B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) is seeking feedback on a newly proposed expedited environmental assessment process designed to reduce assessment timelines and support more efficient decision-making for major projects deemed to be in the public interest. The expedited process has been created for projects that are designated under the Infrastructure Projects Act, so they can […]

Local Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association (KERPA) has been featured in a book by national best-selling author Dr. Brian Goldman called The Casino Shift: Stories from an ER on the Edge. The book, to quote publisher Harper Collins, is, “an hour-by-hour account of what a Canadian emergency room is like in these turbulent times when […]

The “Me First!” driver is one whose default attitude is competition rather than cooperation. Their sense of entitlement leads to prioritizing personal convenience over safety. High risk driving behaviours are commonly chosen to accomplish their desire to get ahead and that increases the chance of a collision with the other drivers around them. Me First […]

On March 3, three cadets from 531 City of Trail Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron competed in the first step of the Air Cadet League of Canada’s effective speaking competition. The first step is the local competition which is followed by competition for the Kootenays, then a provincial competition for B.C. and finally a national […]

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 […]

A $1.65 million investment through PacifiCan’s Regional Innovation Ecosystems program is driving a major expansion of Selkirk College’s Selkirk Technology Access Centre (STAC) in Trail, BC. On Monday, March 2, The Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), toured STAC and announced this federal investment. “British Columbia […]

Following two days of deliberations, City of Castlegar Council has released the proposed 2026–2030 Financial Plan and is now seeking feedback from residents. The proposed 2026 budget includes a preliminary 7.76 per cent tax increase for residential properties. Council will set the tax rates in April once the revised roll is available from BC Assessment. It’s […]

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 […]

For the first time, freshwater fishing licences and hunting licences are available through the same online system, fulfilling requests of the angling community for a streamlined system. Recreational fishing licence pre-sales are available in the Wildlife Information and Licensing Data system (WILD) for the 2026–27 season, which starts April 1, 2026. WILD is government’s online […]