Friday, July 17, 2026

☕ Good Morning

A quick note: There was a forest fire just outside my family’s home in Pemberton over the past two days, so I had to step away from the Digest. That’s why there was no Thursday, July 16 edition and why the Friday, July 17 issue is arriving later than usual. Thanks for understanding.

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📰 News

A proposed copper mine 150 kilometres northeast of Kamloops just cleared a major hurdle. B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office signed a consent agreement with Simpcw First Nation covering the Yellowhead Copper project, requiring the nation’s consent before it can proceed. (Castanet)

Propel Us Carshare Co-op has its first set of wheels. A Chevy Bolt EV stationed at 288 Larch Ave. goes into beta for members starting Monday, July 20, ahead of a bigger North Shore pilot planned for spring 2027. (Castanet)

Eleven Westsyde Scouts, ages 10 to 16, left for Iceland on Wednesday after a year of fundraising. The group is headed to the Icelandic National Jamboree in Hamrar and returns July 31. (Castanet)

A new cedar carving at TRU Nursing carries Secwépemc teachings about health and caring for one another. Secwépemc artist Ed Jensen’s The First Teaching: Care for One Another was unveiled July 13 in the Chappell Family Building. Its origin story describes animals offering humans nourishment, clothing, tools, knowledge and guidance. (TRU)

The Southern Interior is now one of B.C.’s two extreme-drought regions. An Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada specialist pointed to high temperatures, low precipitation, poor winter snowpack and low streamflows as drought expanded across the province. June was another unusually dry month around Kamloops. (CFJC Today)

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🏛️ What Changed

Air North will start flying Vancouver to Kamloops twice weekly beginning May 2027. The new seasonal route adds one-stop connections to Whitehorse and marks the return of scheduled jet service to Kamloops. (CFJC Today)

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🚨 Safety

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) has ordered one property evacuated as the French Bar Creek wildfire grows. The fire has burned an estimated 12.5 square kilometres and crossed into the Cariboo Fire Centre; 51 firefighters, 10 helicopters and two pieces of heavy equipment are responding. (CFJC Today · Castanet)

Kamloops remains under a yellow-level air quality warning as smoke from the Brunswick Complex wildfires near Boston Bar drifts into the region. The alert now stretches into the Nicola Valley and southern Fraser Canyon; people with heart or lung conditions are advised to limit strenuous outdoor activity. (Castanet)

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📅 Events

Browse the Kamloops Events directory to plan the weekend. It combines official and community calendars, with filters for date, category, audience and location, including a separate Sun Peaks view.

Darren Lee and Jennifer Rae bring their King and Cash tribute show to the Kamloops Legion on Friday, July 17. It’s part of the Legion’s 100th anniversary celebration. (Castanet)

A free dance performance and artist talk comes to the Kamloops Art Gallery on Saturday. Andrea Nann performs A Crazy Kind of Hope at 11 a.m., followed by a conversation with choreographer Sarah Chase at 11:30 a.m. (Kamloops Art Gallery)

Free family drop-in activities land at Valleyview Centennial Park on Friday, July 17, from 10 AM to noon. (City of Kamloops)

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🛣️ Roads & Weather

🌦️ Friday is forecast to reach 31°C with a chance of showers. The latest AQHI reading was 5.19, in the moderate range, while heat and air-quality warnings remain active. Saturday should be smoky with a high near 30°C before a sunny Sunday around 32°C.

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🗺️ What’s in My Backyard?

See what is being proposed near your home. What’s in My Backyard? maps active development applications and lets you turn on neighbourhood boundaries and zoning layers.

I built the map and events directory through Trim Automation, my Kamloops software development company.

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🎮 Daily Game

Redactle — reveal a hidden article by guessing the words that belong in it.