Author: Osoyoos Times

The B.C. Forests and Range Ministry has evicted as many as 160 people living on Crown land in the Strawberry Creek area behind the Buena Vista Industrial Park due to violations of the provincial Land Act and the Wildfire Act.
On June 22, the ministry’s Compliance and Enforcement Division received a public complaint regarding people camping in the area that has come to be known as “French Hill.”

Biologists from the B.C. Environment Ministry and the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife said that a bacteria outbreak that has killed hundreds of fish in Osoyoos Lake in the past several weeks poses no threat to humans.
Dead fish began washing up at several of the lake’s beaches in May.

A recent incident involving gasoline spilling into Osoyoos Lake at the boat launch next to the Lake Osoyoos Sailing Club has raised concerns about local protocols to deal with fuel spills.
Monica and Rolf Weisser, who are members of the club, said club members were preparing a barbecue dinner at the club on the evening of June 27 when a strong smell of gasoline filled the air.

Shoppers from B.C. expecting to escape the HST by heading to Washington state may not be able to find the tax breaks they were expecting.
Because Washington state’s Revenue Department views the HST, which came into effect July 1, as a value-added tax, British Columbians are eligible for exemptions from state and local taxes when buying goods across the border.
In Okanogan County, for instance, a shopper could be eligible for an exemption of the state’s 6.5 per cent sales tax and the county’s 1.2 per cent sales tax.