The Kootenay region’s economy is heading into unenviable territory. Only three other economic regions in the country — outside of the Maritimes and the territories — had a higher unemployment rate than the Kootenay region in December, 2023, which now sports a 7.1 per cent rate (December, 2023, Statistics Canada). One year ago the region […]

The City is contemplating a 37.5 per cent increase to hourly meter parking rates in the downtown to help bolster an already $1 million revenue generator. City council approved the first three readings of the bylaw on Tuesday night during its first regular council meeting of 2024 to thrust hourly rates from $1.25 to $2 […]

Tractor-trailer slips off the highway On Thursday, January 4, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. frontline Trail and Greater District officers responded to a single vehicle incident on Highway 3B near the intersection of Ross Spur Road, in Fruitvale, BC. When officers arrived, they discovered a tractor-trailer unit had slid into the ditch and flipped onto its […]

The other shoe is expected to drop this year for the provincial economy as slower economic growth is predicted but the West Kootenay region could still find its glass slipper. Like many jurisdictions in Canada, B.C. is experiencing the impacts of a slowing global economy and high interest rates, with the real gross domestic product […]

On Saturday, December 30, 2023, at 5:20 p.m., Trail and Greater District RCMP, Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue, BC EHS, and Rossland Search and Rescue responded to a report of a 41-year-old Rossland woman who had injured her knee near the Igloo Cabin, in the Rossland Range Recreation Site near Rossland. RCMP said the woman […]

A media release arrived in my inbox, to publicize the message of a coalition of communities and businesses urging government to take more effective action to reduce crime. The coalition calls itself “Save Our Streets” — SOS.  Their message is a call “for all levels of government to coordinate their efforts and put an end […]

The Province wants to hear from people about the supports available when they must evacuate their homes during a disaster. With the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires and floods due to climate change, the Province is revamping its approach to emergencies to ensure people and communities are receiving the supports they need. A part […]

Rossland Winter Carnival 2024 is fast approaching, with the event scheduled in Rossland January 26 – 28. The Rossland Winter Carnival Society Board of Directors have exciting news…. The Sonny Samuelson Bobsled Race is back!  The Committee has had a busy off-season working hard to obtain event insurance so the Bobsled event can return, in […]

Drooping real estate prices and high interest rates have pushed down the 2024 assessments for the West Kootenay region, meaning a smaller tax bill for some homeowners this year. When people throughout the region receive their 2024 assessment notices — which reflect market value as of July 1, 2023 by BC Assessment — this month […]

The regional district is floating an idea out to try and encourage more people to join the ranks of lifeguards and fitness instructors. In the wake of an ongoing and growing lifeguard shortage across the region, the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) is offering a subsidized training opportunity, with courses to support the continued […]