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Conflict escalates as teachers union says 'no' to Grade 10 and 11 report cards

Protests and rallies are being held throughout the Kootenays today, including in Castlegar, as the conflict between the BC Teachers Federation and the provincial government continues to escalate. Kootenay Columbia Teachers Union president Andy Davidoff issued a release today indicating teachers will not be issuing report cards...

Nelson teachers host 'In Support of Public Education' rally Monday — Vince Ready declines offer to help settle strike

The B.C. Teachers Federation has said  veteran mediator Vince Ready has turned down a request to try to settle British Columbia’s teachers strike. BCTF spokesman Rich Overgaard says Vince Ready did not have time in his schedule to mediate the dispute between educators and the government. The BCTF is meeting to discuss alternative options. Nelson […]

COMMENT: 'Class Composition' is more than an abstract bargaining term in the current BC teachers' strike

Our Canadian school system is based on many principles, but one central theme is the concept of 'inclusion'. If you don't like the idea of Inclusion, of your child going to school with someone with autism, anxiety, downs, dyslexia, or other learning needs, then one of the private schools with rigorous screening-out processes...

Murder/attempted suicide in Lumby

Police are investigating what is believed to be a murder and attempted suicide after a report of a disturbance resulted in the discovery of a woman's body and an injured male Thursday evening. On June 19 at 6:12 pm, the Lumby RCMP received a report of a disturbance at a residence on the 300 block of Trinity Valley Road near...

Little League All Stars gearing up for provincials

Veteran little league players are working toward the big goal of national competition, after the region’s little league all-star team was picked last night at Andy Bilesky Park. Twenty-one baseball players, aged 11-12, tried out for the team but only 12 were chosen, six of whom are veterans from last year's all-star team....

Regional leaders agree on importance of bringing broadband to the Koots

What do you think a room full of 12 significant community leaders in the West Kootenays would be talking about? If you guessed the future of the region acquiring broadband infrastructure, you’d be right. On June 17, West Kootenay city officials including the mayors of Nelson, Trail and Kaslo as well as representatives for Trail, […]

Canada’s failure to uphold the human rights of Indigenous peoples in its approval of Northern Gateway

BC Assembly of First Nations, First Nations Summit, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Amnesty International Canada, Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers), Chiefs of Ontario, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee), Indigenous Rights Centre, Indigenous World Association, and KAIROS:...

The teacher's strike is more about the BC government's contempt for the Constitution than pay or working conditions

On the eve of the teachers’ full-out strike, the government proposed that “if either party is unhappy with the outcome of the government’s appeal of the court case the entire collective agreement can be terminated and a new round of bargaining begins.” To appreciate this proposal I examined the 2014 and 2011 decision of the...

Year end show spotlights Kootenay Studio Arts students

Kootenay Studio Arts (KSA) students are closing out their studies with a Nelson springtime tradition. The annual Kootenay Studio Arts Year-End Show and Sale opens Friday afternoon at the Selkirk College downtown campus on the corner of Victoria and Josephine streets. The two-day student run show will feature works from students in the Blacksmithing, Ceramics, […]

Opponents of Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline rally at Chahko Mika Mall

Tempers flared as protestors and mall management jawed at each other during Wednesday’s Occupy the Pipeline Everywhere rally oppose Northern Gateway outside Save-On Foods at the Chahko Mika Mall. The rally was held in protest of the federal government announcement approval of the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project Tuesday in Ottawa. The pipeline will carry […]