SCAMS: callers purporting to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) are again, or still, targeting residents. The caller will provide a name, and say that the resident owes back taxes and fees; he or she may also threaten the resident with a visit from the police if the resident fails to pay.  A new twist to the tired old ...

Thinking of going electric with your next car? The BC government is encouraging that, with rebates on installing charging stations at private homes, multi-family units, and even workplaces. The Fraser Basin Council today announced rebates in its Plug in BC program to help offset the purchase and installation of electric vehicle...

Accepting cash in US funds? Be wary, and check to make sure it's genuine before accepting it. Trail RCMP have recovered counterfeit US bills from several businesses and banks locally; $1, $10, $20 and $50 US bills have been passed at several businesses within the last week.   The bills are slightly smaller, have poor colouring...

To the Editor, I wanted to follow up on your February 28, 2018 article (Some good news from Teck. And other things to consider) and provide some additional context for your readers on the extensive work Teck has underway to protect water quality in the Elk Valley. Selenium is a naturally-occurring element throughout the environment, […]

First, a bit of background.  ICBC is in dire financial straits. Back in 2016, ICBC applied to the BC Utilities Commission for permission to raise its rates by 4.9%.  This publication posted an article by Dermod Travis of Integrity BC on ICBC’s request. Travis unpicked the rationale for the proposed increase in rates, delved...

Now more than ever businesses and organizations need qualified employees and post-secondary graduates need a kick start to their careers. Enter the new Career Internship Program from Columbia Basin Trust. This program is now accepting applications on a first-come, first-served basis. “This program supports our strategic...

Come the next BC election, will we have Proportional Representation (of some kind) or business-as-usual with First-Past-the-Post? A lot of ink and pixels have been swirling around the news and opinion media on the topic. It still bears more examination, given the disparate views expressed. Let’s do some examining, and...

Recent changes to the board of the Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) have prompted some questions as to why it has been so long since a Castlegar resident sat as a director, despite the significant impact the dams have had on this community (see story about board changes by clicking here ). There have been, since the CBT’s inception...

A new economic development initiative has Castlegar and area residents completing an online survey outlining their priorities and needs in terms of retail and service businesses in our area. Mark Laver was hired on as Economic Development Manager two months ago in a joint venture between the City of Castlegar, CBT and RDCK ...

In mid-January I attended the British Columbia Natural Resources Forum in Prince George.  This is one of the biggest gatherings of resource companies, government leaders and nongovernment organizations in Canada, and is always a good place to hear the latest news from that sector. I was happy to see federal Natural Resources...