Editorial: FLOODS AND FIRES: A PLEA
While rivers grow and flow over their banks and spread through communities in southern BC, flooding streets and homes and businesses, people in those communities may have trouble imagining a risk of wildfire, even if they had time and energy to do more than deal as best they can with damage from the floodwaters and the trauma...
West Kootenay/Boundary bracing for more flooding; Environment Canada issues weather statement
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the West Kootenay, Boundary, and Arrow Lakes regions, warning of a system that may bring heavy rainfalls to areas already impacted by flooding. "Showers and thunderstorms over the next few days will impact areas affected by overland flooding. Total rainfall amounts...
Shovels instead of paddles: Dragon Boat Team fills sandbags
The Kootenay Robusters Dragon Boat team cancelled practices because of high water, wave action and high levels of debris on the lake, but paddlers from Rossland, Trail and Castlegar been driving over almost daily since flooding began, to help flood-afflicted areas by filling sandbags. They're still getting a good core...
Mitigation work underway in Salmo
The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) continues to monitor and assess the potential for flooding in Salmo, should anticipated high water levels on Erie Creek overtake the Salmo dike. Mitigation work is already underway to help prevent a potential breach. An evacuation alert issued yesterday for the Village of Salmo...
Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction to reimburse funds wrongfully withheld from welfare recipients
Following a complaint to the BC Ombudsperson, Jay Chalke, an investigation determined that the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction had failed to follow the law in calculating entitlement to income assistance benefits. The Ministry had improperly imposed a policy of a one-month suspension the earnings exemption,...
Second wildfire in less than a week for Trail and area
Station 374 received multiple 911 calls about a fire on Frances Moran Rd. at 10:18 p.m. (Monday) between the hospital and high school. They responded at 10:26 p.m. “Due to darkness and steep terrain, it was a tough fire to access,” said Cpt. Grant Tyson. Ten fire firefighters from Warfield and 12 from Trail responded. It was...
Evacuation alert issued for Salmo
The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) has issued an evacuation alert for residents and visitors of Salmo, due to the potential danger from rising waters on Erie Creek expected later this week. The alert affects all of Salmo and some outlying areas. Local firefighters will hand-deliver the alert to affected households....
COLUMN: A pending transformation of human consciousness?
“Peace will rule the planets, and Love will steer the Sun” -- “Age of Aquarius,” from Hair, the musical “I came upon a child of God, he was walking along the road. And I asked him, where are you going? This he told me: … I’m going to camp out on the land -- and try and set my soul...
Province approves Disaster financial assistance flood-affected communities
The provincial government has authorized Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) for eligible British Columbians who have been affected by the flooding that began on (Monday) May 7, 2018 a media release said Monday. Incluced for DFA are geographic areas within the Regional Districts of Kootenay Boundary, Okanagan Similkameen, Central Okanagan, Columbia Shuswap and North Okanagan (including electoral […]
FireSmart Action -- and Awards
Rossland was a hive of FireSmart activity on Saturday May 12 – the FireSmart Wildfire Hazard Cleanup Day (aka Bring Out Your Dead) was underway across the townsite, residents of the McLeod East neighbourhood held a FireSmart Awareness workshop and Rossland’s FireSmart Community Recognition Program held an awards ceremony at...
