Regional News

Fraudsters attempt to cheat public with CRA scam

by Nelson Daily Staff on Tuesday March 14 2017

RCMP warn of the public not to answer any of those emails that mimics the actual CRA.

As RCMP recognizes March as Fraud awareness month, and the fact that Canadians are locked into preparing their taxes, police would like to remind the public of the always problematic Canada Revenue Agency Scam.

RCMP said this scam involves an individual calling a person at home impersonating the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), claiming a recent audit has identified discrepancies from past filed taxes.

"The caller states that repayment is required immediately," the media release said.

Snowmaggedon baby recovering in hospital

by John Boivin Local Journalism Initiative on Thursday March 09 2017

Baby Elizabeth is pictured doing just fine with mom Ashley, dad Matt, brother Finn, and sister Emma. — Submitted photo

A Nelson family is praising the staff at Kootenay Lake Hospital and Interior Health for saving the life of their premature baby, who had to be medevaced to Kelowna in the middle of February’s biggest snowstorm.

Officials with Interior Health say it was one of the most complicated medical transfers they’ve ever had to do- one that involved doctors and nurses from Nelson, Trail, Grand Forks and Kelowna, the provincial ambulance service, and even snowplough operators along Highway 3.

Public meeting sentiment fails to derail council on cannabis-related business bylaw

by Timothy Schafer on Tuesday March 07 2017

Philip MacMillan, manager of the Nelson Compassion Club, which has been in operation since 2000, told council the Medical Cannabis and Business Licence Bylaw restricts so much of what people can do in the city. McMillan spoke first on Monday night at a public meeting in council chambers. Photo by Timothy Schafer, The Nelson Daily

When the smoke cleared at the public meeting on a cannabis-related business zoning amendment Monday night the only people who remained unmoved by the concerns of the 25 people who showed up was city council.

RCMP officer injured after driver flees scene during distracted driver sting

by Nelson Daily Staff on Monday March 06 2017

The RCMP police officer sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was later treated at Kootenay Lake Hospital.

RCMP said a 34-year-old man would appear in Nelson Provincial Court in relation to several criminal charges stemming from an incident on March 4, 2017 in Nelson.

RCMP Sergeant Chad Badry said the incident unfolded as members of the West Kootenay Integrated Road Safety Unit were conducting a project targeting drivers using their cell phones.

“A police officer directed the driver of the vehicle to stop and upon asking him for his driver's license the male fled in his vehicle,” Badry explained in a media release Monday.

Is silence golden with respect to Columbia River Treaty?

by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes on Monday March 06 2017

The best public discussion yet on the treaty, it took place a handful of miles from the Peace Arch border crossing where, in 1964, B.C., the U.S. and Canada signed the final protocols.

In 2014-15, the Columbia River Treaty was on the brink of being the next big news story.  The first possible date for either country to give notice of termination (September 2014) passed. 

Gradually, things went quiet. 

The Treaty didn’t seem like news any more.

Conversations about the Treaty have not stopped, however. They are still happening in academic, tribal and government circles, and they are broadening.  

Province reaches tentative agreement with BCTF

by Nelson Daily Staff on Sunday March 05 2017

BCTF Executive Committee has endorsed the tentative agreement and is recommending ratification to its members.

The BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) and the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) entered territory at times thought would be impossible to achieve after the two sides reached a tentative Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) negotiated pursuant to Letter of Understanding (LoU) No. 17 to the 2013-2019 BCPSEA-BCTF Provincial Collective Agreement Saturday.

The tentative agreement came less than four months after the BCTF won a landmark victory at the Supreme Court of Canada.

More than double snow accumulation for February

by Nelson Daily Staff on Friday March 03 2017

Mountain highways, including the Kootenay Pass between Salmo and Creston, are expecting 20 to 30 cm today. — Photo courtesy DriveBC

February saw almost 2.5 times the normal monthly snowfall for the West Kootenay region said Ron Lakeman, Weather Forecaster for the Southeast Fire Centre in Castlegar in the monthly synopsis.

Lakeman said even though there was a general trend towards drier conditions during the second half of February, the month end snowpack of 40 centimetres is much deeper than normal. 

Carfentanil on Nelson’s streets, cops warn

by John Boivin Local Journalism Initiative on Wednesday March 01 2017

Carfentanil, one of the deadliest synthetic opioids and fentanyl analogs, has been found on the streets of Nelson.

One of the most dangerous illegal drugs in the world has been found on the streets of Nelson, police say.

Carfentanil, a synthetic drug suspected in the deaths of hundreds of people worldwide, was found in suspected counterfeit oxycodone tablets seized from a subject during a recent arrest.

“The Nelson Police Department received the notification of the presence of Carfentanil from Health Canada, a federal agency which analyses drugs seized by police for criminal prosecution,” said Detective Constable David Laing in a news release issued Wednesday.

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