Recent brush fires - including one today - underline importance of regional mutual aid agreements
Ootischenia Fire Department responded to a brush fire just outside of town this afternoon, according to OFD Captain Cody Kabatoff. He said the call came in at roughly 4:15 p.m., and OFD responded to a wildfire about six km up Hwy 3 toward Christina Lake, with mutual aid assistance from the Castlegar Fire Department. “We...
SD 20 to drop bus fees, refund monies already paid
The School District 20 has eliminated the controversial student busing fees slated to be implemented this school year, after finding out they'll be ellibigle for a roughly $243,000 grant earmarked for transportation services. Castlegar Trustee Mickey Kinakin said this means the district has to submit a report indicating the...
New-look Springboard Park in Salmo reopens to the public
Salmo Council and staff gathered for a ribbon-cutting Wednesday morning to formally reopen Springboard Park, a 17-plus acre natural forest area owned and maintained by the Village. The opening comes after work was completed by staff over a four-month period to enhance the public safety and use of the trail by clearing it of […]
Trail/Beaver Valley agree to two-month extension of recreation agreement
The City of Trail’s Recreation Agreement Negotiating Committee and the Beaver Valley Parks Recreation Committee (BV Rec) recently met to discuss the renewal of the one-year Recreation Funding Agreement that expires at the end of August 2016. Due to immediate time constraints associated with the new agreement expiring, both ...
Selkirk College Inks President Angus Graeme for Five More Years
After a successful five years at the helm of Selkirk College, President Angus Graeme has been given a vote of confidence by the Board of Governors to continue his leadership of post-secondary education in the West Kootenay and Boundary. The Board announced that Graeme has signed another five year contract to continue in his...
Columbia Basin Trust grants $250k for Slocan Valley Rail Trail project
People who like to recreate in the Slocan Valley are the bigger winners after the Columbia Basin Trust awarded a $250,000 Recreation Infrastructure Grant to the Slocan Community Recreational Greenway Project. The funding comes through a unique partnership comprised of the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK), the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Rec Sites […]
Police seek owners of canoe/kayak
Castlegar RCMP have possession of a canoe and a kayak that were found by residents of Thrums, according to RCMP Sgt. Laurel Mathew, who is looking to find the owners of both items. She said the canoe was found floating down the Kootenay River in June, and the kayak was found floating down the Kootenay River in July. Now both...
Rash of B&Es spurs police to request public assistance
Police are requesting public assistance after six break-and-enters Friday night, according to RCMP Sgt. Laurel Mathew. “Castlegar RCMP are investigating a rash of commercial break and enter crimes that occurred overnight on Aug. 19. The break-ins were discovered early the next morning. Two of the break-ins were on 6th Ave.,...
Smoke from U.S. wildfires visible in southeast B.C.
Most of the smoke that’s been visible in parts of the Southeast Fire Centre is coming from several wildfires in Washington State, particularly one near Deep Lake in Stevens County. The Deep Lake wildfire, south of Trail, is 15 kilometres south of the Canada-U.S. border and covers about 300 hectares. Although this fire is not...
COLUMN: From the Hill -- Electoral Reform, and a Cycle Tour of the Riding
As summer winds down, our thoughts naturally turn to back-to-school shopping and back-to-work after a break for a good Canadian summer. I’ll be going back to Ottawa in September to resume work on all the issues before Parliament; one of the major issues we will be discussing is electoral reform. In last year’s campaign, both...
