Coun. Wirischagin asks for voluntary water metres this year
The topic of water metres came before council again at their regular meeting Monday night. Coun. Michael Wirischagin brought up his concerns during his councillors report early in the meeting. He started by telling council he was part of a group that is dedicated to improving communities in BC. When he met with this group, ...
When it Comes to Political Ideas, How Big is ‘Big’?
The notion of ‘big ideas’ periodically raises its head in Canadian politics and I recently criticized the NDP for taking a good idea – a national day of action – and wasting it in on, well, small ideas. Specifically I suggested that the party’s focus on excessive interest rates and other charges effectively redefined citizens...
RDCK passes on savings to taxpayer- Calls for input into Master Plan and pool repairs
The good news in the Regional District of Central Kootenay is that a $1.5 million surplus from 2013 means no increase in taxes for the next two years for RDCK residents. And RDCK chair John Kettle is “elated.” Kettle credits the surplus to the integration of new accounting services delivered by Chief Financial Officer Stuart...
RDCK Tackles Recycling on its Own — Asks Minister To Enforce Recycling Legislation
A plan to keep the recycling facility at the Nelson transfer station will be discussed at Thursday’s RDCK board meeting — along with a possibility of an Eco Depot located on the site. This comes after Multi Material BC (MMBC) refused to allow the RDCK to become part of the stewardship program legislated by the […]
GF talks future and politics
The City of Grand Forks, participated as one of three municipalities out of 26 in a pilot ‘Community Engagement’ project sponsored by the Association of Kootenay and Boundary Local Governments (AKBLG) on March 12 at the Omega Restaurant. Seventy-five local citizens registered to join in a lively discussion facilitated by...
Interfor workers in Castlegar/Grand Forks ratify five-year deal
A meeting in Castlegar Monday saw Interfor workers vote overwhelmingly in favour of a new five-year deal, according to a press release issued this morning: Following four days of bargaining in late February with INTERFOR for members at the Castlegar and Grand Forks Sawmills, USW Local 1-405 and 1-423 announced today that the...
Second area community opts out of Trail recreation program
The already-contentious City of Trail Recreation program has sustained another blow, as Warfield has now followed Beaver Valley's lead and opted out of the Trail Resident Program (TRP) rate structure. In a release issued this morning, Trail mayor Dieter Bogs expressed distress over Warfield's decision, arguing it may force ...
LETTER: Our Canada Post matters to everyone!
Dear Editor: Last night I attended an information meeting about the changes coming to Canada Post. I was very disappointed that only 31 people attended the meeting - six of those were the guest presenters - probably 10 members of the public and the rest were postal employees. Did you know that in December 2013 Canada Post...
LETTER: Reconsider leasing land agreements
Recently three prominent conservation organizations: Ducks Unlimited, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation and the Nature Trust of B.C. were highly critical of the B.C. Liberal Government’s agenda of increasing grazing leases from 10 years to 20-25 years. The criticism was directed at range tenures that included the lands ...
COMMENT: Horsemeat -- Unsafe for Human Consumption
Horses are not raised according to the food safety protocols required of food animals. The wide array of highly toxic medications they are commonly administered convinces me that horsemeat poses an unacceptable risk to the health of those who consume it. In the hopes of legislating severe restrictions on Canada’s horse...
