Waneta Expansion intake and tunnel excavation complete
Partners in the Waneta Expansion Project, Columbia Power Corporation and Columbia Basin Trust, are pleased to announce another major milestone has been reached with the substantial completion of intake and tunnel excavation. “With the excavation portion of the project complete, the Waneta Expansion remains on budget and on schedule for completion in 2015,” said Rich […]
Public input encouraged as Rossland's audit begins
Rossland's auditor, Amed Naqvi of the firm Berg, Naqvi, Lehmann (BNL), described the upcoming audit to council on Monday evening, and he also explained the important role of "concerned citizens" in the process. Each year, municipal records are subject to a third party audit to ensure that the business of the city was procedurally...
Former mayor leads delegation to council in support of Columbia redesign—parallel parking and all
In response to opposition to the Columbia Ave redesign with a wider sidewalk and parallel parking on the north side "feature block" between Queen and Washington, Bill Profili led a delegation to council on Monday evening to support the design. Profili said, "I'm here on behalf of a group of individuals who are very interested...
Selkirk College staff work hard to balance budget
No new provincial dollars has Selkirk College staff scrambling to find an expected million-dollar shortfall in the budget for the next academic year. The recent provincial budget confirmed that the funding levels for college operations throughout B.C. for the coming year would remain unchanged. However, those funds will then be reduced over the successive two […]
Christopher James Cusack charged in Grand Forks Hotel fire
Grand Forks resident, Christopher James Cusack, 47, has been charged with two counts of arson endangering life in connection with the fires at the Grand Forks Hotel and the Winnipeg Hotel in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 7. Within two hours of the fires being reported, Grand Forks RCMP had Cusack in custody and...
Council scraps DCCs and plans for new connection charges
Council will soon debate a series of bylaws to revoke both the Development Cost Charge (DCC) and the regional Sewer Cost Recovery Charge (SCRC), and to replace these with a single Service Capacity Connection Charge (CCC) for water, sewer, and drainage. Council's decision to support CCCs over DCCs and SCRCs was unanimous. They...
Advanced certificate in renewable energy technology launching May 2012
Selkirk College is addressing the increased demand for new renewable energy technical and design skills, with their new Advanced Certificate In Renewable Energy Technology launching in May 2012 at the Castlegar Campus. This intensive six-week program will build on an individual’s existing education and experience, to provide...
Kootenay-Rockies Tourism presents regional "Connected Travel" program, complete with a flashy new app
Chris Dadson, president of Kootenay-Rockies Tourism (KRT), presented council with interesting tourism statistics on Monday evening, and showed off a brand new "Connected Travel" initiative for smartphones that they hope will help fulfill KRT's mandate to enhance the region's visitor economy. While the Canadian Tourism Commission...
Interfor mill projects ahead of schedule
The progress of upgrades at the Grand Forks and Castlegar sawmills of International Forest Products Limited (Interfor) is one reason for optimism for as they enter a new fiscal year. In their quarterly results announced today, president and chief executive officer Duncan Davies noted that the 2011 year ended with market improvements. “We’re starting to […]
No one injured in truck vs train collision
No one was injured after a truck hit a train near Celgar this morning, according to Celgar manager of human resources Dean Gaudry. Gaudry said the accident occurred just after 11 a.m., when heavy snow left a chip-truck driver unable to stop quickly enough to avoid a collision with the train. “It was very slippery […]