The B.C. Wildlife Branch reports that cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) have been confirmed in two deer in the Kootenay region, south of Cranbrook. These are the first known cases of CWD in British Columbia. “We have been watching CWD spread province to province, state to state for at least 20 years, so this […]

Community programs, research, education, wellness and mental-health supports are part of a $10-million compensation package announced to provide lasting recognition of historical wrongs committed by the Province of B.C. against the Sons of Freedom Doukhobor and their families. Attorney General Niki Sharma announced the package, on behalf of Premier David Eby, at an event held Thursday […]

The effort to deliver the city’s next climbing centre is inching upwards as the campaign ascends from the design and cost estimate phase, searching for a hold on fundraising for construction. The Kootenay Climbing Association (KCA) has now completed a schematic design of the building and the climbing wall — just wrapping up within the […]

B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner has launched an inquiry to quantify the use of force by police against racialized people and people with mental health issues in B.C. The inquiry builds on the Commissioner’s 2021 report, Equity is Safer, which revealed a disturbing pattern of discrimination in policing in the province. Among the public in B.C. […]

A new BC Stats report, Sustaining Growth: Population and Demography for B.C. and Canada, has compiled publicly available statistics and data to project population growth to 2046 and highlights demographic trends for the province. The report reflects trends seen in numbers released by Statistics Canada in December 2023 and provides a high-level summary of demographic […]

Selkirk College alumna Sarah Meunier’s passion for outdoor recreation and leadership in creating quality rides for the region’s mountain biking community has landed Castlegar at the top of a prestigious global list. At the end of 2023, Trailforks released its top-10 rated mountain bike trails from across the planet. A high quality trail management system […]

Cancer touches all of us, and in British Columbia, lung cancer stands out as one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers, while also being the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. With this in mind, in Rossland, Castlegar, TrailMay of 2022 the provincial government through BC Cancer launched the Lung Screening Program, providing access to eligible […]

“We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than story-telling.” — J. N. Smith Reconciliation, after Truth is taught I have written in this column before about Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, most recently in the last Arc in December. I feel it’s a subject that I might […]

By The Trail Champion On Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 3:53 p.m. Trail and Greater District RCMP received a report of a smash-and-grab to a vehicle parked in the parking lot of Nancy Green Provincial Park along Hwy 3B, in Rossland. The owner had been hiking in the area and, when she returned to her vehicle, […]

The Province is opening the door for more wildland firefighters with in-depth knowledge of local terrain to join the service. Aligned with feedback from the Premier’s expert task force on emergencies, the improvements to the BC Wildfire Service’s hiring process have resulted in more than 1,000 firefighter applicants, with another three months of hiring to […]