Regional News
By Timothy Schafer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on Friday Sep 30 2022
Fuel modification continues in the Selous Creek area through the Selous Creek Wildfire Fuel Mitigation project, building an eyebrow of protection for Nelson through a three-metre wide no-tree zone.
A collaboration between the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) and Kalesnikoff Lumber Co. Ltd., the Selous Creek fuel management project begins again this month and is designed to reduce the risk of wildfire adjacent to Nelson and the threat to its secondary source of water, the Selous Creek water intake.
By Timothy Schafer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on Friday Sep 30 2022
B.C.’s temperate inland rainforest is living up to its billing.
The West Kootenay watershed is intact and at a very low drought level despite drought and water scarcity across the majority of the province.
Drought and water scarcity continues to affect the west coast, south coast and northeastern areas of B.C. that have experienced little to no rainfall over the past five weeks with continued dry weather in the forecast.
By Timothy Schafer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on Friday Sep 30 2022
The slate of all-candidate forums and campaign opportunities in the 2022 Nelson municipal election is rounding out with the chamber of commerce now weighing in.
Long-time political pundits Bob Hall (chamber director) and Darren Davidson (business recovery advisor and communications consultant) will step to the mic and moderate the Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce’s all-candidate forum at the Prestige Lakeside Resort, Wednesday, Oct. 12 (7-9 p.m.).
By Lone Sheep Publishing on Thursday Sep 29 2022
School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) turned orange this week, not just because fall has arrived, but because students and staff marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led movement to honour residential school Survivors and their families and communities across Canada on September 30.
By Timothy Schafer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on Thursday Sep 29 2022
The smell on garbage day in Nelson won’t be going away soon enough, despite a number of people complaining about the scent and bi-weekly garbage pickup.
Mayor John Dooley said it will be around one year before the city will launch its much-awaited organics waste diversion program — curbside compost collection — and take the odour of rot out of the trash.
But he said the city has been receiving plenty of requests for organic collection to be fast-tracked, as well as the return to weekly trash collection, instead of the bi-weekly rotation now in place.
By Contributor on Wednesday Sep 28 2022
The BC Wildfire Service continues to assess and respond to the increased fire behaviour on several fires in the Southeast Fire Centre (SEFC).
In a media release Wednesday, the BC Wildfire Service said as the forecast remains warm and dry, existing fires in the Kootenay Lake Zone have become more visible to surrounding communities.
Here is a closer look at some of the fires still of concern in the Southeast Fire Centre.
Fry Creek Wildfire
By Timothy Schafer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on Wednesday Sep 28 2022
The city sits amidst unprecedented times when it comes to development.
Almost $43 million in estimated value permits have been issued to-date — nearly twice 2021’s mark — on 17 permits. The pace last year was considered a boom year but 2022 has easily eclipsed it, said city manager Kevin Cormack.
“We have never seen this,” he said. “We are in an extremely busy construction and development period and we have some very large projects coming up, some of the largest that the city has ever seen.”
By Lone Sheep Publishing on Tuesday Sep 27 2022
No matter what the weather is today, fall’s arrival signals the approach of B.C.’s most dangerous driving season.
The flip of the calendar page also brings the requirement for winter tires on most provincial highways starting on October 1.
The risk of crashing increases significantly in winter. The average number of casualty crashes due to driving too fast for the conditions more than doubles from fall to early winter, according to police statistics.
By Lone Sheep Publishing on Tuesday Sep 27 2022
Creston RCMP said in a media release that failed brakes was likely the cause of a cement truck accident earlier this month at the Kootenay Bay Ferry Terminal near Crawford Bay.
“Creston RCMP was called to a commercial vehicle collision at the Kootenay Bay Ferry Terminal,” the media release said of the September 13th, 2022, accident.
“The commercial vehicle’s brakes failed, and it crashed at the bottom of hill at the terminal."
By Timothy Schafer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on Monday Sep 26 2022
As forest fires continue to burn in the region more projects for adapting to climate change have been announced by the province.
The BC Community Forest Association is co-ordinating with Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction (CLWRR) for four projects in the West Kootenay, it was announced Friday, part of the ongoing work to increase wildfire resiliency for communities and critical infrastructure.
