RCMP seek witnesses to Slocan drowning
The Slocan Lake RCMP is asking anyone who may have witnessed a drowning in the Slocan River on the evening Aug. 5 to contact them. On August 5, 2020 at approximately 5:40 pm, Slocan Lake RCMP responded to a complaint of a person drowning in the Slocan River, roughly 1.5 km North West of Winlaw, BC. A 35-year old man was...
State of emergency extended to continue B.C.’s COVID-19 response
The B.C. government has formally extended the provincial state of emergency, allowing Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, to continue to use extraordinary powers under the Emergency Program Act to support the Province's COVID-19 pandemic response. “In recent weeks, British Columbians have been...
Obesity -- reducing stigma, focusing on health
By Sara F.L. Kirk, Angela Alberga, and Shelly Russell-Mayhew, in The Conversation The 2019 report from Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam focused on addressing different forms of stigma. Included in the report was one form of stigma — obesity or weight stigma — that...
Editorial: A conversation with RCMP Sergeant Mike Wicentowich
Recent ongoing media revelations of abusive, discriminatory and deadly police practices across Canada, coupled with reports of numerous racist killings and hyper-militarized police actions from south of the border, have led some to demand “defund the police!” Others have begun using the acronym “acab” – meaning, “all cops...
Cop dog injured in arrest of alleged thief
On Aug. 1, shortly after 10pm, an officer in a marked police car was flagged down by a victim who reported someone had just stolen his E-Bike (battery assisted mountain bike) in Kelowna. The suspect allegedly made attempts to evade police, and rode to a well-known pedestrian and bike trail known as the "Rail Trail". A Police...
Man missing after trying to rescue his dog from the waters of the Kootenay River
RCMP and local search and rescue crews completed another day searching the Kootenay River after a man was swept away Thursday afternoon, while attempting to rescue his dog. On July 30, shortly before 3:30 p.m., Columbia Valley RCMP received information that a man had been suddenly swept down river after he entered the water...
July 29 BC COVID-19 update: 41 new cases, no new deaths
Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia: "Today, we are announcing 41 new cases for a total of 3,562 cases in British Columbia. This includes a data...
Auto-theft investigation leads to RCMP seizure of trafficking quantities of illicit drugs
Front line RCMP officers seized large quantities of suspected illicit drugs during the recovery of a motor vehicle taken without the owner’s consent Tuesday morning in Trail, according to RCMP Sgt. Mike Wicentowich. "On July 28, 2020 at 10:49 a.m., the Trail and Greater District RCMP received a report that a Ford F-350 pickup...
Fresh local food for families goal of new EcoSociety program
July 29, 2020 Everyone deserves access to healthy food. That’s the starting point for Farms to Friends, a new program this summer bringing local organic produce to low income families and seniors in the West Kootenays. Food security is one of the pillars of West Kootenay EcoSociety’s work, and the idea and funding for Farms...
Police resolve Sheldon-esque dispute in Trail
On July 25 at 9:12 p.m., the Trail and Greater District RCMP responded to a physical altercation between a 22-year-old man and a 29-year-old man at a residence on Rossland Avenue in Trail, according to RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Mike Wicentowich, The men had been separated and were calm when RCMP arrived on scene....