Interior Health update on Castlegar long-term care wildfire evacuations
Residents from Castleview Care Centre are returning home today following the containment of the Merry Creek Wildfire and the lifting of evacuation orders in the community. Residents from Castleview Care Centre were relocated temporarily on June 30 due to the wildfire. Residents from Talarico Place were also temporarily relocated...
UPDATE: Merry Creek fire now 90% contained, evacuation orders and notices have been lifted
Based on the recommendation from BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) regarding the 20-hectare Merry Creek wildfire (N51165), the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is rescinding the Evacuation Order for 31 properties and the Evacuation Alert for one property in Electoral Area J as of 12:30...
IHA says 114 long-term care patients in Castlegar evacuated
Interior Health has evacuated residents from two Castlegar long-term care homes as a precautionary measure due to the Merry Creek Wildfire. Sixty residents from Talarico Place and 54 residents from Castleview Care Centre have been relocated temporarily to alternate care homes within the Kootenay Boundary. Interior Health’s...
One week of heat wave sees 719 sudden deaths in BC, three times the usual
Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner, has released the following statement about public safety during the heat wave in British Columbia: “Over the past week, the BC Coroners Service has received an unprecedented number of reports of sudden and unexpected death throughout the province. Over the seven days from Friday, June 25 through...
Chief coroner’s updated statement on public safety during heat wave
Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner, has released the following statement about public safety during the heat wave in the province: “The last five days in British Columbia have seen an unprecedented number of deaths reported to the BC Coroners Service. Between Friday and 1 p.m. today, at least 486 sudden and unexpected deaths have...
Care Air and Angel Flight Service help local patient gain access to medical care
Kim Kostiuk, a patient from Cranbrook who had an appointment at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH), was transported to the Trail Regional Airport (YZZ) on Friday, June 17, 2021 through Angel Flight East Kootenay and returned to Cranbrook the same day. Care Air, the West Kootenay Angel Flight service, arranged for Kim’s ground transportation to […]
Interior Health accelerating second doses of COVID-19 vaccine throughout region
Interior Health’s #journey2immunity COVID-19 vaccination campaign continues to accelerate throughout the region. Approximately 675,000 doses of vaccine have now been administered and more are on the way as drop-in hours expand and mobile immunization clinics travel across the Interior. “I want to thank the hundreds of...
B.C. prepares to move to Step 2 of its restart plan
Beginning on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, British Columbia will take the next step in safely bringing people back together, transitioning into Step 2 of BC’s Restart plan, including lifting restrictions on travel within B.C. “Thanks to our collective efforts and commitment to get vaccinated,...
Grand Forks see spike in new COVID-19 cases — BCCDC
While hospitalizations due to COVID-19 continue to decline in BC, the Grand Forks region saw a spike in cases between May 30 and June 5 according to the BC Centre of Disease Control Graphic Distribution map of the province. Grand Forks topped the Kootenay Boundary region with 11 new COVID-19 cases. Cranbrook was next with ...
Interior Health adding drop-in hours to COVID-19 vaccine clinics
Interior Health immunization clinics across the region are adding and extending hours for drop-in vaccinations. Drop-in access is for people who are 12+ (born in 2009 or earlier) who have not received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. People can arrive, register on the spot, and receive their vaccine. No advance appointments...