Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction to reimburse funds wrongfully withheld from welfare recipients
Following a complaint to the BC Ombudsperson, Jay Chalke, an investigation determined that the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction had failed to follow the law in calculating entitlement to income assistance benefits. The Ministry had improperly imposed a policy of a one-month suspension the earnings exemption,...
Public to help ponder pot problem: city announces meetings in May
The CIty of Castlegar is seeking public input on how to proceed with the municipal aspect of cannibas legalization. In a press release issued Monday morning, the city announced two public meetings to take place later this month seeking feedback and offering information in discussing next steps within the context of communiity ...
From the Hill - MP speaks to local flooding
The flood situation in the south Okanagan and Boundary regions has dominated the news for the past month and the news seems to get more serious by the day. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes and many have lost everything—houses, vehicles, land. Last Friday and Saturday I drove from Penticton to Trail and...
City to combine two directorships and create two new union positions
The City of Castlegar issued a press release last night after voting six-to-one to release the information from their in-camera session (the dissenting vote was Councillor Bruno Tassone). The release is as follows: The City of Castlegar is excited to announce that Lucas Pitts, P.Eng. the current Director of Public Works has...
MLA Conroy welcomes new playgrounds for Kootenay schools
Kootenay West MLA Katrine Conroy said students at schools in Slocan and New Denver are getting new playgrounds, thanks to $180,000 in provincial funding announced by the Premier and Minister of Education today. “Playgrounds should be part of a healthy childhood no matter where you live,” said Conroy, who is also the Minister...
Iniitiative Petition in the works to cancel Site C dam
British Columbia’s Chief Electoral Officer, Keith Archer, has granted approval in principle on an initiative petition application. The petition will be issued to proponent Ion Delsol Moruso on July 3, 2018. The title of the initiative is: “An initiative to cancel the Site C Dam project”. “This initiative petition application...
Affordable Housing Projects to Receive Funding
ROSSLAND -- The Government of British Columbia is working with the Columbia Basin Trust to build 167 new homes for people struggling to find housing they can afford, in ten Kootenay communities. Rossland will receive funding to develop 24 housing units, planned to be built on the western side of the land known as “the Emcon...
LETTER: Councillor makes impassioned argument for 'yes' vote in recreation referendum
In a letter to the editor in the April 19 edition of the Castlegar News, Councillor Bruno Tassone explains his reasoning for voting against a council motion to support the upcoming Regional District Recreation Complex referendum. While I respect his right to support or oppose any motion, I do not accept his asserted reasoning....
RDCK commits to 100% renewable energy by 2050
At its April meeting, the Board of Directors of the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) committed to working towards 100% renewable energy. The 100% Renewable Kootenays by 2050 initiative, led by the West Kootenay Eco-Society, asks communities to adopt a target to generating enough renewable energy to meet or exceed...
Cannabis consumption geographical restrictions left out of Zoning Bylaw
The city won’t be determining where cannabis can be smoked in public before it heads to a public meeting on the Zoning Bylaw for regulating legalized cannabis, despite the urging of one councilor. Coun. Beverley Tripp asked Grand Forks city council to consider where cannabis could be consumed in public and to write it into ...
