Following a complaint to the BC Ombudsperson, Jay Chalke, an investigation determined that the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction had failed to follow the law in calculating entitlement to income assistance benefits. The Ministry had improperly imposed a policy of a one-month suspension the earnings exemption,...

New goings-on in the Kootenay music world: a local group is putting a new spin on the resurgence of vinyl with a brand-new project. It’s called The VinylCast, and it aims to deliver music on vinyl to music lovers – right to their doors.  (Or post offices, as the case may be.)  It launches globally this month, and will also ...

ROSSLAND -- The Government of British Columbia is working with the Columbia Basin Trust to build 167 new homes for people struggling to find housing they can afford, in ten Kootenay communities. Rossland will receive funding to develop 24 housing units, planned to be built on the western side of the land known as “the Emcon...

The Canada  Revenue Agency wants us all to file out tax returns on time.  For good reason: even low-income people need to file tax returns in order to benefit from such things as lower Medical Services Plan premiums, and other benefits. And it makes life easier for taxpayers and the bureaucrats too.  Here's a press release ...

The Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline has dominated news in the past few weeks.  The public is divided over whether we should build this pipeline and allow Alberta oil sands output to increase, or whether it presents too much risk to BC’s rivers and coastal environments. Many experts described the original project approval ...

Community Futures Central Kootenay (CFCK) is pleased to recognize Chris Bell for his years of volunteer work in Castlegar and the Central Kootenay. He has been involved in a variety of organizations, lending his good-natured expertise to many projects. Since 2010, Chris Bell facilitated the Castlegar-based Kootenay Business...

A joint task force from seven regional credit unions issued a press release Tuesday regarding their proposed amalgamation (said credit unions include Kootenay Savings, Nelson and District, Heritage, Grand Forks, Creston and Distric, Grand Forks and East Kootenay Community credit unions). The press release is as follows: The...

Ideas for making life better in the Kootenays through technology? The rewards could be more than the improvements themselves; there's a big cash award involved for winning this contest. Even if our team of communities doesn't win the grand prize, working together toward a shared goal can produce other lasting benefits, too....

Spring seems to want to take its own sweet time in coming back to the southern Interior, and with that the gray days of winter are gradually being replaced by sun.  That comes as good news for us all, including the travelers who rely on regular flights in and out of our local airports.  Winter is a time of frustrating...

Co-ops can form a more sustainable alternative to “business as usual.” They’re democratic and egalitarian.  They don’t depend on the mythical, and massively disproven, idea of “trickle-down economics.” They make positive contributions to their communities and operate on a set of co-operative principles. An interactive, intensive...