The Okanagan Valley’s continuing evolution into a wine-tourism hot spot is on full display this year with established wineries wielding new restaurants and building helicopter pads for extravagant aerial tours costing $13,500 each, and new wineries opening in the downtown areas of Penticton and Kelowna. The British Columbia Wine Institute (BCWI) in May counted 47 Okanagan wineries that have restaurants – a number that is many times what it was a decade ago. Lake Country’s 50th Parallel Estate Winery plans to bump that number up to 48 on May 17, when it opens its restaurant.

In her 15 years with the AdventureSmart program, B.C. executive director Sandra Riches said the severity of waterfall-related incidents last summer was extreme. Its part of the reason why shes highlighting tips on how to visit a waterfall safely this season.