B.C. paramedics and dispatchers will be getting much-needed support from the provincial government in the face of the province's opioid overdose crisis, with a $5-million injection of funding for BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS), Health Minister Terry Lake announced Friday. Over the last week, B.C. had the highest number...

Cross-community competition continues, as Castlegar offers back-handed congratulations to neighbouring Trail's competing airport. A press release issued by the City of Castlegar was the latest salvo in a long-standing rivalry between the two cities, centering primarily around major infrastructure such as the airports and...

More than 1500 early-career researchers in Canada and Canadian researchers abroad are sending an open letter to the Prime Minister and six Cabinet Ministers, calling for scientific rigour and transparency in Canada’s environmental and regulatory decision-making. “As the next generation of scientists in Canada, we are...

Over the last couple of years many elected officials in our region have been trying hard to improve collaboration and cooperation between our various local governments. Unfortunately, the region has just experienced a major setback. One area that was a sparkling example of regional cooperation was the economic development...

British Columbia’s Chief Electoral Officer, Keith Archer, has granted approval in principle on an initiative petition application. The petition will be issued to proponent Joshua Henshaw on Monday, January 9, 2017. The title of the initiative is: An initiative to amend the Fire and Police Services Collective Bargaining Act....

Kootenay West NDP Candidate, Katrine Conroy, hit the streets over the weekend, going door to door in the Village of Slocan, asking residents about what issues concern them and gathering signatures on a petition requesting the BC Liberal government stabilize funding for education in the province. “Education is an issue of...

It’s official – the urban chicken pilot project in Castlegar is set to soar, after city council’s regular meeting Monday night. But it won’t be a poultry free-for-all, and not everyone with a hen yen can fly out and buy birds. A key element of the project will be a steering committee involving members from SPCA, Bear Aware,...

Preliminary election results have Arry Dhillon winning the Castlegar council by-election seat by a margin of just 10 votes. Preliminary results are: Arry Dhillon, 692, Cherryl MacLeod, 682, Janna Sylvest, 398 and Tyler Maddocks 72, with 1844 voters and 134 new registrations. “That's just enough that I can feel comfortable –...

At a special meeting Friday at 12 p.m., city council unanimously voted in favour of applying for a grant that would help fund an expansion of the West Kootenay Regional Airport. The reason for the urgency and special meeting, according to city CAO John Malcolm, is that applications for the grant, offered by the BC Rural...

When Ross Bonner decided the old trailer on his recreational lot in Balfour was getting too small for his needs last year, he upgraded to a modern manufactured home to replace it. A few months later, he got notice that his home was illegal in the Kootenays. “I’m upset, I didn’t know if I was […]