They grew up feeling secure. They benefited from easier access to education. They came of age during a time of some of the biggest social change in North America. And now the baby boomers, all of whom will turn 65 between 2011 and 2031, are facing a huge challenge in the West Kootenay. How will they get around when they can...

Yes, our local ticks can carry Lyme disease, and we can pick up ticks while golfing, gardening, hiking, biking ... anything that takes us outdoors, really.  Lyme disease is endemic in southern BC, and the disease can cause long-term damage including arthritis and neurological problems, so it's worthwhile to do regular tick ...

The voices of 12,423 British Columbians were heard at the provincial legislature this morning with the tabling of a petition calling on government to halt the Interior Health Authority's plan to privatize hospital laundry services in 11 communities.   A delegation of Hospital Employees' Union laundry workers presented their...

Canada's safety guidelines:  "a disaster" On May 7, 2015, the Canadian Medical Association Journal  published a scathing condemnation of Health Canada's safety guidelines for cell phones and Wifi. The Journal (CMAJ) interviewed multiple international experts in radiation and cancer, who warn that the microwave levels allowed...

The Hospital Employees Union (HEU) continue to hold Interior Health's feet to the fire in an effort to save job cuts to the laundry services in area hospitals, including Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson. HEU communications officer Brenda Whitehall said nearly 12,000 British Columbians have signed a petition calling on the...

PharmaCare has informed a number of Lower Mainland pharmacies that it no longer intends to do business with them, as the result of a new regulation that allows the Ministry of Health to better enforce the rules around billing PharmaCare. The Ministry of Health intends to refuse re-enrolment as providers to PharmaCare to about...

With the death total expecting to rise, relief effort begins following the massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal over the weekend. Last count following the earthquake totalled more than 4,000 people dead. The Canadian Red Cross has begun to work with the Nepalese Red Cross to determine where help is needed. The...

Since 1994, donors like yourself have donated $1,289,735.78 to keep the operating room at Kootenay Lake Hospital furnished with state of the art medical equipment.  Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation is encouraging donors to dig deep once again as the foundation begins to fundraise for another vital piece of equipment for the...

The Public Health Agency of Canada has issued a statement following the confirmation of measles in the Vancouver area: The Public Health Agency of Canada is again reminding Canadians of the importance of ensuring their immunizations are up to date, following the confirmation of additional cases of measles in the Vancouver...

When you think ‘hometown hero’, what comes to mind is rarely someone under the age of six. But Jaxon Squires, at five, and his brother Ryder, almost three, are confounding expectations and living up to the designation, selling their own toys to raise funds for the new BC Children’s Hospital. “They started in January – we...