Low flying Loonie makes shopping at home at lot more attractive
A low flying loonie of late has feathered the local economy as those who once flocked over the border to shop in the U.S. are choosing to nest at home. Currently the loonie sits at 0.79 versus the US Dollar. Since 2013 the Canadian dollar has been dropping from a near-parity perch to trading at about 79 cents U.S. What that...
New Guidebook for Managing Bats in Buildings
Summer is the season when property owners notice bats in their buildings. They may find guano on the deck, hear bats in the walls, or smell a build-up of guano. The Kootenay Community Bat Project, funded by the Columbia Basin Trust, has received numerous calls with these issues. In many cases, landowners are happy to leave ...
UPDATED: Lightning caused Mount Aylwin wildfire near Silverton new hotspot for Southeast Fire Centre
The BC Wildfire Service is working hard to contain the Mount Aylwin wildfire, located two kilometres south of Silverton and east of Highway 6. The lightning caused interface wildfire, near the base of Mount Aylwin, was discovered Friday (July 10). Currently there are 20 firefighters on the ground battling the blaze with the...
Fire Centre urges continued vigilance; five spot fires near Castlegar
The Southeast Fire Centre is dealing with five wildfires in fairly close proximity to Castlegar today, according to fire information officer Fanny Bernard. The closest – and largest – is at China Creek, eight kilometres (km) west of the Columbia River. It’s roughly 0.6 hectares in size. There’s another near South Bear Paw...
Brief storm brings new fires; little relief
A short storm this evening that many hoped would bring relief to fire ravaged local forests has done more harm than good, according to Southeast Fire Centre information officer Jordan Turner, who said there are four more fires reported in the greater Castlegar area, with more likely to follow. "There are a few fires around...
BC Wildfire Service announces burn out operations planned for the Sitkum Creek Wildfire
The BC Wildfire Service is advising the residents living around Nelson of an increase of smoke surrounding the Sitkum Creek Wildfire as a result of proactive burn out operations. The BC Wildfire Service advised the public in a media release. "The wildfire is located in very steep and dangerous terrain and this burn out is...
LETTER: Thanks owed and lessons learned
Ed. Note: for the context of this letter, see full coverage by following this link. I just want to give a huge thanks to all those who played a part in allowing me and my family to keep Chumlee and Rosie. I first must thank my wonderful neighbours who signed my original petition that I submitted to city council and the...
Waneta Expansion Project celebrates grand opening
The Waneta Expansion Limited Partnership (WELP), a partnership between Fortis Inc., Columbia Power Corporation and Columbia Basin Trust, celebrated the grand opening of the $900 million, 335 MW Waneta Expansion Project, near Trail today. The official grand opening celebration took place at the facility with project stakeholders,...
LETTER: Fortis speaks to yesterday's downed power line
I read your article: Fire/downed power line on Columbia, Samaritans step up in a huge way, and thought it would be valuable to share some tips on how to stay safe if you come across a downed power line. Safety is a guiding principle at FortisBC. Our crews are highly trained to respond to situations like yesterday’s events and...
CBT gets $3.34 mill to bring high-speed Internet to the Koots
Everyday tasks that were once done in person, such as shopping, communicating, learning and banking, are now done online. To help Canadians have better access to these and many other online opportunities, the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Industry and Minister Responsible for British Columbia, and David Wilks, Member ...
