BC Hydro in court to keep Site C expenditure details from public
By Sarah Cox for The Narwhal BC Hydro has gone to court to avoid revealing the names of public employees who decide which companies are awarded lucrative Site C project contracts during construction of the $10.7 billion hydro dam. B.C.’s Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) ordered BC Hydro to release the...
Boundary Flood Recovery Update
Are you prepared? 2018 Floods In 2018, communities in the Boundary region of BC were severely impacted by catastrophic flooding in the Kettle and Granby Rivers. Extreme runoff from rapid snowmelt and rain caused major damage to public and private property, businesses, agriculture, industry, and infrastructure. Thousands of ...
Fortis says electricity use on the rise despite mild winter
Even during this milder winter, electricity use is up among FortisBC customers. Last week, electricity use increased by more than 26 per cent compared to the start of winter in November, and it’s been up 20 per cent or more since the start of December. This follows the typical pattern of increased energy use in the winter in...
An Accessible Trail Planned for Strawberry Pass
A $10,000 grant from RDKB Area B, via Director Linda Worley, to the Friends of the Rossland Range (FORR) is a major step toward creation of an accessible trail at Strawberry Pass this coming summer. The trail will make it possible for mobility-challenged people to get out in the forest with wheelchairs, walkers or crutches,...
BC Ombudsperson Report found illegal reductions of income assistance
B.C. Ombudsperson Jay Chalke released an update of a May 2018 report today that found the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction failed to follow the law in relation to the calculation of income assistance benefits. Special Report No. 41, Working Within The Rules: Supporting Employment For Income Assistance...
‘Drastic and scary’: Salmon declines prompt First Nation to take Canada to court over fish farms
By Sarah Cox, from The Narwhal In an unprecedented move, the Dzawada’enuzw nation is claiming in court that farming Atlantic salmon — which often carry disease — in their traditional waters constitutes a violation of Aboriginal rights Willie Moon’s family used to catch hundreds of salmon a day ...
BFR — Hiring a contractor
If you’re looking to hire a contractor, there are some steps to take before signing a contract to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars. Here’s a few tips: Know specifically what you want as the end product. This will help to communicate with a contractor, get an accurate estimate, and avoid incurring costs for work done...
How to get introduced to the Rossland Range Rec Site, with a Snow Host
For those who don’t already know about it … the Rossland Range Recreation Site is a large area used (for free!) by skiers, boarders, snowshoers and some fat bikers in the wintertime, and by hikers and cyclists in the snow-free season. The several day-use shelters there are usually occupied by people resting, warming up and...
Grand Forks Gas leak forces evacuations of several Grand Forks buildings
On Wednesday, January 9, 2019 the Grand Forks RCMP were advised of an above ground propane leak at the Canco gas station situated along Highway 3 within the community of Grand Forks, BC. Highway 3 was closed and as a precautionary measure neighboring buildings that included Grand Forks Secondary and Dr. D.A. Perley Elementary...
Some memories from our hills
Tales of the Trails: up in the new Lepsoe Basin cabin, there was – and should still be – a copy of a slim volume of ditties penned by “The Convert,” real name John Forrest, who described himself as “an old retired Red Mountain ski patroller and downhill fanatic now addicted to tall tales and the...
