Celgar responds to court decision; confirms grant money
Celgar manager Al Hitzroth confirmed today that the mill he manages here in Castlegar has gotten the green light for $57.8 million in federal grant money through a program intended to help level the playing field after the U.S. announced $8 billion in black liquor subsidies for American pulp mills. Unlike the U.S. program, which […]
MP says new EI legislation good news
MP Alex Atamanenko (BC Southern Interior) said he is pleased with federal Human Resources Minister Diane Finley’s statement Thursday that the government will finally agree to the amendments to Bill C-50 that the NDP has been calling for; namely, to ensure long-tenured workers who applied for EI benefits as of January 4th, ...
B.C. Chamber speaks to locals on HST
Photo: Castlegar Chamber of Commerce executive director Pam McLeod. More than a dozen local business interests were on hand Oct. 6 at the CBT Forum (across from city hall) to hear from Jon Garson, vice president of public policy development for the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, regarding the new Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). Representatives were […]
Summer-long investigation leads to pot seizure valued at tens of millions
A massive police crack-down on outdoor marijuana grow-ops this summer saw RCMP seize 14,130 pot plants from 88 sites throughout the region.Inspector Nick Romanchuk said the investigative team even included an RCMP helicopter from Kelowna.“Based on a conservative estimate, it is believed that these seizures prevented approximately...
New prison near Surrey
The following is a press release issued by the provincial government:The province will build a new secure, state-of- the-art corrections facility adjacent to the existing Surrey Pretrial Services Centre and connected by tunnel to both the courthouse and police station, Solicitor General Kash Heed announced today.Surrey was...
She said: "Religious freedom" no justification for sexually assaulting children
The first half of this he-said/she-said debate can be found in Rob Leggett’s Right to the Point column, in the Op/Ed page of the Castlegar Source. Rob and I have had some difficulty, lately, in finding an issue on which we passionately disagree. He solved that problem, however, with his most recent column on Winston […]
Swine flu funding on tap
Ed. Note: The following is a press release issued by the B.C. provincial government:In anticipation of a resurgence of the H1N1 virus, B.C. doctors will receive additional compensation to provide increased access to care for patients.As part of an agreement between the province and the BC Medical Association, two new temporary...
Celgar/city see eye-to-eye; $55-million project to resume
In a rare moment of accord, Celgar officials say they are as pleased as City of Castlegar representatives at the outcome of this year’s Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention. Celgar manager Al Hitzroth said the UBCM resolution urging the provincial government to re-examine major industry taxation in B.C. is good news. “I’m still disappointed […]
B.C. government liable for negligence after Castlegar infant abused
In a decision brought by the B.C. appeals court Thursday, the provincial government is being held liable for negligence in a case involving a four-month-old Castlegar infant. The infant, now six years old, was violently shaken by his father on Sept 16, 2002, suffering permanent injury, and the child’s maternal grandmother is now seeking more […]
Regional partners protect riparian area
Selkirk College, FortisBC and the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program have joined forces to protect the natural habitat along the Kootenay River. In particular, the riparian (riverside) area near the oxbow at the confluence of the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers.The Castlegar Campus of Selkirk College is located adjacent to...
