Residents told Sitkum Creek wildfire 20 percent contained
More than 200 people gathered Wednesday evening at école de Sentiers-alpins (formerly A. I. Collinson School) to attend a public address on the Duhamel-Sitkum Creek wildfire burning on Nelson's North Shore. Incident Commander Glen Burgess, whose team arrived on the scene Tuesday morning once the fire had outgrown the capacity...
Selkirk College Community Education Always Available for a Lifelong Learning Spark
The bustle in the Selkirk College hallways and classrooms slows during summer, but the excitement of educational opportunities never takes a break thanks to Community Education & Workplace Training (CEWT). Each year across the West Kootenay-Boundary region, Selkirk College offers hundreds of classes through its CEWT...
River Talks — The Non-Treaty Storage Agreement
Eileen Delehanty Pearkes has been researching and writing about the history and politics of water in the upper Columbia Basin since 2005. Her book on the Columbia River Treaty, A River Captured, is expected to be released 08/11/2016. Recently, her travelling exhibit on the Columbia River Treaty, curated for Touchstones Nelson, won a national award […]
Community Gardens survive internal drought - thanks in large part to city council
Thanks to a successful AGM and a decision from council Monday night to offer some financial support, Castlegar’s Community Garden is now blossoming and ready to run riot into the coming seasons despite almost withering into obscurity just months ago. “Last year we were running with a skeleton crew, just enough to keep the...
OUT OF LEFT FIELD: Council owes family money and apology
I think Castlegar Mayor and Council owe a local family both money and an apology – not because of a decision made at last Monday’s meeting, but because of the way it was handled, which I feel was heartless. To be clear, I’m a big fan of the sitting council, who seem to me to have a ton of heart. They volunteer relentlessly,...
Council says 'no' to pet pigs; family upset at city's mistake
A Castlegar family will be forced to part with their pet pot-bellied pigs – and eat a several-thousand-dollar investment in said pigs - after city council decided, at its regular meeting Monday night, to deny their request for an exemption from the city’s animal bylaw. City director of Development Services Phil Markin compiled...
Unsung heroes in Sitkum Creek Wildfire — Nelson Search and Rescue Team
It’s never good receiving a knock on the door in the middle of the night. But many residents in the Sitkum Creek/Willow Point/Six Mile Lakes Road area are grateful for work of RCMP officers and Nelson's Search and Rescue members Saturday night. "Everyone was fired up, pardon the pun," said Nelson's Search and Rescue (SAR)...
IHIT identifies human remains found in Whistler
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has now identified the human remains found in an industrial area on the outskirts of Whistler on June 17, 2015. IHIT worked closely with the B.C. Coroner’s service in an attempt to positively identify the body and have now determined it is that of 19-year-old Jake Brian Kermond, an...
New firefighting personnel on the way to assist in B.C.
Due to elevated wildfire activity in British Columbia, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson was able to confirm that 70 personnel will be arriving from Ontario to assist with B.C.'s firefighting efforts. Sixty-three sustained-action firefighters and seven other specialized personnel from...
UPDATED: BC Wildlife Services increases manpower on Sitkum Creek fire; meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at at ecole des Sentiers-alpins French language school
BC Wildlife Service has increased on-the-ground manpower for the Sitkum Creek wildfire in the mountains north of the City of Nelson. The firefighting crews has been stepped up from 49 to 82-man ground crew. The firefighters are supported by three helicopters and nine pieces of heavy machinery. The wildfire, which sparked up...
