Bar a blaze that destroyed a Genelle home and injured a firefighter (see: http://castlegarsource.com/news/fire-destroys-home-genelle-injures-firefighter-20525#.UDaiV8GPWSo), the tri-city area remains relatively unscathed during a hot, dry fire season this year, even though several smaller fires have started this past week – including one at the Zellstoff Celgar pulp mill. Southeast Fire Centre’s Karlie Shaughnessey said there was a […]

The Grand Forks airport is rated as one of the best in the Southern Interior of B.C. so volunteers are inviting the community to celebrate with them at the airport appreciation day next Saturday. The Grand Forks Flying Association is hosting this celebration of transportation. The day’s events including: fly-in, car and bike...

"It's going to look like a construction site for the next three or four weeks until the windows and doors come in," said Doug Halladay, president of Branch No. 14 of the Royal Canadian Legion.  The front wall of the main hall will be all glass—except for the supporting pillars—and will face out onto Washington street. The...

Employment numbers in British Columbia dipped in July after slight gains in June, as full-time positions replaced losses of part-time positions. In B.C., 14,500 jobs were lost, reflecting a national trend, as 30,400 jobs were lost across Canada. However, full-time positions in B.C. increased by 9,600 from June 2012, and the...

George Dore's ethical, innovative and insightful woodlot management style has earned him the top provincial Minister's Award of Excellence for Woodlot Management for the second time. "It's humbling to get it a second time," said Dore, who also took home the prestigious award in 2003. The Rock Creek resident, now 65, manages...

Finally, some good news for a region beseiged by calamitous weather events – the province’s Disaster Financial Assistance Program has designated overland flooding from June 3 to 12 and June 22 to July 2 as “qualifying events”, meaning home owners and small business owners may qualify for between $1,000 and $300,000 in relief funding to […]

On July 25, Zellstoff Celgar Limited Partnership was sentenced in B.C. Provincial court for depositing acutely lethal effluent into the Columbia River, and for other offences under the Environmental Management Act. The sentencing is the result of a conviction on February 16, 2012, following an eight-day trial. Zellstoff Celgar Limited Partnership was fined a total of […]

The quadrennial Spirit of Innovation Awards are on again and KAST—the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology, the award organizers—want nominations for individuals, organizations, and businesses whose hard work exemplifies West Kootenay innovation and entrepreneurship.“The innovation, intellectual capital, and...

The times they are a-changing and housing in the Lower Columbia region needs to meet new demands on several levels, Attainable Housing Committee (AHC) chairperson Janet Morton told Rossland's council on July 16. Last year the AHC—a committee of the LCCDT (Lower Columbia Community Development Team)—hired consultant Matt Thomson...

The School Works Program pilot, which began its successful run in February, is being offered again this fall to Basin-based businesses and organizations. School Works provides an $8/hour wage subsidy to encourage small businesses and non-profit, First Nation and public sector organizations in the Basin to provide part-time employment for full-time high school and post-secondary […]