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YEAR IN REVIEW: A look at March, April May 2024

April 10: The West Kootenay Regional Airport received $1.6 million in provincial funding to improve the airport’s aviation apron.

April 10: The West Kootenay Regional Airport received $1.6 million in provincial funding to improve the airport’s aviation apron. The improvements will enlarge the existing footprint of the apron to safely accommodate multiple Q400-sized planes at a time. This will prevent flight delays and increase efficiency and capacity for simultaneous operations.

April 14: A Castlegar man entered a guilty plea for a break and enter at home that later burned down. Riley Jackson was charged with two counts of break and enter following an investigation into a Nov. 2023 Genelle arson fire. The home’s occupants were inside sleeping when the fire began, but managed to escape without physical injury. No charges were laid for the arson. But during the investigation, police reportedly discovered that Jackson had broken into the residence on two previous occasions. He was sentenced to time served — the 60 days he had spent in jail awaiting trial.

April 19: Birkley Valks won the Kootenay-Columbia School District 20 byelection to represent Castlegar by a large margin. As the newly-elected trustee, Valks represents the City of Castlegar and part of Regional District of Central Kootenay Area J including Deer Park, Paulson Highway, Raspberry, Renata and Robson.

May 2: The unusually low water level of the Columbia River prompted the City of Castlegar to require that all pets be leashed in all areas of Millennium Park and Zuckerberg Island with the exception of the fully enclosed off-leash dog park. Zuckerberg Island is always designated as an on-leash area, but the restriction is frequently ignored. Most of Millennium Park is also always designated as on-leash.

May 3: A six-vehicle collision on Castlegar’s Kinnaird Bridge sent six people to hospital and closed Highway 3 for about six hours. The Castlegar Fire Department, RCMP, BC Ambulance and KERPA (Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association) all responded to the incident.

May 5: Castlegar Rebel Nate Jackman was killed in vehicle collisionFriends of the Jackman family created a Go Fund Me campaign that raised more than $66,000 in the first few days.

May 10: Kootenay West MLA Katrine Conroy announced she was retiring at end of her term. Conroy was first elected to the B.C. Legislature 19 years ago. She served in cabinet since 2017, first as Minister of Children and Family Development, then Minister of Forests, and was the Minister of Finance from 2022-2024.

May 15: Mike and Brenda Balahura were named Castlegar Citizens of the Year. The couple is known for their community-centred careers and wide range of volunteer work through the 43 years they have lived in Castlegar. The Balahuras received multiple nominations for the award and one nominator described them as ”exemplary examples of citizens who daily, tirelessly contribute to the well being of our community.” The annual award is organized by the Castlegar branch of the Knights of Columbus. 

May 28: At eight months into Castlegar’s new waste collection program, more than half of the city’s garbage was being diverted to organic compost. Prior to the introduction of curbside organics, Castlegar sent an average of 112 tonnes of garbage to the landfill each month. Under the new program, the average is 60 tonnes of garbage and 66 tonnes of organics. Combined, the tonnage is slightly more than before, but that is due to the fact that yard waste is now collected in the organics stream.

May 31: A 47-year old driver from Castlegar was killed in a head-on collision near Blueberry. The highway between Trail and Castlegar was shut down for 15 hours after the fiery crash between a transport truck and pickup truck. The driver of the transport truck, a 60-year old from the Trail area, was treated for injuries then transported to hospital for further care. Both trucks were engulfed in flames post-collision.

June 14: BC Housing announced that it had purchased 2245 Sixth Ave. for a new 20-bed shelter. BC Housing said the new shelter will be open year-round and will replace the 10-bed Out of the Cold Emergency Winter Shelter. But before the new shelter can open its doors, it requires major renovations. BC Housing is providing $1.6 million for the renovations, which were expected to begin during the summer with occupancy anticipated sometime in early 2025. However, as of the end of 2024, work had not begun at the building.



Betsy Kline

About the Author: Betsy Kline

After spending several years as a freelance writer for the Castlegar News, Betsy joined the editorial staff as a reporter in March of 2015. In 2020, she moved into the editor's position.
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