Wednesday, July 8, 2026

📰 News

Highway 1 is closed near Boston Bar as Fraser Canyon wildfires grow. Castanet reports the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek fires are burning on opposite sides of the canyon, with Ainslie Creek growing from roughly 70 hectares to nearly 700 on Tuesday after embers jumped the river. No reopening estimate had been listed in the Tuesday evening update. (Castanet)

Wildfire smoke and ash worsened Kamloops air quality. Castanet reports ash and smoke from the Fraser Canyon fires moved over Kamloops Tuesday afternoon. (Castanet)

Interior Health is urging people to plan around smoky conditions. CFJC reports the health authority is highlighting added risk for children, seniors, pregnant people and anyone with heart or lung conditions. (CFJC Today)

A campfire ban starts across the Kamloops Fire Centre at noon Friday, July 10. KamloopsBCNow reports Category 1 campfires will be prohibited across the Penticton, Vernon, Merritt, Kamloops and Lillooet fire zones, with BC Wildfire Service citing wildfire prevention and public safety. (KamloopsBCNow)

Royal Inland Hospital has opened a new acute treatment area in its emergency department. The province says the Teck Emergency Department section is designed for patients who need urgent attention, close observation and faster access to tests, with the remaining ED expansion expected next spring. (BC Government)

Four TRU researchers have received federal Discovery Grants. TRU says the projects cover environmental modelling, contaminant remediation, artificial intelligence and statistical learning. (TRU)

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🏛️ City Hall

The city is accepting photo submissions for its 2027 calendar. The annual free calendar is looking for Kamloops images including landscapes, parks, local events and wildlife, and the city says all skill levels are welcome. (City of Kamloops)

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🚨 Safety

Kamloops RCMP are asking for help identifying a suspect in a Valleyview liquor-store incident. Castanet reports police say an employee was sexually assaulted in the 2100-block of Trans-Canada Highway East on June 26, and investigators have released a photo as they try to identify the man. (Castanet)

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📅 Events

Paramount Theatre screens Hairspray on Friday, July 10 as part of the Hollywood Suite Movie Madness series. (Castanet)

A free junior golf clinic is listed for Tuesday, July 14. The Castanet listing says the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour and Dearborn Ford are hosting the clinic. (Castanet)

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🛣️ Roads & Weather

🌫️ Wednesday starts with smoke, AQHI 11 (very high), and an Environment Canada air-quality warning. The forecast calls for mainly sunny conditions near 31°C, with a few clouds overnight around 16°C.

🚧 Highway 1 remained closed near Boston Bar because of the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek wildfires. Check DriveBC before travelling the Fraser Canyon.

🧭 Daily resource: Kamloops AQHI. It is the quickest official check for whether the smoke has shifted from normal nuisance into health-risk territory.

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🎮 Daily Game

WhereTaken — study a photo, drop a pin on the map and see how close you are.