COLUMN: From the Hill -- BC apple farmers and food security
Many sectors have been hard hit by the pandemic, and agriculture is one of them. Despite concerns about food security and pleas to buy local, orchardists and farmers in the region have had a number of serious headwinds facing them over the past year. B.C. apple growers have had to deal with huge production from just across...
What to expect as Castlegar gears up for by-election during pandemic
With the resignation of Castlegar Mayor Bruno Tassone, the city is undertaking the challenging task of a by-election during a pandemic. Luckily, according to city communications manager Bree Seabrook, there have been enough elections since the appearance of Covid-19 to provide staff with direction on how to approach the issue...
Column: U.S. crisis shows need to speak truth to power
As was demonstrated in the U.S. last week, many who are motivated by fear and ignorance are feeling emboldened — and desperate. It’s not just in the United States. Irrational, authoritarian, anti-science rhetoric and action has been heating up from Brazil to India to Hungary, and is fully entrenched in places like Russia and China. […]
City councillor speaks to mayor's resignation letter
Ed. Note: the following is a statement Castlegar Councillor Florio Vassilakakis posted on his Facebook page, re=published with his permission: I have taken a few days to think about the surprising events that have transpired during the last week in Castlegar. Mayor Tassone appears to have been under extraordinary personal...
Letter: We must be vigilant
Dear Editor. We fought global wars, and millions of people died to defend and protect our human rights, including our right to have democratic governments. Last week’s invasion of the Capital Hill in DC was nothing but a stunning attack on democracy, perpetrated by none other than the President of the United States. It was ...
Castlegar mayor resigns, city clarifies what's next
Earlier today Bruno Tassone tendered his resignation from his role as Mayor of the City of Castlegar. Council and staff are processing this news and are committed to ensuring the services residents expect from the City are not disrupted and restoring the City’s full Council complement. With the Mayor’s resignation, Council ...
2020 was quite a year -- with some good things in the works
A surprising thing happened at The Narwhal during the very-bad-not-at-all-good year of 2020: we wrote more good news and solutions-focused stories than ever before By Carol Linnet, for The Narwhal You don’t need me to tell you what the seven years of 2020 have been like. But if the pandemic has revealed anything...
RDKB Board Highlights - Fall & Winter 2020
2020 Board Highlights NOVEMBER 2020 A general overview of discussion items & major decisions from the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) Board of Directors meetings in November and December 2020. The next board meeting is January 13, 2021 at 1 p.m. on Zoom. DECEMBER 9 West Boundary Recreation Grant to Red Earth...
A glimmer of hope for dwindling Kootenay caribou and biodiversity
After significant public pressure, the B.C. government and its logging agency BC Timber Sales (BCTS) have committed to pause logging and road-building in a remote old growth valley north of Revelstoke, which is critical habitat for the North Columbia caribou herd. A total of 276 hectares of proposed logging and more than 10...
Castlegar City Council highlights
The Community Wellness & Social Services Committee provided an update on the 75th Anniversary Community Committee kick-off meeting where the group brainstormed ideas on how and when the community would like to celebrate and discussed opportunities to partner. The City formally celebrates its 75th Anniversary on October ...