The following is an opinion piece submitted by the B.C. First Nations Forestry Council:Ottawa and the province carry much of the blame for the burning of B.C. this summer and all British Columbians have been ill served by these two governments, according to the B.C. First Nations Forestry Council (FNFC).“While nature can be...

Smoke funnelling into Castlegar is most likely from an almost 2,000-hectare wild fire near Galena Bay in the Regional District of Central Kootenay, as well as another, of almost 8,000 hectares, on Terrace Mountain in the Central Okanagan, according to the Southeast Fire Centre. The Galena Bay fire was caused by lightning, while the Terrace […]

Dear Premier Campbell: On 24 July 2009 I submitted a letter to the Environmental Assessment Office, expressing concerns with the proposed Glacier Howser Private Hydroelectric Project.  Attached please find a copy of this submission. An overwhelming majority of people in our area are against this project as evidenced by over 1100 people who showed up […]

In a time of political unrest and transformation, the Republic of Georgia continues to press forward, looking for innovative ways to turn their economy around. With the help of Canadian partners such as Selkirk College, Georgians are increasing community economic development through educational change. Currently in Georgia, unemployment is particularly rampant in the rural communities. […]

 CASTLEGAR— Kootenay West MLA Katrine Conroy says the community members that attended the Glacier-Howser meeting in Nelson were energized and inspired to continue the fight against the controversial private power project. “This is just the beginning,” said Conroy. “The people of this region are ready to fight hard against Gordon Campbell’s plan to privatize our waterways […]

Castlegar, BC – Before a public meeting in Kaslo on Wednesday that drew 1100 citizens from the town and other Kootenay communities, MP Alex Atamanenko (BC Southern Interior) told one of the largest crowds ever assembled against a proposed Independent Power Project (IPP) “This Glacier-Howser IPP must be stopped in its tracks!” Addressing a rally […]

Castlegar Mayor Lawrence Chernoff, at city council's regular meeting Monday night, unveiled a four-point plan to deal with the fallout of Celgar refusing to pay its municipal tax bill. Celgar's move left the city with a roughly $2.8 million budget shortfall and a legal battle to cope with, and Chernoff said he feels it's...

The City of Castlegar is on the horns of $3.6 million dilemma, as Zellstoff Celgar has refused to pay municipal taxes for 2009, as well as taxes for other levels of government that are invoiced on the city bill, all of which were due at the close of business July 2. (City taxes are $2.785 […]

The Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) is pleased to announce three community pilot projects that will receive financial support as part of the State of the Basin Initiative, a model for monitoring and reporting on social, environmental, economic and cultural indicators and trends in the Columbia Basin region. Earlier this year, CBT invited municipalities, regional districts, First […]

Teck made a major move this week in its continuing efforts to restructure the company’s debt load. Late last year Teck’s debt had soared to just under $10 billion US following a seemingly ill timed $14 billion takeover of Fording coal mere days before the collapse of commodity prices. With a current agreement in place […]