When I was posted in the Okanagan in the 1990s I was answering phones in the detachment dispatch office. A caller from Summerland asked what would happen if he decided to take his protest sign down to the highway and conduct his own personal blockade. He expressed the opinion that if he did that the police would arrive quickly...

While the ground remains snowy, communities throughout the Columbia Basin are thinking ahead to how they can reduce the risks of wildfires. Several projects will be helping to keep people and places safer with over $1 million from Columbia Basin Trust’s Community Wildfire Program. “Anyone who’s been in the region in the past...

People in the Interior Health (IH) region have another tool to make safer choices about drug use. For some, the stigma or shame associated with seeking out substance use services can be a barrier to accessing the health system. Now, new take-home drug testing strips are available and offer an alternative to clients who...

Dear Editor, As I write this, patients are travelling long distances for consultations with specialists. Many of these journeys, for simple face to face meetings are made even though the required workup has been completed and the results forwarded. BUT - What if you could visit a GP, have the referral and information forwarded...

A young person's brain is not fully matured until the age of 25. The prefrontal cortex manages executive functions such as impulse control and weighing consequences but may not do a great job of it for teenagers. If you are faced with a teen driver who is consistently making bad choices, what do you do? This is a serious...

One person was killed in a single-vehicle MVI in the Gulch (Trail)  this morning, according to KBRFR Cpt. Glen Gallamore, who said the call came in at 9:15 a.m. Seven firefighters responded, arriving on scene at 9:25 a.m. "Trail Station 374 responded to a report of  single vehicle rollover on Hwy 3b below Annabel," Gallamore...

Third-year students in the Selkirk College Nursing Program are helping lead the charge to bring awareness and raise funds for hungry, homeless and hurting people in West Kootenay communities. Since 2011, Coldest Night of the Year walks have been held across Canada where millions of dollars have been raised for local charities...

Bats are fascinating and often-misunderstood creatures.  They’re also very useful to humans and ecosystems; in our region, by eating a lot of night-flying insects that damage crops and forests. To learn more about bats and how they’ve been unfairly targeted for abuse over the years, read the book “The Secret Lives of Bats: ...

This week in the House of Commons we are debating the new NAFTA agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico, known by the acronym CUSMA. The original NAFTA was negotiated by Conservatives and signed by Liberals in 1994 with promises of more jobs and secure access to the largest market in the world. Supporters of ...

Columbia Valley RCMP is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a missing Invermere resident. On Jan. 26, Columbia Valley RCMP received a missing person report for Belinda Dawn Eugene, who was last seen earlier that morning in the Radium Hot Springs area. There is nothing to indicate foul play at this time, and police...