Local activists voice displeasure over Enbridge to National Energy Board’s Joint Review Panel
By Suzy Hamilton, The Nelson Daily Quoting UBC Kermode bear expert Kermitt Ritland, bear biologist Wayne McCrory said: “One thing is for sure, black oil will not look good on a white coat.” “What are we going to tell our children when we knew what was inevitable and approved it anyway?” McCrory was presenting a […]
The compensation gap; why it pays to be a government worker in BC
by Jason Clemens and Amela Karabegovic More than three years after the end of the recession and British Columbia’s provincial government continues to struggle with deficits, which as of the last quarterly update will likely exceed $1.5 billion. Relying on revenues to rebound enough to catch up with spending just doesn’t work as BC’s own […]
Castlegar? There's an app for that!
Members of city council’s Green Committee will be attending a webinar Feb. 7 to consider creating a Castlegar ‘app’ for your smart phone. Councillor Kevin Chernoff said this is but one of many neat ideas council is looking at to enhance service and stewardship on the city’s part. “A city app would have several advantages,” ...
Mayor/CAO to court retail developers
Castlegar mayor Lawrence Chernoff and city CAO John Malcolm will be heading to Whistler this weekend to attend the International Council of Shopping Centres conference, with an eye toward drawing retailers to the Sunflower City. Malcolm said the annual conference draws retail commercial developers and representatives of top...
Funding available for environmental projects in Waneta area
Partners in the Waneta Expansion Project – Fortis Inc., Columbia Power Corporation and Columbia Basin Trust, are accepting applications for this year’s Waneta Terrestrial Compensation Program (WTCP). This program provides up to $50,000 annually to projects in the Waneta area that promote conservation and restoration through research, physical works, and other on-the-ground or applied projects. […]
No ready solution presenting for downtown business conflict
It seems unlikely a dispute between the City of Castlegar and two downtown business owners is likely to be resolved outside a courtroom, after discussions between the parties have clarified each position but offered little in the way of practical compromise. The issue became public during a Dec. 3, 2012 council meeting in...
OP/ED: Out of left field: Firing Drex an insult to women AND media
Ed. Note: A quote in this editorial alludes to a vulgar cuss-word. If a reader finds that troublesome, please read no further. I’m guessing lots of people in the tri-city area remember Australian deejay Drex, of the Drex and Johnson morning radio show on Mountain FM. Drex, whose real name is Justin Wilcomes, left our […]
Castlegar tops region for strong property values
A Castlegar city councillor said he’s delighted to see only a marginal decrease in local residential property values, despite larger decreases being seen across the province. Kevin Chernoff said BC Assessment’s recent release of property assessments saw Castlegar coming out a strong leader. “We fared way better than most of...
Emcon answers uproar after record snowfalls
After a record snowfall in December, The Castlegar Source/Trail Champion received several phone calls from professional drivers, first responders and other area motorists expressing concern, and even outrage, over the condition of regional thoroughfares. A reader poll posted to both sites asking “Do you feel Emcon (the regional road maintenance contractor) is doing a good […]
New boss at helm of Trail Chamber of Commerce
The Trail and District Chamber of Commerce now has a new leader at its helm, after the abrupt and somewhat controversial departure of former executive director Maggie Stayanovich (see http://trailchampion.com/news/update-chamber-president-offers-clarification-22206#.UOSh5uQ0WSo ). Incoming executive director Norm Casler, 50, was already at his desk this afternoon (Wednesday), ready to hit the ground running. “The best thing for […]