Residents may find themselves confusedly trying to understand who’s at the helm of our local police detachments, as RCMP work to manage staff shortages and attrition while still providing optimal service delivery. In Castlegar, Top Cop Sgt. Laurel Mathew retired June 6, leaving now-Acting Sgt. Brett Turner at the helm for the...

Please pay attention -- help prevent wildfires. Here's a press release from the Southeast Fire Centre: Effective at noon (Pacific time) on Friday, July 6, 2018, Category 2 open burning will be prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre's jurisdiction. This is in addition to the Category 3 open burning prohibition that ...

Rossland’s Gold Fever Follies is a community summertime tradition, enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. This year’s version does not disappoint. Romance, song and dance – the can-can – skiing and hockey; who could ask for more? On the well-attended opening night, the cast was short-handed by one actor – Molly Jamin -- who...

A BC voter has begun the next stage of an initiative petition process seeking to have the BC government cancel the Site C dam project; see this May 3 article first announcing the petition. The petition sheets were issued on July 3, so the proponent has 90 days to collect signatures. To move to the next stage of the process,...

Flood debris and changes to river channels and lakeshores could pose navigational hazards to recreational boaters and others who float or swim in Boundary area waterways this summer, said the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) in a recent media release. The RDKB said anyone near or on lakes or rivers should be aware...

More action on single-use plastic bags? Rossland City Council has stated that it was waiting for the outcome of the court challenge against the City of Victoria’s bylaw to ban plastic “check-out” bags.  The Canadian Plastic Bag Association challenged the City of Victoria’s right to regulate plastic bags. Now the Supreme Court...

Last week I travelled with Jim Carr, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, to the G20 energy meetings in Argentina.  The meetings are a mix of reports from the G20 countries and of presentations by world experts about the state of energy markets and future energy demand. The main theme of the talks was the “grand […]

Knotweed is one of the scarier invasive plants.  It doesn't cause burns or blindness, like Giant Hogweed, but it does spread very fast and it causes expensive damage to things like the foundations of buildings – and property values. It can burst right through pavement, take over lawns and gardens, and we have it right […]

Grand Forks Fire Rescue responded to fires that engulfed two houses Wednesday. The fires, occurring in the west part of the city, happened on the same day BC Premier John Horgan visited the Boundary City to discuss programs aimed at helping people affected by disasters, including the horrific floods that devastated parts of...

A mobile home was completely destroyed by Saturday night, according to Robson Fire Chief Jeff Grant. He said the received a call of a structure fire at 9:30 p.m., and arrived at the Ponderosa Trailer Park to find a mobile home completely engulfed in flames. “No one was injured, but the home suffered serious structural damage,”...