B.C. is taking action to make illicit drug use illegal in all public spaces, including inside hospitals, on transit and in parks. It’s part of several new measures introduced by the Province, focused on providing police with more tools to address public safety while offering support and access to treatment for people living with addictions. […]

A news media website in Kelowna is reporting that a leak that was spilling millions of litres of sewage into Kootenay River has been stopped. The KelownaNow story said in the Ministry of Environment and Climate and Change confirmed the sewage leak has been “stopped” after divers spent Tuesday and Wednesday examining the three-kilometre pipe […]

B.C.’s auditor general has found that two provincial harm reduction programs that work to reduce toxic drug-related deaths and injuries weren’t effectively implemented by the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, and the Ministry of Health. The two ministries lead B.C.’s response to the toxic drug emergency, focusing on prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. […]

A leading voice for conservation in southeastern British Columbia said a report shows that the partial clean-up cost of water pollution from coal mines in the East Kootenay will be substantial. A new report commissioned by Wildsight, a non-profit charity that protects biodiversity and encourages sustainable communities in Canada’s Columbia and Rocky Mountain regions, has […]

Keep a healthy lifestyle to support brain health: It’s a message the Alzheimer Society of B.C. is sharing with Kootenay residents and others around the province to mark Brain Awareness Week March 11-17. The charity is encouraging people across the province to get active and help lower the risk of developing dementia by making healthy […]

New Democrat MLA Katrine Conroy says more young people will have better access to vital health care services, including primary care, counselling, early intervention, prevention, and addictions supports closer to home with a new Foundry centre on the way to the West Kootenays. The exact location will be determined through a community and youth engagement […]

In a statement Tuesday, president and CEO Susan Brown said Interior Health is mourning the loss of Interior Health Board Chair Dr. Doug Cochrane. Brown said as Chair of Interior Health Board of Directors, Dr. Cochrane demonstrated a deep commitment to continuous improvement of patient care, quality and safety knowing it would lead to improved […]

On January 22, the 2024 Mining for Miracles campaign was launched at the Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) Roundup conference, with the Honourable David Eby, M.L.A. Premier of British Columbia, in support of the Precision Health Initiative (PHI) at BC Children’s Hospital. In 2023, the campaign had an exceptional year, raising over $2.1 million and […]

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 […]

Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, has released the following statement regarding the BC Coroners Service year-end report on illicit drug toxicity deaths: “Today, as we reflect on the year behind us, our hearts are heavy with the loss of 2,511 people in British Columbia to toxic drugs. Each of these lives was […]