At the start of a new year, many of us take time to set goals and make plans for the months ahead. As MLA for Kootenay West, and Minister of Finance for the entire province, I know there is so much work to be done this year to make life better here and across B.C. […]

This past year has been a difficult one for many Canadians, struggling to find a home they can afford, struggling to pay for their groceries, struggling to access proper health care.  And then on top of that we faced the worst year for climate disasters with widespread fires, floods and droughts. Throughout the year, my […]

Following two days of deliberations, City of Castlegar Council approved a Draft 2024 Budget and is now seeking community input. The budget will result in 6.43 per cent tax increase for residential properties and 6.70 per cent for business and light industrial properties. This equates to $83.89 annually, or approximately $6.99 per month, for the […]

New Democrat MLAs Brittny Anderson and Katrine Conroy say local organizations and parent advisory councils will be able to support young artists and extracurricular activities thanks to over $500,000 in Community Gaming Grant funding. “People benefit tremendously from our local arts, culture and heritage organizations as well as the parent advisory councils,” said Brittny Anderson, […]

Strengthening our healthcare system If there’s one thing I’ve heard from people in our community throughout the year, it’s how important our healthcare system is, and what we can do to improve health services. Our government has been working hard to increase the number of people working at all levels of the healthcare system: 3,882 […]

Recreational trails in the Columbia Basin are cherished by users year-round. To ensure they’re in top shape and an enjoyable experience, groups throughout the region, including Rossland, Nelson, Castlegar, Warfield and Slocan, are undertaking projects with support from Columbia Basin Trust. Currently, 23 projects in 18 communities are focusing on improving trails, while 16 organizations […]

A new memorandum of understanding between Interior Health (IH) and the seven Interior regional hospital districts (RHDs) will strengthen existing partnerships dedicated to improving care for people in the Interior. As part of the capital planning process, IH submits a funding request letter to the RHDs each December outlining the equipment, capital improvement projects and […]

Presentation Tara Pejski, WildSafeBC Community Coordinator, presented an overview of the WildSafeBC activities during the 2023 season. Tara shared the success of wildlife safety and attractant control education sessions in the community, including WildSafeBC Ranger presentations for school-aged children and wildlife/Bear Smart presentations for community groups. For more information visit wildsafebc.wildsafebc.com. Contract Award Council awarded […]

This week I was thrilled to able to join others in celebrating a significant milestone in the redevelopment of Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital Improved access to healthcare is benefiting individuals throughout the region, thanks to the completion of the Pharmacy and Ambulatory Care project here at KBRH. The new pharmacy is triple the size of the previous […]

Last week the federal NDP put forward a motion that sets out a truly fair, common-sense approach to deal with two of the most important issues of our time—the climate catastrophes that we are living through every year across this country, and the struggle that many Canadians are facing just to get by. In a […]