GOOD MORNING, it’s back to work after a great Canada Day weekend. Check out what's shakin' in our world today.
• So much for the first half of the year. July heralds the beginning of the second half of 2024. And it promises to be eventful, particularly with a provincial election on the calendar.
• We’ve got a ton more news for you. Don’t forget to pay your property taxes before today’s deadline.
• You can reach back to the past as trains are running again in Port Alberni.
• A bunch of homes were inundated by flood waters in the Interior and the trans Canada Highway was closed.
• Things are not quite back to normal at WestJet now that the strike by mechanics is over.
• Where do politicians parks their brains after being elected? One MP took a family Christmas at taxpayer expense to the tune of more than $17,000.
SO MUCH FOR THE FIRST HALF of the year, July heralds the beginning of the second half of 2024. And it promises to be eventful, particularly with a provincial election on the calendar. So the politicians will be chewing our ears off with some fact but a lot more hot air. Fasten your seat belts.
DON'T FORGET TO PAY – I hate to flog a dead horse, but the property tax deadline is today before the end of business hours at city hall. If you miss the deadline it will cost you a pile more than the already-high tab you're facing.
ALL ABOARD. Riding the choo choo used to have a certain cache to it. Those pining for nostalgia, head on down to Port Alberni where the trains are running again. The Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society has an agreement with the city to run the train three days a week. Tickets are eight bucks for adults and six bucks for seniors, kids and youth. The #11 Diesel Locomotive will run every weekend and the #102 Logging Crew Speeder will run on Mondays. Departure time is 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. throughout the summer on both trains. MORE
ALMOST TWO DOZEN HOMES were hit by by flash flooding in the Interior after heavy rain closed the Trans-Canada Highway near Kamloops. The regional district said no injuries or damage to critical infrastructure had been reported, but officials are working with residents of at least 20 homes that were affected by floodwaters. Savona-area residents reported sewage smells around their homes following the flooding. MORE
WESTJET AND ITS MECHANICS have reached a tentative agreement that ended a days-long strike but travel woes are not back to normal for all passengers. The airline was moving toward business as usual but warned there would be further disruptions over the coming weeks as operations returned to normal. Some of the destinations on the impacted flights include Los Cabos, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary. WestJet cancelled 78 scheduled flights across the country Monday, and an additional three on Tuesday. MORE
WHERE DO POLITICIANS park their brains after being elected? Manitoba NDP MP Niki Ashton has paid back part of the thousands of dollars she spent on a Christmastime trip for her and her family out of public funds.The trip cost more than $17,000 for a Christmas Day trip to Quebec City and Montreal. Her husband and two children flew from her northern Manitoba riding to Ottawa on Dec. 21, 2022. Then the family flew to Quebec City on Christmas Day “to meet with stakeholders about business of the House.” She’s paid back $2,900 so far but when is she going to pay for the balance? MORE
WEB QUOTE – I tried to follow the science but it simply was not there. Then I followed the money and that’s where I found the science.