To the City of Castlegar, Thanks goes out to Deb McIntosh for bringing forward the idea of rainbow crosswalks downtown! Cheers to her and to the City Council for making the effort to make a symbolic gesture of tolerance and respect for diversity. Not only is it coming from a genuine place of good will, it's coming from the ...

Nelson’s Land Use Regulation Bylaw has been in effect since 1987. That’s the law that tells us what the land in specific areas of the city may be used for, and what types, shapes, and sizes of buildings can be built there.   Given the bylaw’s advanced age, and the fact that it now must conform to Nelson’s new Official Community...

Construction for a new 28-unit affordable housing development for families and seniors broke ground today in Salmo, thanks to funding by the governments of Canada and British Columbia and Columbia Basin Trust. "Our government is investing in affordable housing in British Columbia and across the country to help create jobs and...

"It's not easy being green," said Kermit the Frog. Turns out it's not so easy being anything involving more than one colour these days, if the crosswalk debate is any indication. How did Lifesavers ever get its rainbow coalition of colours into a single package without mass revolt about things with holes in the middle (gutter...

The City of Castlegar will be providing 50 additional $25 rebates for residents who take part in FortisBC’s Kootenay Energy Diet program, according to an announcement made at Monday night's regular council meeting. “FortisBC PowerSense will provide Kootenay Energy Diet participants with a discounted energy assessment,...

I've been doing this a fairly long time, and I've read lots of writing that has made me angry over the years, but few pieces have infuriated me to the same degree as a letter to the editor published in the Castlegar News last week. I believe when you put writing out into the public domain, be it as a trained journalist or as...

Editor, The Nelson Daily It was just one year ago that I attended a hearing (Oct. 2, 2012) by the Federal Election Boundaries Commission at the Best Western Hotel in Nelson. I was much relieved after I heard speaker after speaker say that the Nelson/Trail/Castlegar Southern Interior riding boundaries should be maintained.  ...

The following is a summary of the Nelson City Council meeting on October 7, 2013. Nelson Commons Nelson Commons asked Council for a development variance permit for parking stall size, building height, and number of parking spaces for its planned construction at 708 Vernon Street. Council voted in favour of the following...

Every year, hundreds of municipal politicians their senior staff spend five full days at the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference, attending workshops, training sessions, strategy sessions, panels, debates, meetings with provincial ministers, and information sessions. They vote on hundreds of resolutions. They connect with...

The  Nelson-Creston Green party recently announced that interim leader Adam Olsen will be visiting the West Kootenays on October 24-26. The trip is the first trip away from the elected interim leader of the party on August 25. "I look forward to visiting south east British Columbia," said Olsen. "We have a great local...