Misplaced Pages

#295704

50-830: The first game in league history (when it was known as the WHA Junior West Hockey League ) took place on September 21, 2006, between the Lumby Fighting Saints and the Armstrong Sharks in Armstrong, British Columbia . The result of the game was a 6-4 victory for Lumby. On November 15, 2006, the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League announced its affiliation with the World Hockey Association and

100-587: A decade afterward. In 1859, the first European settlement was established when Father Charles Pandosy led the making of an Oblate mission at Okanagan Mission , now a neighbourhood of Kelowna. The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858 eventually encouraged more settlement as some prospectors from the United States took the Okanagan Trail route on their way to the Fraser Canyon , although at

150-462: A middle school, and a high school. Armstrong Elementary School was initially known as the "Armstrong Spallumcheen Consolidated School". When it was built in 1921, it was the first school in the Province to be constructed as a central school into which were consolidated approximately thirteen small country or one-room schools. Len Wood Middle school and Pleasant Valley Secondary were later added to suit

200-491: A popular destination for vacationers and retirees. The area also attracts seasonal fruit-picking labourers, primarily from Quebec and Mexico . The population of the region was 403,950 as of the 2021 Canadian census . The three regional districts within the Okanagan and their populations were: Central Okanagan (222,162), North Okanagan (91,610) and Okanagan-Similkameen (90,178). The statistical figures below are based on

250-589: A population density of 1,019.7/km (2,641.1/sq mi) in 2021. According to the 2021 census , religious groups in Armstrong included: The public schools system is administered by School District 83 North Okanagan-Shuswap , headquartered in nearby Salmon Arm . Pleasant Valley Secondary School (PVSS) is the local high school and Len Wood Middle School is the middle school. There are two elementary schools; Highland Park Elementary, and Armstrong Elementary with students bussing in from nearby Falkland also making up

300-431: A portion of the school population. The high-school is also getting a 16 million dollar gym renovation, after failed efforts by The former principal Chelsea Prince, The ministry of education has donated 16 million for the completion of the gym. The gym will be available to use by the community and the schools. Okanagan Valley The Okanagan ( / ˌ oʊ k ə ˈ n ɑː ɡ ən / OH -kə- NAH -gən ), also called

350-710: A recent shift in focus to vineyards and wine . The region stretches northwards via the Spallumcheen Valley to Sicamous in the Shuswap Country , and reaches south of the Canada–United States border , where it continues as Okanogan County . The Okanagan as a region is sometimes described as including the Boundary , Similkameen , and Shuswap regions, though this is because of proximity and historic and commercial ties with those areas. The name

400-440: A significant role in the economic activity of the area; particularly popular with long-distance cyclists as a desirable location for short-haul excursions. Armstrong and the surrounding area feature many attractions including museums , golf courses, water sports , snow sports including skiing and snowmobile riding, boating , fishing and hiking trails . Armstrong Cheese is well known throughout Canada and in parts of

450-781: A subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , linking the Southern Mainline with the original transcontinental mainline at Sicamous: the SS Aberdeen from 1886 and then the SS Sicamous and SS Naramata from 1914, and others. The Sicamous and Naramata survive as a tourist attraction on Okanagan Beach on the north side of Penticton , the Sicamous serving both as a museum and also an event facility. Other steamboats operated on Skaha Lake to

500-409: Is 362,258. The largest populated cities are Kelowna , Penticton , Vernon , and West Kelowna . The region is known for its sunny climate, dry landscapes and lakeshore communities and particular lifestyle. The economy is retirement and commercial-recreation based, with outdoor activities such as boating and watersports, skiing and hiking. Agriculture has been focused primarily on fruit orchards, with

550-610: Is a city in the North Okanagan of the Canadian province of British Columbia , between Vernon and Enderby . It overlooks the Spallumcheen Valley, which forms a broad pass between the Okanagan Valley to the south and the Shuswap Country to the north, and is about 480 km (300 mi) from each of Vancouver , B.C. and Spokane , Washington. The City of Armstrong celebrated its centennial in 2013. Armstrong

SECTION 10

#1732794458296

600-494: Is a rural community and commercial center in the North Okanagan, with agriculture, grain farming of alfalfa and corn , logging, and ranching being traditional economic activities. It is located amidst the dairy and farmlands of the Spallumcheen Valley (a name derived from a Shuswap language word with multiple meanings: "beautiful valley", "flat meadow", "meeting of the waters", and "prairie-banked river"). Armstrong

650-719: Is about 15.0 °C (59.0 °F), which is the warmest in Canada. The average annual precipitation in this region is also the second driest in Canada outside of the Arctic , the driest being the Thompson River Valley west of Kamloops . The southern Okanagan is dominated by northern reach of the Columbia Plateau ecoregion and is the only xeric shrubland ecosystem in Canada. Dry forests of ponderosa pine and low grasses can be found at higher elevations to

700-604: Is derived from the Okanagan-language place name ukʷnaqín . An alternative explanation from Washington is ‘People living where you can see the top’, ostensibly of Chopaka Peak in the Lower Similkameen. The area was occupied by Pleistocene glaciation , and a widespread mantle of glacial drift covers the underlying bedrock. At the end of the Pleistocene, marginal lakes formed along the sides of

750-574: Is home to the Syilx , commonly known as the Okanagan people, an Interior Salish people who live in the valley from the head of Okanagan Lake downstream to near the river's confluence with the Columbia River in present-day Washington , as well as in the neighbouring Similkameen Valley and the Upper Nicola to the north of that, though the whole of their traditional territory encompasses

800-511: Is well distributed year round. Some regions of the Okanagan, most notably near Kelowna , border on an inland oceanic climate due to it having an average temperature slightly above −3.0 °C (26.6 °F) and below 0 °C (32 °F). Dry forests of ponderosa pine and low grasses dominate the valleys and mountains in this region. The Okanagan south of Kelowna has a semi-arid climate ( Köppen : Bsk ) with hot, dry summers and cool winters. The average daytime temperature in this region

850-607: The 2011 Canadian census , 2021 Canadian census , and the British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Statistics Canada. 2017. Armstrong, CY [Census subdivision], British Columbia and Okanagan, RD [Census division], British Columbia (table). Census Profile. 2016 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-X2016001. Ottawa. Released February 8, 2017. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed April 16, 2017). The Indian reserves of

900-767: The KIJHL , Osoyoos having won the 2010/11 KIJHL season. Penticton and Summerland are both home to Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers Defenceman Duncan Keith . The area has been host to multiple junior hockey championships, including the Memorial Cup in Kelowna in 2004 and RBC Cup in Vernon in 1990 (then called the Centennial Cup) and 2014 . Kelowna is home to junior Canadian football team Okanagan Sun , and Jr. Baseball team Kelowna Falcons , including

950-593: The Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country , is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River . It is part of the Okanagan Country , extending into the United States as Okanogan County in north-central Washington . According to the 2016 Canadian census, the region's population

1000-472: The Okanagan first peoples also form identifiable communities: The Osoyoos and Westbank Indian Reserves have large non-native populations because of band-governed residential and commercial development on their lands. The Osoyoos Indian Reserve leases large swathes of land to commercial vineyard developments and is where 40% of wine grapes used in the Okanagan come from. Ice hockey is a popular sport in

1050-845: The Central Interior to the north, to Fort Vancouver , the HBC's headquarters in the Columbia Department , for passing furs between New Caledonia and the Columbia River for shipment to the Pacific. The trade route lasted until 1846, when the Oregon Treaty laid down the border between British North America and the United States west of the Rocky Mountains on the 49th parallel. The new border cut across

SECTION 20

#1732794458296

1100-523: The East Kootenay, skirting the US border and crossing Osoyoos Lake at Osoyoos, which was a customs post and also the location of the gold commissioner 's office. The Dewdney Trail , surveyed and built by Edgar Dewdney , was constructed to prevent trade in the region from going north-south instead of remaining firmly under British control, and also for military mobility purposes should the need arise. In

1150-644: The Oliver Jets and the Armstrong Sharks. After a second season cut short and the playoffs won by the Oliver Jets with little notice, there was no sign of any renewal of the "Alliance Cup." In the summer of 2008, the WHA announced the addition of teams in Hope, Ashcroft, Nakusp, Clinton and Logan Lake. From the 2007-08 season, the WHA lost Barrhead, Fort Vancouver, Osoyoos, Squamish, and Vancouver, but announced that it had retained Armstrong, Lumby and Oliver. Furthermore,

1200-647: The United States, and originated in Armstrong. Dairyworld purchased Armstrong Cheese in 1997. Saputo Inc. purchased Dairyworld in 2003, and in February 2004, after being in operation for more than 100 years, closed the Armstrong Cheese site down, laying off 73 workers. However, one of the main tourist attractions continues to be the Village Cheese Company. At the Village Cheese Company, one can watch master cheesemakers at their craft. Among

1250-456: The WHA in the summer of 2008 with a series of bulletins targeted at keeping players from joining the WHA. The charges put against Samson, Gugins, and the PIJHL revolve around allegations that Samson and Gugins were in breach of a contract between them and the WHA when attempting to secure a PIJHL franchise. The outcome of the lawsuit is unclear. Armstrong, British Columbia Armstrong

1300-578: The cheese it produced. The city is also well known for hosting the Interior Provincial Exhibition and Stampede, which has been in annual operation since 1899 though the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic . The "IPE" is not just a midway and popular retail show, but very much still a country fair, with contests being held to judge animals, cooking, sewing, hobbies, and other items. Additionally,

1350-420: The cheeses available are cheddar , Monterey Jack and "squeaky curds". Armstrong has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ). In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Armstrong had a population of 5,323 living in 2,217 of its 2,292 total private dwellings, a change of 4.1% from its 2016 population of 5,114. With a land area of 5.22 km (2.02 sq mi), it had

1400-527: The club. The Pioneers had a league best 7-1-0-0 record with 61 goals for and 27 goals against. Late in November, the transplanted 2007 champion Whalers (3-6-0-0 with 40 GF and 49 GA) seemingly folded and their players were moved in with the Osoyoos Spurs franchise. The remaining teams played little more than half the schedule before the season was cut short, and a "championship" series played between

1450-734: The company. In addition, the WHA was ordered to repay $ 277,386 in loans provided to them by Global. Under Smith, the share price of the WHA fell from $ 3.45 to less than one cent, before being taken off the trading market. On November 24, 2009, Ricky Smith filed a lawsuit in British Columbia against Hockey Canada , the Pacific International Junior Hockey League , BC Hockey , former WHA Coach Matt Samson, and Squamish Manager of Recreational Services Janet Gugins. The charges stem from Smith's belief that Hockey Canada and BC Hockey maliciously targeted

1500-632: The creation of the "National Junior Hockey Alliance," an agreement to play for the "Alliance Cup" between the GMHL playoff champion and the winner of the WHA Junior West Hockey League. On March 2, 2007, the JWHL final was awarded to New Westminster after winning the best of five series. Lumby pulled out of the league final after a financial dispute between Lumby's coach and the league; the league chose to remove Lumby's coach and continued

1550-843: The decades following the gold rushes, ranchers, mostly on military land grants, came to settle on Okanagan Lake; notable ones included the Coldstream Ranch near Vernon, the Ellis Ranch , which formed the basis of the City of Penticton once subdivided, and the Richter Ranch , which continues in operation today, in the mountains between the Town of Oliver and the Village of Keremeos in the Similkameen. A mining industry began in

WHA Junior Hockey League - Misplaced Pages Continue

1600-572: The east. Despite being located in a xeric shrubland, areas near Osoyoos and Oliver claim to be part of Canada's only desert . Between 2000 BCE and 1900 CE, the climate and vegetation of the Okanagan had changed little. However, historical records from the Pacific Agrifood Research Station in Summerland indicate that the Okanagan climate had warmed by about 1 °C between 1908 and 1994. The Okanagan Valley

1650-605: The entire Columbia River watershed and includes areas east of the Okanogan River in Washington, i.e. the Colville Reservation . At the height of Okanagan culture, about 3000 years ago, it is estimated that 12,000 people lived in this valley and surrounding areas. The Okanagan people employed an adaptive strategy, moving within traditional areas throughout the year to fish, hunt, or collect food, while in

1700-487: The exhibition offers a variety of entertainment options ranging from concerts, competitions, and the famous mini-chuckwagon races. Armstrong is a corporation operated by a seven-member city council headed by the Mayor , with meetings being held the second and fourth Mondays of every month. The Mayor is Chris Pieper, currently in his second term as mayor. Armstrong has four public education facilities; two elementary schools,

1750-713: The fall of 2007, but gained the Fort Vancouver Pioneers. The Pioneers received much scrutiny in USA Hockey 's NorPac league due to allegations of "overcompensating" their players and violating their amateur status. The team was founded in 2003 as the Portland Pioneers and won two league championships. On October 28, 2007, the Fort Vancouver Pioneers ceased operations following the WHA reneging on travel arrangements made with

1800-659: The form of a fur trading expedition voyaging north out of Fort Okanogan , a Pacific Fur Company outpost at the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers. Within fifteen years, fur traders established, known as the Brigade Trail via the Cariboo Plateau and Thompson Country to Fort Kamloops and through the Okanagan, from Fort Alexandria at the southern end of the New Caledonia fur district in

1850-426: The growing region, with Highland Park Elementary opening in 1983 to satisfy increasing demand and lack of suitable expansion capacity at Armstrong Elementary. There is also a store-front style facility, Gateway Continuing Education Centre, operated by School District 83. While agriculture, logging, and ranching remain a dominant portion of the economy of Armstrong and the Spallumcheen Valley, tourism increasingly plays

1900-537: The height of the rush the American adventurers who used the route did not settle because of outright hostilities from the Syilx , whom a few of the parties traversing the trail had harassed and brutalized. A few staked claims around the South Okanagan and Similkameen valleys and found gold and copper in places, with another trail from Fort Hope to newer goldfields at Rock Creek and Wild Horse Creek in

1950-680: The league announced in July 2008 that it had secured affiliation deals with the Varkaus Eagles of Finland and Red Star-Sofia in Bulgaria. As part of the arrangement, WHA owner Ricky Smith was given control of the Eagles, but subsequently defaulted on a $ 75,000 bond and unilaterally folded the team. No WHA franchise apparently attempted to field a roster for the scheduled start of the 2008-2009 season, and no games were ever played. The last post to

2000-402: The league's website was on September 15, 2008 - which as of July 2009 was shut down for lack of payment - addressing the possible suspension by Hockey Canada of any player suiting up for a WHA team. On January 16, 2009, the WHA was successfully sued by Global Developments Inc. for US$ 4.3 Million in losses in a District of Nevada courtroom for purposely diluting the worth of Global's interest in

2050-486: The melting ice lobe and streams deposited their loads in them as deltas and accumulations of silt. These accumulations now form the white cliffs which are particularly prominent along the southern end of Okanagan Lake . Geographic features include: The Okanagan has a mild, relatively dry climate that varies depending on latitude. Most of the Okanagan lies within the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains to

WHA Junior Hockey League - Misplaced Pages Continue

2100-669: The region with WHL team Kelowna Rockets playing in the region's most populated city. The Jr. A teams are the Vernon Vipers , West Kelowna Warriors and the Penticton Vees of the BCHL . Penticton were the 2012 national Jr. A champions, after they ousted the Woodstock Slammers for the title. Jr. B sides Kelowna Chiefs , Sicamous Eagles , Summerland Steam , Osoyoos Coyotes and North Okanagan Knights play in

2150-424: The series without him. The Whalers won the last two games to take the league title. The Whalers moved on to compete for the Alliance Cup against the Greater Metro League's Bradford Rattlers , and were swept three games straight by the GMJHL champion. On March 2, 2007, Vancouver Tours Bus Lines was awarded $ 71,348 CAD in unpaid fees by the WHA by a British Columbia Court. The WHA lost its Bellingham franchise in

2200-416: The south of that city. The club lounge and wheelhouse, without any keel or hull, of the SS Okanagan are in the same park as the Sicamous and Naramata . While the last half-century has grown several resource-based enterprises in the region, primarily forestry, though mining had played an important role in earlier times. Favoured by its sunny climate, lakes, and winery attractions, the valley has become

2250-419: The southern Okanagan region, with Fairview , now an empty benchland on the western side of Oliver , the best-known and largest of the boomtowns created in the later part of the 19th century. More farmers, as well as a small service industry, came to meet the needs of the miners. Fruit production is a hallmark of the Okanagan Valley today, but the industry began with difficulty. Commercial orcharding of apples

2300-428: The southwest. Areas in the north end of the valley receive more precipitation and cooler temperatures than areas to the south. Generally, Kelowna is the transition zone between the drier south and the wetter north. The Okanagan north of Kelowna has a humid continental climate ( Köppen : Dfb ) with warm, sometimes hot summers and cold winters with highs around freezing, though mild by Canadian standards. Precipitation

2350-403: The valley, bisecting Osoyoos Lake. To avoid paying tariffs , British traders forged a newer route that bypassed Fort Okanogan via the Fraser Canyon from Spuzzum up over the Cascade Mountains , then via the Nicola, Coldwater and Fraser rivers to Fort Langley instead of to Fort Vancouver, which had come into being in American territory. The Okanagan Valley did not see many more outsiders for

2400-402: The winter months, they lived in semi-permanent villages of kekulis , a type of pithouse. Today the member bands of the Okanagan Nation Alliance are sovereign nations, with vibrant natural resource and tourism based economies. Their annual August gathering near Vernon is a celebration of the continuance of Syilx life and culture. In 1811, the first non-natives came to the Okanagan Valley, in

2450-423: Was first tried there in 1892, but a series of setbacks prevented the major success of commercial fruit crops until the 1920s. In 1936, the grower-owned BC Tree Fruits Cooperative was established to store, package and sell Okanagan fruit. Until the 1930s, the demand for shipping fruit and other goods did drive a need for ongoing operations of the sternwheeler steamboats that serviced Okanagan Lake , operated by

2500-476: Was named after William Heaton Armstrong , a London banker who helped finance the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway in 1892 and local development at the turn of the century, relocating the townsite originally at Landsdowne to the confluence of the Valley's rail lines and the city's current site. The influence of Dutch immigrants settling in the valley after the Second World War is represented by their cheese-making knowledge, allowing Armstrong to become well known for

#295704