The scoop on Castlegar's homeless shelter
A recent Facebook post requesting sleeping bags for the Castlegar homeless shelter got a massive response from readers who were unaware the city had a shelter at all. Community Harvest Food Bank president Deb McIntosh said the shelter has actually been operational for more than a decade now, and explained it doesn't get much...
City Announces Community Grant Application Deadline
The City of Rossland has announced that it wil accept applications for Community Grants for 2017 in both categories (Category A: grants under $25,000, and Category B: grants over $25,000) until October 31, 2016. Copied straight from the City website, here (below) is all the information about the granting policy, purpose, ...
Column: A different look at LNG for BC
There will many announcements and pronouncements for and against the federal government’s approval of the Petronas LNG project if, in view of the 190 pre-conditions, approval is the appropriate term. What aroused my curiosity was the identity of developer: who is Petronas? Petronasis an oil and gas giant created a little over...
Castlegar wins award for Celgar Pavilion at Millennium Park
The City of Castlegar was one of six communities to receive Community Recognition awards from Wood WORKS! BC at the annual Union of BC Municipalities Convention in Victoria this week, in honour of the Celgar Pavilion at Millennium Park. "We congratulate these six local governments for their visionary initiatives which resulted...
Message from Mayor Moore: Thoughtexchange Still Open for Ideas
Hello Rosslanders! Thank you to the nearly 100 locals who have shared and reacted to over 170 thoughts in Rossland City Council’s 2017 budget discussion. Thoughtexchange has now extended the deadline to October 5th and Council wants to hear from even more of you! Locals are discussing the Rossland Arena, snow removal, the...
Editorial Musing: New MSP Premiums for 2017
How much do you pay for BC Medical Services Plan (MSP)? This year, if you're a single person who earned $21,900 (or so) last year ("adjusted net income"), you'll pay nothing -- as long as you applied for Premium Assistance. But if you're a couple, and you and your spouse earned a total of $30,001 last year, then this year...
COLUMN: From the Hill - The High Cost of Getting a University Education
On May 5th, the Parliamentary Budget Officer released a report titled, Federal Spending on Postsecondary Education. One of its findings was that Canadian college and university students come from disproportionately wealthy families—about 60% of students are from families in the top 40% of income. That’s perhaps not surprising, but a related find was: the federal […]
City seeks to recoup legal fees from Officer convicted of assault
The City of Nelson has decided to try to recoup legal fees from former Constable Drew Turner. "At the September 20th board meeting, the Nelson Police Board reached a decision to recover legal fees from former Officer Drew Turner for defense of assault charges laid against Mr. Turner in 2014," said the City of Nelson media...
City's Financial Decisions: Have Your Say with Thoughtexchange
Rossland City Council is once again seeking citizens' opinions on what the City's spending priorities should be. Thoughtexchange, a Rossland company, is testing a new program, and will not be charging the City for this exercise. (Thoughtexchange is also one of the five top nominees for the Trail and District Chamber of ...
Trail and Beaver Valley reach recreation agreement
The City of Trail’s Recreation Negotiating Committee and the Beaver Valley Parks and Recreation Committee (BV Rec) have reached a five-year recreation agreement, effective Nov. 1, 2016. BV Rec will contribute $125,000 annually to allow Beaver Valley (BV) residents to utilize Trail Parks and Recreation facilities, programs and...
