In the last dozen years, eight out of nine commissions or citizen assemblies created by governments in Canada have not only advocated getting rid of our first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system but have recommended adopting MMP, or mixed-member-proportional representation. In the upcoming 2015 federal election, Tom Mulcair...

The Junior Dragons’ Den live show is happening this Friday, May 1, at the Charles Bailey Theatre in Trail and students and judges got together on Wednesday for a final run-through before the event. A  Greater Trail Community Futures initiative, Junior Dragons’ Den is modeled after CBC’s popular show in which budding entrepreneurs...

Rumours that the West Kootenay BC SPCA, located in Trail, is closing its doors are unfounded and untrue, according to branch manager Danielle Jackman. “The facility we are currently in needs a lot of upgrades,” she said, adding it is unsuitable for other reasons as well. “We’re next to the water treatment plant – for safety...

Andrew Zacharias Stevenson, who robbed several West Kootenay businesses, pleaded guilty in Nelson Provincial Court Tuesday to a laundry list of charges. The charges include robbery using a restricted prohibited firearm, unlawful use of a firearm, using an imitation firearm and breaking and entering. Stevenson, appearing via...

To the Editor: Honourable Peter Fassbender, Minister of Education PO Box 9045, Stn Prov Govt   Victoria, BC, V8W 9E2   Dear Minister Fassbender:   Re: Bill 11, The Education Statutes Amendment Act   We write to you as representatives of the parents of almost 5,000 students in the Kootenay Lake School District who are gravely...

Cadets from the West Kootenay Air Cadet Squadrons participated in a Leadership/Bush Weekend, April 24 to 26.  The exercise was conducted on land operated by the 44th Field Engineer Squadron near Trail. Approximately 60 cadets, and seven Officers from squadrons in Grand Forks, Nelson, Castlegar and Trail were at the exercise....

The regional fire chief is reminding residents to exercise extreme caution when engaging in outdoor recreation after two blazes in the Trail area this afternoon. Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue Chief Terry Martin said 22 firefighters from three communities (Trail, Montrose and Warfield) were dispatched today. “The first...

At the BC Wildlife Federation Convention held this weekend in Fernie, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) announced it will provide over a million dollars to Kootenay fish & wildlife projects.   The East Kootenay Grassland Ecosystem Restoration program was awarded the largest single grant in the region,...

Call it a major victory for opponents to a ski resort in the Jumbo Glacier area or just another bump in what has been a long road for the Glacier Resorts Ltd. Glacier Resorts Ltd has been told by the The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) to halt construction on two buildings until new safety conditions can be met in the...

To The Editor: The Honourable Peter Fassbender Minister of Education PO Box 9045, Stn Prov Govt Victoria, BC V8W 9E2 Dear Minister Fassbender: As the Board of Education for School District #8 (Kootenay Lake), we are deeply concerned about the ramifications of Bill 11 on the future of public education in the Province of British...