It couldn’t have been clearer in a recent interview for Maclean’s magazine, that International Trade Minister Ed Fast viewed maintaining sovereign control over our public services, investments, intellectual property, environmental protection, government procurement and labour mobility as completely irrelevant in sweeping...

It looks like the Kootenays are finally getting the hospital review that’s been discussed for months here in the tri-city region, and it may completed as soon as Nov. 30 of this year … what remains unclear is whether the scope of the study will take an adequate snapshot of the area’s capacity and needs. […]

Trail residents may have heard loud alarms emanating from Teck Cominco’s Trail smelter facility this morning, but Teck spokesman Richard Deane said there’s no cause for alarm. “We had a power outage this morning at roughly 10 a.m., which affected the entire operation,” he said. “When the power goes out, all the the plant automatically […]

Vancouver-based Telus announced Monday the company is will no longer charge a $35 activation fee for new customers or a $25 equipment exchange fee for renewing customers who purchase a new device. Telus claims it’s the first telecommunications company to waive the activation fee. “The wireless industry and competitive landscape have changed over the years […]

Construction has begun on improvements to a stretch of Highway 3 dubbed ‘Million Dollar Alley’ by residents, because of the huge number of vehicular accidents that occur in that area. City councillor and manager of Trowelex (a business fronting this stretch of roadway) Kevin Chernoff said he hopes residents are safe and careful as the […]

Councillors Dan Rye and Gord Turner returned from the UBCM (Union of BC Municipalities) AGM disappointed over the resounding defeat of Castlegar's single resolution that the government roll back its increase on cross-border shopping allowances. Previously, the government allowed shoppers to return to Canada with $400 of...

The Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, local 378 (COPE 378) today announced that its members at FortisBC Inc. (Electric) have given the union a 88 per cent strike vote.   “The strength of this vote is because of the employer’s attempt to attack our benefits,” said COPE 378 Senior Union Representative Brad Bastien in […]

A new local organization will be bringing a corporate giant to Castlegar to talk about taxes tomorrow. The Kootenay Tax Payers Association (KTPA) is bringing Jim Shepard to the Complex tomorrow at 7 p.m. Shepard, former CEO of Finning Tractor and Canfor as well as senior advisor to Premier Christy Clark, will be in Castlegar […]

The Columbia Brewery in Creston is getting a major facelift to its brewing facility with the expected announcement Friday by Labatts to invest $1.4 Million. The expansion to brewing capacity is to accommodate Budweiser’s renowned brewing process in Creston for the first time. “Bringing Budweiser to Creston is a significant milestone for the Creston brewery. […]

City council is chasing the green – environmental and cash savings – with the move to paperless council meetings, according to councillor Kevin Chernoff. “We started thinking about it a year ago, through the Green Committee, and started implementing it in June – I was the first to make the switch,” he said, adding now […]