Fire department reports second busiest year on record
The Castlegar Fire Department has released its 2016 statistics showing the second-busiest year on record with 903 calls for service, according to deputy fire chief Sam Lattanzio. “If you look at our call volume over the years, it’s been steadily increasing,” Lattanzio said, adding the busiest year, 2015, saw an anomalous spike of 933 calls […]
21 flu-related deaths at IH care facilities, outbreaks in Trail and Castlegar
Influenza outbreaks are plaguing longterm care facilities in the Interior Health region, including ones in Castlegar and Trail, according to Pamela De Bruin, IH manager for Communicable Diseases and Immunization Programs....
Current job market sluggish but long-range forecast positive: province
The cold wind of winter might be blowing in snow to the West Kootenay-Boundary region, but it also may be bringing with it some good news on the labour front. According to recent statistics from the ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour, the West Kootenay-Boundary is expected to grow steadily...
Charges Laid in Crawford Bay Cheetah Incident
Two people have been charged after a cheetah was seen wandering the roadside by a motorist on Highway 3A near Kootenay Bay in December 2015. The Conservation Office Service Facebook page said man and woman have been charged with one count each under the Controlled Alien Species Regulation. The Facebook page said both individuals...
E-Comm releases worst 9-1-1 calls for 2016
E-Comm, the largest 9-1-1 call centre in British Columbia, released its top 10 of the worst calls from 2016 Thursday. The call centre handles approximately 1.35 million emergency calls per year for 25 regional districts and communities spanning from Vancouver Island to Alberta and from the U.S. border, to north of Prince...
CAA poll says Canadians admit to texting stopped at red light
Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) said in a media release Wednesday that one third (33 per cent) of Canadians admit they have texted while stopped at a red light in the last month. The media release said that is despite evidence showing the mind could still be distracted and not on the task of driving for up to 27 seconds...
RDKB receives funding for Wood Stove Exchange Program
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary is one of a handful of regions in the province that qualifies for funding to improve air quality throughout B.C. The Province, in partnership with the BC Lung Association, is providing $6,500to the RDKB as part of the Provincial Wood Stove Exchange Program. “Replacing your old wood...
Twas Three Nights Before Christmas
Twas three nights before Christmas when outside the city, people were stuck, so the police took pity. Cranbrook RCMP received a 9-1-1 call from a family travelling from Calgary to San Francisco. The family had taken a GPS shortcut that took them on a route, that might be used by a hobo. This wonderful technology took the...
Funding freeze on for new facilities as IHA moves primary care into households: Cusden
The best way to improve health care delivery in Nelson is not by enhancing its health care facilities, but by keeping potential patients in their homes, says the interim health service administrator for the Interior Health Authority. Jane Cusden told city council on Monday that the IHA directive for the mostly rural service...
Letter: All I want for Christmas is Proportional Representation
To The Editor: A Christmas poem to all the Liberal MPs in Canada. Oh Liberal MP, oh Liberal dear Pull up a chair and lend me your ear. My tale is short, I won't keep you long Just a wee ask to fix a big wrong. Twas not long ago Trudeau made clear FPTP had had its last year. The people cheered and voted in trust that Trudeau's...
