Long-time Castlegar resident and Canadian Red Cross volunteer Deborah Lynn Chmara has been awarded the Order of Red Cross, the organization’s highest honour, in recognition of her decades of exceptional humanitarian service. Her volunteer journey now spans more than 55 years and has taken her from British Columbia and the Yukon to crisis zones in […]

Local Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association (KERPA) has been featured in a book by national best-selling author Dr. Brian Goldman called The Casino Shift: Stories from an ER on the Edge. The book, to quote publisher Harper Collins, is, “an hour-by-hour account of what a Canadian emergency room is like in these turbulent times when […]

A new phase in British Columbia’s approach to mental health crisis response began on February 25 in the Southeast District, as RCMP detachments in Golden, Columbia Valley, Elk Valley Regional, Creston, Kimberley, and Cranbrook adopted HealthIM in collaboration with Interior Health. The system enhances real-time risk assessment and strengthens coordination with Interior Health emergency departments. HealthIM is […]

A $1.65 million investment through PacifiCan’s Regional Innovation Ecosystems program is driving a major expansion of Selkirk College’s Selkirk Technology Access Centre (STAC) in Trail, BC. On Monday, March 2, The Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), toured STAC and announced this federal investment. “British Columbia […]

Following two days of deliberations, City of Castlegar Council has released the proposed 2026–2030 Financial Plan and is now seeking feedback from residents. The proposed 2026 budget includes a preliminary 7.76 per cent tax increase for residential properties. Council will set the tax rates in April once the revised roll is available from BC Assessment. It’s […]

 “Just as ‘wars begin in the minds of men’, peace also begins in our minds. The same species who invented war is capable of inventing peace. The responsibility lies with each of us.”                                             — Seville Statement on Violence, 1986 https://abolishwar.net/wp-content/uploads/Seville-Statement-on-Violence.pdf  “I was a conscious being reading the instructions for my own creation…    Had this […]

Kalesnikoff in Castlegar, a longstanding B.C. wood products manufacturer and major employer in the West Kootenays that produces engineered mass timber building materials. Kalesnikoff is receiving a repayable investment of $5.5 million to help purchase new equipment to make prefabricated housing components used in multi-family housing, schools, daycares, and commercial buildings. This equipment will increase […]

On March 8, 2026, members of the public, local athletes and RCMP officers in Castlegar will brave the frigid waters of the Columbia River at Millennium Park to support Special Olympics BC. The Polar Plunge will take place from 12 to 1 p.m. All community members are invited to participate or donate to raise funds for this […]

Selkirk College students, graduates and community members from across the region are invited to connect education with opportunity at the upcoming West Kootenay Career Fair. Taking place in Nelson on March 11 and in Castlegar on March 12, the fair brings together local employers, educators and job seekers to explore how academic pathways align with real-world careers. Hosted […]

This spring caring people across B.C. have the chance to win big, while helping vulnerable animals. The BC SPCA Lottery for animals in need is back March 3 with 30 daily cash prizes, plus its biggest spring 50/50 yet – up to $1,100,000!  Last spring’s big 50/50 winner, animal lover Shannon W. from Ladysmith, took home an incredible $500,000 cash prize. “This money is life changing,” says Shannon. “I can travel, […]