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 […]

On March 8, 2026, members of the public, local athletes and RCMP officers in Castlegar will brave the frigid waters of the Columbia River at Millennium Park to support Special Olympics BC. The Polar Plunge will take place from 12 to 1 p.m. All community members are invited to participate or donate to raise funds for this […]

Selkirk College students, graduates and community members from across the region are invited to connect education with opportunity at the upcoming West Kootenay Career Fair. Taking place in Nelson on March 11 and in Castlegar on March 12, the fair brings together local employers, educators and job seekers to explore how academic pathways align with real-world careers. Hosted […]

This spring caring people across B.C. have the chance to win big, while helping vulnerable animals. The BC SPCA Lottery for animals in need is back March 3 with 30 daily cash prizes, plus its biggest spring 50/50 yet – up to $1,100,000!  Last spring’s big 50/50 winner, animal lover Shannon W. from Ladysmith, took home an incredible $500,000 cash prize. “This money is life changing,” says Shannon. “I can travel, […]

Question: The scenario is a two car accident. Both parties have different versions of what happened but it happened in a gas station parking lot with video cameras pointed at the location of the accident. I requested the surveillance video but the gas station refuses to provide it and states I need a court order. I […]

BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) staff have returned to B.C. after supporting Forest Fire Management Victoria in Australia for the past month with wildfire-fighting efforts. “Our world-class BC Wildfire Service has once again stepped up on the global stage,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “As we prepare for the 2026 wildfire season, our BCWS crews consistently […]

Dr. Jatinder Baidwan, chief coroner, has released the following statement regarding the decision to direct an inquest into the events that occurred in Tumbler Ridge on Feb. 10, 2026: “On the afternoon of Feb. 10, 2026, an entire community was forever changed and multiple families who call Tumbler Ridge home received the catastrophic news that […]

Magnifying glasses clutched in mittened hands, Grade 1 students from Rossland Summit School scoop up handfuls of snow in their search for snowflakes. They run to their teacher Ms. Anhel, or to Wildsight Educator Jess Williams, to compare their snowflake shapes to a laminated snow crystal chart, finding stellar dendrites or columns, plate shapes: an […]