SEPTEMBER
• Hillcrest resident Sylvia Martin found rats to be a growing problem in the city. “I think part of the problem for Salmon Arm is people are in the dark; they don’t realize there’s an issue. A lot of people aren’t seeing them,” Martin and her spouse Claude hired a trapper to rid their property of the rodents, which she thinks are being attracted by the alluring scent of neighbours’ backyard composters.
• A routine trip to his Sunnybrae mailbox turned into an incident Kyle Schneider will never forget. It included an attempted carjacking of his car, along with an estimated 10 to 15 other vehicles, on scenic Sunnybrae Canoe Point Road. After removing the suspect from his vehicle, Schneider said the carjacker moved on to other vehicles before he was arrested by police.
• A change to a city policy on grave ornaments was a shock to a local resident, so she’d like to make sure other cemetery visitors are aware. As of Aug. 1, no ornaments or decorations were allowed on grave sites at Mt. Ida Cemetery. City staff said many personal items were being left at the cemetery, making it difficult for the groundskeeper to mow properly. Marilyn Allbury, who left two ornaments at the cemetery was surprised when she found them missing.
• A storm that originated on B.C.’s coast tore its way through many Interior communities, including Salmon Arm, and sent more than 10,000 bolts of lightning streaking to the ground. The summer storm barrelled across the region during the evening of Sept. 3., with many photos of the lightning strikes taken between 7 and 9 p.m
• Along with the heat, attendance figures at the 122nd Salmon Arm Fair soared. Phil Wright, longtime president of the host Salmon Arm Fair and Shuswap Lake Agricultural Association, said Friday’s numbers were up by 50 percent due to a presentation by world-class gardener Brian Minter, Adam Fitzpatrick’s Elvis tribute on the main stage and a very well-attended Rotary Barn Dance. The $5 entry fee for those who arrived at the fair before 5 p.m. also helped.
• Following significant public response, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District increased the maximum dock size allowed on a number of populated lakes in the region. The lakes affected by the bylaw change were Humamilt Lake, Hunakwa Lake, Little White Lake, Shuswap Lake, White Lake and portions of Adams and Mara Lakes.
• It was announced the Rogers Hometown Hockey tour would stop in Salmon Arm in March 2020. Starting Oct. 5 in Halton Hills, Ont., the tour returns for its sixth season, making stops in 25 communities across the country to celebrate the local hockey stories. Salmon Arm is the 22nd stop along the tour.
• The province’s Residential Tenancy Branch opened an investigation into the impending eviction of approximately 34 residents, primarily low-income seniors, from Salmon Arm’s McGuire Lake Congregate Living, who were told they must be out of the building before Oct. 1.
• Sicamous’ Parkview Elementary ceased operations on the advice of Interior Health after a musty smell was noticed on and off for two weeks following a rainstorm. Alice Hucul, in charge of communications at School District 83, said it was not known when the students would return to their classrooms and, in the meantime, would attend classes at nearby elementary schools. It reopened in November.
• Downtown Salmon Arm’s third cannabis store, Salmon Arm Cannabis, located on Shuswap Street just north of the Trans-Canada Highway, opened.
