Education minister to visit on Monday

Education Minister Rob Fleming will spend Monday in the South Okanagan, The Okanagan Weekend has learned.

Fleming is expected to visit Oliver in the morning and will arrive in Penticton for a 1:30 p.m. announcement at Ecole Entre-lacs. The announcement at the French-language school is expected to address the sale of the building from the Okanagan Skaha School District.

Additionally, the local NDP riding association has organized a pub night from 5 to 7 p.m. at Brexit Pub, located at 67 Nanaimo Ave. W. in Penticton.

Retailer wants to sell liquor

Columbia-area residents in Penticton may soon have a liquor store within walking distance.

Gordy Johal, the owner of Duncan Grocery, located on the corner of Columbia Street and Duncan Avenue, has applied to transfer his existing retail liquor licence to the convenience store, ultimately rezoning the property.

“This location already holds a primary liquor licence to serve liquor at their location,” he said in a letter to council. “Therefore, as per my future plans, I would like to add retail liquor store without changing the building footprints.”

Johal said an increase in “residential development” in the area has made “the demand high according to the present clients.”

In their proposal, city staff explain the building was built in 1966 and “a restaurant component was added within the convenience store in 2012.”

“The convenience store is a longstanding commercial use in the neighbourhood, and neighbours are familiar with a retail use on the property,” the proposal continues.

The application will go before city council Tuesday.

For the record

There are 2,307 apartments in Penticton, 75 more than in 2018. Incorrect information was published in Friday’s edition of the Penticton Herald. The Herald regrets the error.