Regional News

'Land and indigenous rights defenders' continue occupation of BMO in Nelson

by Nelson Daily Staff on Friday February 14 2020

A crowd of supporters outside the Bank of Montreal in Nelson swelled Thursday in support of the people occupying the branch inside. — The Nelson Daily photo

A small group of people supporting the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs push to stop a natural gas pipeline from crossing their territory in northern BC continued to occupy the Bank of Montreal branch in Nelson for the second consecutive night Thursday.

The occupation came after a rally march through downtown Nelson Wednesday morning, which ended outside the bank at 298 Baker Street and closed down the intersection at Baker and Kootenay Streets to traffic through the noon-hour.

Wet'suwet'en protest comes to Nelson

by Nelson Daily Staff on Wednesday February 12 2020

Protesters marched along Baker Street before stopping outside the Bank of Montreal. — The Nelson Daily photos

Wednesday, Nelson joined many other locations across Canada in protesting arrests of people participating in a blockade of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern British Columbia by members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.

More than 100 protesters gathered at the office of Nelson-Creston MLA Michelle Mungall, marched through the downtown core, before concluding outside the Bank of Montreal on Baker Street.

Protesters tied up the intersection of Kootenay and Baker Street outside the bank during the noon hour.

Slocan Park man hits Scratch & Win Jackpot

by Nelson Daily Staff on Tuesday February 11 2020

Michael Kooznetsoff of Slocan Park won $100,000 Luxury Crossword XIII Scratch & Win. — BC Lottery photo

A Slocan Park man received the thrill of a lifetime when he went to cash in his Luxury Crossword XIII Scratch & Win ticket recently at the Slocan Valley Co-op.

Michael Kooznetsoff said machine wasn’t the only thing that froze.

“I couldn’t believe it – I started shaking and almost dropped to my knees,” Kooznetsoff said in a BC Lottery media release.

The excitement continued when Kooznetsoff got home after realizing he’d won $100,000 — his wife had an equally euphoric reaction.

Snowfall Alert for Highway 3, Paulson Summit, Kootenay Pass

by Nelson Daily Staff on Friday February 07 2020

The DriveBC highway cam for the Paulson Summit shows compact snow conditions. — DriveBC

Environment Canada has issued a Snowfall Alert for Highway 3, including Paulson Summit and Kootenay Pass with snowfall amounts expected between of 20 to 25 cm.

Environment Canada said expects snow to begin over the Coquihalla Summit near midday and then spread to Kootenay Pass Friday afternoon.

“The snow is forecast to intensify tonight as the low nears,” the Environment Canada said. “Total snowfall accumulations of up to 25 cm can be expected before the snow tapers off to a few flurries early Saturday morning.”

RCMP arrest six people at LNG site on Wet'suwet'en territory

by Nelson Daily Staff on Friday February 07 2020

The office of Nelson-Creston MLA Michelle Mungall has been a focal point of local protests in the past supporting Wet’suwet’en. — File photo

Thursday, in the northcentral BC, RCMP arrested six people for obstruction as police enforced a court-ordered injunction at the controversial LNG pipeline through the Wet’suwet’en territory.

"On February 6, 2020, the RCMP access control checkpoint at the 27 km mark of the Morice West Forest Service Road became the start-point for an RCMP exclusion zone to conduct enforcement action of the BC Supreme Court injunction," the RCMP media release said.

2020 Exhibition Season begins with After Eden and Anima

by Contributor on Thursday February 06 2020

Painting of "Wolves" by Stephanie Kellett, 2019

What comes After Eden? Visual and performance artist Stephanie Kellett and sound artist Robert Livingood explore this question in a multi-media exhibition at the Kootenay Gallery of Art in Castlegar.

Kellett and Livingood are life partners as well as artistic partners, based in Nelson, the pair has travelled on several occasions to central and northern BC and Yukon, spending months in the wilderness. In their most recent two excursions to the sub Arctic, they came across very little wildlife and crisp, dry tundra.

Projects Aim for Meaningful Environmental Impacts

by CBT on Wednesday February 05 2020

The Town of Creston will convert three former water reservoirs and 10 acres of land into habitats for various species, with support from Columbia Basin Trust’s Environment Grants. — Submitted photo

Twenty-nine projects throughout the Columbia Basin will help address the health of local species and spaces, from swallows and salmon to wetlands and forests through research, restoration and education. The projects are being supported with nearly $820,000 from Columbia Basin Trust’s Environment Grants.

Bats in trouble?

by Contributor on Wednesday February 05 2020

Photo of Yuma Myotis by D. Neal, from Wikimedia Commons

Bats are fascinating and often-misunderstood creatures.  They’re also very useful to humans and ecosystems; in our region, by eating a lot of night-flying insects that damage crops and forests. To learn more about bats and how they’ve been unfairly targeted for abuse over the years, read the book “The Secret Lives of Bats: My Adventures with the World's Most Misunderstood Mammals”  by Merlin Tuttle.  It’s highly readable, entertaining, and downright gripping.

Here in western Canada, bats are facing a deadly threat. Researchers are asking the public to help. 

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