For repainting an historic sign on the side of the KWC block, the Hume Hotel is this year's recipient of Nelson's heritage award.

The award, established in 2015, goes to individuals, groups or businesses who make an outstanding contribution to the preservation or promotion of Nelson's heritage.

Berdine Jonker, chair of the heritage working group, which selected the winner, said this year's recipient is significant "because it shows that heritage conservation is about more than just buildings of a certain age. It's about dedication to preserving and restoring cherished parts of our overall heritage value."

The hand-painted sign in question was originally painted in the late 1950s but had significantly faded. Jonker noted restoration of such signs seldom happens because in most cases they are obsolete and advertise businesses that no longer exist.

This case, however, was unique: the ad became a ghost sign when the Hume Hotel was renamed the Heritage Inn in 1980 but came back into vogue when the hotel took back its original name in 2005.

Restoration required a "meticulous process" involving consultation with a heritage professional, researching the sign's history to understand its significance, and hiring a painter who could do the work properly.

Ryan Martin from the Hume hired consultant Elana Zysblat who recommended Valor Painting, who faithfully restored the sign.

"Every aspect from the lettering and spacing to the font was meticulously studied and recreated to ensure historical accuracy," Jonker said.

"The newly restored Hume Hotel sign with its hand-painted charm and historic brick serves as an homage to the story and history of the community. Ryan saw the heritage value in this mid-century downtown icon and took the necessary steps to engage the right people to ensure it will last for generations to come."

Martin noted the project coincided with the hotel's 125th anniversary and is one he and his father talked about for a long time as the sign continued to fade. Dave Martin and wife Sheila bought the hotel and rescued it from an uncertain fate, but Ryan noted it was a few years before their investment proved itself.

Martin also said the process was more extensive than he expected.

"Sometimes there's a difference in the way a private entrepreneur wants to see things happen and the way public [process] happens. It's like 'let's get this painted. What do we do?' [They said] 'Ryan, you need a development permit first.'"

Despite the delay, Martin said he was proud of how the project turned out and thanked the people he worked with.

The awards comes with a $1,000 honorarium, which Martin joked would go towards paying the insurance deductible following the recent flood at the hotel.

[caption id="attachment_55193" align="alignnone" width="1475"] Mayor Janice, Morrison, Leandra Martin, Ryan Martin, heritage working group chair Berdine Jonker, and cultural development officer Joy Barrett. (Courtesy City of Nelson)[/caption]

The post Hume Hotel ghost sign re-painting wins Nelson’s heritage award appeared first on My Nelson Now.

A woman described as a "foundational member" of Nelson's arts community has been named the city's 2024 cultural ambassador.

Deb Thompson was honored with the position Tuesday. In revealing her appointment, cultural development officer Joy Barrett cited the "depth and breadth" of Thompson's work, "honed over decades," that has received many accolades.

Thompson is a visual artist, whose work includes drawing, painting, sculpture, print-making and most recently stop-motion animation.

She was a founding member of the Oxygen Art Centre, which just celebrated its 20th anniversary and has offered painting and drawing classes there since its inception. She was also the exhibition-in-residency co-ordinator there for many years.

When she moved to Nelson in 1999, she taught at the Kootenay School of the Arts. She was later the second curator at Touchstones Nelson.

Thompson said she was "honoured and humbled" with recognition, especially considering "all the hard-working people who make Nelson such a great place to life."

She said she feels privileged to be an artist and lucky to spend the second half of her life focused on art.

"That's the great privilege in my life," Thompson said. "It gives me great meaning and I love to share that through exhibitions and mentoring and teaching."

She added the Oxygen Art Centre is dear to her heart, but joked that while she teaches there, "I'm not administrator at all. That's why it's still thriving."

Thompson said she has been touched by many of her students and encouraged others to take a class.

"I'm also very proud to live in a town that elevates the arts with awards like this," she said. "The arts are so important. It's about our imagination. We need to dream a new future and the arts will help lead the way."

Thompson is preparing a solo exhibition at the Grand Forks Art Gallery in May 2024 that will showcase her stop-motion animation plus new drawings and cut-out works. She has also been invited to take part in an artist residency in California next year.

The cultural ambassador position was established by the city's cultural development commission in 2009 to recognize local artists, groups or collectives who have achieved a high standard in their artistic discipline and are active not only in Nelson. They are expected to represent and promote Nelson on their travels to increase its cultural reputation.

The appointment comes with a $1,000 honorarium. The 2023 cultural ambassador was ceramic artist Robin DuPont.

The post Deb Thompson named 2024 Nelson cultural ambassador appeared first on My Nelson Now.

The woman who runs a regional education program for people who have family members with mental illness encourages anyone who needs help to get in touch with her.

"Often family members advocating for their loved ones don't feel heard or don't feel comfortable talking about what they're facing," says Reasha Wolfe of the BC Schizophrenia Society. "Having an understanding ear can sometimes feel like a game-changer."

Her program offers one-to-one support in advocacy and navigating the mental health and criminal justice systems. She hosts a family support group in person in Nelson and on Zoom that has participants from all over the West Kootenay. She also offers a six-week course called Strengthening Families Together and public education to address the stigma surrounding mental illness.

"We're getting better at talking about mental health and self-care, yet still there is a huge stigma, particularly around serious mental illness which often goes hand-in-hand with substance use disorder," she says. "Both of those things have their own stigmas that amplify one another."

Wolfe has been in the part-time position for about a year and a half while previously a colleague held it for six years. While she receives many referrals through social services and RCMP victim services, she says people can approach her directly. Some people only contact her once, while others need ongoing support.

Both those living with serious mental illnesses and their family and friends can feel isolated, she says, pointing to stories in the media about families facing tragic crises.

"The issues faced are not uncommon. Sometimes it can feel like the whole world is against you, whether you're the person living with serious mental illness or someone who just loves them."

All services provided through the society are free.

Wolfe can be reached at 250-505-2976 or 1-888-888-0029 or at westkootenay@bcss.org. You can also access resources at bcss.org.

The post Help available for West Kootenay families coping with mental illness appeared first on My Nelson Now.

Last week's postponement of a government apology to Sons of Freedom Doukhobor children sent to residential school in the 1950s came as a disappointment but no surprise to one of them.

Walter Perepelkin, who was 10 when he and his seven-year-old brother were taken from their parents and sent to New Denver, says the last-minute cancellation of the apology in the BC legislature is just the latest in a long series of letdowns.

Premier David Eby said he took responsibility, calling the single day's notice and then abrupt change of plans a "screw-up." An apology is now expected to come in February.

Perepelkin said while he expected New Denver survivors would finally hear the words they have been asking for, the delay continues a long line of government errors.

"The first screw-up was in 1953 when they took the kids away from their parents and put them behind a fence," he said. "Then in 2004, there's another screw-up, the statement of regret. I think it's just a strategy they're using, and it's terrible because what does it do to the survivors left? It's very wrong and they need a much better explanation."

In 1999, the BC Ombudsperson's office said the approximately 200 children deserved an apology and compensation for their mistreatment. Five years later, the best the government could offer was a non-apology for fear of exposing itself to litigation. Legislation subsequently made apologies inadmissible in civil proceedings, clearing the way for a more fulsome statement, but the matter stalled until the late 2010s.

This year, the Ombudsperson's office published a follow-up report containing a response from government suggesting an apology would finally be forthcoming this fall.

Perepelkin said MLA Katrine Conroy phoned him to personally apologize for the delay, which was attributed to a desire to allow survivors to be present in Victoria to hear it. However, he's not sure whether it's important for him to be there.

He added he is in the dark as to who has been consulted on how the apology should roll out and is frustrated that it continues to be elusive.

"I could see at the beginning, maybe they're not prepared, but when it's happening over and over again? Something is not right."

The post Premier’s ‘screw-up’ nothing new: New Denver survivor appeared first on My Nelson Now.

The provincial government's apology to surviving Sons of Freedom Doukhobor children sent to residential school in the 1950s has been postponed, probably to the new year.

It was originally expected to happen today. According to an invitation issued to those survivors, Premier David Eby was to deliver a statement in the BC Legislature "formally apologizing for historic wrongs to the Doukhobor community in BC. The premier will also announce significant investments in the community, and a subsequent apology in community will be scheduled in the new year."

However, shortly before the legislature was to convene, the assistant deputy minister for multiculturalism, Haiqa Cheema, wrote that the apology has been delayed to allow more time for community members to be present at the legislature to witness it.

"It is important for Premier Eby that we do this right," she said.

The apology was signalled in a response to the BC Ombudsperson's office, who issued a follow up report this year to a 1999 call for an apology and compensation.

About 200 children were sent to New Denver between 1953 and 1959.

The post Government apology to Sons of Freedom children postponed appeared first on My Nelson Now.

On Oct. 22, 1898 the Canadian Pacific Railway launched the SS Moyie on Kootenay Lake, one of a fleet of boats that provided vital transportation links in the days before roads.

Now 125 years later, the boat is Kaslo's best-known attraction, a dryland museum that gives visitors a vivid glimpse of what life used to be like.

On Sunday, the Kootenay Lake Historical Society will mark the occasion with a gala dinner at the Royal Canadian Legion.

Secretary Elizabeth Scarlett says it's the culmination of a year's worth of activities leading up to the anniversary.

Robert Turner, curator emeritus with the Royal BC Museum, who has been the ship's historian since 1988, will give a talk entitled "Old Boats Reveal Their Secrets Slowly."

They will also acknowledge anyone who worked on the Moyie's restoration in the 1990s and more recently as well as anyone who rode the boat before it was retired in 1957.

While there are fewer and fewer who fall into the latter category, Scarlett said one woman who will be at the dinner used to travel on the ship every Saturday. Her mother lived in Lardeau but she was in school in Kaslo.

"She said she enjoyed standing by the paddlewheel. In the latter days, there was no cover over it she liked to get the spray coming off on a hot summer day."

That the Moyie outlasted every other sternwheeler that plied the lakes of the Kootenays is due to a couple of factors, Scarlett said.

Most boats had a lifespan of about 25 years because they were made entirely of wood.
But the Moyie has a steel-wood composite hull, which meant she was more durable. It also allowed her to come up on the shore to unload passengers and freight.

When the CPR finally took the boat out of service, it was purchased by the then-City of Kaslo for $1 and turned into a museum. The Moyie has now been out of service longer than it was in service. However, it wasn't until the 1980s that a full-fledged restoration began.

Scarlett said the boat is a "great draw" and gets visitors from all over the world. Just this summer, people from the United States, Europe, and New Zealand climbed on board.

"Lots of visitors come to see the ship because she's unique," Scarlett said. "She is the oldest intact passenger sternwheeler in the world."

However, with that title comes the responsibility of looking after it, which is no small feat for a small community. But Scarlett said they've had strong support over the years from the federal government, Columbia Basin Trust, Village of Kaslo, and Regional District of Central Kootenay to ensure the boat is maintained for future generations.

Tickets for the dinner are still available for $75 from the Kaslo Visitor Centre, Sunnyside Naturals, and Willow Home. You can also email ssmoyie@klhs.bc.ca if you would like to go.

The post Kaslo throws party for SS Moyie’s 125th birthday appeared first on My Nelson Now.

The Village of Kaslo is adding its voice to calls for kidney dialysis to be provided at Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson.

"Dialysis needs to be done closer to home for rural areas," mayor Suzan Hewat said.

"For Kaslo and Area D, there are patients who travel up to three hours depending on the time of year to Trail for services. Sometimes that's up to three times a week. That's very onerous on those already in a compromised medical situation."

Hewat says having dialysis in Nelson would bring those services at least one hour closer and mean less time out of each patient's day. Without dedicated transportation, some patients rely on families to get them to their appointments, she added.

Hewat said buying the dialysis equipment could be done through fundraising or grants, but the hard part is getting the staff to operate it.

She said it will take the "will of the medical establishment" at Interior Health and the Ministry of Health to recognize dialysis as a priority for rural communities.

"We're all paying into health care as taxpayers and we need to all be represented," she said.

Her council recently passed a motion to bring the matter to the next regional hospital district board meeting.

The issue came into greater focus this year when a bus service provided by Nelson CARES ended for lack of funding. Several Nelson patients had to find other alternatives. They were able to find a private operator at an increased cost, but after the proprietor's death, they were once again left scrambling.

Presently dialysis is available in Creston and Grand Forks in addition to Trail.

Interior Health said it is “not in a position” to open additional community dialysis units, but is exploring options for outreach services to support pre-dialysis patients in Nelson and area.

“We are also working with all patients who need dialysis to determine if home dialysis is an option as it minimizes travel and improves quality of life,” they said.

— With files from Storrm Lennie

The post Kaslo joins call for dialysis services in Nelson appeared first on My Nelson Now.

The Sinixt Confederacy will celebrate the opening of its new office in Nelson next week, further reestablishing their presence in the West Kootenay in the wake of a landmark court decision.

The office opened on Aug. 1 in the Gray Building on Vernon Street but a grand opening and blessing is planned Wednesday, Oct. 25 starting outside the building at 11 a.m. There will be presentations at the Nelson Museum from 11:30 to 12:10 followed by refreshments.

Jarred-Michael Erickson, the chair of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, to whom the Sinixt belong, called the office opening "an important step in the implementation" of the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling in the Desautel case and in the "process of reclaiming our responsibility to protect and sustainably manage our traditional territory in Canada for current and future generations."

The court recognized the Sinixt are an "aboriginal peoples" of Canada despite being declared extinct by the federal government in 1956 and have a constitutionally-protected right to hunt in their traditional territory in BC.

A celebration of the decision was held in Nelson's Lakeside Park in 2022.

Most Sinixt now live in Washington state, although successive court rulings found their move to the southernmost part of their territory was not by choice.

The post Sinixt Confederacy opens Nelson office appeared first on My Nelson Now.

A potentially lethal bacteria for dogs has been detected in the West Kootenay and claimed the lives of several pets.

Dr. Rebecca Maybank of Maybank Mobile Veterinary Service says they are seeing rising cases of leptospirosis. The bacteria that causes the infection hasn't traditionally been seen in the area, so local vets haven't been vaccinating for it, but it has long been present in Ontario and on Vancouver Island.

Maybank says in the past couple of months, there have been at least six cases in Nelson, Castlegar, Trail, and Fruitvale, "but I expect that to go up because the bacteria can live in the environment and the soil for prolonged periods." Most local dogs who have been infected have since died.

Maybank explained the bacteria is shed in the urine of wildlife such as rats or raccoons and becomes trapped in stagnant water. In can then be transmitted to dogs walking through affected soil or water if they have abrasions or cuts on their paws.

"In times like this when there's a lot of standing water, that can be a higher risk factor," she said. "I also wonder if with the influx of rats into the Nelson area means we're seeing more shed into the water."

Leptospirosis usually shows up as kidney failure in dogs and can also affect the liver. If diagnosed quickly, it can be treated with antibiotics.

Maybank said they are starting to vaccinate for it. The vaccine decreases the likelihood of an animal getting symptoms, but they can still carry the disease.

She said every dog owner should weigh their dog's lifestyle in deciding whether to have them vaccinated for leptospirosis. She recommends it for any dog with a more outdoorsy lifestyle, noting she vaccinated her own dog, who is off leash, goes into the woods, drinks from puddles and likes to swim in boggy water.

Maybank encourages dog owners to contact their vet. She's offering pop-up vaccination clinics for her clients in the coming weeks.

The post Deadly bacteria affecting dogs in West Kootenay appeared first on My Nelson Now.

A touring route is being developed to honour communities displaced by the Columbia River Treaty.

Ingrid Strauss, a project manager with the provincial Columbia River Treaty team, said a request for proposals has been issued for the project with a closing date of Oct. 27.

She said in speaking with Columbia Basin residents over the last decade, they have "heard consistently" of a "strong desire for tangible acknowledgement of losses and other impacts to the people and communities and land" as a result of the treaty.

The treaty, adopted in the 1960s, resulted in the construction of several dams, the loss of 110,000 hectares (including agricultural land), the relocation or disappearance of communities on the Arrow Lakes, Duncan Lake, and in the East Kootenay, and the displacement of about 2,000 people.

Strauss said the heritage project is a platform for local stories about the treaty's impact and a way to "recognize and ensure the significance of key places and events are visible and preserved."

She said that want to tell stories from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous viewpoints and provide a way for residents, visitors, and youth to learn about an important event in local history.

The project's ultimate aim is to link those stories in a branded heritage touring route, featuring interpretive signs or displays at key locations, containing cultural and historical information about the treaty's impacts. The signs would connect to an overarching regional story.

"We're hoping by honouring, preserving and magnifying these stories to acknowledge the impact of the treaty and recognize what was lost," Strauss said.

She said they have an outline of the route, which includes Cranbrook up to Valemont, over to Revelstoke, down the Arrow Lakes and Columbia River to Trail, across to Creston and back to Cranbrook. They are working with Kootenay Rockies Tourism on developing the exact route. A website is also expected to be part of the marketing.

The request for proposals for a contractor went out at the end of September. Strauss said the intent is to have displays in three to five communities ready by the end of 2024.

The post Touring route to mark Columbia River Treaty losses appeared first on My Nelson Now.

The jobless rate in the Kootenays stood at 5.3 per cent in September, which was up compared to the previous month and the same time last year, but still lower than the provincial and national averages.

Statistics Canada says 82,700 people were working and 4,400 were looking for work last month out of a population of 142,900.

The previous month there were 83,500 working and 4,200 job hunting out of a population of 142,700, for a rate of five per cent. In September 2022, there were 79,600 people with jobs and 4,300 trying to find work among a population of 141,000, a rate of 5.1 per cent.

The provincial rate was 5.8 per cent while the national rate held steady at 5.5 per cent for the third month in a row.

StatsCan says across the country, employment among men and women ages 25 to 54 increased, while it stayed about the same for youth ages 15 to 24 and people over 55.

More people were working in educational services, transportation, and warehousing, and fewer were employed in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing, construction, and information, culture and recreation.

Compared to September 2022, hourly wages were up an average of five per cent to $34.01, following increases of 4.9 per cent in August and five per cent in July.

The post Kootenay unemployment rate rises to 5.3% appeared first on My Nelson Now.

Several Nelson kidney patients have suffered another setback in their efforts to find affordable transportation to dialysis appointments at the hospital in Trail.

Millie Harper, who is among them, says the Castlegar driver who was giving them rides recently through his private service died suddenly last month. He charged $50 per trip, which only allowed him to break even, although it still added up to $150 per week or about $600 per month for riders.

Since then, the patients have been relying on a patchwork of solutions: the Kootenay Seniors volunteer transportation program has taken them a few times, as have some drivers who worked for the man who died, but Harper isn't sure if either option can be maintained. Family members have also helped out, but had to take time off work to do so, she added.

"It's a little bit more stressful than what we need right now," Harper said. "We're hoping things will work out and we can get regular drivers again, but that will wait to be seen."

Harper was one of three patients who took the shuttle several times a week. She said to her knowledge no one has missed an appointment, although she doesn't know what arrangements another woman using the same shuttle service in the afternoon has made.

Before they negotiated an arrangement with the Castlegar provider, Harper and four others were left in the lurch when the Nelson CARES bus service ended in May. It provided three-day-a-week round trips for $35.

She said while they would like to find another reliable transportation option, better still would be dialysis services provided at Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson, as they are in Creston and Grand Forks.

"I'm sure there's room at the hospital and some service clubs who would help fundraise for it," she said.

In a prepared statement, Interior Health said it appreciates the challenges patients in Nelson and other rural communities face accessing dialysis services in Trail.

The health authority said its renal social worker is trying to help, including providing patients with information about other taxi and shuttle options as well as "potential financial support for those who are facing financial hardship."

Interior Health said it is "not in a position" to open additional community dialysis units, but is exploring options for outreach services to support pre-dialysis patients in Nelson and area.

"We are also working with all patients who need dialysis to determine if home dialysis is an option as it minimizes travel and improves quality of life," they said.

The post Nelson dialysis patients scrambling for transportation again appeared first on My Nelson Now.

A documentary film chronicling the search for a train that sank in Slocan Lake in 1946 has premiered at a film festival in Sudbury and should be screened locally soon.

The Last Stop: Canada’s Lost Locomotive examines an infamous incident that saw an entire CPR train tip from a barge. It follows the filmmakers’ efforts to locate it and features the last surviving member of the train’s crew.

Director Kaio Kathriner said the film is being shopped around to distributors and broadcasters, but in the meantime, it’s touring the festival circuit.

The film had its first screening at the Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival on Sept. 16. Kathriner and several colleagues who worked on it were present.

“It was an amazing experience to see our movie on the big screen,” he said. “It was so rewarding. All the images, sound, mood, excitement and adrenaline. It all came through.”

Although Kathriner has made many short films, this is his first feature-length production.
While the Sudbury audience was unfamiliar with the story, Kathriner said as a big mining centre and major stop on the CPR, it’s similar to towns in the Kootenays.

“People loved it,” he said of the reaction. “What I was excited about was that these folks were on the edge of their seats for the whole hour and and a half. We worked really hard to weave the history and the story of the train with the excitement and adventure of the dive and the search.”

Now Kathriner says they will be entering the film in other festivals “everywhere between Kelowna and Calgary,” including Nelson and Nakusp while they try to secure a broadcast or streaming deal to make the film available to a wider audience. He expects to attend those screenings with producer Colten Wilkie.

[caption id="attachment_52935" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Searching for Slocan Lake's lost locomotive. (Courtesy Hoghead Media)[/caption]

Wilkie and executive producer Clint Stibbard have wanted to tell this story for a long time, he explained. Stibbard has know of the story since childhood, as his father once worked at a mine in Sandon and brought his kids to the Slocan Valley on holiday.

The pair decided they wanted to find the train and enlisted Kathriner’s help as filmmaker — Stibbard and Kathriner played on the same hockey team.

“So he hired me and and away we went,” Kathriner says. “The next there and a half years of my life unfolded telling the story about a train at the bottom of Slocan Lake.”

Most of the filming was completed in 2020. Initially, they planned to shoot a teaser to create interest in the project before committing to it in full, but Kathriner says they quickly realized they really only had one shot.

“This dive team is only going to come out once, and they're not that cheap. So we had to take full advantage of them being there,” he says. “We had to bring our whole team out and we have cameras rolling for days and days.”

In addition to the search on the water, they interviewed locals, shot underground in a mine and took drone footage of the lake. The past few years have been spent editing the finished product, “and my god, are we ever excited what we ended up with.”

The key to the film was Bill Chapman, the brakeman on the crew, he was asleep on the caboose when the barge tipped. Now living in Penticton, he provided his memories and pointed the crew to the location of the wreck.

“He became an integral part of our story because he gave us the most clues about where the train was and what happened that day and how everything unfolded,” Kathriner says.

On Oct. 7, Chapman will turn 100. And to celebrate his birthday, Wilkie and Kathriner are going to his house to show him the film. “We are so excited to bring this thing full circle,” Kathriner says.

Info on local screenings will be announced in the coming weeks and months. You can watch the trailer below.

The Last Stop: Canada's Lost Locomotive [Official Trailer] from HogHead Media on Vimeo.

The post Film on lost Slocan Lake locomotive premieres appeared first on My Nelson Now.

A 113-year-old school bell is expected to be returned soon to a prominent place in Salmo.

The bell sat in front of the current elementary school from 1961 until a few years ago, although it came from an earlier school built in 1903 on Main Street where Salmo Village Grocery now stands.

School District 8 operations director Chris Kerr explained the bell was broken due to metal fatigue and they decided it was too dangerous to be left in that condition, so they removed it for repairs.

However, the welder was only able to braze the bell back together, meaning it was very unstable and wouldn’t survive much handling.

He said they looked at housing the bell within Salmo Secondary, but that didn’t work out and most of those they consulted in the community felt it should be displayed at the elementary school.

The Village of Salmo agreed and another concrete pad was poured to replace the old one, which was in poor shape. However, Kerr says the bell was re-broken within two weeks “as children and adults couldn’t resist playing on it or handling it.”

Back to the school district’s maintenance yard in Nelson it went. The bell is now in the school district’s welding shop. In June, village council discussed the matter again and passed a motion to accept the bell and determine a place to put it.

Last month mayor Diana Lockwood said they hope to receive it “very soon.” The village will then turn it over to the Salmo Arts Council, who will display it — once repaired and repainted — on the Community Church property directly across from where the old school once stood.

“There is hope some history is obtained so there can be an information plaque put up with it,” she said.

You can learn more about the bell's history here.

The post Historic Salmo school bell returning home appeared first on My Nelson Now.

A Kootenay conservation group is calling on the provincial government to follow through on commitments to protect old-growth forests.

Wildsight will host four events on Thursday, including one in Nelson, as part of a province-wide "day of action."

They say the rallies mark the end of the three-year period during with the government promised to implement 14 recommendations from its old growth strategic review.

“None of those recommendations have yet been fully implemented and more than half of the old growth identified for protection in the review is still in danger of being clear cut — including stands in the Kootenays and Columbia,” says Wildsight conservation specialist Eddie Petryshen.

"So we're really want to see accelerated action. We continue to see old-growth come out of the forest on logging trucks"

Petryshen said the area is home to "incredible ecosystems" and old-growth forests but they fear things are at a tipping point and they are calling for a "paradigm shift" in forest management. While logging deferrals have been implemented in the region, he says BC is still a long way off.

His organization is pressing for further action over the next two legislative sessions, starting with the fall sitting that begins next week.

"We need to see demonstrated action on old growth," he said. "Premier Eby promised accelerated action on old growth when he came into office. So far that hasn't happened."

The Nelson event begins at city hall at 12:30 p.m. and will make its way to Nelson-Creston MLA Brittny Anderson's office. Similar events are planned in Revelstoke, Golden, and Radium on the same day.

In response to a request for comment, Forests Minister Bruce Ralston insisted the province is “taking transformational action to protect old growth in partnership with First Nations rights and title holders," and remains committed to implementing the old growth strategic review's recommendations.

He said in the past three years, the province has deferred or protected 2.25 million hectares of old growth and work on further deferrals.

However, Wildsight disputes that figure. They say the more accurate figure is 1.15 million hectares of the 2.6 million hectares identified in the old-growth review. Wildsight says the higher figure comes from including one million hectares outside the old-growth panel's recommended areas.

Petryshen said those areas may be important, but they aren't at the greatest risk of being logged.

The post UPDATED: Wildsight presses for old-growth protection appeared first on My Nelson Now.

For the third time in recent weeks, the emergency room at Slocan Community Health Centre in New Denver is closed for the day.

Interior Health says due to a nursing shortage, the ER won't reopen until 8 a.m. on Friday. It means patients have to go to Arrow Lakes Hospital in Nakusp.

The New Denver ER was also closed on Sept. 12 and for two days at the end of August.

The facility used to be open round-the-clock, but since July 2022, it has been operating from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The post New Denver emergency room closed again today appeared first on My Nelson Now.

On Sunday, Oct. 15, Las Vegas Golden Knights scout Bruno Campese will bring the Stanley Cup to Nelson. Campese was part of the team that won the Cup this past season and as part of a tradition that began in 1995, he can take it anywhere he wants for a day. While the Cup has been to Nelson twice before, both in 2007, he is the first member of a championship team to bring it to the city. We asked him about it.

You live in West Kelowna, so why did you decide to bring the cup to Nelson?
When they asked where I wanted to take it, my first thought was absolutely bring it to Nelson. I was born and raised there. I played my minor hockey there. I played with the junior Leafs. I started my coaching career with the junior Leafs. I still have family and friends there. And even though I don't spend a lot of time there, for me it's home and it's an opportunity to thank the city of Nelson and those people who have helped me along the way.

What was it like to be part of a Cup-winning team?
It's hard to put into words. The best I can describe it is just exhilarating. As a kid you see the Stanley Cup and think wouldn't it be cool to be part of something like that? But as you move along in the game, as a player it doesn't happen, and as a coach it doesn't happen, then maybe as management. I've been very fortunate to stay in the game this long and be part of a scouting/management group where we finally achieved it. They can't take it away.

How does the Cup tour work?
The NHL and the team that wins it allow the players and staff to have the Cup for a day or half-day. I know it's been cross-crossing all over North America and into Europe with players and management. Scouting staff is up next. It's a great opportunity. You get to choose where you want the Cup. NHL personnel travel with it and bring it to the location and make sure you're taking good care of it. It's a neat opportunity. It's an iconic trophy so to have it in your hands where you want it is unique.

When it is here, anybody can come and get their picture with it?
Absolutely. I have it for a short time. There are some personal things I'm going to do with it but I'm going to open it up to the public. It will be on display on the concourse. It's an opportunity for minor hockey kids or people who have a passion for hockey to have a look at it or have their picture taken. We don't get the Cup for long, so it's kind of neat to take a couple of hours and let the community share in it. It's just a cool experience.

I'm down in Vegas right now for training camp. I asked some guys on our management staff who have had it how it went and they said it's crazy. It's like a magnet. People want to see it or get their picture with it. I don't know what to expect, whether 10 people will show up or 100 people. They did say expect more than less.

It's a very hard trophy to win because of the way the playoff series are set up. Then I think it's the only professional sport that allows the Cup to travel to do things like this. It's gone everywhere. Wherever our players are from, it's been there. Other than going to the Hockey Hall of Fame to see it in the case, you'd never be able to get that up and close and personal with it. The NHL has done a really smart thing. They're promoting the game by allowing me to take it to Nelson. Hopefully it inspires a younger generation of minor hockey players. Like, "That guy came from Nelson and he won a Stanley Cup?"

The post Q&A: Bruno Campese on the Stanley Cup appeared first on My Nelson Now.

Two days have been set aside in December for the sentencing of a man convicted of killing an off-duty police officer in Nelson.

Alex Willness will be in court on Dec. 18 and 19 after being found guilty of manslaughter in the 2020 death of Cst. Allan Young of the Abbotsford Police Department.

The maximum sentence is life in prison but there is no minimum and most cases draw 10 years in prison or less.

Willness' trial heard that he hit Young over the head with a skateboard on Baker Street after Young confronted him. Young had been dining on a patio with his wife and some others when Willness walked down the street yelling.

Young, 55, succumbed to his injuries five days later.

The post Sentencing hearing slated in Nelson manslaughter case appeared first on My Nelson Now.

On Saturday, Nelson Search and Rescue will host the first large inter-regional exercise since COVID.

They are expecting over 100 search and rescue members from 14 teams in the East and West Kootenay and Okanagan to take part in workshops and training at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park.

Eleven workshop stations will be set up for participants to rotate through, including swiftwater rescue, rope rescue, helicopter hover exit training, medical and survival.

Scott Spencer with Nelson SAR says typically these exercises are held annually, alternating between East and West Kootenay, but it has been a few years since the last one, "so everyone's looking forward to getting together for the first time in quite a few years."

All workshops will take place in areas where public viewing will be possible.

"We're encouraging the public to see what we're doing," Spencer said. "We train hard to make sure people are safe in the backcountry."

All workshops will be viewable between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. For rope rescue and swiftwater, platforms will be set up where you can view things from a distance. Other workshops will allow you to get a little closer to the action.

The post Kokanee Creek Park hosting search and rescue exercise appeared first on My Nelson Now.

A $2.5-million composing facility near Salmo to handle organic waste from Nelson, Castlegar, and Greater Trail is now in business.

A grand opening was held Friday, drawing dignitaries from the participating municipalities and regional districts as well as MLA Brittny Anderson.

"It's a big deal for us," Regional District of Central Kootenay resource recovery manager Amy Wilson said. "It's been in the works since 2016."

The facility is similar to one that began operating in Creston last year, but a bit larger. Wilson said it works with a passive aeration system where incoming material is placed in an industrial mixer with a one-to-one ratio of yard and garden waste. It's then moved into windrows with a pipe underneath blowing air, so less turning is involved. The end product is a Class A compost that can be used in agriculture and landscaping.

Only one main operator is required along with some back-up staff, along with people involved in collection and transport. Wilson called it a "low tech, straightforward system" that has been used successfully in other parts of BC as well as Alberta and Yukon.

By Friday's opening, the facility had about a week's worth of material collected from Castlegar, which had been turned into a "sizeable" windrow.

In addition to the curbside programs, you'll eventually also be able to bring organics directly to the facility as well as the transfer station and landfill at Grohman and Ootischenia.

Wilson said the overall goal is to divert material from the landfill.

"The big win is saving our landfill airspace and extending the landfill's life reduces leachate," she said. "It's a substantial benefit for the environment."

The facility is expected to eventually divert about 4,000 tons of food waste annually, which is the equivalent of just under 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

The provincial and federal governments provided a grant worth about two-thirds of the project cost. The rest came from the Regional District of Central Kootenay and Columbia Basin Trust.

[caption id="attachment_52687" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Already a big windrow exists, representing compost picked up in Castlegar's new curbside program. (The new central composting facility near Salmo opened on Friday. (Submitted by RDCK)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_52690" align="alignnone" width="2560"] The new central composting facility near Salmo opened on Friday. (Submitted by RDCK)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_52689" align="alignnone" width="2560"] The new central composting facility near Salmo opened on Friday. (Submitted by RDCK)[/caption]

The post Regional composting facility opens near Salmo appeared first on My Nelson Now.