Sun Peaks Resort will push ahead with plans to expand after a B.C. Supreme Court decision yesterday in Vancouver.

"It's good news for Sun Peaks and basically the ski industry in B.C.," said Darcy Alexander, Vice President and General Manager of Sun Peaks Resort Corporation.

The Adams Lake Indian Band lost after challenging provincial licensing that permitted the resort to add a new chairlift and additional ski runs.

"We worked with the province to address the concerns of the local First Nations band involved," Alexander said. "We thought we'd done that."

Alexander said the courts decision was the one he had expected.

"We've been following the rules," he said. "We've been doing similar kinds of things for over 20 years."

The court challenge stalled development while the case made it's way through the court system for about a year.

Now that the resort has been approved to proceed, the area next to Mount Morrisey will be cleared to make way for 'West Morrisey' which will consist of half a dozen ski runs and a new chairlift expected to be completed in about two years.

The new area will bring the resort up to over 125 runs and a dozen lifts.

"We look forward to continuing on," Alexander said.

To contact a reporter for this story, email: jwallace@infotelnews.ca or call (250) 319-7494.

Between 10-40mm of rain has fallen across the region since yesterday morning with parts of the Fraser Canyon and Shuswap areas seeing the highest amount of precipitation. In Kamloops a new rainfall record was set as the airport measured 22mm of rain over a 24 hour period, nearly double the previous record of 10.1mm set in 1997. With that rainfall Kamloops has surpassed the average monthly rainfall of 24.4mm.

Though record rains have fallen no advisories have been issued for the Thompson River. As of this morning a high streamflow advisory for several Interior rivers and creeks remained in place due to heavy overnight rain though. Among the rivers under advisory are the Nicola, Salmon, Shuswap and Eagle rivers.

Rainfall warnings are still in place for today through tomorrow in the Fraser Canyon and Shuswap, both of which could see another 30mm fall by Thursday morning. The B.C. River Forecast Centre advises this could cause the rivers, which have risen rapidly over the past 12-16 hours, to increase even more rapidly.

Cooler temperatures over the weekend saw the Thompson River go from a peak of just over 7m last week to just under 6.5m by Tuesday morning. Rains the last two days have caused a slight rise in the river again but cooler temperatures continue to prevent snow packs from melting off too quickly, which could cause a quick rise of the river.

To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca or call (250)819-3723.

VANCOUVER - It appears Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault has paid the price for his team's early exit from the playoffs.

According to multiple media reports, the team has fired Vigneault and assistants Rick Bowness and Newell Browne.

When contacted by The Canadian Press, the Canucks would not comment on the reports.

The Canucks' all-time leader in coaching wins, Vigneault led the club to six Northwest Division titles, two Presidents' Trophy titles and an appearance in the 2011 Stanley Cup final.

But Vancouver was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in the last two seasons, including via a sweep by the San Jose Sharks this year.

It was the first time in 12 years that the Canucks were swept in the post-season.

Vigneault has a 313-170-57 record over seven seasons in Vancouver.

May 21, 2013 - 3:06 PM

VANCOUVER - The Adams Lake Indian Band has lost a court challenge against an expansion of Sun Peaks Resort in B.C.'s Interior.

The band asked for a judicial review after the provincial government issued a licence to the resort to add a chair lift and additional ski runs.

The Adams Lake band objected to the expansion and claimed the government didn't properly consult with members before it gave approval for the changes.

However, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon noted that most of the statements filed by band members were a lament for the loss of the way of life in the area because of mining, housing development and recreational uses.

While the witness statements speak to the band's frustration over the impact of the resort, the judge ruled the trouble can't be addressed in the context of one small expansion of the resort.

Fenlon ruled the province conducted its obligations as necessary, while dismissing the band's claim and ordering it to pay the resort's legal fees.

CASEY'S BASKETBALL-SIZED TUMOUR MUST GO

The Kamloops SPCA is pleading with the public to finally get help for a surrendered dog living with a fatty tumour big enough to displace his shoulder.

They don't know how long Casey, an eight-year-old Labrador-retriever, has suffered through the basketball-sized tumour, but they know he needs help now.

He was surrendered last week because his owner could not afford his vet bills and branch manager Charleen Holloway was shocked to see the large, untreated mass when Casey came to the shelter.

“This could have been easily remedied years ago. Casey's surgery would have been less costly and required less recovery time had this been treated when discovered two or three years ago,” Holloway says.

The veterinarian who assessed Casey says the tumour needs to be removed because the fatty-tissue has displaced his front left leg. The branch is now asking for donations to help cover the medical costs to have the tumour removed, estimated at $2,000.

Casey remains active and acts like a puppy, Holloway reports, and is expected to make a full recovery following surgery on Friday and will be up for adoption once fully recovered.

To make a donation to help Casey or any other animal in need, go to spca.bc.ca/support, call the Kamloops branch at 250-376-7722 or drop off or mail your donation to the branch at 1211 8 St., Kamloops, B.C., V2B 2Y3.

To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca or call (250) 819-3723.

UPDATE: 10:30 a.m. May 22, 2013

Power has now been restored to the Aberdeen area of Kamloops after nearly six hours without power for some homes. The outage was discovered just after 4 a.m. and power started returning to some homes around 8:30 a.m. and by 10:30 a.m. power had been restored to all homes within the affected area. The cause of the outage is still under investigation.

7:19 a.m. May 22, 2013

Nearly 1,500 customers are without power in the upper Aberdeen area of Kamloops Wednesday morning while another 834 in Salmon Arm were restored around 7:30 a.m.

B.C. Hydro says the Kamloops outage was discovered around 4 a.m. and crews are currently investigating what caused the outage and trying to restore power by 10:30 a.m. In Salmon Arm a tree fell across hydro wires around 8:45 p.m. last night and was expected to be restored by 7 a.m.

While storm and rainfall warnings have been lifted for the South Thompson area the Fraser Canyon and Shuswap areas are still under rainfall warnings this morning. This system has been attributed to several other hydro outages in Kamloops, 100 Mile House and Salmon Arm over the past 24 hours. Snowfall warnings on the Coquihalla Highway, the Connector and Highway 3 also remain in place this morning.

To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca or call (250) 819-3723.

BELCARRA, B.C. - A cougar with a taste for house pets is prowling in the Metro Vancouver community of Belcarra, just west of Port Moody.

RCMP were called to the wooded, rural neighbourhood overlooking Indian Arm at about 8:20 Tuesday night when a family reported the cougar had snatched their dog.

A 16-year-old tried to scare off the big cat, but it took a swipe at him, too, before dropping its prey.

The pooch was pulled to safety, but the cougar prowled around the house for several minutes before slinking away.

A conservation officer has been called to the area but there's no word if the cougar has been tracked.

Area residents report seeing it in the neighbourhood and also say several house cats have recently vanished. (CKNW)

BLUE RIVER, B.C. - When it comes to the rules of the road, no one is immune in B.C., including the passenger bus service Greyhound.

The Ministry of Transportation says one of the company's buses was impounded after speeding through a construction zone on a B.C. highway near Blue River, about 230 kilometres north of Kamloops, B.C.

A commercial vehicle safety officer says the bus was going about 110 kilometres an hour, but the speed limit in the construction zone on Highway 5 was 50.

In a written statement, the ministry says because of the hazardous circumstances that the operator placed himself in along with his passengers and other vehicles, the bus was stopped and impounded.

The passengers aboard the bus were forced to wait at a restaurant before a second bus came to take them to their destinations.

Greyhound has not responded to inquiries about the issue. (CHNL, The Canadian Press)