Premier Christy Clark released the following statement on the accession of Francis I: “In accordance with their centuries-old tradition, the College of Cardinals today elected a new Pope. “For almost 700,000 Catholics in B.C., Pope Francis is their spiritual leader, and successor to a direct line going all the way back to Saint Peter. And […]

This summer could be your last chance to have your water meter installed for free, according to city councillor Kevin Chernoff after a Public Works meeting yesterday. “There are approximately 2027 water meters installed to-date and approximately 840 meters outstanding in the north end of town,” he said. “If you haven’t had ...

The City of Trail may become a technological leader as early as this summer, according to city councillor Sean Mackinlay. Reporting to council from the Governance and Operations Committee (GOC), Mackinlay said the Columbia Basin Broadband Corporation (CBBC) has now posted a Request for Proposal on BC Bid for the installation of the fibre optics […]

The whole issue of the housing bubble, its extent and whether there will be a soft landing as predicted by many wishful thinkers has resulted in many interesting headlines in recent weeks – including some high on the delusional scale. One suggested that house prices are a mere 20% overvalued (if you believe that, I have a...

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen received Israel’s president Shimon Peres at NATO headquarters in Brussels on March 7. The order of the day: to enhance military cooperation between Israel and the Atlantic Alliance focusing on issues of counter-terrorism. “Israel will be happy to share the knowledge it has gained and its technological abilities with […]

At a time when public confidence in government is at historical lows, the B.C. government should follow Ontario's lead and have the expense claims of senior government employees reviewed by an independent office to ensure they meet both the government's guidelines and the public's smell test, according to IntegrityBC. IntegrityBC...

From the outside Blueberry Creek Community School (BCCS) looks like any typical small older rural elementary school but BCCS is anything but typical. BCCS is a Ministry of Education designated Neighbourhood of Learning and a Ministry of Children and Family Development designated Community HUB. Both ministerial designations ...

Representatives of the Community Foundation of Castlegar recently met with Castlegar mayor Lawrence Chernoff, Area I director Andy Davidoff, and Area J director Gordon Zaitsoff to seek their support as the foundation moves towards becoming fully functional. “We were looking for letters of support,” said foundation president...

A request from the Element to be allowed to stay open an extra hour for a special event this Friday sparked a great deal of controversy regarding city emergency services at city council's regular meeting Monday night. Councillor Sue Heaton-Sherstobitoff, vice chair of council's Public Safety Committee, brought up the two false...

Just when the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) needs a little cash to lengthen the life for the McKelvey Creek Landfill in Trail by 26 years—namely by composting organics rather than burying them—more than $1.2 million will soon be saved by the RDKB each year thanks to provincial legislation that will require industry to […]