Year in Review: The Observer looks back at headlines from January 2022

The Salmon Arm Observer looks back at the stories that made headlines in 2022.

January

• A few dozen people could be seen on the snow-covered ice of Salmon Arm Bay on Sunday 2 January. Transportation was varied, some people donned skates to play hockey on hastily cleared rinks, while others were on cross-country skis, tired “fat bikes” or snowshoes.

• A small group of hardened souls welcomed in the new year on January 1, 2022 by braving the frozen waters of Shuswap Lake. Although they first went to Canoe Beach for a swim, they couldn’t get through the ice. Later that day they went down to Government Wharf at Canoe where they found open water and took a quick swim.

• After a woman belonging to Salmon Arm and her son managed to escape from their burning home in the early hours of January 8, police followed footprints in the fresh snow leading away from the home. A GoFundMe page set up for Bonnie Thomas, who was at her home on Second Nations Road with her son Darcy Andrew, said someone had set a fire in the carport. “Luckily her son Darcy was awake and, after being alerted by a neighbor, was able to wake Bonnie in time for them to escape.” The flames were extinguished by firefighters from three fire halls. When police arrived, an officer traced a series of footprints and followed them two kilometers into the thick bush behind the residence. Officers found an unconscious man lying in the snow. The officer performed CPR for an hour until the Search and Rescue man was escorted to a waiting ambulance and then flown to a Kelowna-area hospital. “The swift actions of the Salmon Arm members and the help of the Kelowna Police Dog Services member and the Salmon Arm Search and Rescue averted a tragedy,” said Cpl. Luiz Sardinha of the Salmon Arm RCMP.

• If your Salmon Arm home was valued around the $400,000 mark in 2020, it’s probably now valued at well over half a million dollars. According to BC Assessment, a “typical” Salmon Arm single-family home valued at $426,000 in 2021 based on its potential selling price on July 1, 2020 would be valued at $574,000 in 2022, a 34 percent increase.

• Rosa’s Taco Stand closed its doors in Blackburn Park for the last time in October, but owner Rosa Guthrie was more than sad about the retirement. She said the city gave her no choice; “For years they’ve been making it difficult…” She also apologized to her clients and said she appreciated all of the support over the years. In an interview with the Observer in early December 2021, Guthrie mentioned several grievances with the city. Acting Administrator Erin Jackson wrote in an email: “Sorry, I can’t go into the specifics of this situation, but I can say that the city has worked with Rosa for many years trying to resolve the issues that caused their.” Departure.”

• On Sunday morning, January 23, a large group of BC truckers dubbed the “Freedom Convoy” left the lower mainland. They traveled to Ottawa to protest the federal government’s mandate that all truck drivers entering Canada must be vaccinated. Around 2:00 p.m., the convoy reached Salmon Arm, where they were greeted by hundreds of people supporting the truckers and their cause. Salmon Arm RCMP thanked those who obeyed the instructions of officers present during the “largely peaceful and lawful” demonstration. “The estimated 600 people were largely deferential to the officers…” Staff Sgt. Scott West said in a Jan. 24 media release.

#Salmon ArmShuswapYear in Review