The Government of Canada is strengthening accountability for passport processing by introducing a new guarantee for passport services. On Tuesday, the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that, effective April 1, 2026, applicants will receive a full refund of their passport or travel document fee if it takes more than […]

Our driving centred culture and the recent decision to end the spring and fall time change have raised an important issue. It’s going to be dark while children walk to school and the province and municipalities have failed to create safe pedestrian infrastructure to protect them. Forming a Walking School Bus group may be a […]

Skiers and snowboarders are invited to swap hoodies for bowties at the SROAMazing Race: Black-Tie Affair, a red-carpet-style adventure on snow happening at Whitewater Mountain Resort on Friday, March 27. Learn More and Register Organized by students in Selkirk College’s Ski Resort Operations & Management (SROAM) Program, the SROAMazing Race is a high-energy mountain challenge where […]

At the Rossland courthouse today, the full public gallery heard Mr. Justice Dev Dley deliver his reasons and his decision on an application by the Save Record Ridge Action Committee (SRRAC). SRRAC was asking the court to order an injunction to prevent West High Yield (WHY) from beginning work on its proposed open-pit magnesium mine […]

Long-time Castlegar resident and Canadian Red Cross volunteer Deborah Lynn Chmara has been awarded the Order of Red Cross, the organization’s highest honour, in recognition of her decades of exceptional humanitarian service. Her volunteer journey now spans more than 55 years and has taken her from British Columbia and the Yukon to crisis zones in […]

The City of Trail has received formal notice from BC Housing that the provincial funding set aside for proposed supportive housing development in Trail is no longer available at this time. BC Housing has indicated that this change arises from province-wide fiscal constraints and a significant reduction in the availability of capital funding for housing […]

A new phase in British Columbia’s approach to mental health crisis response began on February 25 in the Southeast District, as RCMP detachments in Golden, Columbia Valley, Elk Valley Regional, Creston, Kimberley, and Cranbrook adopted HealthIM in collaboration with Interior Health. The system enhances real-time risk assessment and strengthens coordination with Interior Health emergency departments. HealthIM is […]

Every winter, instructor Doris Hausleitner takes second-year students in the Recreation, Fish and Wildlife (RFW) Program to Beasley for a hands-on look at a bat conservation initiative led by the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA). The field lab showcases innovative techniques designed to replicate bat roosts in areas where logging has reduced or eliminated critical habitat. This year, students learned directly […]

Kalesnikoff in Castlegar, a longstanding B.C. wood products manufacturer and major employer in the West Kootenays that produces engineered mass timber building materials. Kalesnikoff is receiving a repayable investment of $5.5 million to help purchase new equipment to make prefabricated housing components used in multi-family housing, schools, daycares, and commercial buildings. This equipment will increase […]

On March 8, 2026, members of the public, local athletes and RCMP officers in Castlegar will brave the frigid waters of the Columbia River at Millennium Park to support Special Olympics BC. The Polar Plunge will take place from 12 to 1 p.m. All community members are invited to participate or donate to raise funds for this […]