Although no cases have been reported in the region, Interior Health is closely monitoring the recent outbreak of measles in the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland, asking the public to be aware of the symptoms associated with the disease. “We’re monitoring the situation in the Fraser Valley and provincially for any signs of the...

The Grand Forks kitchen scraps compost curbside collection program will soon expand to include nearby rural residents and become the first rural area in British Columbia to receive this type of waste collection service. On Feb. 27, the Board of Directors of the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary gave approval to the concept...

 After four avalanche fatalities in the past six days, the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) is urging backcountry users to make cautious and conservative decisions while in avalanche terrain. “We’ve been dealt a pretty troublesome snowpack this season and our terrain choices need to reflect that fact,” explains Karl Klassen,...

While the Nelson Police Department (NPD) says it will be generally be taking a moderate approach to enforcing new laws around medical marijuana production set to come into effect on April 1, they do intend to continue the crackdown on recreational grow ops and keep any storefronts out of the Queen City. April 1 will see the...

“We want to talk and meet and learn and vote” was chanted around Gyro Park, last Friday as water metre protester made their message clear via picket signs, speeches, a song and chanting. The group met at 11 a.m. and listened as different community members voiced their concerns about the pending water metres. Donna Semenoff,...

Horses are not raised according to the food safety protocols required of food animals. The wide array of highly toxic medications they are commonly administered convinces me that horsemeat poses an unacceptable risk to the health of those who consume it.  In the hopes of legislating severe restrictions on Canada’s horse...

Hundreds of nurses marched through downtown Vancouver today and rallied for safe staffing levels and safe patient care at the Art Gallery.   BC Nurses’ Union President Debra McPherson told the crowd “the healthcare system needs more nurses, not less. Patients need safe staffing levels. Without it, safe patient care is at...

It’s time for B.C. to implement comprehensive measures to help locate and protect missing seniors with dementia, says Selina Robinson, MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville. On Tuesday, Robinson introduced the Silver Alert Act in the legislature. The bill would create a program which would alert the public of a missing person who...

As many as 50 per cent of Canadians with dementia are not diagnosed early enough. That means many Grand Forks residents living with dementia are losing precious time when care and support can make a tremendous difference in their quality of life, says Julie Leffelaar, support and education coordinator for the Alzheimer Society...

During the last federal election, Stephen Harper promised that the government would introduce an income-splitting proposal, after balancing the federal budget. Income splitting has the worthy objective of making it easier for two-parent families to choose to have one parent work, or work part time, in order to spend time...