Members of the B.C.trucking industry, including schools that train people to become professional drivers lie Mountain Transport Institute here in Castlegar, fear that a cap on government tuition subsidies will have an impact on highway safety and contribute to driver shortages if alternative funding is not made available.For...

The smallest city in B.C. took top honours for their water last week. Greenwood placed as the bronze winner in municipal water at the 20th annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition. Another regional area, Beaver Falls, took home the silver, while the gold went to Hamilton, OH. Held in the historic spa town in […]

Is radon gas putting you or your family at risk of lung cancer? That’s the question Dana Schmidt is trying to get all Castlegar residents to ask, as he continues to promote radon-gas testing in this, the second-worst radon hot-spot in the province. Schmidt told city council, at its regular meeting Monday night, that he […]

Castlegar mayor Lawrence Chernoff has thrown down the gauntlet to mayors of Nelson, Trail and Grand Forks, as reigning champion of Fortis B.C.’s EarthHour Challenge. Chernoff (pictured here with 2009’s trophy for Castlegar besting the participation rates of all other communities in the region) said he hopes residents will once again turn off their lights […]

City council heard, in its regular meeting Monday night, that resident water consumption increased by three per cent in 2009, compared to 2008’s numbers – and that’s a problem. Councillor Gord Turner pointed out that the city is currently missing out on granting opportunities that depend on more-controlled water consumption. “We use about 70 gallons […]

A press conference held at Castlegar's Zellstoff Celgar pulp mill last Thursday announced old news – but putting a new face on the story. Tory MP for Okanagan-Shuswap Colin Mayes trumpeted a $42 million federal grant through the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program to support Celgar's bio-energy project, which has seen...

The Health and Hospital Committee (HHC) of the Lower Columbia Community Development Team are planning a groundbreaking ceremony for the new heliport at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital. The project has been made possible by the generous donations of a number of different groups:   $100,000            Signature Sponsor Kootenay Savings Credit Union Foundation $100,000      […]

Eaters and producers are joining the Kettle Valley Food Co-operative around the Boundary region over the next few weeks. With funding support from the Co-operative Development Initiative, a granting program of the federal government delivered by the Canadian Co-operative Association, the newly formed Co-op is recruiting members and developing their initiatives for 2010. Information sessions […]

The City of Castlegar and Zellstoff Celgar will finally have their day in court as the B.C. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear their case on March 22 and 23 of this year. The case began in summer of last year, when Celgar declined to pay a $3.6-million municipal tax bill, filing suit instead and […]

Photo by Kyra Hoggan: BC minister of Forests and Range Pat Bell, along with mayor Lawrence Chernoff and other industry stakeholders, pose in front of Castlegar trees while promoting new forestry initiatives. In a public announcement made at the Castlegar Forum last Thursday, provincial forestry minister Pat Bell said he thinks innovative technologies like bio-energy […]