Mayor meets with protest committee to discuss IH concerns
Castlegar Mayor Lawrence Chernoff met this morning with Dean MacKinnon, a representative of the Citizens for Access to Better Health Care Committee. MacKinnon said the meeting was productive and positive, and not limited only to the current ultrasound issue creating tension between the Interior Health Authority (IH) and local...
MLA Katrine Conroy resigns as party whip
Kootenay West MLA Katrine Conroy released the following statement concerning her position on the opposition caucus executive. I have resigned my position as Whip for the Opposition caucus. Caucus was informed of my decision today. The position of Whip is elected by caucus members and it is a role that I have held unchallenged...
City opts into regional tourism promotion
City council, at its regular meeting Monday night, voted to pay $4,350 for inclusion in a SnowSeekers promotion designed to funnel ski tourists for Rd Mountain and White Mountain through the Castlegar's regional aiport. "The West Kootenay Regional Airport would be promoted as 'the' airport ...to access the two ski hills,"...
Proposed utility hike sees rare division in city council
A vote to raise utility rates in Castlegar saw a rare division of city council Monday night, with the hike narrowly defeated in a 3-3 decision. In his report to council, city director of financial services Andre Buss pointed out the $66 million of infrastructure maintenance required in coming years, and said, “New Interior...
Rally prompts unanimous vote to preserve Castlegar's ultrasound service
A public rally to oppose an Interior Health (IH) decision to move Castlegar's ultrasound machine to Trail drew more than 100 people to the Complex Wednesday night, and netted attendees an unanimous vote from the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District. The district voted unanimously for a resolution supporting continued...
Second ultrasound rally on tap
Organizers are strongly encouraging Castlegar residents to show up for a second rally aimed at persuading Interior Health to leave the Castlegar Health Centre's only ultrasound machine in Castlegar, instead of moving it to Trail. The original plan was to move the machine to Trail to complement the existing two machines at...
MP pens letter regarding local woman's incarceration
Dear Minister Toews (Minister of Public Safety), I have just received a disturbing account by a young woman from my riding regarding her experience at the G20 Summit in Toronto. Enclosed please find her detailed explanation of her arrest. It is important to state that I am not writing to discuss the Summit itself, but...
Castlegar wins highest honour - five blooms
It's official – Castlegar is Bloomin' beautiful, baby! Castlegar was, for the first time in its history, designated a 'Five-Bloom' community by Communities in Bloom (CiB), the highest such designation a community can achieve within the international competition. The announcement was made at an Academy-Awards-style gala...
Outdoor exercise installation for Twin Rivers Park?
Two Castlegar rotary clubs are determined to take away residents' lingering excuses for not exercising by promoting a project that would see outdoor exercise equipment installed at Twin Rivers Park. “It'd be available 24/7, so people couldn't say their schedule prevents them,” said Fred Hughes, offering a tongue-in-cheek...
Campbell's resignation statement
Premier Gordon Campbell issued the following statement today: “After considerable soul searching and discussion with my family I have decided to ask the BC Liberal Party executive to hold a leadership convention at the earliest possible date to select a new leader for our party. “Over the last few weeks, our government ...
