My reading consists primarily of books on history and political philosophy, and does not include memoirs of has-been politicians. I would not have read Joe Clark’s How We Lead: Canada in a Century of Change had it not been a Christmas gift from my daughter. Had I relied on my prejudices, I would have deprived myself of an...

Castlegar's bid to become Kraft Hockeyville 2014 is skating along and gathering force, with a Facebook page, Twitter account, and events planned for this weekend and next. (The Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/www.castlegarishockeyville and the Twitter account is called CastlegarHockey). While the Facebook...

A group of concerned Ootischenia residents is holding a public meeting Monday to discuss the City of Castlegar's interest in extending its boundaries to include a parcel of land currently owned by the Ministry of Transportation (MoT). (Click here to read the city's public notice on the matter). A press release issued this...

Artists in all disciplines—as well as arts, culture and heritage organizations—are invited to apply for funding through the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance (CKCA), which delivers the Arts, Culture and Heritage Program of Columbia Basin Trust. “This is the 17th year that CKCA has been able to provide financial support for...

The BC Coroners Service is calling for a public inquest into the deaths of two workers when an explosion ripped through the Babine Forest Products sawmill near Burns Lake in January 2012. The explosion killed Robert Luggi Jr., aged 45, and Carl Charlie, aged 42. Fire from the explosion engulfed the sawmill shortly after 8...

The truly horrible derailment in Lac Megantic and the XL Foods recall saga are two significant events that shook Canadians’ faith in our regulatory system in the last year. The federal agencies that oversee the regulations, Transport Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), were among the subjects covered in...

The University of British Columbia announced during a media session Tuesday the stage one results of its sport review, with 16 of the current 29 varsity teams securing their status for the coming years. At the end of February following a second stage assessment, a number of other teams are expected to be added. No team has ...

Two West Kootenay ice rinks are assuming the role of guinea pigs as the company REALice, in conjunction with FortisBC, looks to significantly reduce energy use and cutting CO2 emissions. “At FortisBC, we promote the adoption of innovative, energy-saving technology across B.C. and we’re constantly investigating new ways to help our customers save energy and […]

It’s the world’s biggest sand sculpture project, but Mother Nature almost destroyed it before it could come to life. Earlier this winter Selkirk College instructor Denis Kleine was part of an international effort that brought more than 60 sand sculptors to Kuwait City to build a massive temporary theme park called 1001 Arabian...

Last May I wrote about the keys to successful watershed management – how planning groups need to work hard to build understanding, support, and capacity through the entire planning process. Now, the RDKB and the Kettle River Watershed Management Plan Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) are building the foundations for long-term...