At This Late Hour
(Author’s note: This column is an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Christy Clark and has been sent to them by snail mail.) “A human being would certainly not grow to be seventy or eighty years old if this longevity had no meaning for the species to which he belongs.” ...
Inaugural Point-in-Time (PiT) Homeless Count comes to Nelson
Beginning Tuesday, the Nelson Committee on Homelessness (NCOH), along with volunteers and partners, will conduct Nelson’s first ever Point-in-Time (PiT) Homeless Count. A Point-In-Time (PiT) Count is a voluntary survey conducted over a 24-hour period to gather information about the extent and nature of homelessness in Nelson. The survey is part of a coordinated effort […]
Rossland City Council's Financial Angst: Public Meeting Coming Up
Rossland Council met again on Thursday, April 7, to review a second draft of a proposed budget to present to residents for their comments. Council hopes that, on April 13, local taxpayers will get informed and give them useful information on which amenities the City should continue to fund, and which amenities citizens would...
Andrew Weaver's 'Bye Bye Jumbo Resort' Bill?
BC's lone Green Party MLA, Andrew Weaver, has been busy lately. He has proposed Bill M214 — Local Government Amendment Act, 2016, which would amend the Local Government Act by repealing parts of Section 8. Those parts were passed by the BC Legislature in 2012, apparently for the sole purpose of creating more favourable...
Brenda Trenholme has cycled half-way across Africa -- fundraising for education
BC retiree Dr. Brenda Trenholme’s epic fundraising cycling adventure across Africa has passed the half-way point. Brenda is undertaking a 4 month, ten country, 12,000+km trip by bicycle from Cairo, Egypt to Cape Town, South Africa, fundraising for scholarships for Kenyan students. “High school is not free in Kenya”, Brenda ...
Government provides Compass Cards to BC Bus Pass holders
There’s a new pass for BC Bus Pass riders in the West Kootenay after the BC Government announced pass holders will be able to use public transit systems across the province now that TransLink is closing its fare gates. There are about 100,000 people who have a subsidized BC Bus Pass and almost 80% of […]
BATS: ESSENTIAL BUT MISUNDERSTOOD -- AND NOW IN TROUBLE
Bats! Such harmless and essential creatures -- yet, even now, still so often feared and misunderstood. If you see a bat flying around at dusk in the Kootenays, be aware that the little creature is eating insects at a great rate. Insect-eating bats are of vital importance to farmers around the world for controlling insect...
Selkirk College School of University Arts & Sciences Honours Top Students
As Selkirk College students prepare for the final push to the end of the Winter Semester, students and instructors in the School of University Arts & Sciences (UAS) gathered on the Castlegar Campus last week to recognize outstanding achievements and accomplishments. The annual UAS Excellence Awards Ceremony was held in The Pit and provided a […]
Local voter turn out bests provincial and national averages in 2015 federal election
A Community Voters Challenge, created to increase voter turn out in the area during last year’s October federal election has given local communities something to crow about, with local turn outs eclipsing both provincial and federal averages. “Two of our communities had a voter turnout of over 80 per cent. Given that the national level […]
New parcel tax takes centre stage in Castlegar's 2016 budget
Castlegar city council unveiled its proposed 2016 budget and five-year financial plan at a public open house Tuesday evening, in what proved to be one of the best-attended budget consultations in years. Councillor and Finance Committee chair Dan Rye said this year’s budget, reaching almost $27 million (roughly $12.7 million for operations and $14.2 for […]
