In the early morning hours of August 4, BC Day, a catastrophic breach of Imperial Metals' Mount Polley tailings pond sent a slurry-like mixture of 10 million cubic metres of water and 4.5 million cubic metres of fine sediment into Polley Lake. Hazeltine Creek and into Quesnel Lake. The breach has endangered not only drinking...

As part of British Columbia's Skills for Jobs Blueprint, Selkirk College will receive funding for an additional 54 training spaces to increase access and help reduce waitlists for trades critical to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other industries. The allocation is part of the $6.8 million announced earlier this week to...

Residents in the Slocan Valley need to be on alert for at least until Thursday as crews continue to battle the 120-hectare Slocan Park wildfire. “The fire is moving away from the community and fire guards have been constructed to protect homes and infrastructure,” said Terry Swan, the RDCK’s regional fire chief. The Southeast...

Ed Note: The following is a press release issued by the City of Castlegar: After over a year of contract negotiations with its unionized CUPE 2262 employees, including two days of Labour Relations Board mediated talks, CUPE booked out the mediator and refused to take the City of Castlegar’s final offer to a vote of the...

Southeast Fire Centre Information Officer Jordan Turner said an “evacuation alert” given to residents in the Slocan Valley late Sunday night will remain in place despite the Slocan Park fire appearing to be moving in the opposite direction Monday. The alert was deemed necessary by the emergency operations centre at the Regional...

The BC Holiday weekend is almost over, but anyone remaining in campgrounds or in the wilderness is advised the Southeast Fire Centre is imposing a campfire ban beginning noon Pacific Time on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014. The ban is to help help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety and is in addition to an open ...

The City of Grand Forks’ regular council meeting started off with a presentation on July 21. Isiah McDonald was given a plaque Mayor Brian Taylor talked about how he was accepted to play international baseball. “The City of Grand Forks is proud that a young member of our community has been chosen to play in the Latin American...

Grand Forks Fire and Rescue (GFFR) is up on a ladder again, raising money for a good cause. The 14th annual Ladder-a-thon is held in the Overwaitea parking lot, Aug. 1 and 2. Firefighters take turns sitting at the top of the extended firetruck ladder for an hour or two at a time. Down below, GFFR members and volunteers sell...

The BMX track was humming last weekend as the Grand Forks BMXers hosted the provincial race for the third time.  Over 100 entrants took part in the race, filling the city campground and spreading into local hotels. The event was held over the last weekend in July, the 25th to the 28th, and was pulled off thanks to the many ...

More than 50 lightning-start fires in the past week alone have kept Southeast Fire Centres busy, according to information officer Fanny Bernard. She said there’s a small fire (less than one hectare) near Rover Creek that’s being addressed by a three-person initial attack crew supported by four 802 air tankers (and an accompanying...