Below we review key information discussed by council at the Monday evening regular meeting, including the new animal bylaw, a forthcoming grant application for broadband internet, the mysterious federal plan to downsize Canada Post, and other miscellany. Separate articles detail the Rossland Council for Arts and Culture (RCAC)...

Despite the mayor’s protests, council decided emphatically on Monday evening to delay a decision to spend $100,000 on downtown street furniture until detailed finances on the Columbia-Washington renovations are available. Council discussion also quickly galvanized around an idea presented by Coun. Kathy Wallace that local...

Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original form to reflect two corrections: 1) the NOL manager is Aerin Guy, and 2) anonymous surveys were included in the analysis. The Neighbourhoods of Learning Committee (NOL) told council on Monday evening that "time is running short" for Rossland and School District...

In my last column we examined the referendum and its role in a democratic local government. When talking about referendum we cannot afford to ignore the importance of the rules that govern the referendum’s application. As with elections, the rules determine the efficacy of the referendum. Efficacy for the purpose of this...

Local NDP MP Alex Atamanenko says that, with the exception of a small business tax credit, the Conservative budget falls short of delivering results for people here in rural B.C. “The government promised to focus on jobs but has not introduced any new measures to create meaningful employment. It is good that skills training is […]

The owner of a pair of dogs that mauled a cat in Rossland has been issued a $1000 fine and risks having his dogs labeled “dangerous” if another incident occurs, a distinction that comes with strict limitations to the dogs. A separate attack was also reported, but the owner, Dr. Roland Proctor, denies the second occurrence and...

Rossland’s new animal control bylaw blitzed through first, second, and third reading on Monday evening. Neither the press nor the mayor were present for the committee-of-the-whole meeting (COW) in which the new version of the animal bylaw was discussed—these meetings are open and advertised to the public—but the major change...

The whole issue of the housing bubble, its extent and whether there will be a soft landing as predicted by many wishful thinkers has resulted in many interesting headlines in recent weeks – including some high on the delusional scale. One suggested that house prices are a mere 20% overvalued (if you believe that, I have a...

Just when the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) needs a little cash to lengthen the life for the McKelvey Creek Landfill in Trail by 26 years—namely by composting organics rather than burying them—more than $1.2 million will soon be saved by the RDKB each year thanks to provincial legislation that will require industry to […]

After great success in the Grand Forks pilot project that's gone city-wide, but also spurred by a looming local landfill crisis and millions of dollars in imminent savings from recycling programs, the stars may finally have aligned for a regional composting service—a.k.a. "organics diversion"—said Alan Stanley, the Director...