LETTER: Paranoia or due process
Talk about putting the cart before the horse. Fall 2013 the RDKB (Regional District of Kootenay Boundary) launches the Kettle Blah-Blah Plan. A few months later Grand Forks city council slams through a unanimous motion to install residential smart water metres. The citizenry clamours, an open-house is held and already by April...
New candidate in the South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding
Connie Denesiuk has announced her intention to seek the Federal Liberal nomination for the new South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding. The new South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding brings together towns, cities and communities in an especially beautiful region of the province. There are significant demographic, economic, historical...
City seeks collaboration between arts groups
The City of Nelson is looking for more collaboration between some of the major arts groups in the city, and hopes to accomplish that in a series of three facilitated meetings in June. Councillor Donna Macdonald says the idea came out of council’s annual budget discussion this year in which some groups requested additional...
City green lights pot plan
The issue of medical marijuana production and research has raised its head in the Kootenays, as city council offered its support, in its usual meeting Monday night (tonight), for the regional district's creation of a bylaw and zoning to allow for governance of same. City councillor Kevin Chernoff said the Regional District ...
City Council rejects request for $20,000 toward Civic Arena mural
At the May 5 meeting of Nelson City Council, not far into a discussion about whether to grant the Nelson Regional Sports Council $20,000 toward its $100,000 mural, Councillor Deb Kozak asked Mayor John Dooley to temporarily step down from the chair because, she said, in this meeting and at a previous meeting on April 21, Mayor...
COMMENT: Taxes and Their Role in Our Society
It seems that no one likes to pay taxes, yet taxes buy the goods and services we use together in our communities. For example, it would be difficult to pay for the fire or police department individually, or schools, hospitals or roads. Historically, income taxes have been used to reduce inequality, with top earners paying a...
City says 'yes' to hotel tax
City council voted unanimously tonight to support a Chamber-of-Commerce-led request for a two-per-cent accomodation tax bylaw request (which requires final approval by the province). City councillor and Finances and Corporate Services Committee chair Kevin Chernoff said this means, in layman's terms, that if you stay in a...
OP/ED: City of Trail defends its decision not to restore old bridge
Ed. Note: The following is a press release issued by the City of Trail: Trail Council would like to clarify the misinformation being presented by petition canvassers to Trail’s citizens in regards to the future pipeline/pedestrian bridge which will accommodate a secondary water pipeline, a gas pipeline and a sewer interceptor....
Nurse's aid fired for not wearing mask or getting flu shot
A Grand Forks’ man has become the first person in Canada to be fired for refusing to get a flu shot. Arnold Hoekstra, 49, worked as a nurse’s aide at the Boundary Hospital for five years in an adult day program. When pressure was put on him to get the flu shot, he refused. As an alternative, he was asked to wear a mask while...
HEU vote for strike action
B.C. health care workers have delivered an overwhelming strike mandate to back their negotiating team’s bid to secure a fair and respectful collective agreement with health employers. Members of the 11 unions that form the Facilities Bargaining Association voted 96 per cent in favour of strike action after a month of balloting...
