Nelson, Castlegar and the Kootenay region will be part of the province-wide call for suggestions on how the HST can be improved when a “tele-town hall” takes place this Thursday. Running for one hour starting at 6:30 p.m., Minister of Finance Kevin Falcon and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Blair Lekstrom will engage the West […]

Forget hope that the BC Hydro rate increase would be overturned, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) recently approved an interim rate increase of eight per cent, effective May 1. For the average residential BC Hydro customer, this would amount to a bill increase of about $6 per month, albeit until the final decision comes […]

Castlegar homeowners may be happy to hear that, although tax rates have increased, the average homeowner will actually be paying less this year, according to a report received by council at its regular meeting last Monday.   Director of financial services Andre Buss told council that, although tax rates have increased for residential rate payers, […]

Residents in the West Kootenay will now find it even easier to access government services with the official opening of a brand-new FrontCounter BC office in Castlegar. FrontCounter BC is a single-window service for clients of the natural resource sector. FrontCounter BC was created in 2005 with eight locations, a dedicated call centre and online […]

By Timothy Schafer, The Nelson Daily For those about to surf, we salute you. Cyber-surfing that is, as a new study is showing more Canadians are finding the Internet is their best bet when looking for a source of news. However, for those looking to cash in on the online dash, they had better offer […]

By Timothy Schafer, The Nelson Daily Some of the problems inherent in the West Kootenay region’s main airport will be tackled by a new board created to oversee its operation, says the mayor of Castlegar. Lawrence Chernoff told the board of directors of the Regional District of Central Kootenay recently the West Kootenay Regional Airport […]

Some key dates for the HST referendum were announced Friday. • Monday, June 13 – Elections BC starts mailing out referendum ballots for the HST to all registered voters. • Friday, June 24 – Majority of British Columbians have received the ballot. • Friday, July 8 – Last day for unregistered voters to request a […]

By Timothy Schafer, The Nelson Daily There is expected to be a 40 per cent increase in the demand for electricity in BC over the next 20 years, according to BC Hydro, and the Crown corporation is in the process of drafting a 20-year plan to meet those needs. Public input on the Integrated Resource […]

 They came, they saw, they ingested excess amounts of caffeine and ultimately (despite a few baggy red eyes) they conquered. While others may have been enjoying the new snow in the mountains, hanging out with family or simply relaxing over the weekend, three local web-development teams spent all night Friday and most of...

By Timothy Schafer, The Nelson Daily The regional district is wasting thousands of taxpayer dollars in an attempt to over legislate building permits on small structures in rural areas, says one regional district director. Walter Popoff of Area H has been trying to convince the Regional District of Central Kootenay Building Department and the board […]