on July 1?

What was your property worth on July 1?

British Columbia's real estate market has seen continued activity in 2017 with residential and commercial property values showing growth in most areas. 2018 property assessment values will reflect what was happening around BC Assessment's uniform valuation date of...

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New year brings new part-time viticulture courses to Okanagan

New year brings new part-time viticulture courses to Okanagan

While wine lovers will have to wait months – if not years – to sip and savour 2018 Okanagan vintages, 2018 is poised to be a very good year right from the start for anyone looking to learn the art and science of grape growing in the region. Three new part-time...

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Okanagan curlers aiming for Olympics

Okanagan curlers aiming for Olympics

Hurry and cheer hard for the home team during the 2017 Roar of the Rings. Curlers John Morris and his Vernon rink – including Jim Cotter, second stone Catlin Schneider and lead Tyrel Griffith – will be throwing stones in Ottawa Dec. 2 to 10 in hopes of making the 2018...

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Culinary Championships announce 2018 competing chefs

Culinary Championships announce 2018 competing chefs

As Canadian Olympic athletes make final preparations to take on the world at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, eleven chefs prepare for the the 2018 Canadian Culinary Championships. The chefs, who won gold in their regional qualifier competition across...

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Call of the Drums

Call of the Drums

Piece by piece Okanagan Indian Band member William (Bill) James Robins, carefully lifts from a blue satchel and proudly displays his grass dance regalia. Headband, belt, wristbands and drop—picture a long, narrow scarf worn draped around the neck—all decorated with colourful appliqué. Furry ankle bands and a pair of worn moccasins add to the growing pile on the desk.

Date Rape Drugs

In the mid-1990s, the media began to report what appeared to be a growing trend: drug facilitated sexual assault, and in 1997 a young woman named AJ Januszczak put a human face on the story. Going public in the newspapers and on a national television talk show, she described exactly how a man drugged her while she was playing pool with her sister and her friends, then took her out to the parking lot where he and one of his friends raped her.

Parent Trap

Parent Trap

Complex family relationships and hectic lives create serious challenges for today’s parents. But there’s more help available than you might think — Around 6 p.m. the doors to a downtown Kelowna office building swing open intermittently. Men and women enter solemnly alone, making their way up the stairs, into the offices of the Kelowna Family Centre and a classroom where 15 chairs are set out in three neat rows.